[Urgent] xps 13 9370 ubuntu no sound card found

Quick update. I actually went through with 
```

sudo apt-get --purge remove linux-sound-base alsa-base alsa-utils pulseaudio pavucontrol pulseaudio-utils

sudo apt-get install linux-sound-base alsa-base alsa-utils pulseaudio pavucontrol pulseaudio-utils

```
And now at least the Dummy Icon  in ubuntu setting> sound is replaced by HDMI/DISPLAYPORT2-Built-in Audio. That used to work fine in the past, but now there is no more sound coming out of the external monitor. Seems like something still not right. Note that I am connecting to my external monitor ... and also it seems like internally nothing is working. 
```
aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 9: HDMI 3 [HDMI 3]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 10: HDMI 4 [HDMI 4]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
````
but still get this.
```
[    8.943562] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[    8.943745] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: bound 0000:00:02.0 (ops i915_audio_component_bind_ops [i915])
[    8.964433] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964452] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964472] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964495] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964515] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964536] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964557] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964577] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964597] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[    8.964619] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   11.992002] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x200f0000
[   12.995997] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: No response from codec, disabling MSI: last cmd=0x200f0000
[   14.003994] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: azx_get_response timeout, switching to single_cmd mode: last cmd=0x200f0000
[   14.004421] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: no codecs initialized
[   19.079251] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: bound 0000:00:02.0 (ops i915_audio_component_bind_ops [i915])
[   19.096709] snd_hdac_bus_update_rirb: 118 callbacks suppressed
[   19.096712] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096731] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096750] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096772] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096791] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096813] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096835] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096855] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096876] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   19.096895] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: spurious response 0x0:0x0, last cmd=0xfff0005
[   22.123929] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x200f0000
[   23.128127] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: No response from codec, disabling MSI: last cmd=0x200f0000
[   24.132122] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: azx_get_response timeout, switching to single_cmd mode: last cmd=0x200f0000
```
```
hwinfo --sound
06: PCI 1f.3: 0403 Audio device                                 
  [Created at pci.378]
  Unique ID: nS1_.b++59jnn4n7
  SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.3
  SysFS BusID: 0000:00:1f.3
  Hardware Class: sound
  Model: "Intel Audio device"
  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
  Device: pci 0x9d71 
  SubVendor: pci 0x1028 "Dell"
  SubDevice: pci 0x07e6 
  Revision: 0x21
  Driver: "snd_hda_intel"
  Driver Modules: "snd_hda_intel"
  Memory Range: 0xdc428000-0xdc42bfff (rw,non-prefetchable)
  Memory Range: 0xdc400000-0xdc40ffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
  IRQ: 16 (940 events)
  Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d00009D71sv00001028sd000007E6bc04sc03i80"
  Driver Info #0:
    Driver Status: snd_hda_intel is active
    Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe snd_hda_intel"
  Driver Info #1:
    Driver Status: snd_soc_skl is active
    Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe snd_soc_skl"
  Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown
```

 

[FATAL]: So after restarting I ended up with exactly the same problem ...
```
 aplay -l
aplay: device_list:270: no soundcards found...
```
And under ubuntu settings> sound I once again only see the "dummy output" icon, no more HDMI .... and there is no sound. 


I will try one final time to see if purge and reinstall of 
``

--purge remove linux-sound-base alsa-base alsa-utils pulseaudio pavucontrol pulseaudio-utils

``
triggers at least something .... but so far it seems like we need expert help here. please chip in.

I confirm that purging and reinstalling the packages only worked ONCE for re-establishing HDMI sound on my external monitor. After rebooting same story line
``
 aplay -l
aplay: device_list:270: no soundcards found...
``
 And after trying to remove/purge and reinstall again , no more success i keep getting

``
 aplay -l
aplay: device_list:270: no soundcards found...
``
no more sound.

From Dell suppport  I need to know what files and pre-configs were placed in, i have several files including blacklist files in there.  

```
/etc/modprobe.d/
``

This file was autmoatically generated , I did not edit it
``
alsa-base.conf
``

Was there another file by the name , unsure if it was me that actually placed it there ... Note that I modified this to .bak so it is rendered useless for the time being.

``
xps9370-audio.conf
``
content of this was

````

# Force legacy HDA for Dell XPS 13 9370
blacklist snd_soc_skl
blacklist snd_soc_sst_ipc
blacklist snd_soc_sst_dsp
blacklist snd_sof
blacklist snd_sof_intel_hda
blacklist snd_sof_intel_bdw
blacklist snd_intel_dspcfg

