A system-level Linux audio optimization software that runs an automated, low-overhead background daemon to inhibit aggressive hardware power-saving states. The utility prevents digital-to-analog converters (DACs), amplifiers, and active monitors from dropping into low-power sleep cycles, eliminating transient hardware popping, crackling, and initial playback latency.
Inspired by the excellent Soundkeeper for Windows by VEG, this project replicates that exact behavior natively on Linux systems using a highly optimized, low-overhead background stream.
Modern audio equipment—ranging from audiophile DAC/Amps (like the iFi Zen series, KZs, or Schiit stacks) to gaming headsets (like the Audeze Maxwell) and home theater surround setups—frequently implements aggressive hardware-level power management.
When your operating system stops transmitting active audio data (even for just a couple of seconds), the hardware drops into a low-power "sleep" mode. The next time a sound occurs (a notification, a new song starting, or a video playing):
- The Audio Pop: The sudden re-energizing of the DAC or amplifier creates an audible, jarring click or pop sound that can eventually degrade hardware.
- The Audio Delay: The first 1 to 2 seconds of the playback stream are completely cut off or muted while the hardware slowly "wakes up."
soundkeeper-linux keeps your audio infrastructure (PipeWire, PulseAudio, or ALSA) continuously engaged without impacting your system performance or listening experience.
It accomplishes this by utilizing SoX (Sound eXchange) to generate a continuous, 19 kHz sine wave tone at an extremely low volume (vol 0.01).
- Inaudible to Humans: A 19 kHz tone at that volume threshold cannot be heard by the human ear and won't interfere with your music, games, or movies.
- Completely Active to Linux: To PipeWire/PulseAudio, it counts as an active audio stream, forcing your hardware to stay wide awake, eliminating popping and audio clipping entirely.
This project is officially packaged and maintained in the Arch User Repository (AUR). The AUR package automatically manages the sox dependency and links directly back to this repository for updates.
You can install it seamlessly using your favorite AUR helper (e.g., yay or paru):
yay -S soundkeeper-linuxBecause this application runs as a Systemd User Service, it operates completely inside your user session. It requires no root permissions (sudo) to run, activate, or manage.
To reload your systemd profile, enable the service to start automatically at login, and spin it up right now, execute:
# Reload the systemd daemon to find the new service
systemctl --user daemon-reload
# Enable auto-start on boot and start it immediately
systemctl --user enable --now soundkeeper.service