Deano, your extensive updates to SDB:Audio troubleshooting - openSUSE Wiki were noticed and useful. 
Current 15.5 state is as follows:
> cat /etc/modprobe.d/99-local.conf
alias snd-card-1 snd-hda-intel
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
options snd-hda-intel id=PCH index=0
options snd-hda-intel id=HDMI index=1
> inxi -Aaz
Audio:
Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio
vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:03.0
chip-ID: 8086:0c0c class-ID: 0403
Device-2: Intel 8 Series/C220 Series High Definition Audio
vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
chip-ID: 8086:8c20 class-ID: 0403
API: ALSA v: k5.14.21-150500.55.7-default status: kernel-api
tools: alsactl,alsamixer,amixer
Server-1: aRts v: 1.5.10 status: off with: artswrapper status: off
tools: artsdsp
Server-2: JACK v: 1.9.12 status: off tools: jack_control
Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.64 status: off with: wireplumber status: off
tools: pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
> /usr/sbin/alsactl info
#
# Sound card
#
- card: 0
id: PCH
name: HDA Intel PCH
longname: HDA Intel PCH at 0xf7d10000 irq 31
driver_name: HDA-Intel
mixer_name: Realtek ALC887-VD
components: HDA:10ec0887,1462d850,00100302
controls_count: 39
pcm:
- stream: PLAYBACK
devices:
- device: 0
id: ALC887-VD Analog
name: ALC887-VD Analog
subdevices:
- subdevice: 0
name: subdevice #0
- stream: CAPTURE
devices:
- device: 0
id: ALC887-VD Analog
name: ALC887-VD Analog
subdevices:
- subdevice: 0
name: subdevice #0
- device: 2
id: ALC887-VD Alt Analog
name: ALC887-VD Alt Analog
subdevices:
- subdevice: 0
name: subdevice #0
/usr/sbin/alsactl: rawmidi_device_list:105: snd_ctl_rawmidi_next_device
> aplay -lL
null
Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
jack
JACK Audio Connection Kit
default:CARD=PCH
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=PCH
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
Default Audio Device
front:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
Front output / input
surround21:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=0
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 0
HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=1
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 1
HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=2
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 2
HDMI Audio Output
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC887-VD Analog [ALC887-VD Analog]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
# rpm -qa | egrep 'alsa|arts|audio|demult|gstr|jack|mix|pavu|puls|sof-|sound|vlc|wire|xdg' | sort
alsa-1.2.8-150500.1.1.x86_64
alsa-firmware-1.2.4-1.41.noarch
alsa-plugins-jack-1.2.7.1-150500.1.1.x86_64
alsa-ucm-conf-1.2.8-150500.1.1.noarch
alsa-utils-1.2.8-150500.1.2.x86_64
arts-1.5.10-lp155.44.1.x86_64
gstreamer-1.22.0-150500.1.1.x86_64
jack-1.9.12-150000.3.3.1.x86_64
kdelibs3-arts-3.5.10-lp155.256.1.x86_64
kdemultimedia3-3.5.10.1-lp155.81.4.x86_64
kdemultimedia3-arts-3.5.10.1-lp155.81.4.x86_64
kdemultimedia3-mixer-3.5.10.1-lp155.81.4.x86_64
kdemultimedia3-sound-3.5.10.1-lp155.81.4.x86_64
kernel-firmware-sound-20230320-150500.1.1.noarch
libasound2-1.2.8-150500.1.1.x86_64
libaudiofile1-0.3.6-3.7.10.x86_64
libgstreamer-1_0-0-1.22.0-150500.1.1.x86_64
libjack0-1.9.12-150000.3.3.1.x86_64
libjacknet0-1.9.12-150000.3.3.1.x86_64
libjackserver0-1.9.12-150000.3.3.1.x86_64
libpipewire-0_3-0-0.3.64-150500.1.2.x86_64
libpulse-mainloop-glib0-15.0-150400.2.10.x86_64
libpulse0-15.0-150400.2.10.x86_64
libvlc5-3.0.18-bp155.1.12.x86_64
libvlccore9-3.0.18-bp155.1.12.x86_64
libwebrtc_audio_processing1-0.3-1.35.x86_64
libwireplumber-0_4-0-0.4.13-150500.1.2.x86_64
pavucontrol-qt-1.2.0-bp155.1.5.x86_64
pipewire-0.3.64-150500.1.2.x86_64
pipewire-modules-0_3-0.3.64-150500.1.2.x86_64
pipewire-spa-plugins-0_2-0.3.64-150500.1.2.x86_64
pipewire-spa-tools-0.3.64-150500.1.2.x86_64
pipewire-tools-0.3.64-150500.1.2.x86_64
sof-firmware-2.2.4-150500.1.1.noarch
vlc-3.0.18-bp155.1.12.x86_64
vlc-noX-3.0.18-bp155.1.12.x86_64
vlc-qt-3.0.18-bp155.1.12.x86_64
wireplumber-0.4.13-150500.1.2.x86_64
wireplumber-audio-0.4.13-150500.1.2.noarch
