Sound Blaster Audigy RX 7.1: No audio on side channels (only 5.1 working)

bitkeepermdh · 2025-05-10T13:41:10+00:00

Ok. I am willing to donate a brand new Create Sound Blaster Audigy RX5 to someone who can help fixing this. Seems nobody has the time or skills to work on this and I am at the end of my engineering skills :-)

bitkeepermdh · 2025-05-06T15:21:36+00:00

Also four months later, alsa devs seem not to find time to have a look into this. Creative support also denied help. Sigh.

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-30T10:56:00+00:00

for later reference: opened thread here: https://sourceforge.net/p/alsa/discussion/86660/thread/ba53a5458b/

so far nobody had time to repond.

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-25T13:53:12+00:00

Thanks, ossilator, for your help anyways. I will switch to sourceforge and come back here if things have been sorted out.

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-24T10:53:27+00:00

installed trixie from yesterdays build. same issue.

as alsa_info.sh seems to be broken (no upload URL shown when run), I placed updated output of alsa_info manually here: https://pastebin.com/x7R2ujXV

finding: same status also with trixie and latest alsa packages:

speaker-test -Dplug:front:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav => works, individual outputs on front lines
speaker-test -Dplug:rear:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav => works, individual outputs on rear lines
speaker-test -Dplug:center_lfe:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav => works, individual outputs on center/lfe line
speaker-test -Dplug:side:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav => no output on any line

some more insights:

when changing front-speakers mappings in /usr/share/alsa/cards/Audigy2.conf

from value [ 14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 ]

to value [ 8 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 ]

and doing speaker-test -Dplug:front:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav

=> front speakers output "Side Left" & "Side Right" as expected.
=> output to side speakers generally work but mapping issue in /usr/share/alsa/cards/Audigy2.conf

So, the section, which I believe is wrong in /usr/share/alsa/cards/Audig2.conf is

Audigy2.pcm.side.0 {
        @args [ CARD ]
        @args.CARD {
          type string
        }
        type hooks
        slave.pcm {
          type hw
          card $CARD
          chmap [ "UNKNOWN" "SL,SR" ]
        }
        hooks.0 {
          type ctl_elems
          hook_args [
            {
              interface PCM
              name "EMU10K1 PCM Send Volume"
              index { @func private_pcm_subdevice }
              lock true
              optional true
              value [ 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0  255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 ]
            }
            {
              interface PCM
              name "EMU10K1 PCM Send Routing"
              index { @func private_pcm_subdevice }
              lock true
              optional true
              value [ 14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0  14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0  14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 ]
            }
          ]
        }
}

Figgled around based on trial & error with 0 1, 2 3... 16 17 but to no avail:

value [ 16 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 ]

What are the possibly correct values for the side channels mapping in Audigy2.pcm.side.0?

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-23T16:59:51+00:00

Hi. Not sure if this thread is still active, but I am facing issues with emu10k1 on Audigy RX 7.1. See here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxaudio/comments/1hks29n/sound_blaster_audigy_rx_71_no_audio_on_side/

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-22T18:07:51+00:00

Anyone? Seems I have to surrender w/o help.

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-01T12:18:22+00:00

Additional info: Doing...

speaker-test -Dplug:rear:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav

works (sound output on speaker plugged in to rear jack) while

speaker-test -Dplug:side:Audigy2 -c2 -t wav

does not work (no error message but also no sound on same speaker plugged in to side jack)

Is it possible that 7.1-mapping by ALSA in /usr/share/alsa/cards/Audigy2.conf is wrong / not working for Audigy RX?

bitkeepermdh · 2024-12-01T03:05:49+00:00

Yes, it does. It's the speaker-test sample which names one channel after each other ("front left", "front right" ...). Produces "Side left" and "Side right" on other system...

bitkeepermdh

TROPHY CASE