Bluetooth audio is my least favorite part of using Linux and it seems like my coworkers agree. I hear a lot of praise for pipewire, but it doesn’t match what I experience. Does any system work well for anyone?
To clarify, it can work. But it’s a harsh experience compared to say Android. I’ve used Ubuntu, Fedora, and PopOS. I’ve tried a few different headphones, using Galaxy Buds 2 current. Pulseaudio tends to “do as it’s told” but doesn’t automatically switch to the right (confusingly named) profile. With Ubuntu 23.10, using pipewire, it does automatic switch profiles. Sometimes this works great. But very often, it gets stuck on on a profile or just stops working. I have to reconnect bluetooth to fix it.
Is there some magic combination of things that works or is this just how it is for everyone?
Pipewire and debian stable here
BT audio works like 99% of the time. Then there’s that 1% it just stops working for no apparent reason and you spend an hour googling why without finding any answers. And in the end, unpairing, forgetting the device and the re-adding it fixes the problem in 2 mins
Overall very happy once i remember the quick fix
Bluetooth kind of sucks ass
Bluetooth works great. Debian w/ XFCE (pulseaudio). But, there is some config on a fresh install:
# apt install blueman pulseaudio-module-bluetooth # nano /etc/pulse/default.pa add: load-module module-switch-on-connect # nano /etc/bluetooth/input.conf change: IdleTimeout=0Pretty good. I use Nothing ear 2s with a lenovo thinkpad on arch linux and it works just as well as with my ipad and my android smartphone.
Only bad thing, it set the codec to a worse sounding one once for some reason, but changing it back solved it.
This usually happens when you use the earphones’ microphone. It lowers the audio quality to be able to send the microphone’s data.
exactly. I disabled mono profile in bluez config and I could recomend that to everyone else as well
Wait, you can keep the audio quality while using the microphone?
Bluetooth sucks on all platforms. It may be worse on Linux, but given how often my coworkers on Mac and Windows have audio issues it meetings, not by much.
Get a good set of RF wireless headphones and only use Bluetooth when you’re traveling.