options snd-hda-intel dmic_detect=0
````
But I did try to reboot with this enabled as `xps9370-audio.conf` but to no avail. Unless i need to perform more actions for enabling it other than rebooting.

I previously mentioned something about two cables  that might have impacted the current issue, when changing fans. Upon further consideration, I opened the laptop up to check whether anything is loose, and see whether those cables seem plugged in correctly. It seems they are ... i took a foto of these two cables. Ironically they seem completely irrelevant to this problem though ...These are the two antenna cables which are connected to the system board ...little is said how to reconnect them .... I took a foto of how they have been connected now. Note that they went off when I changed the fan (some time ago) during replacement, and then I plugged them in ... I hope they are supposed to be in that order.

Anyhow the webcam works but no sound/mic. What to do???

After a day of wrestling on this overly frustrating problem we know

1. HDA controller is present and probed :

Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio [8086:9d71]
Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel

2. No codec is detected on the HDA bus
hdaudio hdaudioC0D0: no AFG or MFG node found
snd_hda_intel ... no codecs initialized

3. This happens before userspace, PulseAudio, ALSA config, or mixers

• • /proc/asound/cards is empty

  • aplay -l is empty

  • Pulse falls back to auto_null

This is not:

• a mixer issue

• a PulseAudio issue

• a permissions issue

• a missing udev rule

• a modprobe typo

This is kernel or hardware enumeration failure.

Logs show:
spurious response
azx_get_response timeout
no AFG or MFG node found

This means:

• The codec is behind the DSP path

• When DSP is disabled, nothing responds on the HDA bus

So legacy HDA fallback is no longer viable on this firmware + kernel combination.

Dell didnt think much about this ... it's frustrating that you guys don't have sufficient manpower IQ behind it.

Come on guys ... surely a multibillion dollar company can do something about it.

Hi

Could you boot a 24.04 LTS as a Live version to check if the sound card can be detected?

I was not able to do this but I did something that I hope is equally crucial.

I did the preboot diagnostic test which passed without apparent errors but when 

I then reviewed it there were two tests that I didn't see, keyboard test and audio test. 

The keyboard test seemed to work fine, but the audio test which apparently generates tones:
"6 tones are played through audio subsystem" --- I didn't hear anything!! This must be related to some problems ...

can we narrow them down or eliminate lose connections and hardware issues or is this precisely because of the fact

that we are suffering from some kind hardware issues that soundcard doesn't get recognized at all .... let alone speakers dont work ? 

What do you folks believe is happening? I havent' performed the sound test with headphone since I have no headphone that you can plug in .. but I assume even with headphone plugged in I wouldnt be able to hear anything in the test.

```

:~$ aplay -l
aplay: device_list:270: no soundcards found...
:~$ speaker-test -c2 -t sine -f 440 -l 1

speaker-test 1.1.3

Playback device is default
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 2 channels
Sine wave rate is 440.0000Hz
Rate set to 48000Hz (requested 48000Hz)
Buffer size range from 96 to 1048576
Period size range from 32 to 349526
Using max buffer size 1048576
Periods = 4
was set period_size = 262144
was set buffer_size = 1048576
 0 - Front Left
 1 - Front Right
Time per period = 12.461693
:~$ aplay /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav || true
Playing WAVE '/usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 48000 Hz, Mono
```
My suspicion now is:

1) ePSA audio test played no tones → hardware issue suspected. The ePSA bypasses OS/driver software and talks directly to the audio codec/amp, so if nothing is heard here, it's almost certainly not a Linux driver issue.

2) Linux sees no soundcards (aplay -l) → the kernel does not enumerate  internal audio codec at all. This lines up with the ePSA failure.

3) speaker-test and aplay /usr/share/sounds/... "play" but you hear nothing → Linux is trying to play through the default ALSA sink, but it’s actually just a null device (no hardware backing). PulseAudio lists auto_null as the default sink. So these tests do not prove the hardware is working.

What should i be doing now? how to definitively locate the problem. I don't want to open the device again because I am afraid that it will have other issues.

Finally, if my CMOS battery is depleted would it impact this issue? 

Final remark on my end, how i would summarize this problem:
Dell XPS 13 9370 internal speakers not detected.
ePSA audio test produces no tones.
Likely failed Realtek audio codec, amplifier, or speaker cable. 

WHAT ON EARTH AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW BASED ON THIS ?? HOW TO CONCLUSIVELY SAY THIS IS HARDWARE FAILURE VS POTENTIAL SOFTWARE FAILURE?

UPDATE. So i tried to connect it to my JBL  bluetooth speaker ... and it seems to actually work!!! Sound is coming out!

What does this tell us about what has been happening?

• JBL working might mean that the root problem with  XPS 13 is hardware-level (codec not responding) or BIOS/hardware routing — not a broad software/OS failure. However, i do not understand quite why the usb-c /HDMI to my external monitor no longer works ... does it mean that this is surely a hardware of my laptop? 

• In other words: software stack is OK, but the HDA codec or its link probably still fails to initialize?
  >> Realtek audio codec IC damaged?
  >> Power rail feeding the codec ??
  
  I just tried :
  
  cat /proc/asound/cards
   1 [BR21           ]: USB-Audio - JieLi BR21
                        ZhuHai JieLi Technology JieLi BR21 at usb-0000:39:00.0-2.3, full speed
  
  which means  no HDA card, only Bluetooth / USB.
  Anyone? come on.....

Does anyone at DELL have a better response or explanation? Is the another way without kernel upgrade to fix this? 
is this software related or can we categorically say it isn't software related. For instance, what I did not try is using GRUB with specific 'options snd_xxx' parameters to boot .... some people reported that to be a solution. I'm not sure ... i did not try that for instance.

PS : Interestingly enough under ubuntu>settings> sound the test speaker RIGHT LEFT does not work even w/ my JBL output speakers .... unsure what to make of this.

Here is a list of Dell community posts for some related problems dealing with  XPS 13 audio or sound failure. Note that most assume windows as the underlying operating system which makes things a bit easier to detect, categorize and/or resolve. 

One of them is ubuntu specific and relevant to this case but I wasn't able to peruse an analogous path as also suggested by @anne_droid.

The most relevant DELL related post is probably this one which was also vetted by a DELL employee @DELL-Barton George​  who seems to be have advanced expertise in Linux related troubleshooting.
Anyhow a fix without upgrades would be highly appreciated Mr Dell.

And an even more up-to-date thread is actually found here which resonates somewhat with my journal error logs 

Also relevant almost exactly this but wrong model and my output is more severe for "aplay -l" , I get "no sound card" detected where here this guy has something detected, so his version is much milder than mine.

https://askubuntu.com/questions/1180851/sound-card-not-detected-dummy-output-only-on-dell-xps-13-9350

Hugely relevant bits:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dell_XPS_13_(9370)

previous post got posted but it seems like your system didn't allow it to pass ... why?? Can @admin can you please retrieve it?