diff --git a/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen.h b/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen.h
index 09a24b24958b..c10ab077afd8 100644
--- a/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen.h
+++ b/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen.h
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ void oxygen_write_ac97(struct oxygen *chip, unsigned int codec,
 void oxygen_write_ac97_masked(struct oxygen *chip, unsigned int codec,
 			      unsigned int index, u16 data, u16 mask);
 
-void oxygen_write_spi(struct oxygen *chip, u8 control, unsigned int data);
+int oxygen_write_spi(struct oxygen *chip, u8 control, unsigned int data);
 void oxygen_write_i2c(struct oxygen *chip, u8 device, u8 map, u8 data);
 
 void oxygen_reset_uart(struct oxygen *chip);
diff --git a/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen_io.c b/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen_io.c
index 4b88c7a332e4..3274907189fe 100644
--- a/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen_io.c
+++ b/sound/pci/oxygen/oxygen_io.c
@@ -212,23 +212,18 @@ static int oxygen_wait_spi(struct oxygen *chip)
 	return -EIO;
 }
 
-void oxygen_write_spi(struct oxygen *chip, u8 control, unsigned int data)
+int oxygen_write_spi(struct oxygen *chip, u8 control, unsigned int data)
 {
-	unsigned int count;
-
-	/* should not need more than 30.72 us (24 * 1.28 us) */
-	count = 10;
-	while ((oxygen_read8(chip, OXYGEN_SPI_CONTROL) & OXYGEN_SPI_BUSY)
-	       && count > 0) {
-		udelay(4);
-		--count;
-	}
-
+	/*
+	 * We need to wait AFTER initiating the SPI transaction,
+	 * otherwise read operations will not work.
+	 */
 	oxygen_write8(chip, OXYGEN_SPI_DATA1, data);
 	oxygen_write8(chip, OXYGEN_SPI_DATA2, data >> 8);
 	if (control & OXYGEN_SPI_DATA_LENGTH_3)
 		oxygen_write8(chip, OXYGEN_SPI_DATA3, data >> 16);
 	oxygen_write8(chip, OXYGEN_SPI_CONTROL, control);
+	return oxygen_wait_spi(chip);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(oxygen_write_spi);