HAKAI has stopped working

[markiteight]

Functionally, everything seems to be in order. I can connect to and stream to HAKAI in Spotify, I can see through the Volumio web interface that the stream is being received and played, but there's no sound. The system downstream of HAKAI is working fine.

I suspect the Gigiaport HD+ might be gigakaput. Are there supposed to be LEDs illuminated for the two outputs in use? I don't remember, and the user manual online is useless.

[tokenbrit]

Functionally, everything seems to be in order. I can connect to and stream to HAKAI in Spotify, I can see through the Volumio web interface that the stream is being received and played, but there's no sound. The system downstream of HAKAI is working fine.

I suspect the Gigiaport HD+ might be gigakaput. Are there supposed to be LEDs illuminated for the two outputs in use? I don't remember, and the user manual online is useless.

If I remember rightly, there's one bright blue power LED, plus 1 for each channel/output in use that should change in intensity with the music... it's possible that your HAKAI config got changed somehow, and it's not outputting to the USB :/

Do you get anything from the headphone socket?

[markiteight]

If I remember rightly, there's one bright blue power LED, plus 1 for each channel/output in use that should change in intensity with the music... it's possible that your HAKAI config got changed somehow, and it's not outputting to the USB :/

Do you get anything from the headphone socket?

Currently the one bright blue power LED is illuminated, along with the red LED (dimly) next to it. I too recall the active channels having blue LEDs as well, although I don't remember them changing intensity with the music (OMG that would be so annoying!). Those two LEDs are currently dark.

I haven't tried the headphone output, simply because I have nothing with a 1/4" TRS connector.

I've gone through what I think are all the config settings in Volumio and everything seems correct, but I seem to vaguely remember there being a way to assign left and right channels to one of the 8 available channels on the HD+, however I'm not finding that now. Was that really a thing or is my memory f@#$-ing with me again?

[springwood64]

I did sometimes experience what you describe when I was developing my plugin for Volumio.

Do your settings match these:

Screenshot_20230211-101831.png

Screenshot_20230211-101858.png

It was some time ago, but I recall having to power reset HAKAI with the DAC disconnected, then repeating with it connected, or even resetting the firmware and reinitialising it as if a new installation

I think Volumio had set the volume to zero and disabled volume control. Or something like that

[markiteight]

Thanks springwood64 and Tokenbrit for your suggestions. I've confirmed that my HD+ works fine when plugged into another USB source, and the blue output LEDs do indeed pulse along with the output. I never noticed that before.

@ springwood64: my settings match yours, however when I first looked at them after encountering this problem the Mixer Type was set to something like Hardware. I was fairly certain that wasn't right, so I set it to None, hit Save, got a brief burst of noise from the speakers, and nothing since.

I tried restarting without the DAC connected, then restarting again with the DAC connected. Nothing.

I tried restarting without the DAC connected, going into settings and de-selecting the HD+ (strange that it still showed up as the default output device when it wasn't connected), then restarting and re-selecting the HD+. Nothing.

It appears I've reached the point where Volumio needs to be re-installed, and I'm not sure I possess the time/patience/knowledge to do that...at least at the moment.

[tokenbrit]

Any way of checking Volumio / system volume settings? Almost sounds (no pun intended) like Volumio has muted the output... Or it has lost the correct config to connect to the sink/usb for the HD+

[markiteight]

Any way of checking Volumio / system volume settings? Almost sounds (no pun intended) like Volumio has muted the output... Or it has lost the correct config to connect to the sink/usb for the HD+

I'm not sure. The volume settings have always been bypassed.

[springwood64]

It's coming back to me ..

I found in the past that alsamixer volume was set to zero

To check this, connect an ssh session https://volumio.github.io/docs/User_Manual/SSH.html

Then run alsamixer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsamixer

You can then check what the Linux volume levels are set to

[markiteight]

It's coming back to me ..

I found in the past that alsamixer volume was set to zero

To check this, connect an ssh session https://volumio.github.io/docs/User_Manual/SSH.html

Then run alsamixer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsamixer

You can then check what the Linux volume levels are set to

Awesome feedback, Pete. Thanks!

