Ubuntu 11.04 doesn't distinguish between audio outputs?

Question

My PC has two audio 3.5mm audio outputs:

• back - used for speaker system
• front - used for headset

This is my audio controller:

id:  multimedia description:    Audio
device product:     N10/ICH 7 Family High
Definition Audio Controller vendor:
    Intel Corporation physical id:   1b
bus info:    pci@0000:00:1b.0 version:
    01 width:   64 bits clock:  33MHz
capabilities:   pm msi pciexpress
bus_master cap_list configuration:  
driver  =   HDA Intel latency   =   0
resources:   irq    :   44
memory  :   fea78000-fea7bfff

The problem is that up to ubuntu 10.10 I could right click the speaker symbol in notification area and switch between:

• analog headphones (sound only over headphones)
• analog output (sound on both headphones and speaker system)

This was very convinient because I didnt always have to shut down the speaker system if I only wanted to use headphones. Any idea what caused this change and how to fix it?

Answer 1

This is likely a PulseAudio issue.

Install the package padevchooser and then use it to configure your sound card.

Answer 2

I have a similar problem.

I have a monitor with speakers attached to the back jack connector of the computer and my headphones to the front jack connector.

In Ubuntu 10.10 I could change my sound preferences for front and back so I could choose only to have sound in the headphones so I had an option not to disturb other people.

But in Ubuntu 11.04 in the output tab whether I choose Analog Headphones, Analog output or Analog Speakers I get the sound to both speakers and headphones all the times.

I have tried to use padevchooser as well and tried to change the Sound Preferences there as well without any result.

I hope someone has the answer or can help somehow.

My lspci -vv of the audio device:

00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio (rev 06) Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 0038 Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx+ Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- SERR- Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

Answer 3

Click the audio menu in the top right panel. Select Sound Preferences.

Switch to the Output tab. Choose the output you want to control in the Connector dropdown.