Problem with sound and Firefox

[don fisher]

On 04/22/14 10:16, Tom Horsley wrote:
> This probably isn't your problem, but maybe it is related:
>
> Not too long ago I had sound disappear in a random collection
> of applications. Some could play sound, some couldn't.
>
> I finally tracked it down to my motherboard supporting
> two "sound cards" (actually built-in, but it showed up
> as two devices).
>
> Apparently someone, somewhere was implementing "load
> balancing" or some such nonsense (it started happening
> out of the blue with no hardware changes). If I
> plugged earphones into the sound output I wasn't
> using for anything, I could hear the apps where
> sound had disappeared.
>
> I finally set the sound profile of the card I wasn't
> using to "none", and finally everyone started sending
> sound to the card I was using. (Sheesh!).
>
> I have no idea why this happened, I had the default
> sound sink set to the one card I was using everywhere,
> yet random apps were picking a different one anyway.
>
Tom,

I have worked with a lot of audio equipment, and there has always been a 
method to select which input you wished to here. From basic tuners to 
mixing boards you have a choice. How does this system know whether I 
want to listen to my music or some junk add from firefox?

Thanks,
Don