Public bug reported:
HP Envy (Realtek ALC285) – Top-bar speaker not working under Ubuntu
24.04 (only front stereo works)
Description
On HP Envy laptops with the Realtek ALC285 codec, Ubuntu 24.04 (both GA
and OEM kernels) only enables the two front stereo speakers. The
additional “top-bar” speaker (tweeter) remains silent.
pavucontrol only exposes stereo output.
hdajackretask lists multiple pins under “Black Headphone, Left side” and
“Internal Speaker (LFE/Back)”, but reassigning them to “Internal
Speaker” causes audio stack crash and system freeze.
This suggests the third speaker is connected via a vendor-specific
DSP/amp path not currently handled by ALSA.
Windows drivers initialize all 3 speakers correctly, confirming this is
a routing/quirk issue, not hardware failure.
Steps to Reproduce
Install Ubuntu 24.04 (with linux-oem-24.04).
Play audio.
Observe that only the front speakers work; the top-bar speaker is
silent.
Attempting to override pins in hdajackretask (e.g., Pin ID 0x21) →
immediate system freeze.
Expected Behavior
All three speakers (front + top-bar) should work out-of-the-box,
providing the same sound profile as under Windows.
Actual Behavior
Only front stereo speakers produce sound; top-bar speaker remains
disabled.
System Information
Laptop model: HP Envy (please add your exact model/year, e.g., HP Envy
x360 13-agxxxx).
Codec: Realtek ALC285
Kernel tested: 6.14.0-29-generic and linux-oem-24.04
ALSA tools: alsa-tools 1.2.11-1build2, hdajackretask
Pulseaudio/Pipewire: default in Ubuntu 24.04
Impact
Significantly reduced audio quality and volume compared to Windows.
Top-bar speaker inaccessible, limiting usability of built-in audio.
Additional Notes
Likely requires a new ALSA quirk for HP Envy models with ALC285 codec.
Willing to test patches / provide codec dumps (alsa-info.sh).
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04
Package: alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: hostname 6.14.0-29.29~24.04.1-generic 6.14.8
Uname: Linux 6.14.0-29-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu3.8
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/snd/controlC0: akshaj25 2694 F.... pipewire
akshaj25 2698 F.... wireplumber
/dev/snd/seq: akshaj25 2694 F.... pipewire
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Wed Sep 3 18:16:13 2025
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-09-03 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64
(20250805.1)
MachineType: HP HP ENVY Laptop 13-aq1xxx
PackageArchitecture: all
PulseList: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list'] failed with exit code 1: No
PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 11/24/2023
dmi.bios.release: 15.22
dmi.bios.vendor: Insyde
dmi.bios.version: F.22
dmi.board.asset.tag: Type2 - Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: 86AD
dmi.board.vendor: HP
dmi.board.version: 83.18
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Chassis Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: HP
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.ec.firmware.release: 83.18
dmi.modalias:
dmi:bvnInsyde:bvrF.22:bd11/24/2023:br15.22:efr83.18:svnHP:pnHPENVYLaptop13-aq1xxx:pvrType1ProductConfigId:rvnHP:rn86AD:rvr83.18:cvnHP:ct10:cvrChassisVersion:sku6UW77AV:
dmi.product.family: 103C_5335KV HP Envy
dmi.product.name: HP ENVY Laptop 13-aq1xxx
dmi.product.sku: 6UW77AV
dmi.product.version: Type1ProductConfigId
dmi.sys.vendor: HP
mtime.conffile..etc.modprobe.d.alsa-base.conf: 2025-09-03T17:56:51.139029
** Affects: alsa-driver (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: amd64 apport-bug noble wayland-session
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2121991
Title:
Symptom: only front stereo works, top bar speaker is silent, forcing
pin overrides causes hard lock.
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