xdg-menu-0.2-1.23.noarch
xdg-utils-1.1.3+20210805-150500.1.1.noarch
> wpctl status
PipeWire 'pipewire-0' [0.3.64, moz@00srv, cookie:1136575840]
└─ Clients:
31. WirePlumber [0.3.64, moz@00srv, pid:934]
32. WirePlumber [export] [0.3.64, moz@00srv, pid:934]
43. wpctl [0.3.64, moz@00srv, pid:3662]
Audio
├─ Devices:
│ 38. Built-in Audio [alsa]
│ 39. Built-in Audio [alsa]
│
├─ Sinks:
│
├─ Sink endpoints:
│
├─ Sources:
│ * 40. Built-in Audio Analog Stereo [vol: 1.00]
│
├─ Source endpoints:
│
└─ Streams:
Video
├─ Devices:
│
├─ Sinks:
│
├─ Sink endpoints:
│
├─ Sources:
│
├─ Source endpoints:
│
└─ Streams:
Settings
└─ Default Configured Node Names:
> systemctl --user status pipewire.{service,socket}
○ pipewire.service - PipeWire Multimedia Service
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/pipewire.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: inactive (dead)
TriggeredBy: ● pipewire.socket
● pipewire.socket - PipeWire Multimedia System Socket
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/pipewire.socket; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (listening) since Mon 2023-07-24 17:17:23 EDT; 8min ago
Triggers: ● pipewire.service
Listen: /run/user/2000/pipewire-0 (Stream)
CGroup: /user.slice/user-2000.slice/user@2000.service/app.slice/pipewire.socket
Jul 24 17:17:23 00srv systemd[936]: Listening on PipeWire Multimedia System Socket.
> systemctl --user status wireplumber
○ wireplumber.service - Multimedia Service Session Manager
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/wireplumber.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: inactive (dead)
> speaker-test -Dplug:front -c2 -l5 -twav
speaker-test 1.2.8
Playback device is plug:front
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 2 channels
WAV file(s)
Rate set to 48000Hz (requested 48000Hz)
Buffer size range from 64 to 1048576
Period size range from 32 to 524288
Using max buffer size 1048576
Periods = 4
was set period_size = 262144
was set buffer_size = 1048576
0 - Front Left
1 - Front Right
^C # OK
> aplay -D plughw:1,0 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/test.wav
aplay: main:831: audio open error: No such file or directory
> aplay -D plughw:0,1 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/test.wav
aplay: main:831: audio open error: No such file or directory
> aplay /usr/share/sounds/alsa/test.wav # works
Playing WAVE '/usr/share/sounds/alsa/test.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 44100 Hz, Stereo
Chromium Youtube sound OK
Falkon Youtube sound OK
Firefox ESR 102 no Youtube sound
KDE3 KControl sound system test sound: only silence
KDE3 system sounds OK
MPV local .webm sound OK
SeaMonkey 2.53.16 no Youtube sound
SMplayer local .webm sound OK
VLC local .webm crashes, but old .mpeg sound OK
#
It’s not done, but available sound is certainly more than enough to get by on. There still are the print/scan operations yet to perform.
I tried for more via installing various combinations of pipew and pulse packages, but always the result was fewer or zero successes. This hasn’t been just about the OS or hardware either. I reached this point using only test login and root login. On first open of regular user, neither aplay nor KDE3 system sounds worked. Back & forth a few times between test and normal users was consistent, until I removed ~/.kde/share/config/ files kmixctrlrc and kmixrc, and did yet another alsactl init in normal, which brought this cantankerous pair of producers to life.
Before attacking Mozilla sound again, I may leave 15.5 as-is for a while, and try to get 15.4 working with test user and without kmix and/or jack and/or arts, but that’s really what my test boxes are supposed to be for. It’s just on those, there’s no better rhyme or reason than here to the combinations there that work or not. Plus there’s also whether they’re configured to use PCM or digital outputs, mostly digital for newer hardware and analog for older. Also, I very rarely have meaningful need of sound on any of them.
Given the time invested in this, plus that invested on the other PCs where sound isn’t actually needed, it’s hard to fathom how, no less than that, sound is supposed to “just work”.
