USB music card - CM106 Like Sound Device

andrkac · 04-26-2023, 06:21 AM

I have cheap usb music card, which identifies itself as

Code:

Bus 002 Device 020: ID 0d8c:0102 C-Media Electronics, Inc. CM106 Like Sound Device

Tested it on few linuxes but, unfortunately, it doesnt work properly.
Sound plays as expected only on Front output. Rear and Cent/Bass are completely quiet.
Tried with alsamixer - When i try to mute one output all of them are muted at once. I can increase/decrease volume, but there is no reaction.

I don't know how to proceed to make it working.
Acceptable solution is to find another card like this, working one, but not to expensive.
Any idea?

I need exactly 5.1 system, because I have already set up cables and speakers and I really don't want to change it.

My target system is libreelec on dell wyse thin client (works great with that one exception), but tried also on Linux Mint on Elitebook laptop - with completely the same result

EDIT:
Tried on both - libreelec and mint.
lsusb shows as above, but: usb-devices command shows nothing on my Mint machine but I can see some results on libreelec:

Code:

T:  Bus=03 Lev=02 Prnt=04 Port=01 Cnt=01 Dev#=  7 Spd=12   MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 1.10 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=0d8c ProdID=0102 Rev=00.10
S:  Product=USB Sound Device        
C:  #Ifs= 4 Cfg#= 1 Atr=80 MxPwr=500mA
I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 0 Cls=01(audio) Sub=01 Prot=00 Driver=snd-usb-audio
I:  If#= 1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 0 Cls=01(audio) Sub=02 Prot=00 Driver=snd-usb-audio
I:  If#= 2 Alt= 0 #EPs= 0 Cls=01(audio) Sub=02 Prot=00 Driver=snd-usb-audio
I:  If#= 3 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID  ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=usbhid
E:  Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS=   3 Ivl=1ms

Arnulf · 04-27-2023, 05:37 PM

Post dmesg output after connecting sound device or a computer boot with connected sound device.

andrkac · 04-27-2023, 09:31 PM

This is what I found - on target, libreelec system.

Code:

[  229.838353] usb 3-1.1: new full-speed USB device number 10 using xhci_hcd
[  229.988311] usb 3-1.1: current rate 30464 is different from the runtime rate 96000
[  230.008558] usb 3-1.1: Warning! Unlikely big volume range (=8065), cval->res is probably wrong.
[  230.008577] usb 3-1.1: [9] FU [Mic Playback Volume] ch = 2, val = -6144/1921/1
[  230.016279] usb 3-1.1: Warning! Unlikely big volume range (=8065), cval->res is probably wrong.
[  230.016298] usb 3-1.1: [11] FU [Line Playback Volume] ch = 2, val = -6144/1921/1
[  230.042509] usb 3-1.1: Warning! Unlikely big volume range (=6928), cval->res is probably wrong.
[  230.042521] usb 3-1.1: [8] FU [Mic Capture Volume] ch = 2, val = -4096/2832/1
[  230.051229] usb 3-1.1: Warning! Unlikely big volume range (=6928), cval->res is probably wrong.
[  230.051248] usb 3-1.1: [15] FU [Line Capture Volume] ch = 2, val = -4096/2832/1
[  230.060631] usb 3-1.1: Warning! Unlikely big volume range (=6928), cval->res is probably wrong.
[  230.060650] usb 3-1.1: [2] FU [PCM Capture Volume] ch = 2, val = -4096/2832/1
[  230.065654] input: USB Sound Device         as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:10.0/usb3/3-1/3-1.1/3-1.1:1.3/0003:0D8C:0102.000A/input/input23
[  230.122100] hid-generic 0003:0D8C:0102.000A: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.00 Device [USB Sound Device        ] on usb-0000:00:10.0-1.1/input3

Arnulf · 04-28-2023, 05:52 AM

Generally devices with CM106 sound chip are supported by the Linux kernel: https://linux-hardware.org/?id=usb:0d8c-0102

Your output doesn't show any detected "Rear Playback" or "Center/Bass Playback".
Can you test your device on a computer with M$ Windows installed? If Rear and Center/Bass don't work on this computer too your device may be broken.

andrkac · 04-28-2023, 12:55 PM

Tried, installed windows application and - it do not work, as you supposed.
But see that:

Click image for larger version

Name: usb_card_alsamixer.png
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ID: 40925

System can see other playback outputs somehow.
I can freely increase/decrease volume in all playbacks except front without any effect. From the other side when I mute one of them, all (including front) will be muted.

I read half of the internet and found "somewhere" info, that this device works only in stereo mode in non-windows systems. Hmmm - especially in Mac, because Linux is not supported at all. Only use cases I found are unsuccessfull (means same as me - stereo playback only), but - I saw the site you provided.

Additionally all USB cards I found with 5.1 system are based on the same chipset

So... I'm like Jon Snow: I know nothing.

andrkac · 04-28-2023, 04:58 PM

hmmm... i did so easy test, I don't know why didn't check it before...

This device connected to Linux Mint works perfectly - I have sound on all the outputs - Front, Rear and Center/Bass.
So, device is fine. There is something wrong in libreelec system.