Mountain Lion: Customizing the Optimized AppleHDA

[t-bo]

I'm giving up! I'll buy the Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Surround 5.1 Pro via USB.

 

[Bansaku]

Thanks for the info. Interestingly, both MPlayerX and VLC now have SPDIF/Encoded Digital Audio Passthrough selections in Preferences making the patch unnecessary for those players.

I have not tried the above patch, but I have just tried your new ALC8XX (889) from the latest MultiBeast with DSDT edits and there is no Encoded Digital option in ANY supported app. I know you were referring to ALC885, so just an FYI.

Applied the patch (first using Terminal as per your guide, then I tried using Hex Edit and replaced 85 08 EC 10 with 89 08 EC 10) and I still can not enable Encoded Digital.

Just a little bit of constructive criticism, why do you not edit all of the ALC8XX kexts to have DTS/DD surround natively? To me this makes no sense as virtually everyone uses Optical out for encoded audio. What are the benefits to having this NOT the default for your ALC8XX Audio ID:1?

Here is the AppleHDA.kext I am using; it was installed using MultiBeast, then edited as per your guide. Maybe I overlooked something.
I also included a patched AppleHDA from 10.8 (I think) that I did way back. It works 100% with the DSDT from the database. It's sloppy and bloated, but works. Maybe you overlooked something.

 

[toleda]

I have not tried the above patch, but I have just tried your new ALC8XX (889) from the latest MultiBeast with DSDT edits and there is no Encoded Digital option in ANY supported app. I know you were referring to ALC885, so just an FYI.

Applied the patch (first using Terminal as per your guide, then I tried using Hex Edit and replaced 85 08 EC 10 with 89 08 EC 10) and I still can not enable Encoded Digital.

Just a little bit of constructive criticism, why do you not edit all of the ALC8XX kexts to have DTS/DD surround natively? To me this makes no sense as virtually everyone uses Optical out for encoded audio. What are the benefits to having this NOT the default for your ALC8XX Audio ID:1?

Here is the AppleHDA.kext I am using; it was installed using MultiBeast, then edited as per your guide. Maybe I overlooked something.
I also included a patched AppleHDA from 10.8 (I think) that I did way back. It works 100% with the DSDT from the database. It's sloppy and bloated, but works. Maybe you overlooked something.

Thanks for the feedback. No ML MultiBeast ALC8xx AppleHDA.kext supports Encoded Digital Audio natively. Early versions (Lion) did, however, significant user complaints (excessive popping) lead to an alternative patch (much quieter) at the expense of Encoded Digital Audio. I found many more users connect analog speakers to their systems than connect optically to receivers.

I did my testing on AppleHDA.kext_v2.3.0 and got Encoded Digital Audio with the terminal commands documented. With the release of AppleHDA.kext_v2.3.1, I found the AppleHDA binary was the same as the earlier version. Based on your results, I will retest the patch documented in this thread with AppleHDA.kext_v2.3.1.

In the meantime, two options for ALC Encoded Digital Audio:
1. see ML: Optimized Realtek AppleHDA - Preview/Alpha for the AppleHDA.kext_v2.3.0, use patch described in this thread
2. eleron has posted his 2.3.1 working patch in Post #14, Mountain Lion: Customizing the Optimized AppleHDA - Page 2

I will reply when I have testing results. Additional feedback is welcome.

 

[okeribok]

Hi,

I could use some help with getting encoded audio (step 8 in the 0.4 guide). When I try the steps, I get no audio device in sound control panel.

System:
Ga-b75m-d3p (therefore alc887)
3225 i3
10.8.2 (applehda 2.3.1)
multibeast install without dsdt, current audio driver 100302

Steps:
Steps from step 8:
- copy applehda.kext to desktop (have a backup in documents)
- Perform sudo perl steps for 887 (can't copy but one is x87 and the other x85)
- delete applehda from s/l/e
- copy modified applehda from desktop to s/l/e (get systme nags for unusable kext)
- chmod 755
- chown root:wheel
- restart and...
- audio is gone in system control panel

I assumed that I only neede to follow steps in 8. Do I need to do some zlib-platforms.xml stuff too? I don't have a dsdt. Do I need to create one?
thanks in advance.

