Speech-dispatcher dropping audio after switch to optical out

[Nolan Darilek]

Hey folks,


My soundbar includes an optical out, to which I switched in hopes of 
enabling 5.1 surround. Unfortunately, after having done so, 
speech-dispatcher appears to be dropping audio at the beginning of every 
utterance.


As an example, I have Orca set to echo by word only. I hear "xample", 
"rca", "ord only", etc. when typing this.


If I open the sound device by, say, playing an MP3, everything is fine. 
I just started a track on reduced volume so I could type this last 
paragraph and proof my email.


What parameters can I tweak to fix this? In looking at the config, I see 
a PulseAudio min length, along with bunches of knobs in espeak-ng (the 
module I'm using.) I'd appreciate guidance on which to tweak so I'm not 
here all day. :)


Also, how should I test a new value? What's the easiest way to restart 
speech-dispatcher from my user session? Can I just pkill it after 
tweaking the config and have it come back, or is it more involved?


Thanks for any help.