Audible artifacts on M2 MBA

[AYM1607]

Running release 2025-05-30, unsure if this repros on older releases. This is the relevant subset of my config:

{...} : {
  imports =
    [ # Include the results of the hardware scan.
      ./hardware-configuration.nix
      apple-silicon.nixosModules.apple-silicon-support
    ];
  # More stuff here...
  hardware.asahi = {
    enable = true;
    setupAsahiSound = true;
    peripheralFirmwareDirectory = ./firmware;
    useExperimentalGPUDriver = true;
    experimentalGPUInstallMode = "overlay";
  };
  # More stuff here...
}

I initially didn't set setupAsahiSound to true and heard ocassional audio artifacts. After setting it to true the behavior didn't change.

[pionaiki]

I have the same issue. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Pro, 2021). Running on the latest commit 3ddc251d2acce5019b0fa770e224d068610a34e4 with flakes. Occassional stutters/artifacts from the device speakers while listening to music, which don't appear from the audio jack.

My config

  hardware.asahi = {
    peripheralFirmwareDirectory = /* ... */;
    withRust = true;
    useExperimentalGPUDriver = true;
    experimentalGPUInstallMode = "overlay";
  };

[pionaiki]

To add to this: it doesn't happen on Fedora Asahi Remix on a different partition on the same device.

[AYM1607]

@pionaiki could you try adding setupAsahiSound = true; to your hardware.asahi config? It didn't work on my case (although it should)

[pionaiki]

@pionaiki could you try adding setupAsahiSound = true; to your hardware.asahi config? It didn't work on my case (although it should)

It's enabled by default, so changing it doesn't change anything.

[AYM1607]

I just realized that my microphone doesn't work either, does yours work @pionaiki?

[pionaiki]

Mine works

[pionaiki]

Update on this: when running asahi-diagnose I get this warning:

!! IMPORTANT !!
Your audio configuration is in an invalid state. It is likely that you tried to
enable speakers early, despite numerous and very explicit warnings not to do so.
Potential reason(s) you are seeing this message: 
    - You have files in /etc/ from a prerelease version of asahi-audio.
Please go to https://asahilinux.org/docs/sw/undoing-early-speaker-hacks/ for fixes.
Do NOT file audio-related bugs until you have tried ALL fixes suggested at the page above.
Your bugs will be ignored and you will not be assisted.

potentially relevant part of the output file:

  30   │ ## Audio Configuration:
  31   │     Default profile: Default
  32   │     Pro Audio profile detected: no
  33   │     Old configuration files in `/etc/`: yes
  34   │     File conflicts in `/usr/share/`: no
  35   │     Speaker detonation requested: no
  36   │     TAS2764 quirks applied: yes

[AYM1607]

Huh, I do in fact have 99-asahi.conf under both /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d and /etc/pipewire/pipewire-pulse.conf.d
This is asahi-audio 3.3, not sure how these could have ended in /etc/ https://github.com/AsahiLinux/asahi-audio/blob/b82111196a3bbb2ca9b676b3b2fd47426d8e2af7/Makefile#L35

[pionaiki]

@AYM1607 have you tried setting setupAsahiSound false, rebuilding rebooting, setting it back to true, rebuilding and rebooting? It seemed to have helped me, though still not quite fully

[AYM1607]

Did not work on my end, the config files are still under /etc I suspect it's this line?

nixos-apple-silicon/apple-silicon-support/modules/sound/default.nix

Line 30 in 3ddc251

configPackages = [ pkgs.asahi-audio ];

I'll try to dig through the pipewire nix code.

I'm also encountering audible audio artifacts on my 2020 MBA m1 as well as distorted audio at higher volumes. Using headphones mitigates this.

I've also encountered the audio and mic being turned up to max when logging into the desktop and GNOME constantly picking up my microphone recording something.

• https://asahilinux.org/docs/sw/undoing-early-speaker-hacks/

Very old versions of asahi-audio stored their configuration inside /etc/pipewire/ and /etc/wireplumber/. There should be nothing Asahi related in either of these directories or any of their subdirectories. To fix this:

It seems like these configuration files needed to be cleaned up. I'm going to set setupAsahiSound to false for now. The derivation builder for asahi-audio can be improved also just from first glance.

There's also a new release of asahi-audio (3.4)

• https://github.com/AsahiLinux/asahi-audio/releases/tag/v3.4
• https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/asahi-audio/c/d7142b6a45b84fa5084c0265a0617e1b744747b1?branch=rawhide

issue still occurs on latest release of asahi-audio now in nixpkgs

[Arcterus]

• https://asahilinux.org/docs/sw/undoing-early-speaker-hacks/

Very old versions of asahi-audio stored their configuration inside /etc/pipewire/ and /etc/wireplumber/. There should be nothing Asahi related in either of these directories or any of their subdirectories. To fix this:

It seems like these configuration files needed to be cleaned up. I'm going to set setupAsahiSound to false for now. The derivation builder for asahi-audio can be improved also just from first glance.

It looks to me like the NixOS module is just configured to link the files in share to /etc. They are also the most recent versions of the files, so I expect them being in /etc isn't the issue.

[tpwrules]

• https://asahilinux.org/docs/sw/undoing-early-speaker-hacks/

Very old versions of asahi-audio stored their configuration inside /etc/pipewire/ and /etc/wireplumber/. There should be nothing Asahi related in either of these directories or any of their subdirectories. To fix this:

It seems like these configuration files needed to be cleaned up. I'm going to set setupAsahiSound to false for now. The derivation builder for asahi-audio can be improved also just from first glance.

It looks to me like the NixOS module is just configured to link the files in share to /etc. They are also the most recent versions of the files, so I expect them being in /etc isn't the issue.

I believe this is true. It's a bit hard to imagine that the files would care about being in /etc or /usr/local, are there absolute paths I forgot to patch up?

I'm not sure to what degree this is an issue, I certainly have some artifacts on my machine (e.g. changing volume in KDE), have those been fixed upstream and confirmed to not happen in Fedora?