Rpi3 low audio via analogue output

robmcc83 · August 1, 2019 at 10:45 PM

Quote from Da Flex

You do autostart scripting to make your case work, right? If my guisettings.xml don't work, deactivate the autostart scripting for a test run.

I don't use that script any more.

It didn't always work, it was intermittent in regards to the power led not always working as it should.

I wrote my own script for more normal behaviour.

I use gpiozero from the raspberry pi tools from the le repository.

But I do have to still add a line to the autostart.sh to run the python script.

Ill give this a try when I have some free time tomorrow.

Thanks

robmcc83 · August 2, 2019 at 4:51 PM

Quote from Da Flex

You do autostart scripting to make your case work, right? If my guisettings.xml don't work, deactivate the autostart scripting for a test run.

hi,

Tried your guisettings.xml and it's exactly the same, still low audio via analogue unfortunately.

Thanks

**Da Flex** · August 2, 2019 at 5:57 PM Official Post

Quote from robmcc83

Tried your guisettings.xml and it's exactly the same, still low audio via analogue unfortunately.

OK. Next theory: The analogue audio hardware has been damaged, and your other OS compensates it by doing extra amplification.

To give you a more practical advice: You could buy an HDMI audio extractor.

Benefits:

They are cheaper than a special RPi audio DAC (HiFiBerry).
They work with other devices, too.
Other output formats (SPDIF) are possible.

**blueribb** · August 2, 2019 at 8:34 PM

Here's a USB Audio Adapter that does not hog room from your usb jacks

https://www.amazon.com/dp/b01n905voy

**Da Flex** · August 2, 2019 at 8:48 PM Official Post

Quote from blueribb

Here's a USB Audio Adapter that does not hog room from your usb jacks

https://www.amazon.com/dp/b01n905voy

Yes, that's cheaper, but he was talking about "aesthetics of the case". So let's see if he invests the extra money for that reason. Just an HDMI cable looks better for sure.

Hopefully the case has no additional pass-through resistor at the audio jack.

robmcc83 · August 3, 2019 at 9:04 AM

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately I don't have this problem on osmc either.

I've just put osmc on a spare SD card added my library from my samba share and the audio has not got low volume over analogue.

Now as a long time user of LibreELEC and having tried osmc when I first started out using the pi's I much preferred LibreELEC as osmc use to crash alot with a sad face on the screen.

I would much prefer to get to the bottom of this using LibreELEC.

I have put my LibreELEC sd card into a pi 2 which I have from another project I made, powered it on and tried that, the audio is also low volume over analogue using the pi 2 so I very much doubt any hardware is broke.

2 other os's don't have this problem on my pi3

The SD card with LibreELEC also produces low volume on a pi2

This evidence all suggest LibreELEC is the one that is causing this problem.

My last resort is to try a fresh install of LibreELEC just incase any settings have been changed that have caused this.

That is the last thing I can try.

Thanks

**blueribb** · August 3, 2019 at 1:11 PM

It's strange that no others have complained about this issue. You can't be the only one using analog output on a Pi 2/3

**Da Flex** · August 3, 2019 at 7:19 PM Official Post

Quote from robmcc83

My last resort is to try a fresh install of LibreELEC just incase any settings have been changed that have caused this.

That is the last thing I can try.

Yes, that's my final thought, too. During the updates an analogue setting maybe got lost. Analogue output is not a very popular feature.

Mario77 · August 4, 2019 at 1:14 AM

Quote from Da Flex

Yes, that's my final thought, too. During the updates an analogue setting maybe got lost. Analogue output is not a very popular feature.

I use analogue output a lot connected to an old Dvd Surround Sound System and audio is normal as when playing dvd's..

I always leave the audio setting ON to both analogue and hdmi audio...then when I need to use the speakers just mute the TV.

**Da Flex** · August 4, 2019 at 1:34 AM Official Post

Quote from Mario77

I use analogue output a lot connected to an old Dvd Surround Sound System and audio is normal as when playing dvd's..

I always leave the audio setting ON to both analogue and hdmi audio...then when I need to use the speakers just mute the TV.

My RPi analogue audio has normal volume, too. It seems like only robmcc83 has such a problem.

gm05 · August 6, 2020 at 2:23 PM

this is completely silly, but maybe this is the solution?

[Solved] Sound volume via HDMI suddenly very low - LePotato - CoreELEC Forums

just plug a keyboard and press + several times.

xsilver · March 14, 2021 at 10:48 AM

Quote from blueribb

It's strange that no others have complained about this issue. You can't be the only one using analog output on a Pi 2/3

I actually used Kodi on Raspbian and the very same Pi3 before and audio levels were OK. But not on fresh install of LibreELEC.

I'm fresh user and I like LibreELEC and how it smoothly make KODI working.

But I had the similar audio level issue, however, not over Analogue but via HDMI output.
I have Pi3 connected via HDMI cable to my old TV, where I use remote and drive volume over CEC.
But even with TV turned to 100% volume it was barely audible.

LibreELEC version: LibreELEC (official): 9.2.6 (RPi2.arm)
Uname -a: Linux PiKo3 4.19.127 #1 SMP Sun Oct 25 08:49:28 EDT 2020 armv7l GNU/Linux

This forum pointed me in right direction.
Pottered around xml files a bit looking for some volume level controls .. # grep volume `find /storage/ -name *.xml`

I did those changes in /storage/.kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml which normalized volume over HDMI:
(I'm not quite sure at the moment which one was crucial, mentioned are new levels)

<audio>

<mute>false</mute>

<fvolumelevel>1.0</fvolumelevel>

<volumeamplification>1.000000</volumeamplification>

Hope that this will help others.