On Saturday 19 September 2026 03:59:18 pm David Christensen wrote: > Linux audio has evolved over the years. This Arch Linux wiki page > identifies the several subsystem choices. Beware that they can be > mutually exclusive: > > https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Sound_system It's been a matter of confusion over time for me. That page is an interesting read, and one heck of a rabbit hole to dive into. > Alternatively, STFW "Linux digital audio workstation". > > https://html.duckduckgo.com/html?q=linux%20digital%20audio%20workstation
I didn't follow that link, but by way of the one above found my way to Ardour.org and have been browsing their docs for a while now. > When using analog audio devices, ensure that the impedance is matched > for all devices in the signal chain. The "Line Out" jacks found on the > back panels of most desktop computers are typically designed for 10 kOhm > impedance, such as the "Line In" jacks of powered computer speakers. If > I connect 32 Ohm headphones or 8 Ohm loudspeakers to a "Line Out" jack, > the impedance is mismatched, the operational amplifiers in the computer > cannot supply the required current, the signal distorts and clips, and > the sound is terrible. If you get any sound at all, trying to drive a speaker with a line-level output jack. But a lot of sound card hardware has an amplifier available that can be enabled by a jumper. It's not a matter of impedance but more what signal levels are expected to be found at a given point. > Headphones require a "Headphone Out" jack or a > headphone amplifier. Loudspeakers require a power amplifier. Yup. The first computer speakers I had didn't have any amplification in them, so they needed that. A lot of the subsequent ones did have amplification, so no problem if the sound hardware didn't provide it. -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin
