[BUG] linux-firmware 20250808 causes sound distortion issues (ALC294 + with cirrus logic)

[n6v26r]

I'm experiencing constant audio crackling and distortion with the following hardware:

Type: Laptop System: ASUSTeK product: ROG Strix G814JV_G814JV (ASUS ROG Strix G18)

Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Raptor Lake High Definition Audio
    vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
    alternate: snd_soc_avs,snd_sof_pci_intel_tgl
    bus-ID: 0000:00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:7a50 class-ID: 0403

card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC294 Analog [ALC294 Analog]

Downgrading to linux-firmware 20250708 does not completely remove distortion, but massively reduces the distortion frequency, duration and intensity.

Any thoughts?

cs35l41 dmesg output: (with downgraded linux-firmware, crackling still present but infrequent)

[    3.609631] input: PC Speaker as /devices/platform/pcspkr/input/input13
[    3.839875] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: Adding DSD properties for 10431CCF
[    3.840214] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: Using extra _DSD properties, bypassing _DSD in ACPI
[    3.860894] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: Cirrus Logic CS35L41 (35a40), Revision: B2
[    3.860950] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: Adding DSD properties for 10431CCF
[    3.861185] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: Using extra _DSD properties, bypassing _DSD in ACPI
[    3.861186] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: Reset line busy, assuming shared reset
[    3.882595] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: Cirrus Logic CS35L41 (35a40), Revision: B2
[    3.906791] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: DSP1: cirrus/cs35l41-dsp1-spk-prot-10431ccf.wmfw: format 3 timestamp 0x6128e16b
[    3.906794] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: DSP1: cirrus/cs35l41-dsp1-spk-prot-10431ccf.wmfw: Fri 27 Aug 2021 14:58:19 W. Europe Daylight Time
[    3.968303] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: DSP1: Firmware: 400a4 vendor: 0x2 v0.43.1, 2 algorithms
[    3.968781] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: DSP1: cirrus/cs35l41-dsp1-spk-prot-10431ccf-spkid0-l0.bin: v0.43.1
[    3.968782] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: DSP1: spk-prot: C:\Users\dchunyi\Documents\Asus_ROG\Project\G8_Strix18\Tuning\20221021\10431CCF_221021_V1_A0.bin
[    3.980101] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: Calibration applied: R0=11070
[    3.989265] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: Firmware Loaded - Type: spk-prot, Gain: 17
[    3.989299] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0: CS35L41 Bound - SSID: 10431CCF, BST: 0, VSPK: 0, CH: L, FW EN: 1, SPKID: 0
[    3.989302] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D0: bound spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.0 (ops cs35l41_hda_comp_ops [snd_hda_scodec_cs35l41])
[    3.992975] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: DSP1: cirrus/cs35l41-dsp1-spk-prot-10431ccf.wmfw: format 3 timestamp 0x6128e16b
[    3.992978] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: DSP1: cirrus/cs35l41-dsp1-spk-prot-10431ccf.wmfw: Fri 27 Aug 2021 14:58:19 W. Europe Daylight Time
[    4.054991] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: DSP1: Firmware: 400a4 vendor: 0x2 v0.43.1, 2 algorithms
[    4.055576] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: DSP1: cirrus/cs35l41-dsp1-spk-prot-10431ccf-spkid0-r0.bin: v0.43.1
[    4.055578] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: DSP1: spk-prot: C:\Users\dchunyi\Documents\Asus_ROG\Project\G8_Strix18\Tuning\20221021\G814\10431CCF_221021_V1_A1.bi
[    4.068094] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: Calibration applied: R0=11318
[    4.078250] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: Firmware Loaded - Type: spk-prot, Gain: 17
[    4.078299] cs35l41-hda spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1: CS35L41 Bound - SSID: 10431CCF, BST: 0, VSPK: 0, CH: R, FW EN: 1, SPKID: 0
[    4.078302] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D0: bound spi1-CSC3551:00-cs35l41-hda.1 (ops cs35l41_hda_comp_ops [snd_hda_scodec_cs35l41])

[lgirdwood]

@simontrimmer @rfvirgil @charleskeepax fyi.

[n6v26r]

I've also made a Bugzilla report about this: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=220480

[rfvirgil]

@stefdb

[stuhenderson]

@lgirdwood , we can close this ticket out, thanks. The linked bugzilla is reported as fixed, and the issue wasn't related to a change in linux-firmware.