Ubuntu 9.04: External and internal speaker issues – part 2

If you run Ubuntu 9.04 and your desktop or laptop is featured with both internal speaker and TRS jacks for external speakers, then you might face some issues that sound is played on both. I have written some articles where I propose some very simple solutions and you may try them and choose the one you like most.

Issue 2: Connecting the headset does not turn off internal speaker.

Try to connect/remove a headset from the external jack and observe if your internal speaker becomes automatically muted. If not, then some more configuration is required.

Solution 1: Previously, I explained how to display the “Master mono” and “Headset” slide bars. Slide down the “Master Mono” and click on the “Mute” button underneath this bar. This will completely disable the internal speaker (until you un-mute it again and raise its volume slide bar).

Solution 2: Right-click the volume icon on the left of the top bar on the Ubuntu desktop and select “Mixer” or “Volume Control” (may vary on according to your language). The mixer dialog opens. Click on “Preferences”. Enable “Headphone Jack Sense” (eventually you will need to scroll down the list to see this option). Click on “Close”. The previous mixer dialog should now display a “Switches” tab. Click to open it and you will see the “Headphone Jack Sense” switch. Whenever you want the internal speaker to mute automatically when an external speaker is connected, just enable it.

Actually, I use to enable it once and leave it enabled forever…