[Pkg-alsa-devel] Bug#709106: [alsa-utils] speaker-test, aplay fail cryptically ("unable to open slave")

[Filipus Klutiero]

Package: alsa-utils
Version: 1.0.27-3
Severity: normal

Adobe Flash Player does not produce sound by default in my wheezy install, even with unstable's Linux. This is probably not an alsa-utils bug, but both speaker-test and aplay also fail in an unhelpful way:

> # LANG=C speaker-test
>
> speaker-test 1.0.27
>
> Playback device is default
> Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 1 channels
> Using 16 octaves of pink noise
> ALSA lib pcm_dmix.c:1022:(snd_pcm_dmix_open) unable to open slave
> Playback open error: -2,No such file or directory

supertuxkart also fails the same way. Neverball manages to produce sound and only throws the first error line. As for KDE, it works without giving any sign of problems.

This desktop has 2 sound cards, an integrated Realtek ALC887 and a Trinity APU with HDMI audio: http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=a8309b672edaccacce845e209c12df8a0f79ef13
speaker-test works if I invert the order of cards (modprobe snd_hda_intel index=1,0).
The problem could be that speaker-test tries to use the first card and fails to realize it isn't supported. Although I booted with radeon.audio=1 and am using Linux 3.8, I didn't manage to get any sound from the HDMI card. The Radeon HD 7660 is based on Northern Islands, but it appears to be a mix of Northern and Southern Islands, and Southern Islands HDMI audio is not yet supported.
This problem existed before I upgraded ALSA.

--- System information. ---
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux 3.8-2-amd64

Debian Release: 7.0
990 stable security.debian.org
990 stable debian.mirror.iweb.ca
500 unstable debian.mirror.iweb.ca
500 testing debian.mirror.iweb.ca
1 experimental debian.mirror.iweb.ca

--- Package information. ---
Depends (Version) | Installed
====================================-+-==================
lsb-base (>= 3.0-9) | 4.1+Debian8
kmod | 9-3
whiptail | 0.52.14-11.1
OR dialog |
libasound2 (>= 1.0.27) | 1.0.27-4
libc6 (>= 2.15) | 2.17-3
libncursesw5 (>= 5.6+20080119) | 5.9-10
libsamplerate0 (>= 0.1.7) | 0.1.8-5
libtinfo5 | 5.9-10


Recommends (Version) | Installed
==========================-+-============
alsa-base (>= 1.0.15) | 1.0.25+2+nmu2


Package's Suggests field is empty.

-- 
Filipus Klutiero
http://www.philippecloutier.com