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#1 2007-04-04 15:01:38

Romashka
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Registered: 2005-12-07
Posts: 1,054

Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Hi!

I don't remember since what time I have this issue, but it annoyed me too much recently.
The problem is that sound volume is too low than it should be.
Before posting your suggestions please read the following:
* I don't use any specific ALSA config.
* PCM is set to 74% (0.0 dB) to avoid sound distortion, Master volume is set to 100%.
* I've tried this with both my soundcards - built-in AC97 audio and Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (with hardware mixing).
* Windows outputs sound much louder with volume controls set to lower values, one old LiveCD distro with 2.4 kernel outputs sound even louder on SB Live than Windows.
* There are same reports on internet, other users quickly suggests to use alsamixer to set higher values, but that doesn solve the issue (and noone with the same issue as mine didn't report yet that it's solved). Increasing sound volume is just workaround to hear sound at acceptable volume, but I cannot get sound to be as loud as in Windows or Linux kernel 2.4.
* Searching on ALSA wiki didn't help.

Does anyone have the same issue? If yes then did anyone successfully solved it and in which way?

Last edited by Romashka (2007-04-04 15:06:45)


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#2 2007-04-08 21:15:53

Vaxu
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From: Finland
Registered: 2007-04-08
Posts: 5

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

I also do have the exactly same problem.

I remember that when i first installed arch i used the integrated via kt880 sound chip with it's digital out and everything worked perfectly, after some time the digital out stopped working, i'm not sure if it did stop working after some update (i usually update only once in a week=a lot of updates at the same time) or if it was something i did. On analog out the volumes was too low without distortion already at this point, i don't know if the analog out worked properly before this because i hadn't even tryed it at that point yet. Then i installed my SB live! value from 199x with hw mixer and got the digital out working again and i was happy for some time, i didn't even try the analog output at this time. Then after some time the digital output stopped working again and i havent got it to work since then and also the analog output is waay to low compared to windows/the same card on my ubuntu server. I think that the analog output would have the correct volume if i could set the PCM to 100% but if i go over ~75% the distortion begins. All the other sliders, Master and Wave on the input tab in KDE's mixer can be set to 100% without problems.

I installed arch in October or November with the default kernel, and as i wrote the problems with the digital out started sometime after this so maybe it has something to do with kernel/alsa updates at those times? These thays i use the -beyond kernel with same problems.

Well now when i think about the digital output it cant have anything to do with bugs in drivers/alsa because the digital out worked on the live! for some time after i put it in my computer.. Very strange and annoying smile

Oh - and i dont have any idea how to fix this, i have tryed everything i can think of to fix this problem and a little bit more. Just wanted you to know that you are not the only one suffering from this problem..

The good thing about all this is that this is the only bug/problem i have encountered with Arch so far (exept problems with beryl, but that is to be expected i guess smile)!

edit: If i have a dvd/avi with dd/dts/pcm passtrough works perfectly with xine. The problem is just with sound's that aren't encoded in digital form "from the beginning". (I hope that somebody can understand my English smile)

Last edited by Vaxu (2007-04-08 21:18:56)

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#3 2007-04-08 21:48:07

Romashka
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Registered: 2005-12-07
Posts: 1,054

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Thank you for confirmation!

Vaxu wrote:

I think that the analog output would have the correct volume if i could set the PCM to 100% but if i go over ~75% the distortion begins. All the other sliders, Master and Wave on the input tab in KDE's mixer can be set to 100% without problems.

Nope, with both Master and PCM set to 100% (even when fogret about distortion after 74%(>0.0dB)) the volume is still too low comparing to Windows and other distro with 2.4 kernel.

Vaxu wrote:

edit: If i have a dvd/avi with dd/dts/pcm passtrough works perfectly with xine. The problem is just with sound's that aren't encoded in digital form "from the beginning". (I hope that somebody can understand my English smile)

Hm, don't know how xine, but I didn't notice louder sound in totem. hmm

P.S.: I'm not a native English speaker too. smile


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#4 2007-04-08 23:40:20

Borosai
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From: Sandy Appendix, U.S.A.
Registered: 2006-06-15
Posts: 227

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

This is an interesting topic. I replaced Windows with Arch just last weekend, and I have noticed a drop in volume level. For example, when I listened to music with iTunes, the software volume level was usually at 90% or so, and I would adjust the volume manually on my external mixer (an actual, hardware mixer...just in case). Using Arch, I have gmpc set to 100% volume, and I have the volume knob on my mixer a bit higher.

Maybe it's the software (built-in gain) or the drivers (I have an M-Audio Audiophile 2496). I really don't know, although I'd bet on the drivers. It doesn't bother me much since it's not an extreme difference, and the sound quality isn't affected, but I'm still curious.

