Headset without audio on handsfree mode

[romariorios]

Hello,

I have a bluetooth headset which I use for work calls. I noticed that, on Linux, bluetooth headsets have two modes: high fidelity, where the audio is high quality but the mic is disabled; and handsfree, where the audio is lower quality, but the mic works.

In my current machine, which is an old, beat up laptop where I run tumbleweed, high fidelity mode works without issues, but I get no audio on handsfree mode. It’s been like this for a while, both Plasma and GNOME have this issue.

I also own a desktop and have no issues there. There are two main differences between the two machines: the desktop runs Debian and I don’t have a working audio card on the laptop.

Any idea why this might be happening?

[marel]

It could be that Debian is still running Pulseaudio, Tumbleweed is running Pipewire.

For Pipewire, WirePlumber is the session and policy manager, see Bluetooth configuration

You write the headset has two modes, how do you switch between these modes?

For the mic not working, try qpwgraph, you might have to install it.

[romariorios]

@marel

It could be that Debian is still running Pulseaudio, Tumbleweed is running Pipewire.

Debian is running pipewire.

@marel

You write the headset has two modes, how do you switch between these modes?

Sound config.

I’ll take a look at WirePlumber. Thank you. EDIT: I am completely lost reading the documentation, I don’t think that will help unfortunately.

[marel]

I do not recognize that “Som” Sound config window, how do you start that App?

@romariorios

EDIT: I am completely lost reading the documentation, I don’t think that will help unfortunately.

I did read:

Currently some headsets (e.g. Sony WH-1000XM3) do not work with both hsp_ag and hfp_ag enabled, so by default we enable only HFP.

And thought you could maybe disable the “handsfree mode” this way.

Did you try, specifically for the mic not working:

@marel

For the mic not working, try qpwgraph, you might have to install it.

[romariorios]

@marel

I do not recognize that “Som” Sound config window, how do you start that App?

That’s just the sound section in GNOME’s settings application (“som” is sound in Portuguese). KDE’s sound settings window is similar:

Audio works fine when either of the “A2DP” options is selected, but I have no audio with either the “CVSD” or “mSBC” codecs.

@marel

And thought you could maybe disable the “handsfree mode” this way.

I can do that already, through the settings app.

But other than that, the problem is not related to my headset, since this same headset works fine on Debian as I said.

@marel

Did you try, specifically for the mic not working:

I’ll take a look at it.

[romariorios]

I’m running Google Meet right now and it seems the capture device is properly connected to it, but I still get no audio from the microphone at all.

[marel]

Good to see the microphone is properly connected.

Also nice to see the KDE Som settings window and how you change the profile of the speakers. As far as I see there are also multiple profiles for the microphone, did you try them?

Can you run (install if needed) audacity?

Try to hit the record button and watch the Recording Meter:

Mine gives a pop when recording is started. You can select different Audio sources using the Audio Setup menu.

What you also try to delete ~/.local/state/wireplumber