How can I use digital output instead of analog output for USB headset on 14.04?

Question

I previously used 12.04 where I was able to use digital output for my USB headset and it worked miles better than analog. Now I installed (fresh install, deleted previous ubuntu partitions) 14.04 on the same computer and can only select analog output, where the volume control is comparably bad.

Edit: I am using the default Volume Control for Ubuntu 14.04 (64-bit) and my Headset is the Plantronics GameCom 780. The only (not obvious) difference between my old 12.04 install and my new 14.04 install is that I do not have a /boot partition anymore on 14.04.

Answer 1

As suggested in How can I enable digital output on a FiiO E7 without ending session?, to enable digital output you need to kill PulseAudio:

pulseaudio -k

Then you should be able to see a device like the FiiO USB Audio Class 2.0 DAC Digital Stereo (IEC958), with PulseAudio Mixer reporting something like a Digital Output (S/PDIF) port.

Answer 2

The issue seems to be the same for any USB sound card (DAC) with both "Analogue Output" and "Digital Output" available. (How can I enable digital output on a FiiO E7 without ending session?)

I can confirm that a restart is required to get the "Digital Output" available in the sound preferences (and thus enable volume control and better quality).