No sound on Linux

[quaternion]

I've bought a new LG Gram 16 (model 16T90SP-K.ADB9U1) laptop and want to install Linux on it. Everything's fine except the audio doesn't work. I've also tried KDE Neon, but the issue still persists. The sound is mute even in the Live boot.

Output of lspci -v:

00:1f.3 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation Meteor Lake-P HD Audio Controller (rev 20)
       DeviceName: Onboard - Sound
       Subsystem: LG Electronics, Inc. Meteor Lake-P HD Audio Controller
       Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 32, IRQ 247, IOMMU group 16
       Memory at 5020310000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
       Memory at 5020000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=2M]
       Capabilities: <access denied>
       Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
       Kernel modules: snd_hda_intel, snd_sof_pci_intel_mtl
​

inxi -SMA:

Audio:
Device-1: Intel Meteor Lake-P HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
API: ALSA v: k6.8.0-51-generic status: kernel-api
Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5  status: active

​

Please help.

[Qqmike]

No one is as yet replying to you about technical sound card issues ...
But while waiting, let's check to be sure your sound is not muted in the system tray. On your desktop, at the bottom of screen, usually over at the right side, the sound icon.
Not crossed out with a red line? Left-click on that icon. Now check the two tabs, Devices and Applications, nothing muted?
(This has happened in the past to other users.)

[quaternion]

No, nothing is muted.

[claydoh]

So, there is an audio entry in the tray widget, and it doesn't show as "dummy output" or anything similar?

Actually---- you probably need a more current kernel and firmware, so I'd suggest trying a 24.10 live session just to check if this is the case.

A 6.8 kernel may work with updated firmware -- 24.04 's files are from just about the time meteor lake was released in late 2023.

But a more recent kernel is likely a better/easier choice, and should have more current firmware.

24.04 LTS won't see a new kernel release for some months yet. Mainline kernels may be an option if a more current distro release is not desired. Look here for a popular and helpful tool

[quaternion]

It shows "Speakers," not dummy output. The issue still persists on Kubuntu 24.10 live session.

[claydoh]

So you may need newer audio firmware blob, too perhaps. firmware-sof-signed specifically.https://github.com/thesofproject/sof-bin/
Meteor Lake devices seem to need this and kernel support, no matter the distro, at least at some point -- super current and rolling distros may already have both but I see issues in recent months across the main distro types.

Have you checked the device-specific options, just in case, and just tossed in there ?



or
mmotns

https://github.com/thesofproject/sof-bin/ maybe?
It will probably take some research.

[quaternion]

Neither tweaking device-specific options nor installing firmware-sof-signed helps. Though I noticed that in Firmware Updater nothing sound-related shows up. May this be the cause?

[claydoh]

No, the firmware-sof-signed is older than your platform, unless you used the external source I linked to.

The firmware here are blobs that need to be used with drivers and are loaded by the kernel, they are not like embedded firmware on something like a mouse or your BIOS that need to be written to the device itself.

[Virginio Miranda]

Type alsamixer on konsole and see if sound output is not blocked there.

[quaternion]

My first impression is that everything's fine with alsamixer, but I'm not sure. Here is its output.

Also, here's the output of sudo dmesg | grep audio:

[    3.596526] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[    3.596670] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: DSP detected with PCI class/subclass/prog-if 0x040100
[    3.675391] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: bound 0000:00:02.0 (ops i915_audio_component_bind_ops [i915])
[    3.682854] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: use msi interrupt mode
[    3.724380] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: hda codecs found, mask 5
[    3.724385] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: using HDA machine driver skl_hda_dsp_generic now
[    3.724388] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: DMICs detected in NHLT tables: 2
[    3.726400] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: Firmware paths/files for ipc type 1:
[    3.726403] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3:  Firmware file:     intel/sof-ipc4/mtl/sof-mtl.ri
[    3.726403] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3:  Firmware lib path: intel/sof-ipc4-lib/mtl
[    3.726404] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3:  Topology file:     intel/sof-ace-tplg/sof-hda-generic-2ch.tplg
[    3.726995] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: Loaded firmware library: ADSPFW, version: 2.11.1.1
[    3.852654] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: Booted firmware version: 2.11.1.1
[    3.868285] sof-audio-pci-intel-mtl 0000:00:1f.3: Topology: ABI 3:29:1 Kernel ABI 3:23:1
[    3.888354] snd_hda_codec_realtek ehdaudio0D0: autoconfig for ALC298: line_outs=1 (0x17/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0) type:speaker
[    3.888363] snd_hda_codec_realtek ehdaudio0D0:    speaker_outs=0 (0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
[    3.888365] snd_hda_codec_realtek ehdaudio0D0:    hp_outs=1 (0x21/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
[    3.888367] snd_hda_codec_realtek ehdaudio0D0:    mono: mono_out=0x0
[    3.888368] snd_hda_codec_realtek ehdaudio0D0:    inputs:
[    3.888370] snd_hda_codec_realtek ehdaudio0D0:      Mic=0x18

​

[quaternion]

I've tried headphones, and they do work.

[claydoh]

THAT is good, as it means your sound IS s supported and has all the parts it needs (iirc) though finding out how to switch it to speakers I have zero idea.

While you are in alsamixer and you haven't done so already, arrow to the right to find more items. There are often more of them than what you see in your screen grab.

When you plug the headphones in, do you see any difference in the sound devices in the system tray widget or system settings?

[claydoh]

Another random thought - if you dual boot Windows, disable the OS' Fast Startup thing. This can lock hardware as it puts devices into a sort of hibernation. I have seen a few reports of this specifically with headphones working but no speakers.

[quaternion]

Nope, no difference in system settings. Neither the Fast Startup thing helped.

However, I've noticed a strange behaviour on when I press the Fn + F12 key combination (it's supposed to increase volume): it just grows up to 100% and when I try to decrease it, it brings the volume back to 100%. The same thing happens with Fn + F11 (decrease volume) and Fn + F10 (Audio mute). When I open alsamixer in terminal, this behaviour stops. I dual boot Windows and these key combinations work normally there.

[quaternion]

Actually, the strange behaviour is stopped when entering the terminal. Then the Fn + F10,F11,F12 don't work at all.