(Linux) audio_sink option should not change your default audio output

[DanielGaaA]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Is your issue described in the documentation?

• I have read the documentation

Is your issue present in the latest beta/pre-release?

This issue is present in the latest pre-release

Describe the Bug

This is my audio setup before starting sunshine stream:

As you can see I have set my default audio output to "Virtual Surround Sink". I have set sunshine to listen on my equalizer sink and there is no virtual_sink set in my config. audio_sink = effect_input.eq10

After starting sunshine stream it looks like this:

Sunshine is listening on my equalizer sink which is great that what I wanted. But at the same time it created 3 additional virtual sinks sink-sunshine-surround71, sink-sunshine-surround51 and sink-sunshine-stereo. It also set sink-sunshine-stereo as default audio output and now all application are outputting to sink-sunshine-stereo while sunshine is listening on my equalizer sink where there is no sound coming through. This make configuring audio_sink useless because there will be no audio going to your sinks.

To fix this i have to set manually "Virtual Surround Sink" as default output device after starting sunshine.

Expected Behavior

Stop creating virtual sinks sink-sunshine-surround71, sink-sunshine-surround51 and sink-sunshine-stereo when you configure audio_sink

or

Stop setting sink-sunshine-stereo as default audio output when you configure audio_sink

Additional Context

No response

Host Operating System

Linux

Operating System Version

Bazzite Version: 43.20260330

Architecture

amd64/x86_64

Package

Linux - Fedora Copr

GPU Type

AMD

GPU Model

RX 9070 XT

GPU Driver/Mesa Version

N/A

Capture Method

None

Apps

Log output

[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: Sunshine version: 2026.329.165800 commit: d03334693c5cbdfba51d7835d7b389b28e4c79d4
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: Package Publisher: LizardByte
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: Publisher Website: https://app.lizardbyte.dev
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: Get support: https://app.lizardbyte.dev/support
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: config: 'audio_sink' = effect_input.eq10
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: config: 'capture' = kms
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: config: 'encoder' = vaapi
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.112]: Info: config: 'global_prep_cmd' = [{"do":"pactl set-sink-volume alsa_output.usb-FIIO_FiiO_K11-01.analog-stereo 1%","undo":"pactl set-sink-volume alsa_output.usb-FIIO_FiiO_K11-01.analog-stereo 100%"},{"do":"pactl set-default-sink effect_input.virtual-surround-7.1-hesuvi","undo":"default-sink effect_input.virtual-surround-7.1-hesuvi"}]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.114]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Found display [wayland-0]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Found display [wayland-0]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Found interface: zxdg_output_manager_v1(30) version 3
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Found interface: zwp_linux_dmabuf_v1(56) version 5
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Found interface: wl_output(63) version 4
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Resolution: 1920x1080
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Offset: 0x0
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Logical size: 1920x1080
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Name: HDMI-A-1
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: [wayland] Found monitor: VCS Connector
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: -------- Start of KMS monitor list --------
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: Monitor 0 is HDMI-A-1: VCS Connector
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.115]: Info: --------- End of KMS monitor list ---------
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.133]: Info: Trying encoder [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.133]: Info: Screencasting with KMS
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.133]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.133]: Info: Found monitor for DRM screencasting
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.133]: Info: Found connector ID [129]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.134]: Info: Found cursor plane [97]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.156]: Info: Creating encoder [h264_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.156]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.156]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.156]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.169]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.179]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.180]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.180]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.180]: Info: Using default rate control
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.211]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.211]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.211]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.211]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.224]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.235]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.236]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.236]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.236]: Info: Using default rate control
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.260]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.260]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.260]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.261]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.272]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.280]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.280]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.280]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.280]: Info: Using VBR with single frame VBV size
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.280]: Warning: [av1_vaapi @ 0x30058e80] Multiple slices were requested but this codec does not support controlling slices.
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.292]: Info: Screencasting with KMS
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.292]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.293]: Info: Found monitor for DRM screencasting
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.293]: Info: Found connector ID [129]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.293]: Info: Found cursor plane [97]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.299]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.299]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.299]: Info: Color depth: 10-bit
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.299]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.310]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.318]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.319]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.319]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.319]: Info: Using default rate control
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.337]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.337]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.337]: Info: Color depth: 10-bit
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.337]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.346]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.352]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.352]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.352]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.352]: Info: Using VBR with single frame VBV size
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.352]: Warning: [av1_vaapi @ 0x30058e80] Multiple slices were requested but this codec does not support controlling slices.
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.362]: Info: // Testing for available encoders, this may generate errors. You can safely ignore those errors. //
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.362]: Info: 
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.363]: Info: // Ignore any errors mentioned above, they are not relevant. //
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.363]: Info: 
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.363]: Info: Found H.264 encoder: h264_vaapi [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.363]: Info: Found HEVC encoder: hevc_vaapi [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.363]: Info: Found AV1 encoder: av1_vaapi [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.364]: Info: Starting system tray
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.365]: Info: Configuration UI available at [https://localhost:47990]
