Audio issues on modern Arch/Framework setups (defaulting to PipeWire) often occur because the sound server assigns the wrong profile (e.g., “Pro Audio” or “Off”) instead of the standard HiFi/Analog Stereo profile.

Prerequisites

Ensure packages are installed and WirePlumber is running:

sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-pulse pipewire-alsa wireplumber pavucontrol
systemctl --user enable --now wireplumber.service

Method 1: UI (pavucontrol)

  1. Run pavucontrol.
  2. Go to Configuration tab.

pavucontrol

  1. Change Profile to **Play HiFi quality Music (Mic1, Mic2, Speaker)
  2. Check Output Devices and Playback tabs to ensure each app is playing through the right output

Method 2: Terminal (pactl)

1. Find your card name:

pactl list cards short
# Look for something like: alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1f.3

2. Set the correct profile:

pactl set-card-profile alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1f.3 output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo

3. Unmute (if needed):

pactl set-sink-mute @DEFAULT_SINK@ 0