[lindend]

Audio is working again, but I'm not sure exactly what I did to cause it to work. I tried several different NVidia revisions and then ended back up with the NVidia driver I started off with[/code].

• XBMC was configured to use NVidia [HDA NVidia] Default device and still wasn't playing stereo content
  
• I noticed that vlc was now silent. Forcing it to use the same device as xbmc resulting in it complaining the default device was in use. Rebooted, same symptoms in vlc. Unclear if xbmc didn't clean up properly or if some other app was using it?
  
• Changed vlc to a different NVidia device and had multi-channel audio
  
• Then I ran a speaker test w/the NVidia device
  
  
  Code:

  speaker-test -c2 -D plughw:0,3
  
  
• Then launched XBMC
  
• Changed device from the default to HDA NVidia HDMI
  
• The moment I did this, GUI sounds were restored along w/stereo PCM. Passthrough/multi-channel continue to work. I had previously tried this device but it made no difference.
  

Am somewhat troubled that I really don't have an explanation of what could've caused this other than reinstallation of the drivers cleaning something up?