[Solved]ALSA won't restore speakers after headphones removed

[triquetra]

I've had some problems with ALSA playing though my internal laptop speakers. I generally use external speakers (plugged into the headphone jack), but sometimes I use the laptop with its internal speakers. The latter does not always work.

I've been searching the forums and google for hours. What I've discovered is that it appears that my sound configuration is (mostly) correct. That is, if I boot into Gentoo with the external speakers DISconnected, then the internal speakers work fine until I plug in the external speakers. Then ALSA sets the internal speakers to 0 (db Gain of -64, -64). That's as expected, since I don't need (or want) sound from my internal speakers if my external speakers are attached. However, after unplugging my external speakers, ALSA does NOT restore the settings on my internal speakers automatically. I can start up alsamixer and manually restore the internal speakers and they work fine again, but . . .

Similarly, if I boot with my external speakers attached the internal speakers are set at 0 (db Gain of -64, -64). Removing the external speakers does NOT automatically restore the internal speakers, though again I can do this manually through alsamixer.

Does anyone know how to get ALSA to automatically restore the internal laptop speakers after unplugging headphones/external speakers?

[PaulBredbury]

Sounds like the nastiness of /usr/src/linux/sound/pci/hda/patch_realtek.c

Google with the name/model of your laptop/motherboard, and "alsa". Because it's very doubtful that you are the first to experience this problem - see if others have solved it.

[triquetra]

No joy. I cannot find anyone reporting this issue. I have a Compal JFL92 laptop, and there are other sound errors reported, but not this one.

After further investigation, I don't think this is an issue with my system. I think its a Gentoo issue. The reason I say this is that I currently have a tri-boot system (Win7 - Arch - Gentoo). Arch has no problems with this. In Arch, I opened alsamixer while I unplugged and re-plugged my external speakers, and I noticed that the internal speakers were neither muted nor was the gain altered, but no sound came from the internal speakers while the external speakers were plugged in, and when I unplugged the external speakers sound came from the internal speakers. Contrast this with my Gentoo install which BOTH mutes the internal speakers and reduces their gain to -64, -64 when I plug in the external speakers -- then when removing the external speakers the internal speakers are unmuted but the gain is left at -64, -64.

These effects are the result of the default configurations in Arch and Gentoo respectively on the same system.

Discerning the relevant differences between the Arch and Gentoo configurations is a bit beyond me. Could someone help me sort this out?

[PaulBredbury]

I assume you're using Gentoo's kernel 3.2.12, and Arch's 3.3.2

In which case, upgrade Gentoo's kernel - the current latest is 3.3.3

[triquetra]

[triquetra]

I have discovered an easier way to reset the internal speakers. After removing the external speakers, I can press the "mute" key on my laptop. This mutes the Master audio control in alsamixer. Then, when I press the "mute" key again, it unmutes the Master and the internal speakers and resets the internal speakers to db gain of 0, 0.

Still not automatic, but better.

[triquetra]

[PaulBredbury]

Try hda-verb.

Also, the ALSA bugzilla and kernel bugzilla.

[triquetra]

I haven't had time to give this much attention recently, but I've been updating my system daily, and now alsamixer works as expected. I'm not sure which update fixed it, but it's working now.

Marking as solved.