Bug 371587

1) - If I try to set the default device for Audio in the systemsettings the subcatogories should adopt these values. Otherwise why have the top hierarchies "audio" "recording" etc. at all? 

2) - If I change the profile of a device greyed out items items start appearing can't be handled by the backend. All the solutions to remove them involve clearing all settings which is very unsettling. 

3) - If I install the pulseaudio equalizer (lsdap or the qpaep) every time I change the settings in there the output of my applications reverts to USB headphones though this is clearly not set as preferred device.  

4) - the panel widget offers to set the sound volume for the different application but doesn't allow to switch the output device (by design as I've read) - regarding the fragile state of sound settings and preferences I think this a poor decision as a quick way to switch back to headphones or desktop speakers or equalized output. 

5) - In the system settings the top categories of the device priorities have a little arrow indicating I should be able to collapse the categorie - clicking on the arrow has no effect at all... 

6) - I get some notification informing me that the sound system reverted to another device with higher priority - checking the device priorities shows that the device it reverts too is set to a lower priority - so I feel my settings are ignored.  

Maybe others have more issues with the settings. I know it is good practice to tackle one bug at a time. In this case though I feel there is a conceptional issue with the way the settings work and are presented. 

I also understand that pulseaudio is a bloated and complicated beast to tame but from a users perspective there really should be simple ways to 

- Volumes: change individual volumes of devices and applications (very nicely done with the new widget) 

- Output Speaker: change the output device of an application on the fly to switch to headphones feor example when listening for a podcast while playing music on the desktop speakers or quickly push the output of a skype call to the speakers so others in the room can listen in 

- Bass/Treble Bias: a simple way to adjust sound quality like adjusting bass/treble volume and balance between left and right speakers on a per device basis (so connecting the same set of headphones for second time still remembers enhanced bass setting). This is very important for people using a laptop to connect to different speaker systems e.g. at friends or, more importantly, at presentation rooms - if you do not have a way to reduce or enhance bass/treble settings you easily ruin your presentation - and as KDE announce to focus on professional use this should be a priority! 

thx for reading, piedro

Reproducible: Always