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.366]: Info: Adding avahi service bazzite
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.413]: Info: System tray created
[2026-04-04 21:07:22.413]: Info: Starting main loop
[2026-04-04 21:07:23.346]: Info: Avahi service bazzite successfully established.
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.915]: Info: Trying encoder [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.915]: Info: Screencasting with KMS
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.915]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.916]: Info: Found monitor for DRM screencasting
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.916]: Info: Found connector ID [129]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.916]: Info: Found cursor plane [97]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.922]: Info: Creating encoder [h264_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.922]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.922]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.922]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.929]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.933]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.934]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.934]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.934]: Info: Using default rate control
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.951]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.951]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.951]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.951]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.957]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.964]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.964]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.964]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.964]: Info: Using default rate control
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.978]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.978]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.979]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.979]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.985]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.989]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.989]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.989]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.989]: Info: Using VBR with single frame VBV size
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.989]: Warning: [av1_vaapi @ 0x7fecc4b3bb80] Multiple slices were requested but this codec does not support controlling slices.
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.998]: Info: Screencasting with KMS
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.998]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.999]: Info: Found monitor for DRM screencasting
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.999]: Info: Found connector ID [129]
[2026-04-04 21:10:26.999]: Info: Found cursor plane [97]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.003]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.003]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.003]: Info: Color depth: 10-bit
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.003]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.009]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.014]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.014]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.014]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.014]: Info: Using default rate control
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.028]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.028]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.028]: Info: Color depth: 10-bit
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.028]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.035]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.039]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.039]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.039]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.039]: Info: Using VBR with single frame VBV size
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.039]: Warning: [av1_vaapi @ 0x7fecc4472340] Multiple slices were requested but this codec does not support controlling slices.
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: // Testing for available encoders, this may generate errors. You can safely ignore those errors. //
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: 
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: // Ignore any errors mentioned above, they are not relevant. //
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: 
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: Found H.264 encoder: h264_vaapi [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: Found HEVC encoder: hevc_vaapi [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: Found AV1 encoder: av1_vaapi [vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.051]: Info: Executing Do Cmd: [pactl set-sink-volume alsa_output.usb-FIIO_FiiO_K11-01.analog-stereo 1%]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.062]: Info: Executing Do Cmd: [pactl set-default-sink effect_input.virtual-surround-7.1-hesuvi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.072]: Info: Executing [Desktop]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.250]: Info: New streaming session started [active sessions: 1]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.319]: Info: CLIENT CONNECTED
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.321]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.321]: Info: [wayland] Found display [wayland-0]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Found interface: zxdg_output_manager_v1(30) version 3
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Found interface: zwp_linux_dmabuf_v1(56) version 5
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Found interface: wl_output(63) version 4
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Resolution: 1920x1080
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Offset: 0x0
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Logical size: 1920x1080
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Name: HDMI-A-1
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: [wayland] Found monitor: VCS Connector
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: -------- Start of KMS monitor list --------
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: Monitor 0 is HDMI-A-1: VCS Connector
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: --------- End of KMS monitor list ---------
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: Screencasting with KMS
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: /dev/dri/card1 -> amdgpu
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: Found monitor for DRM screencasting
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.322]: Info: Found connector ID [129]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.323]: Info: Found cursor plane [97]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.335]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_vaapi]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.335]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.335]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.335]: Info: Color range: MPEG
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.343]: Warning: EGL: context priority set to HIGH but CAP_SYS_NICE capability is missing
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.347]: Info: vaapi vendor: Mesa Gallium driver 26.0.3 for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.17.7-ba29.fc43.x86_64)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.348]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 30988000
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.348]: Info: Using normal encoding mode
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.348]: Info: Using VBR with single frame VBV size
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.348]: Warning: [av1_vaapi @ 0x7fec700090c0] Multiple slices were requested but this codec does not support controlling slices.
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.354]: Info: Minimum FPS target set to ~60fps (16.6667ms)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.384]: Info: Gamepad 0 will be DualShock 5 controller (auto-selected by motion sensor presence)
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.694]: Info: Setting default sink to: [sink-sunshine-stereo]
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.694]: Info: Found default monitor by name: effect_input.eq10.monitor
[2026-04-04 21:10:27.764]: Info: Opus initialized: 48 kHz, 2 channels, 512 kbps (total), LOWDELAY
[2026-04-04 21:14:43.597]: Info: Opening UI from system tray
[2026-04-04 21:14:43.604]: Info: Opened url [https://localhost:47990]
[2026-04-04 21:14:43.932]: Info: Web UI: [127.0.0.1] -- not authorized

