I have similar problems.
My sound card has a different channel for basses, which is not affected when I change the sound using the sound applet.
In jaunty, I would right click on the applet and select the right channels to modify (eg master and bass).
I agree that removing this step is an improvement on the user interface. However, when none of the "connectors" listed in the sound preferences offer the proper behavior, there still should be a possibiltity to fall back on the previous system.
I have similar problems.
My sound card has a different channel for basses, which is not affected when I change the sound using the sound applet.
In jaunty, I would right click on the applet and select the right channels to modify (eg master and bass).
I agree that removing this step is an improvement on the user interface. However, when none of the "connectors" listed in the sound preferences offer the proper behavior, there still should be a possibiltity to fall back on the previous system.