alioth-loud

Volume ceiling removal for the Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth / aliothin, HyperOS).

A Magisk/KernelSU/APatch module + companion priv-app that makes the Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X actually loud — not by shipping static files that an OTA wipes, but by patching the live vendor audio configs at every boot and layering a global compressor on top.

⚠️ Alioth only. This module is built for and properly tested on alioth/aliothin (Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X) hardware. Do not flash it on any other device — every probe-verified value and gain limit assumes this exact audio chain.

Probe-verified for aliothin (M2012K11AI) on HyperOS 1.0.10 CN, Android 13, KernelSU 1.1.1, SELinux Enforcing.

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Tech stack

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Why this exists

Two facts from the probe data shaped everything:

1. Stock attenuation at volume index 100 is already 0 mB. No amount of XML editing raises the max — the win is at every step below max, where Xiaomi's curve is steep. Flattening it (CURVE_FLATTEN=0.55) gives +12.7 dB at half volume, measured on the real MUSIC/SPEAKER curve.
2. There is almost no hardware headroom left. The earpiece PA and Cirrus SP attenuator are already at their enum maxima; the CS35L41 class-D stage sits at 18 of 20 (~1–2 dB remains). The only way past max volume is dynamic range compression — pull quiet parts up, hold peaks with a limiter — which raises average level 10–15 dB without ever exceeding 0 dBFS.

The layers

Layer	What it does	Where	Default
1–2	Global 4-band multiband compressor + limiter + optional LoudnessEnhancer on session 0	Companion app (priv-app)	on, via app
3	Flattens the volume-attenuation curve in audio_policy_volumes*.xml	Module, awk patcher	on
3b	30 → 50 volume steps, safe-media bypass props	Module, resetprop	on
4a	WCD9385 RX digital gain (headset/earpiece only — speakers bypass this codec)	Module, awk patcher	off
4b	Cirrus CS35L41 amp gain (only layer that raises speaker SPL, ~1–2 dB, permanent-damage risk)	Module, tinymix	off, double opt-in

Max volume is unchanged by design — layer 3 only makes steps below max louder. To go beyond max, that's compression in the app (layers 1–2).

How it survives HyperOS updates

post-fs-data.sh runs before the module overlay is mounted. It reads the live, unmodified vendor configs from disk, patches them with awk, validates the result structurally (bracket balance, root tag, ±25% size), and only then writes the patched copy into $MODDIR/system — which the root implementation mounts over the originals. The overlay is rebuilt from scratch every boot, so a HyperOS update that changes mixer_paths.xml never leaves a stale file mounted.

Every patch follows the same contract: backup → transform → validate → mount. A failed validation is a no-op, not a broken boot.

Safety model

• Bootloop guard — 3 boots without boot_completed and the module disables itself (disable flag + overlay stripped) and writes the reason to /data/adb/alioth_loud/disabled-reason.txt.
• Layer 4b refuses to write any value it hasn't validated against the range tinymix itself reports, clamps to a fraction of remaining headroom, and requires both ENABLE_CIRRUS_GAIN=1 and I_ACCEPT_SPEAKER_DAMAGE_RISK=1.
• Dry-run mode (DRY_RUN=1 in config) logs what would happen and changes nothing — recommended for the first boot after enabling a risky layer.
• Clean uninstall — XML patches live only in the overlay (removing the module restores stock), the amp is reverted to stock values, and backups of every touched file are kept.

The companion app

On AOSP / stock ROMs the app is installed by the module into /system/priv-app with a privapp-permissions allowlist — required because attaching an effect to the global output mix (session 0) is gated behind MODIFY_DEFAULT_AUDIO_EFFECTS, which is signature|privileged. Without it, the app could only process its own audio.

On HyperOS the auto priv-app install is unreliable, so HyperOS users should install the APK manually from GitHub Releases (see Install). A manually-installed APK cannot hold the signature|privileged permission, so on HyperOS the app will show privileged: NO and the master switch stays locked — you still get the module's below-max volume boost, but not the app's global compression.

It uses the framework DynamicsProcessing effect rather than shipping a .so — no vendor library, no audio_effects.xml patching, no SELinux label to get right, nothing for an OTA to revert, and it survives the Android 15 AIDL effect-HAL transition that is currently breaking ViPER4Android.

Features: master switch, Loud preset, input gain / threshold / ratio / attack / release / makeup gain / limiter ceiling sliders, boot-persistent foreground service, and a clear "privileged: yes/no" status so a failed priv-app install never looks like a silent no-op.

Build

./build.sh              # module only
./build.sh --with-app   # also build + bundle the companion APK
./build.sh --test       # run the awk patcher + cirrus test suites only

The build refuses to package if the test suites fail, shell syntax is off (module scripts must be strict POSIX sh — they run under Android's mksh/busybox ash), the APK signature is invalid, the icon assets are malformed, or the manifest's privileged permissions have drifted from the privapp-permissions allowlist (on some builds a mismatch is a boot failure, not a warning).

Install

AOSP / stock ROMs (app installs automatically)

1. Download the module zip from GitHub Releases and flash it in Magisk / KernelSU / APatch (Android 12+).
2. Reboot — the app is installed into /system/priv-app automatically.
3. Open Alioth Loud, confirm it says privileged: yes.
4. Pick the Loud preset, then raise makeup gain to taste.

HyperOS (manual install if it doesn't install automatically)

1. Flash the module zip from GitHub Releases in Magisk / KernelSU / APatch and reboot — this applies the volume-curve boost (layers 3/3b).
2. Open Alioth Loud. On HyperOS the app may not install automatically; if it isn't there, download app-release.apk from GitHub Releases and install it manually with a file manager (allow "install unknown apps" for that file manager if prompted).
3. Open Alioth Loud.

⚠️ HyperOS caveat — a manually-installed APK cannot hold the signature|privileged MODIFY_DEFAULT_AUDIO_EFFECTS permission, so the app will show privileged: NO and the master switch stays locked (global, system-wide compression is off). You still get the module's below-max volume boost and can use the app to inspect config — but only actually installing the app as a privileged system app (AOSP) unlocks the global compressor.

Configuration lives at /data/adb/alioth_loud/config.sh and survives module updates; a probe script is copied to /sdcard/probe.sh so you can inspect your own device without a PC. Boot log: /data/adb/alioth_loud/boot.log.

Repo layout

module/             flashable Magisk module (POSIX sh + awk patchers)
  common/           config, patch engine, bootloop guard, cirrus layer
  system/           privapp-permissions allowlist (baked into the overlay)
app/                companion Android app (Kotlin, Views + Material)
  app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk   release APK (GitHub Releases)
tools/              probe scripts, awk test suite, icon verification

License

MIT License — Copyright (c) 2026 Hrishikesh Thombare.

⚠️ Use at your own risk — hardware layer 4b can genuinely destroy speakers, and everything here assumes the measured Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth) hardware.