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#5 2007-04-13 10:24:34

Vaxu
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2007-04-08
Posts: 5

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Romashka wrote:

Thank you for confirmation!

Vaxu wrote:

edit: If i have a dvd/avi with dd/dts/pcm passtrough works perfectly with xine. The problem is just with sound's that aren't encoded in digital form "from the beginning". (I hope that somebody can understand my English smile)

Hm, don't know how xine, but I didn't notice louder sound in totem. hmm

I think that you understood me wrong. The thing with xine for me is that xine is the only application that can use the digital output on my computer. If I have a movie with digitally encoded sound (ac3/dts) it outputs it to my amp. using the digital connection (one rca-cable) and everything works exactly like in windows. Which means that the soundcard has nothing to do with the levels, only the amplifier. The weird thing is that if I play an mp3/flac with xine/xmms/amarok(which uses xine) I have to use the analog out and "suffer" with the quieter sound's.

Romashka wrote:

Nope, with both Master and PCM set to 100% (even when fogret about distortion after 74%(>0.0dB)) the volume is still too low comparing to Windows and other distro with 2.4 kernel.

I think that i should try to boot into windows and test if the volumes are louder or the same without distortion for me, but it could be that we don't have the same problem.. The only problem is that i would have to plug in my extra harddrive where my winxp sits. I wish that microsoft would have a winXP live-cd.. but that isn't likely going to happend. smile

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#6 2007-04-13 11:35:32

klixon
Member
From: Nederland
Registered: 2007-01-17
Posts: 525

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

you can make your own windows livecd nowadays big_smile
check BartPE


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#7 2007-08-10 12:21:41

Cilyan
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From: Toulouse (FR)
Registered: 2006-08-27
Posts: 97
Website

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

I have also this problem since nearly a month and it's becoming really annoying. Is it due to kernel upgrade or new alsa patch ?

I tested exaile, banshee and mplayer with -ao alsa and sdl, it's the same problem.

If anyone has a suggestion...

Cilyan

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#8 2007-08-10 16:12:10

raymano
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Registered: 2006-10-13
Posts: 357
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Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

I have the same problem. Especially on a machine with Intel 82801G (ICH7 Family) sound chip using the snd_hda_intel module.


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#9 2007-08-10 18:41:15

mianka
Member
From: BE LEUVEN
Registered: 2006-05-30
Posts: 229

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Same problem here (on x86_64 with Cmedia/Terratec).

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#10 2007-08-13 21:20:29

Cilyan
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From: Toulouse (FR)
Registered: 2006-08-27
Posts: 97
Website

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Note: lanching directly with gst-launch-0.10 seems to work at normal volume.

command :
$ gst-launch-0.10 playbin uri="file:///path/to/file"
or
$ gst-launch-0.10 filesrc location="/path/to/file" ! decodebin ! audioconvert ! audioresample ! volume volume=[0~1] ! alsasink

But so, why Exaile does not play correctly then if it uses gst ? And why mplayer and/or vlc as the same problem ?

Cilyan

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#11 2008-04-18 23:13:35

lzs
Member
Registered: 2008-01-23
Posts: 39

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Bump. Has anyone been able to fix the issue?

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#12 2008-04-19 19:10:39

mini
Member
Registered: 2006-12-18
Posts: 132

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

The same problem here - Intel 82801G (ICH7 Family) sound chip using the snd_hda_intel module.

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#13 2008-04-19 20:14:33

wain
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From: France
Registered: 2005-05-01
Posts: 289
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Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Same problem for me with snd_hda_intel

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#14 2008-08-26 20:05:14

silencer
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From: Buenos Aires / Argentina
Registered: 2006-09-01
Posts: 102
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Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

wain wrote:

Same problem for me with snd_hda_intel

Same situation here sad

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#15 2008-08-26 20:30:27

Dheart
Member
From: Sofia, Bulgaria
Registered: 2006-10-26
Posts: 956

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

You can achieve lauder volume with OSS4, however that is not a solution... No idea what's causing the problem...


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#16 2008-08-27 06:16:03

Rasi
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From: Germany
Registered: 2007-08-14
Posts: 1,914
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Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Dheart wrote:

You can achieve lauder volume with OSS4, however that is not a solution... No idea what's causing the problem...

Why is that no solution? It might even be the reason.. in old times oss was the standard sound system being used. With alsa things got lower...
Apart from that OSS is the cleaner engine - if you can use it (with kde4 you cant) go for it smile


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#17 2008-08-30 00:24:48

lzs
Member
Registered: 2008-01-23
Posts: 39

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

As least for me OSS is not louder than ALSA.

