I've just upgraded from a middling kde4 to kde 5.26. opensues leap 42.2 I get grunts before any sound plays and another later when the sound service drops out. Web page updates sometimes cause them too, sort oh we may need sound problem by the look of it as they don't always generate any sound so just get the grunt and later another when sound drops out. The problem may be that phonon isn't offering me a digital output only an iec958 one. Leap's YAST sound set up utility shows 2 aux volumes, one for iec958 and another for digital. Sound's fine here. The iec one doesn't do anything. I also tried my system via a bootable Knoppix iso with lxde. Same there. It appears to use alsa from top to bottom and the mixer shows both volume controls. Only digital does anything and no sound problems The other reason may be a note in the pulse conf file. No static loads in one section, use udev-detect instead. My kde4 didn't have this problem only the youtube volume messing up the desktop volume and deafening everybody. I notice something which seems to over ride that one in 5. Tracking back the card is being detected correctly and getting the correct driver so all should be ok. Trying to sort out the set up past this though is way past me - masses of directories etc. ??? Why an application volume control from the panel??? All apps I use have one. My keyboard has one too so guess which one I am inclined to use - ;-) Just a moan. John Please excuse any typo's. I make odd ones. -