#hardware

The Speakers Were Fine. The Amplifier Was Asleep.

My laptop's internal speakers were silent on Linux but worked on Windows. Every software layer said audio was playing — I even recorded an 80%-amplitude signal off the sink. The speakers weren't broken: the Cirrus Logic CS35L41 smart amplifiers never engaged, and the kernel 6.8 driver couldn't wake them on an HP Envy x360. Here's the full diagnostic path and the one-line fix.