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#18 2008-08-31 05:05:16

IDSG
Member
Registered: 2008-06-11
Posts: 13

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

silencer wrote:
wain wrote:

Same problem for me with snd_hda_intel

Same situation here sad

same here sad , i was blaming my Biostar MB, but i see that im not the only one

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#19 2008-09-27 23:50:02

alexsuraci
Member
Registered: 2008-09-27
Posts: 15

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Having this too with snd_hda_intel. I installed Arch on a formatted iMac and the sound was much louder in OS X. What I played at 50% in OS X I have to play at 100% in Arch. It's extremely frustrating when you need to go higher.

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#20 2008-10-02 08:14:34

ChoK
Member
From: France
Registered: 2008-10-01
Posts: 346

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

For the latest releases of OSS4, 4fronts has spent lots of time tuning the hda driver, most of time it works when alsa doesn't or isn't loud enough.
Also, I think the latest alsa driver have better hda-intel chipset support. ( and the new kernel is for soon) So try to update

From Phoronix

The HDA codec alone has picked up more than 100 changes between ALSA 1.0.16 and 1.0.17-rc1.

Latest change from the 1.0.18rc2 and rc3 are promising

Documentation
ALSA: hda - Add AD1882A codec support 
ALSA: hda - Add descriptions of missing model values 
ALSA: hda - Add support of Toshiba RX1 
ALSA: Documentation/sound/alsa/ALSA-Configuration.txt: fix typo 
[edit]
HDA Codec driver
ALSA: hda - Fix capture source widgets on ALC codecs 
ALSA: hda - Fix call of alc888_coef_init() 
ALSA: hda - Add definitions of HDMI-related verbs 
ALSA: hda - set up HDMI channels 
ALSA: hda - Add AD1882A codec support 
ALSA: hda - Create beep control on ALC269 codec 
ALSA: hda - Fix ALC269 capture source 
ALSA: hda - fix spaces in patch_realtek.c 
ALSA: hda - Add support of HP DC7600 
ALSA: hda - Add support of Toshiba S06 
ALSA: hda - Add support of Acer Aspire One 
ALSA: hda - Add support of Quanta FL1 
ALSA: hda - support more ALC888 devices 
ALSA: hda - Add more ALC662/663 codec support 
sound: Revert "ALSA: hda - Added model selection for iMac 24"" 
ALSA: hda - Add descriptions of missing model values 
ALSA: hda - Add support of Toshiba RX1 
ALSA: hda: Distortion fix for dell_m6_core_init 
ALSA: hda - Fix ALC663 auto-probe 
ALSA: hda - Add mic-boost controls to ALC662/663 auto configuration 
ALSA: hda - Add model for Toshiba L305 laptop 
ALSA: hda: SPDIF mux controls 
ALSA: hda: removed unneeded hp_nid references 
ALSA: hda: slave digital out support 
ALSA: hda: digital slave support for IDT codecs 
ALSA: hda: SPDIF mux name change 
ALSA: hda - add missing slave_dig_outs for 92HD73bxx 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: cleanup 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: HP and CD pin connect config 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: Fix inversion of surround and side channels 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: Add VT1708S and VT1702 support 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: Mute on headphone plug-in 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: Independent DAC for headphone 
ALSA: HDA patch_via.c: Second S/PDIF (HDMI) support 
[edit]
HDA Intel driver
ALSA: hda_intel: enable snoop for nvidia HDA controller 
ALSA: hda - disable delayed period-ack with bdl_pos_adj=0 
ALSA: hda - check page continuity 
ALSA: hda - Fix VIA recording problem 
ALSA: hda - allow probing of 4 codecs 
[edit]
HDA generic driver
ALSA: hda - print a few HDMI information in proc

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#21 2008-12-15 20:43:23

Zibi1981
Member
From: Poland
Registered: 2008-01-31
Posts: 628

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

I've noticed the same problem on my MSI MegaBook GX600P-208NL with Realtek ALC888 audio chip using snd_hda_intel driver. Moreover I have another issue - when I plug in any headphones the sound is getting out from both, my laptop's speakers and headphones, so no automute working here. Recently I've run onto this topic but no luck with trying to apply those suggestions so far.


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#22 2008-12-16 01:19:10

xaiviax
Member
From: Michigan
Registered: 2008-11-04
Posts: 282

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Dheart wrote:

You can achieve lauder volume with OSS4, however that is not a solution... No idea what's causing the problem...

For me, this was my solution, along with fixing a bunch of other sound issues I was having.

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#23 2009-12-06 18:01:36

Cotton
Member
From: Cornwall, UK
Registered: 2004-09-17
Posts: 568

Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels

Old thread, but has anyone solved this yet?

Using OSS4, I have to turn my amplifier volume control to the "3 o'clock" position to get "loud" music, yet under winXP obtain the same level with the control at "11 o'clock".

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#24 2009-12-06 18:05:43

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Registered: 2006-11-26
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Re: Low sound volume compared to Windows and old Linux kernels


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