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I have a Cinebar One speaker system with build-in sound card connected to my computers USB port. It gets recognized without any issue when I press the "Front Right/Front Left" Speaker Test buttons in KDE's audio settings I can hear the friendly lady's voice telling me that it works. speaker-test from the terminal also works. Except from the edits I already did to various config files (described at the end), this is a clean and fresh install of Manjaro 18.0.2 (updates installed) with Kernel 4.19.28-1.

However every other application produces no sound and when another application runs at the same time (like vlc) the speaker test will go silent. I configured it exactly like on my laptop, where it works without issue.

Screenshot of KDE-Audio-Config - Advanced-Tab
Screenshot of KDE-Audio-Config - Applications-Tab
Screenshot of KDE-Audio-Config - Devices-Tab

First I checked if maybe the wrong source and sinks are used with pactl info:

Server String: unix:/run/user/1000/pulse/native
Library Protocol Version: 32
Server Protocol Version: 32
Is Local: yes
Client Index: 82
Tile Size: 65472
User Name: takiro
Host Name: takiro-desktop
Server Name: pulseaudio
Server Version: 12.2
Default Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
Default Channel Map: front-left,front-right
Default Sink: alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo
Default Source: alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo.monitor
Cookie: 5ca7:421f

Default Sink and Default Source are correct, the other settings too, as far as I can tell.

Then I thought that the applications maybe use the wrong sink regardless or maybe was muted or corked. I checked this with pactl list sink-inputs while an application (VLC) was running

Sink Input #94
        Driver: protocol-native.c
        Owner Module: 13
        Client: 79
        Sink: 24
        Sample Specification: float32le 2ch 44100Hz
        Channel Map: front-left,front-right
        Format: pcm, format.rate = "44100"  format.sample_format = "\"float32le\""  format.channels = "2"  format.channel_map = "\"front-left,front-right\""
        Corked: no
        Mute: no
        Volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0,00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0,00 dB
                balance 0,00
        Buffer Latency: 339659 usec
        Sink Latency: 48859 usec
        Resample method: copy
        Properties:
                media.role = "video"
                media.name = "audio stream"
                application.name = "VLC media player (LibVLC 3.0.6)"
                native-protocol.peer = "UNIX socket client"
                native-protocol.version = "32"
                application.id = "org.VideoLAN.VLC"
                application.version = "3.0.6"
                application.icon_name = "vlc"
                application.language = "en_US.UTF-8"
                application.process.id = "4215"
                application.process.user = "takiro"
                application.process.host = "takiro-desktop"
                application.process.binary = "vlc"
                window.x11.display = ":0"
                application.process.machine_id = "34b82a1eb1ad4ab48c8d7c2b845005f6"
                application.process.session_id = "2"
                module-stream-restore.id = "sink-input-by-media-role:video"

As you can see it neither muted nor is it corked. Double checking what sink: 24 actually is, I ran pactl list sinks

Sink #24
        State: RUNNING
        Name: alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo
        Description: Teufel Cinebar One Digital Stereo (IEC958)
        Driver: module-alsa-card.c
        Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
        Channel Map: front-left,front-right
        Owner Module: 32
        Mute: no
        Volume: front-left: 65506 / 100% / -0,01 dB,   front-right: 65506 / 100% / -0,01 dB
                balance 0,00
        Base Volume: 65536 / 100% / 0,00 dB
        Monitor Source: alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo.monitor
        Latency: 48456 usec, configured 40000 usec
        Flags: HARDWARE DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY SET_FORMATS 
        Properties:
                alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
                device.api = "alsa"
                device.class = "sound"
                alsa.class = "generic"
                alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
                alsa.name = "USB Audio"
                alsa.id = "USB Audio"
                alsa.subdevice = "0"
                alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
                alsa.device = "0"
                alsa.card = "1"
                alsa.card_name = "Teufel Cinebar One"
                alsa.long_card_name = "Teufel Cinebar One at usb-0000:00:14.0-8, full speed"
                alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
                device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:14.0-usb-0:8:1.0"
                sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb2/2-8/2-8:1.0/sound/card1"
                udev.id = "usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00"
                device.bus = "usb"
                device.vendor.id = "2cc2"
                device.vendor.name = "2cc2"
                device.product.id = "0005"
                device.product.name = "Teufel Cinebar One"
                device.serial = "2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789"
                device.string = "iec958:1"
                device.buffering.buffer_size = "352800"
                device.buffering.fragment_size = "176400"
                device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
                device.profile.name = "iec958-stereo"
                device.profile.description = "Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
                device.description = "Teufel Cinebar One Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
                alsa.mixer_name = "USB Mixer"
                alsa.components = "USB2cc2:0005"
                module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
                device.icon_name = "audio-card-usb"
        Ports:
                iec958-stereo-output: Digital Output (S/PDIF) (priority: 0)
        Active Port: iec958-stereo-output
        Formats:
                pcm

Correct device and sink.

pactl list sources also didn't gave me a hint.

