Comment 1 for bug 788540

So long as the mute button LED is lit, the speakers cannot output any sound. It is possible to mute with the hardware button, unmute in software and be able to use headphones without the speakers being used if the headphones are accidentally unplugged. The speaker mute button functions before any operating system is booted. It would be a good idea to compare the functionality in Windows if someone has a chance, including with the connexant audio utility.