USB H/K Soundsticks - No Sound

Kristo

Registered
Looks like another USB device that OSX PB does not have current support for - Harman/Kardon Soundsticks.

When I plug them in, it's basically like not having them plugged in. Sound still is coming from the internal powerbook speakers (such rich sound too, are they bose? :)

I'll stick with my sony studio monitor headphones for now I guess, they are working fine with the std. headset jack.

Anyone else having problems with USB speakers, soundsticks specifically?

 
Well, it does not work on my computer too, but I think it's normal because OS X beta doesn't have the full core-audio. Only basic features are present.

BUT if you launch classic and then plug the usb , you will hear your HD in the same way as os9 does. So I think it loads the driver but cannot produces any sound due to os X.
We have to wait for core audio !

 
The issue with the Public Beta release is that the system doesn't correctly deal with multiple audio output devices. It simply uses the first one that it finds (which in this case happens to be the built-in audio device).

AFAIK, the H/K soundsticks should work properly with the supplied USB audio driver.

If you want to enable the use of the soundsticks, you will have to disable the driver for the internal speakers. To do that, you will need to remove the AppleScreamerAudio.kext bundle from the /System/Library/Extensions directory (that contains the driver for the PowerBook audio system as well as current G4s and iMacs). You can just move that bundle somewhere else and reboot. You will need administrator priveledges however as that directory is protected.

- Eric
 
I did what you described in your post on what to do to get the Sound Sticks working, but now "Classic" crashes whne launched. Do I need to disable any "Sound" extesions on the classic side? If I put the Audio OSXPB extension back into it's original place, reboot, then Classic will launch just fine.....

Has anyone else encountered this?

Thanks!!!!
 
Originally posted by jj
I did what you described in your post on what to do to get the Sound Sticks working, but now "Classic" crashes whne launched. Do I need to disable any "Sound" extesions on the classic side? If I put the Audio OSXPB extension back into it's original place, reboot, then Classic will launch just fine.....
Thanks!!!!

This is a known problem with Classic and USB audio devices (and is in a TIL somewhere - I don't have the number handy). Unfortunately there's no workaround.

- Eric
 
This confuses me. Ok:

OS 9 boots fine and recognizes the Sound Sticks.
OSX recognizes the Sound Sticks only is the AppleScreamerAudio.kext is missing, and hence the first audio driver it finds is the USB driver.

However, at this point classic doesn't work. Is this an issue with Classic, not OS9?

Also, the G4 Cube doesn't seem to have this problem.. With the H/K little USB speakers...

Which doesn't make much sense to me....

 
Originally posted by modoc
This confuses me. Ok:

OS 9 boots fine and recognizes the Sound Sticks.
OSX recognizes the Sound Sticks only is the AppleScreamerAudio.kext is missing, and hence the first audio driver it finds is the USB driver. Unfortunately there's no workaround for this problem.

However, at this point classic doesn't work. Is this an issue with Classic, not OS9?

Also, the G4 Cube doesn't seem to have this problem.. With the H/K little USB speakers...

Which doesn't make much sense to me....


There is a problem with Classic and USB speakers (its in a technote somewhere). So the MacOS X sound system now finds the USB speakers in this case only to have Classic not work with them.

The G4 Cube has the same problem with its speakers (they use the same USB audio driver).

- Eric
 
Perhaps I need to be a little more clear about my question:

On a G4 cube, with USB speakers attached, I can boot up with both the Screamer and USB Audio drivers in place. The USB speakers will work.
AND I can boot Classic, and it will work.

On a G4 desktop, this doesn't work. Either I have to remove the Screamer driver, or the USB speakers don't work, which makes Classic not boot, or leave it alone, allowing classic to boot, but not getting any sound.

Why is there a difference in behavior from the G4 Cube to the G4 Desktop?

Devon
 
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