Source #24
        State: IDLE
        Name: alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo.monitor
        Description: Monitor of Teufel Cinebar One Digital Stereo (IEC958)
        Driver: module-alsa-card.c
        Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
        Channel Map: front-left,front-right
        Owner Module: 32
        Mute: no
        Volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0,00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0,00 dB
                balance 0,00
        Base Volume: 65536 / 100% / 0,00 dB
        Monitor of Sink: alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo
        Latency: 0 usec, configured 2000000 usec
        Flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY 
        Properties:
                device.description = "Monitor of Teufel Cinebar One Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
                device.class = "monitor"
                alsa.card = "1"
                alsa.card_name = "Teufel Cinebar One"
                alsa.long_card_name = "Teufel Cinebar One at usb-0000:00:14.0-8, full speed"
                alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
                device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:14.0-usb-0:8:1.0"
                sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb2/2-8/2-8:1.0/sound/card1"
                udev.id = "usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00"
                device.bus = "usb"
                device.vendor.id = "2cc2"
                device.vendor.name = "2cc2"
                device.product.id = "0005"
                device.product.name = "Teufel Cinebar One"
                device.serial = "2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789"
                device.string = "1"
                module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
                device.icon_name = "audio-card-usb"
        Formats:
                pcm

alsamixer also does not show any unusual channels or something. Alsa mixer screenshot

The weird thing is, I tested the sound card and speakers with my laoptop which also runs the latest Manjaro with KDE-Plasma and it works just fine. That's why I reinstalled my desktop (that was previously using Manjaro with XFCE) and hoped it would work now too, but guess what it doesn't.

I already checked some configs but as far as I can tell they are configured exactly the same. So, it's not muted and volume is at 100% but still no sound.

In the end installing a new system install did help with my "device is busy" issue, I still have no sound with my desktop computer.

I find a lot of posts on the internet with similar problems but usually it was a muted channel or a missing library, I tried the solutions but they didn't work for me. I also checked https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Advanced_Linux_Sound_Architecture and https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PulseAudio/Troubleshooting for possible solutions.

Edit
What I tried in the meantime, without success:

  • Checked the logs for errors and found No object for name "alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo.monitor". Searching for solutions to this didn't yield any result's I didn't tried already.
  • Blacklisted the Kernel-Module snd_hda_intelto prevent the Nvidia Audio from interfering. My USB sound card is now my only sound card recognized by the system but no change.
  • I added set-card-profile alsa_card.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00 output:iec958-stereo and set-sink-port alsa_output.usb-2cc2_Teufel_Cinebar_One_ABCDEF0123456789-00.iec958-stereo iec958-stereo-output to the end of /etc/pulse/default.pa. Issue remains.
  • I commented out load-module module-detect, load-module module-role-cork and load-module module-switch-on-port-available
  • installed and tried apulse <application>. Still no sound.

  • ran fuser -v /dev/snd/* to check for offending applicatins

    /dev/snd/controlC0:  takiro     3727 F.... pulseaudio  
/dev/snd/pcmC0D0p:   takiro     3727 F...m pulseaudio
  • added my user to the audio group.
  • removed everything in ~/.config/pulse/ and restarted pulseaudio

Only change so far: VLC, firefox and other applications produce sound but only as long as speaker-test is running from the terminal at the same time. Unfortunately I'm not sure when exactly that happened.

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As I was working out a solution I noticed that some applications (like Telegram) and a few Videos were actually producing sounds. I investigated further and first assumed it was because of missing codecs and then noticed that all the working media files had a mono or unified-stereo channel. As I checked on more files I noticed this wasn't actually the issue. The thing that all the non-working files had in common was the sample rate. Everything with a sample rate of 48000 produced sound as expected.

With this new information I edited /etc/pulse/daemon.conf and changed the lines

; default-sample-format = s16le
default-sample-rate = 48000
; alternate-sample-rate = 48000
default-sample-channels = 2
default-channel-map = front-left,front-right

I commented in default-sample-rate and changed the sample rate to 48000. Just to make sure I also commented in default-sample-channels and default-channel-map but left their values as they were, since it already was what my sound card supported.

After saving the changes I restarted pulseaudio with systemctl --user restart pulseaudio and then it worked. As far as I can tell, all the applications I tested have sound now.

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