Online logs

No response

[DanielGaaA]

I unchecked Mute host PC speakers while streaming in Moonlight and now it is changing default audio output to audio_sink but I would like sunshine to not change default audio output.

[2026-04-07 22:28:53.038]: Info: Setting default sink to: [effect_input.eq10]
[2026-04-07 22:28:53.038]: Info: Found default monitor by name: effect_input.eq10.monitor
[2026-04-07 22:28:53.166]: Info: Opus initialized: 48 kHz, 2 channels, 512 kbps (total), LOWDELAY

[trialman]

I have the same issue on Windows 10 and 11. Sunshine sets the specified audio sink as the default speaker and even prevents manual changes. Since I use VAC (Virtual Audio Cable), this causes all my routings to fail whenever the device order changes, requiring a full restart to recover.

In my opinion, the correct approach should be like OBS: capturing any audio source directly without needing to modify the system's default device.

[Dhliv]

I had this same issue, they way I fixed it was to create a service with this script so I can redirect the audio from the sunshine sink to my default audio device:

#!/bin/bash
HARDWARE_NODE="<my-audio-hardware-node>"

while true; do
# Wait for Sunshine sink to appear
while ! pactl list short sinks | grep -q sink-sunshine-stereo; do
  sleep 2
  done
  
  echo "Sunshine sink detected, linking to hardware..."
  # Short pause to ensure monitor ports are ready
  sleep 1
  
  # Create direct links from monitor to hardware playback
  pw-link sink-sunshine-stereo:monitor_FL "$HARDWARE_NODE:playback_FL"
  pw-link sink-sunshine-stereo:monitor_FR "$HARDWARE_NODE:playback_FR"
  
  # Wait for the sink to disappear (stream ends)
  while pactl list short sinks | grep -q sink-sunshine-stereo; do
  sleep 2
  done
  
  echo "Sunshine sink gone, links will be removed automatically."
  # No need to explicitly unlink—PipeWire cleans up when the sink is destroyed
done

I'll leave it here in case it's useful to anyone