Rpi4 on Arch Linux Arm No Audio Headphones resolved with snd_bcm2835_enable_headphones=1

May 22, 2022

According to the recommendations the block of code should be in one line:

snd_bcm2835.enable_headphones=1
snd_bcm2835.enable_hdmi=1
snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0

Rpi4 has had trouble for a while now, especially running under Arch Linux with the sound output from the headphones jack source. I’ve usually read a great many threads dealing with this issue before. Unfortunately, many of the solutions/recommendations/suggestions haven’t resolved the problem.

Other distros have dealt successfully with this issue before. But whether it has been casued for some given reason or another, in the case of ArchlinuxArm this has been an outstanding issue in a great many number of occasions.

The configuration files and particular model and versions for the rpi4 as it has been outlined on many of the threads, are not quite that different from mine, and yet the issue was not resolved.

I’ve read about this:

https://archlinuxarm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=15090&start=0

therein, another specific thread dealing with this issue was opened which followed over here:

https://archlinuxarm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=15128&p=65808#p65816

This thread sound on rpi model 4b was for example, specifically opened to collect more information about some of the back then outstanding issues with the rpi4 model b.

The above also links to Re: fresh rpi4b install with linux-raspberrypi which as one might guessed by going over it, it deals with installing another kernel tailored to this particular sound problem.

Some of the posted code may not apply to the particular model, but as the author clearly specified, many of these settings might differ considerably from one’s setup.

arm_64bit=1
enable_gic=1
dtparam=i2c_arm=on
dtoverlay=i2c-rtc,ds3231
dtparam=audio=on
dtoverlay=disable-wifi
dtoverlay=disable-bt
disable_overscan=0

From there, another thread entitled alsa - device not found was posted

In it, there were some specific packages that must be installed such as (at the time of writing):

alsa-firmware 1.2.4-2
alsa-lib 1.2.4-3
alsa-plugins 1:1.2.2-2
alsa-topology-conf 1.2.4-2
alsa-ucm-conf 1.2.4-2
alsa-utils 1.2.4-2

In addition to these, the author also linked another thread Re:No usb detected on rpi4 with aarch64 which it also suggested to have the package mpg123 installed as well.

# dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d
dtparam=audio=on
hdmi_force_hotplug=1
over_voltage=6
arm_freq=2000

One must always remember that this may have been the settings for that particular setup. dtoverlay= for example was commented out.

But by now one must realize, that the most widely accepted configuration has been so far dtparam=audio=on. It has been brought up for many use cases before.

Of course. All of the above is assuming that another kernel, that of linux-raspberrypi4 would be installed to take care of this issue.

At Reddit for example, this has been also the accepted suggestion.

Need help with sound on rpi4

as one of the users said: I use the linux-raspberrypi4 kernel. Installed pulseaudio, ran it and everything worked perfectly. Don’t remember doing anything else other than selecting the correct output device.

Unfortunately, about a year ago or more when I installed arch linux arm on this particular model, I tried, albeit unsuccessfully to resolve this issue with this aforementioned kernel linux-raspberrypi4. It didn’t work. No sound was ever coming out of the headphones.

Another user who opened a similar topic outlining the problematic sound with rpi4 under Arch rpi4b: no audio device found in his case, the culprit seemed to stem from a permission issue with the file in question. Not in mine. I had also checked file permissions, but it was not causing the misdetection identifying the port.

Other posts such as this one for example at reddit with the title Rpi4 running armv7 archlinux , audio does not work through the onboard 3.5mm audio jack barely provided any insight at all.

Back to archlinuxarm.org there were other threads related with the underlying issue.

This one simply titled Re: No sound it specified to have

dtparam=audio=on

and

hdmi_drive=2

one of the users specified that: Without hdmi_drive=2 you should get sound from the jack on the rpi. , or by commenting it out. This was also specified before.

Of course. This is not the first time the fellow users over at archlinuxarm.org have had to deal with it.

In this thread with the title Analog Audio not working in rpi4

I am not getting audio from 3.5 mm audio jack in my raspberry
pi 4. I have done a clean install of arch. I have installed
pulseaudio, alsa-utils still iam not getting the audio.

I had also done the same, but to no avail.

the recommendaton for the op was, as in this reply Re: analog audio not working in rpi4

dtoverlay=upstream-pi4

This didn’t work either.

There were also a couple of suggestions or likely solutions to this issue with the rpi4, archlinuxarm and sound that ranged from the aforementioned websites dedicated to the arch linux arm wiki, as well as in the stackexchange network.

This one from archlinuxarm.org was titled: Rpi4 No Sound in which an error was preventing the user from running a script such as amixer -q cset numid=3 1

This one for example was also dealing the same issue of sound on te rpi4 and arch linux arm, and amixer cset numid command to execute

The question on the stackexchange network with the rpi, was No Audio Output on 3.5mm Jack

thes user wrote that

  I have tried turning up the sound in alsamixer as well as
  running modprobe snd_bcm2835. I have also tried to play
  the files with aplay rather than ncmpcpp with no luck.

one of the respondents (who also got the accepted answer for this sort of problem) said to have

amixer cset numid=3 1

He was quoted as saying on the answer that

   The last number is the audio output with 1 being the 3.5
   jack, 2 being HDMI and 0 being auto.

one must remember that the latter was, by the looks of it, posted as an acceptable answer to this particular problem before the question/answer came up from archlinuxarm.org.

modprobe snd_bcm2835

as well as aplay -L were implemented accordingly by this user in an effort to figure out what the problem might be with the sound and the rpi4 model.

https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/13499/no-audio-output-on-3-5mm-jack

But more inquiries and suggestions may be further found with Google about this troublesome behavior. It certainly is one of the pressing outstanding issues with this awesome distribution and the model of the rpi4 in question

The Arch Linux Arm wiki, (which I’ll copy and paste) for example, states, in regards to the audio:

Raspberry Pi

Audio

alsa-utils should supply the needed programs to use onboard sound. Default volume can be adjusted using alsamixer.

A key change with Linux kernel version 4.4.x for ARM related to ALSA and to the needed sound module: in order to use tools such as alsamixer with the current kernel, users must modify /boot/config.txt to contain the following line:

dtparam=audio=on

Caveats for Audio

To force audio over HDMI, add this to /boot/config.txt:

hdmi_drive=2

If you experience distortion using the 3.5mm analogue output:

audio_pwm_mode=2

Source: https://archlinuxarm.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi

Resolved with snd_bcm2835_enable_headphones=1

What worked in my case were a few lines on the configuration file that I personally never thought that were going to resolve the sound issue.

snd_bcm2835.enable_headphones=1
snd_bcm2835.enable_hdmi=1
snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0

Re: Pi4 - No hdmi audio Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:23 am

 HDMI audio should work in both ports, but there may be some config
 you can do to make it better.
 
 Add this to the end of the line in cmdline.txt file in /boot
 (all must be on the same line)
 
 snd_bcm2835.enable_headphones=1 snd_bcm2835.enable_hdmi=1
 snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0