Quirky audio behavior - audio plays both on speaker and headphones | Linux Mint Community🍵 | Page 1

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:17 AM

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Else audio plays on both speaker and headphones or headphones only, linux doesn't add a new device as "new device" speaker and just plays sound with headphones

What I tried to do is:
By jack retasking for hda intel sound cards
override docks so they actually are headphones/speaker
I got to the point once where I got kinda 2 devices in sound settings and later on I tried to mute one device on one channel and second one on another (in alsamixer) but when I set it up it came back to default setting

What I'm trying to achieve is to be able to switch between headphones and speaker without having to setting it up manually every time I enter system

speaker is srs xb-30 plugged by aux into front jack (mic+headphones)
headphones are sseries arctis 3 (those annoying ones) plugged into rear green output

I can make photo of where everything is plugged

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:18 AM

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fire up alsamixer from terminal, press f6; choose real soundcard; cursor over to speaker column and press m to mute

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:19 AM

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holup currently none of my audio devices give any sound

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ok now it's speaker only

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okay i got to the point where i got "2 separate devices" but both plays as two devices

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:22 AM

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thorn blade fire up `alsamixer` from terminal, press f6; choose real soundcard; cursor over ...

when i press m it mutes both devices

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even tho im not muting master

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sorry for kompot language
i muted the stuff that plays as speaker now but headphones go mute too, if i just drop down volume to 0 only headphones plays

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:25 AM

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is this desktop or laptop?

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:25 AM

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safe agate sorry for kompot language i muted the stuff that plays as speaker now but headp...

this is so confusing omfg xDD

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desktop

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:25 AM

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so what speaker are you talking about?

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desktops dont have built-in speaker

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:26 AM

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the speaker i'm using is external and is plugged by aux

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:26 AM

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if u have computer speakers, then you are supposed to plug headphones into them

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:26 AM

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no it's not that kind of speaker
the point is that on windows it just appeared as another device

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thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:28 AM

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u do have two devices showing

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:28 AM

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safe agate

second pic

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:28 AM

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by default no

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:28 AM

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one 'built-in audio' is headphone

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the other built-in audio is line-out from soundcard to speaker

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also shown as "front channel" in alsamixer

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:29 AM

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yeah so that's what i thought but it turns out these are two instances of both devices playing together

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instead of two different devices

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:31 AM

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safe agate

here in this image - can't i just mute one track and save it that way somehow?

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:31 AM

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mute in alsamixer, or turn slider down

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:32 AM

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ok so now as i muted one track

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can i save this change? I did that before and it just goes back to default when i try to set up another "instance"

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please tell me you're catching on whats happening because I would be confused af on your spot 😭

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:34 AM

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what is 'other instance'?

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also show photo of exactly where u plug headphone cord, and exactly where u plug line-out cable to feed speaker

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:35 AM

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first pic is where the speaker is plugged its front
second are headphones in line out

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:37 AM

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thorn blade what is 'other instance'?

instance as device here - I can't really say device because it's not working like one device, sorry that's just my way of describing it D:

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"Słuchawki 2 Built-in Audio" -> here both headphones and speaker plays
"Słuchawki Built-in Audio" -> same thing
The only thing that is different in those two that I can turn down vol either headphones or speaker in alsamixer, but I have no idea if i can save those changes

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:40 AM

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do u have monitor that has headphone jack, and runs off HDMI?

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:40 AM

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no it's just hdmi, yes i have monitor with speakers and it works fantastic

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HP 2309m

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:41 AM

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so does monitor have headphone jack?

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:41 AM

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nope

thorn blade Nov 20, 2025, 12:42 AM

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The only thing that is different in those two that I can turn down vol either headphones or speaker in alsamixer, but I have no idea if i can save those changes

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^ press Esc to exit alsamixer, and then it should save

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you can also make launcher on desktop to run alsamixer command, and tick the box for 'run in terminal'

safe agate Nov 20, 2025, 12:43 AM

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yes it is saved as long as i don't change device

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for any from the list above - that's why I asked is there is a way to save it permanently

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I'm not even surpriced that you have no idea what to do, this problem is so ass and random 😂

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I will try to figure something out by myself, using audio like this is not an option for me

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Thank you for your time

#Quirky audio behavior - audio plays both on speaker and headphones