No sound on Huawei Matebook D14 AMD since Linux 6.8.0-38 [regression]

[Miguel]

This laptop has had non-functioning internal sound (based on AMD Renoir) until Ubuntu 24.04, which made it work thanks to a bugfix in the kernel.

Unfortunately, the sound is completely broken with kernel from package "linux-image-6.8.0-38-generic" (6.8.0-38.38): the internal speakers are not even listed in the sound GUI (I am using "mate-volume-control", with Ubuntu-Mate.

When I boot the laptop on Linux 6.8.0-36-generic, the speakers are listed and the sound works normally.

This might be related to this bug in Linux kernel:
https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=218959

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04
Package: linux-image-6.8.0-38-generic 6.8.0-38.38
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.8.0-38.38-generic 6.8.8
Uname: Linux 6.8.0-38-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/seq: julier 2643 F.... pipewire
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D3p: julier 2643 F...m pipewire
 /dev/snd/controlC0: julier 2645 F.... wireplumber
CRDA: N/A
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: MATE
Date: Sun Jul 14 11:03:18 2024
InstallationDate: Installed on 2022-04-18 (818 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-MATE 22.04 LTS "Jammy Jellyfish" - Daily amd64 (20220418)
MachineType: HUAWEI HVY-WXX9
ProcFB: 0 amdgpudrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.8.0-38-generic root=UUID=e5259488-061f-48f2-b6ca-9ebd58053ca3 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
PulseList: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list'] failed with exit code 1: No PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-6.8.0-38-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-6.8.0-38-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 20240318.git3b128b60-0ubuntu2.1
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to noble on 2024-04-28 (76 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 03/17/2023
dmi.bios.release: 2.17
dmi.bios.vendor: HUAWEI
dmi.bios.version: 2.17
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: HVY-WXX9-PCB-B1
dmi.board.vendor: HUAWEI
dmi.board.version: M1010
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: HUAWEI
dmi.chassis.version: M1010
dmi.ec.firmware.release: 2.17
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHUAWEI:bvr2.17:bd03/17/2023:br2.17:efr2.17:svnHUAWEI:pnHVY-WXX9:pvrM1010:rvnHUAWEI:rnHVY-WXX9-PCB-B1:rvrM1010:cvnHUAWEI:ct10:cvrM1010:skuC100:
dmi.product.family: MateBook D
dmi.product.name: HVY-WXX9
dmi.product.sku: C100
dmi.product.version: M1010
dmi.sys.vendor: HUAWEI

[Impact]
Huawei MateBook D14 AMD got no sound after commit:
4af565de9f8c ("ASoC: amd: acp: fix for acp pdm configuration check")
which is introduced in v6.8.5 stable updates.

[Fix]
Invokes platform specific acp pin configuration check functions.
Upstream fix:
09068d624c490 ("ASoC: amd: acp: fix for acp platform device creation failure")

[Test]
Bug reporter tested on hardware, sound output OK.
Also verified on ThinkPad T14 AMD, sound output OK too.

[Where problems could occur]
It may break sound output of AMD platforms.

[Miguel (miguel34)]

I am posting the "Alsainfo.txt" part of the "ubuntu-bug linux" report, when booting on kernel 6.8.0-36, on which the sound works correctly.
You can compare with the file for 6.8.0-38, and observe that one sound interface has disappeared in 6.8.0-38.

[Miguel (miguel34)]

Also regarding this sound card:
Since Ubuntu 24.04, the sound was indeed working, but with a very low output volume on the internal speakers.
I traced the problem down to the "Headphone" mixer setting: it is an integer from 0 to 3, 0 is the default value, 3 is the suitable value in order to obtain a reasonable output volume.

The problem is that this setting is not easily accessible (it is present in QasHCtl) and that it is not saved after reboot.

My solution has been to add the following line to my .bashrc :
amixer -c 1 set Headphone 3

Maybe there could be some easier solution for the basic user.

[AaronMa (mapengyu)]

Test kernel with commit:
09068d624c49 ASoC: amd: acp: fix for acp platform device creation failure

[Miguel (miguel34)]

The sound card is correctly detected and the sound output is correct, using linux-image-6.8.12+_6.8.12-g45cc8a67794e-4_amd64.deb
This kernel does not pass the Secure Boot (I guess it was expected).
See attached Alsa-info.txt with this kernel

[AaronMa (mapengyu)]

@miguel34

Thanks for your support.

The patch is in progress of SRU.