Micro Mart Forum / Linux Mart / Micro Mart Forums / Ubuntu Sound Quality / Latest Posts

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

wyliecoyoteuk — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:25:48 GMT

PCM is pulse code modulation, the main sound output from your soundcard
The difference is in the preamp stage of your TV as compared to the speakers.

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

Attercop — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:32:18 GMT

Just another quick note on Volume Control here. I switch between tv speakers and pc speakers for sound, depending on how i'm using the pc at the time. Here's what i found:

PCM volume set low:
TV speakers needed to be at max to even hear sound.

PCM volume set high:
PC speakers experience a lot of distortion at any volume.

PCM volume medium:
Little or no PC speaker distortion. TV volume needs 50%+.

Now i'm not audio visual bod at all but it looks as though the type of sound information the tv needs to translate from the soundcard is different to what the pc speakers do. The reason i say this is because both the tv speakers and the pc speakers are connected to the SAME soundcard output via a 1-into-2 splitter.

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

wyliecoyoteuk — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:24:10 GMT

Glad to be of help.
Often a problem just needs a "step back" if you are too close to it, you don't see the whole picture..
I had no sound on my test rig today, fiddled with it, installed a mixer, messed around, switched my KVM to my main box to do look on the net, switched back -and was deafened! (my KVM switches sound too)- I had forgotten it sometimes sticks!

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

Attercop — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:51:30 GMT

Good call Wylie. It seems that an update may have reset some of the volume levels. I am not entirely sure what "PCM" is supposed to be but a quick look in the Volume Control GUI showed it at max. So after turning PCM down to closer to 30% and my pc speakers up i now find no distortion, or at least not enough for my untrained ears to detect.

Well spotted sir, much appreciated.

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

wyliecoyoteuk — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:47:43 GMT

I would also check and disable any unwanted inputs. I had a similar problem and it was noise on the Aux (unconnected) input, which had it's volume turned up full :)
I am using Nvidia onboard too.

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

Attercop — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:27:46 GMT

Agreed Wylie. Bog standard Nvidia on-board. I've been conducting experiments to see if the sound is just as poor on various formats, and not just mp3. m4a appears to be just as bad, but i don't think sound in mpg video is affected. Tests ongoing.

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

gn2 — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:37:22 GMT

No problems on my laptop or desktop, but I removed all the pulse audio packages and the libflashsupport package weeks ago.

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

wyliecoyoteuk — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:23:29 GMT

No problems here with 8.04.1.
Must be a driver issue.
What sound card?

RE: Ubuntu Sound Quality

Basil — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:08:53 GMT

I haven't noticed anything (probably because I'm on 7.10) but I have always found my laptops headphone out to be considerably more noisy under Ubuntu but it's never bothered me as I run all te sound though an external DAC and amplifier.

Ubuntu Sound Quality

Attercop — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:39:47 GMT

I've noticed a huge drop in the quality of sound in Ubuntu very recently. Possibly arriving with updates. There is now quite a lot of crackling and noise at all volumes. It's certainly a software issue as i get the same when using either the tv speakers or the pc speakers, but sound is fine in XP.

Bit of Pulse tweaking going on behind the scenes maybe? It's certainly done nothing to improve my media experience.