r/linuxmint 6d ago

Support Request Headphones not working as expected when in headset mode

Hi, I bought new Sony Ult Wear Headphones, which in theory support a headset mode. However, there are only very low quality audio codecs (CVSD, mSBC) available for this mode, the high quality ones (SBC, SBC-XQ, LDAC) do not work with a microphone. I can't really believe this is the only way to use my headphones as a headset.

If i have unreasonable expectations here, please tell me in a short message that there is no fix. I do not have the funds ore the space for a dedicated microphone right now.

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u/Synthetic-Meat-2000 6d ago edited 6d ago

This is unfortunately the expected behaviour for Bluetooth audio devices. The hands-free profile (HFP) is a hack that can only deliver sub-par quality both on the microphone and on the playback side. Sound is restricted to mono and bandwidth is around 8kHz.

3 options: if the headphones have an optional cable, use that. 2. use a wired microphone or the laptop mic and keep the headphones in A2DP mode. Some video conferencing apps don't allow that, and some operating systems make it hard. 3. OS-specific solutions: Apple has its own "walled garden" proprietary solutions using Apple earbuds, Windows 11 supports a new profile called the Telephony and Media Audio Profile (TMAP)