I found some time to give your suggestions a try and I'm still without sound. Here's what alsamixer is showing me when I first opened it:

Volumio volume settings:


Gigaport HD+ volume settings:


Does this look right? It doesn't to me, but even if I adjust "Master" to maximum and "Front" to maximum I still get no sound. Anything else look out of the ordinary?

[tokenbrit]

I could be wrong, but the 00 under the bar for Master in Volumio Volume Settings doesn't look right, as if it's at zero despite the volume setting... (unless it's at 100, somehow, but then the 55 & the bar height don't make sense)

Just checked: I am wrong; ignore the above (except for "I could be wrong")!

If you're getting no sound, I wonder if the stream is properly configured to output via USB to your HD+ (irrespective of the volume settings) :?

Sorry, I no longer have a HAKAI to work/walk through it... Will defer to Pete. Hope you can figure it between you, & fix it.

[markiteight]

Annnnd fixed!

It was a volume issue, but it wasn't in HAKAI. The volume was turned all the way down in Spotify! Which is weird, because I stream Spotify through headphones on the same device every day. I had just assumed Spotify would leave the volume control duties to whatever device it was streaming to, but apparently it keeps track of volume settings for every playback device, and somehow the volume for Hakai had been turned all the way down in the app!

As I sit here being absolutely spellbound by Tracy Chapman (thanks Charlie1 for that inspiration) I'm wondering if the volume was ever at maximum since I switched over to Spotify.

Thanks again Spring 'n Token, your suggestions were extremely helpful!

[Errol]

Late to the party, but I have noticed this same Spotify volume issue with my HAKAI also (not muted totally thou). Someone else might have listen Spotify through HAKAI and adjusted volume conveniently in the app. Need to set volume to max in Spotify to gain all the potential HAKAI has.

By the way, Isn't that HAKAI - Kikkin - 308 just wonderful killer system for money! I got mine up and running few days ago :)

- e -

[springwood64]

When I connect Spotify App to HAKAI, the Spotify App tells me playback settings are unavailable and I cannot change the volume from the app. This is on Android.

[Errol]

Ok. I have debian and spotifyd (not volumio) that might be the reason for my Spotify. Android also.
- e-

[springwood64]

I'm using the Volumio Spotify Connect plugin, so maybe that tells the Spotify app it has no volume control

[markiteight]

Late to the party, but I have noticed this same Spotify volume issue with my HAKAI also (not muted totally thou). Someone else might have listen Spotify through HAKAI and adjusted volume conveniently in the app. Need to set volume to max in Spotify to gain all the potential HAKAI has.

Thanks for sharing your similar experience, Errol. It's definitely something I'll keep a close eye on in the future.

By the way, Isn't that HAKAI - Kikkin - 308 just wonderful killer system for money! I got mine up and running few days ago :)

- e -

Yes! It still amazes me how good, and how cheap, this system is. It's truly unfortunate that every part of it is discontinued. I'd love to share this with friends looking for an excellent and inexpensive system, but alas every part of it (except the JBLs) is incredibly rare and practically impossible to find. Nice work overcoming that challenge!

When I connect Spotify App to HAKAI, the Spotify App tells me playback settings are unavailable and I cannot change the volume from the app. This is on Android.

I noticed this too. After I discovered the volume was turned down I wanted to check the other settings to make sure they didn't spontaneously change as well, and found the Audio Quality menu choice was greyed out and Playback didn't show up at all! I had to switch the active playback device from HAKAI back to the control point in order to access Audio Quality and see Playback. Makes me wonder if those settings translate over when HAKAI is selected and those menu options become inaccessible.

I should clarify that when I talk about adjusting volume, I'm using the physical buttons on the side of the device, there doesn't appear to be any way to adjust the volume from within the Spotify app itself. This is on iOS.

I'm using the Volumio Spotify Connect plugin, so maybe that tells the Spotify app it has no volume control

I'm using the Volumio Spotify Connect 2 plugin, v. 1.0.5, IIRC.