My system wide audio configuration already specifies a default sink, which is a combined output device created in that configuration file. Accordingly, KDE's "helpful" duplication of my efforts has been disabled (do not create (another) simultaneous audio output). When I mute the combined audio device, and sometimes (always?) when I pulseaudio -k to reload settings, KDE will try to pick a device it thinks is the default, such as the default system sound card. For my use case, this assumption is incorrect. Desired solutions: 1) When switching ANY setting, ask first. A new screen / USB sound device / something else? ASK. 2) Give me a way to tell KDE which device should be the default. The System Settings > Audio app doesn't seem to have this. If it does have it, it is EXTREMELY non-obvious. 3) Make it easier to disable automation that changes settings which can be managed elsewhere. Possibly related, possibly not, bug #412219
I should have used the phrase "built in audio device" for 'default (the thing most user's normal setups are like) system sound card'. The important aspects: A) In reaction to some events a re-selection of audio device is performed. B) The user is never told, nor asked to confirm ("Do you want to switch to audio device: example"?) C) The wrong device is being selected. (When Pulseaudio starts it already has a default set, when I mute a combined output I just want silent mode, NOT all applications being sent to other output devices.)
Looks like the same as Bug 412219, yeah. 1. Please file a separate bug report for this. 2. You select the default device by clicking on the radio button for that device. In older Plasma versions, we had a bug button marked "Set as Default" that could be pressed, but nobody liked it because it took up a lot of space. 3. Seems like we should just fix the bug, or make it always ask. :) *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 412219 ***