I have an ASUS ExpertBook B9 (11th gen Intel) laptop and when I boot into a Linux distribution (most recently, Ubuntu 24.04.1) my audio is a lot quieter than usual. GNOME doesn’t show me percentages but I’d say around 25% and below is essentially silent and the max volume isn’t as loud as it is on Windows. I used the option to raise my volume past 100% which brings me up to a max volume comparable to Windows, but it’s also distorted.
I’m new to Linux and not an IT expert by any means but my only guess is that maybe there’s a driver that I’m missing? I figure this because when I do a clean install of Windows 10 from the Microsoft ISO, I need to manually go grab and install a ton of drivers from ASUS to get a bunch of things working. If memory serves correctly, things like WiFi, sound, and my backlit keyboard don’t work on a clean Windows install.
This is a common issue with Linux audio on ASUS laptops, and you’re on the right track about drivers, though Linux handles them a bit differently than Windows.
First, Linux uses something called ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) as its base audio system, with PulseAudio or PipeWire running on top of it. The issue you’re experiencing could be related to incorrect default mixer settings rather than missing drivers.
Let’s first check if your audio card is properly detected. Open a terminal and run:
aplay -l
This will list your audio devices. You should see your Intel HDA (High Definition Audio) device listed.
For your specific ExpertBook B9, you might need to adjust the audio codec model. This can be done by creating or modifying an ALSA configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
Add this line (you can try different models):
options snd-hda-intel model=asus
The list of supported options is in the docs.
zcat /usr/share/doc/alsa-base/driver/HD-Audio-Models.txt.gz | grep asus
asus 3-jack (ASUS Mobo)
asus-w1v ASUS W1V
asus-dig ASUS with SPDIF out
asus-dig2 ASUS with SPDIF out (using GPIO2)
asus-mode1 ASUS
asus-mode2 ASUS
asus-mode3 ASUS
asus-mode4 ASUS
asus-mode5 ASUS
asus-mode6 ASUS
asus-mode7 ASUS
asus-mode8 ASUS
asus-a7j ASUS A7J
asus-a7m ASUS A7M
asus-p5q ASUS P5Q-EM boards
asus Asus K52JU, Lenovo G560
Another approach is to adjust the base volume levels using alsamixer. In terminal:
alsamixer
Use the arrow keys to navigate. Look for settings like “Master”, “PCM”, and “Speaker”. Some might be set too low by default. However, this may not work on modern pulseaudio/pipewire installs.
So, if you’re using PulseAudio/PipeWire (which is likely), you can install PulseAudio Volume Control for more detailed settings:
sudo apt install pavucontrol
Then run:
pavucontrol
Check the “Configuration” tab to ensure the correct output profile is selected.
To clarify, is saving the file enough to apply the change or is a restart needed? I forgot to mention that I’m trying this out on a live USB as I’m not sure if I’m ready to commit to Ubuntu quite yet, especially since I have some unresolved issues like this audio issue. I saved the configuration and didn’t notice a difference.
Is it okay that I tried all of them at once? Here’s what my second edit of the configuration looked like (still no difference in sound):
I couldn’t find PCM but I maxed everything I found including Master and Speaker. I think I read “PipeWire” somewhere on my system so that must be what I’m using.
I saw 3 profile options under Tiger Lake-LP SmartSound Technology Audio Controller:
Play HiFi quality Music
Pro Audio
Off
1 is used by default and I tried switching to 2 but didn’t hear a difference. Of course, I don’t hear anything with 3.