I've noticed that when booting into init mode 4 with graphical login (kdm login) that there becomes a conflict in detecting the sound device.

I've replicated on two different machines with two different sound cards. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

When I boot to init 3 with a standard login prompt and then use "startx" I get no errors.

Any ideas what might be causing this?

The specific error is "Notification from Phonon: (Specific Sound Card) does not work" then I get a KDE device removal notification and a KDE removal software failure.

Have you selected phonon-backend-xine? Go to System settings -> Multimedia -> Backend, select xine and not gstreamer. Also to turn off that notification System settings -> Notifications -> Select Phonon from the list and click on the Audio Device Fallback notification and deselect it.

I do have xine selected and not gstreamer. I did not supress the notification -- I am unable to play any sound from KDE when this occurs so it's more than a false notification error. However I can still play sounds from the command line i.e. "play x.mp3" just not through KDE.

Run alsaconf again then alsamixer and setup volume levels and then alsactl store and reboot.

I did the alsaconf, alsamixer, and then alsactl store. Still get the same effect -- sound doesn't work in init 4 but does for init 3 with "startx". KDE photon actually asks me if I want to remove the devices because they are no longer present. Then that window locks up and freezes. All is well when I go back to init 3.

So weird.

its a permissions problem

add your user to audio group