Ps. This might be the final piece of my htpcintosh puzzle, before the hallelujah. Please help me reach surround heaven.

 

[toleda]

I could use some help with getting encoded audio (step 8 in the 0.4 guide). When I try the steps, I get no audio device in sound control panel.

See Note 1 in Post #23 above. Apply the edits as described in the Customization guide.

 

[okeribok]

Many thanks for the answer. But I need some more help. I am getting lost in the alternate routes and options. I followed your note #1 to this post. That is the correct one?
Since my mobo does not require a DSDT and the whole thing seems quite daunting to me, I tried the step for "for all users: 2 without DSDT a: delete HdaEnabler8?? and install HDAEnabler1..." (did not have HdaEnabler8?? installed to begin with) "...with optimized AppleHDA". I tried the optimized AppleHDA in two ways: first by performing the two hex replace lines for 887 from your "Customizing the ML Optimized AppleHDA.kext_v0.4" document (step 8). When that did not work (had audio devices, but no surround SPDIF), I tried to install the patched 887 applehda (100302) from MultiBeast 4.6.1. (still keeping the HDAenabler1). This resulted in no audio devices.
So I tried the dowload 887 alpha, but that gave me airplay as only audio device.

Is it at all possible without DSDT edits?
Am I wrong in assuming I can use layout id 1 with GA-B75m-d3p (3 port), if I am only interested in SPDIF (and/or hdmi)?

Maybe I am too scared to try the DSDT route, but I have a pretty functional system now...

 

[okeribok]

I did it! (with Toleda's guides)
I went the DSDT route and found not only working SPDIF encoded audio, but also that I had been checking in the wrong place; I might have had it working before, but would never have found it.

For anybody stumbling on this post: in mountain lion 10.8.2. You need to check audio midi setup in utilities and look at the pulldown for bit-depth. If you have encoded audio, you will see it there.

On a side note: if I select encoded audio, both icons ("use this for sound output" and "play alerts through this") move to another output. Since I only have the SPDIF connected, I can safely say: all audio I tested works. VLC, iTunes, Finder. DTS, DD, PCM, etc. Nice.

Strangeties in my setup:

• it only works with kernel cache "no" in chameleon.plist. so: slow booting.
• it only works with layout-id 1 in dsdt, even though Ihave a 3-port mobo (ga-b75m-d3p) and would like hdmi audio too (id 3)
• airplay is gone.
• (still have garbled, distorded video on hd4000 hdmi after restart. sleep and resume fix it. Was kind hoping this would get resolved too in the process, but it didn't)

I will retrace my steps, so I get airplay back, and hopefully faster boot.

Good luck and patience to you if you are in this situation too.

 

[tomriddle]

In Audio Midi:
Built-in Digital Output
Format: 48000 (44100 and 96000 also available)
2ch-24bit Integer (2-ch 20bit Integer and 2-ch 16 bit Integer also available)

In VLC:
x Use S/PDIF when available
Force Detection of Dolby Surround: On

*It might be worth also pointing out that my HDMI audio has also stopped doing DD/DTS via VLC to my amp - pretty sure this started happening after applying edits to AppleHDA.kext but can't be 100% sure.

I have tried MPlayerX and this is doing the passthrough fine on HDMI and optical.

Were you successful with the 2 wire spdif edit? I am curious if your kext will work for me!

 

[D-an-W]

Thanks toleda, I finally figured out how to separate the Internal Speakers from the Headphones on my ALC898 audio and everything works great.

 

[PencilNotPen]

Hi,
I have a query. I have successfully carried out Procedures 10 and 3 in the v0.4 instruction document, removing an audio output (SPDIF) in order to separate headphones and rear audio on my G5 mod. However, since applying the edit, I can no longer select my Apple Cinema Display as the audio output. It appears in Sound Preferences, but when clicked, immediately reverts to having headphones selected. Have I performed the edits incorrectly (they seem to be working), or is this a known side effect? Are there further edits which could bring it back? USB audio was working automatically before the edits.
Thanks