this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2024
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What's the best quality Linux Bluetooth audio experience for both me and the people I'm talking to? (self.linux)
submitted 5 months ago by bitwaba to c/linux
13 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

My mini ITX motherboard doesn't have as many USB ports as I'd like. I've also decided 2024 is the year I try to kill off all my USB micro devices and replace them with USB-C (sorry PS4 controller). So I'm going to go Bluetooth as much as it makes sense (because of the limited USB ports), and use devices that charge over USB-C

For communication during gaming over discord I've been using a Logitech g933 for about 8 years with the USB receiver, so that's on the chopping block.

I'm quite happy with the sound quality for music I currently get out of my Bluetooth headphones. A2DP gives a really great experience. Using those same headphones as a communication device with Discord for both recording and playing audio is really awful though as it kicks back to HFP/HSP. So I was wondering if it's possible to do a dedicated Bluetooth microphone? And more importantly: does connecting a micrpphone-only device over Bluetooth still need to be in the HFP/HSP profile to work?

To be clear: my goal is to be wires-free for my audio solution, while having both a high quality audio output to hear my beloved gaming companions AND to have a high quality (or at least clear quality) audio input so my beloved gaming companions can hear me. The microphone built into Bluetooth headphones is generally shit and sounds like being on a cell phone call from 1999, even when using it on an android or Windows machine that gave custom Bluetooth stacks that don't fall back to HSP. That's why I'm interested in using a dedicated high quality (probably condenser?) microphone, I'm just unsure if that high quality makes it back to the computer when connected through Bluetooth.

From the last couple hours of searching and reading I can only seem to find information regarding Bluetooth recording+playback combined headsets and the A2DP/HSP stuff. I can't seem to find anything about regarding dedicated microphones quality over Bluetooth.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

2024 is the year I try to kill off all my USB micro devices and replace them with USB-C (sorry PS4 controller).

2022-2023 was my year of that. Absolutely no regrets. All of my power bricks are now USB-C PD and can power pretty much every device I have; can literally just grab a charge cable and plug it into anything without worrying about whether it's the right one.

FYI, these little adapters are amazing for the odd micro-USB devices you can't part with:

USB-C to Micro USB adapter

I even incorporated them into my ESP32 projects to make them USB-C.

Sorry I'm not much help with the bluetooth audio part of your question. I refuse to give up my wired headset since 2.4 GHz is crowded here, and BT always gives me disconnects/dropouts.

[–] bitwaba 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I've got a few of those to bridge the gap. Its frustrating how many relatively recently purchased devices I have that are still micro USB. I bought a Logitech mouse like 2 years ago and it's a micro USB plug. Frustrating. That mini USB period before micro USB lasted like 5 years at most and everyone very quickly switched to micro almost over night. The switch to C is taking forever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I still have some mini devices I have to pull out once in a while, and OMG, digging up a cord for them is always a nightmare. The ports and/or plugs seem to wear out after 10 or 15 connections. Absolutely terrible lol.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Unless something has changed very recently, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group still hasn't delivered a spec that delivers low-latency, high-quality stereo output and high-quality input at the same time. It's as though they don't know gaming exists.

However, there are two nonstandard Bluetooth features aimed at solving this problem:

  • aptX Low Latency (aptX-LL)
    • This is a Qualcomm technology, I think
    • Creative BT-W2 claims to support it
    • FiiO BTR3 claims to support it
  • FastStream
    • This is a Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) technology, presumably acquired by Qualcomm
    • Creative BT-W2 claims to support it

According to aborne25 on reddit, aptX-LL is better at latency, while FastStream is better at sound quality.

I think Linux has support for one or both of these, though I don't know which parts are done in software and which depend on specific hardware. If I were going to research it, I would start by looking at PipeWire and libsbc.

An overview of Bluetooth audio technologies: https://habr.com/en/articles/456182/

A (probably incomplete) device/codec support list: https://btcodecs.valdikss.org.ru/codec-compatibility/

I collected this info a year or two ago, so it's possible that something newer is coming to market.

[–] bitwaba 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Thanks!

I'll keep digging.

I'm actually not looking for a single device that does audio output and audio input at the same time. I'm happy with my existing Bluetooth headphones in A2DP. What I'm trying to sort out is if I get a standalone Bluetooth microphone will it deliver high quality audio input, or will it still sound like a cellphone call from 1999?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

That makes sense. I don't know the state of standalone input over Bluetooth, but it seems to me that good input quality should be possible with existing tech. I hope the links I provided can lead you toward an answer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You will not get good sound and microphone quality over Bluetooth. The best you will get is "decent" mic quality and mono audio that is only good for voice OR "decent" stereo audio and no mic. Not both at the same time. Stick with 2.4GHz or wired and just get a usb hub.

[–] bitwaba 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I don't want both at the same time.

I'm happy with my Bluetooth headphones doing just audio out with no mic.

I'm trying to figure out if I get a different dedicated Bluetooth mic, will it actually be decent mic quality over Bluetooth, or will it be the same garbage mic quality I get when coming from a headset+mic combo?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

My wife was having trouble with audio quality during her endless Teams calls so I got her a gaming headset and it has worked wonderfully. I won't endorse one brand over another, but if you look the different models up you'll see that some boast about voice clarity in chat. This is what you are looking for if you need a good mic. My guess is that they are EQ'd for voice to be clear even during gameplay.

[–] bitwaba 1 points 5 months ago

Yeah, my current wireless headset with a USB dongle has great quality for both sound and mic. But I have limited USB A ports on my motherboard, so I'm trying to move to purely Bluetooth to free up the USB port. Bluetooth sound output on a headset works fine, the only open question I have is Bluetooth sound input quality, because I can't find any useful information after a couple of hours of searching about dedicated microphone devices and their audio quality over Bluetooth.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

All i can guarantee you is you want your headphones and your bluetooth transmitter to be at least aptx low Latency even better aptx hi-fi. Maybe you already took that for granted but you didn’t mention it so.

Good luck finding a retailer that lists such specification on their bluetooth devices without massively inflating the price. 5 years ago i paid 7 bucks for a great tiny dongle now its 25 and 3 times bigger for same specs…

[–] bitwaba 1 points 5 months ago

I had not heard of that before. Thanks, I'll add that to the list for digging.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Don’t worry about the technical side of how your mic encodes its audio stream. As long as it’s transmitting audio without dropouts or something it’ll be fine for speech.

Worry more about having a pop/sibilance screen, a decent microphone itself and maybe put some acoustic baffles against the wall that your monitors are against or something. Part of getting that “intimate” booth sound is killing the room tone.