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Blowhard

Member

Registered: 2020-11-06

Posts: 7

[SOLVED] Audio input while A2DP output

Hello there,

I'm trying to use my Sony WH-1000XM4 Bluetooth headset for audio input and output at the same time - i.e. for calls.

My current system runs:

Linux Kernel 5.12.8-arch1-1
GNOME 40.1
Wayland 1.19.0-1
Pipewire 1:0.3.28-1
Alsa-utils 1.2.4-2

I've got no problems connecting to the headset via the Bluetooth control center in GNOME Settings. After that, under sound settings I can configure the headset as my output and input device.
However, sound input and output are only working both if "Sound > Output: Configuration" is set to "Headset Head Unit (HSP/HFP)". But then the sound (output) quality is extremely poor.
Setting "Sound > Output: Configuration" to "High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink)" leads to a good sound (output) quality, but: Although I'm able to configure "Headset - WH-1000XM4" as the input device, in the actual programs like audacity or Discord there is no actual sound input when I speak. In Discord it's even worse: The sound that's output on my device get's mistakenly identified as the input sound, so the guys at the other end are hearing the soundtracks I play on my pc rather then me talking.

https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/q … lity-audio
I was able to find some snippets like this, but I couldn't find a solution how to get A2DP (or any other decent sound config) working while managing to have sound input over the headset mic.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

EDIT: Marked as [SOLVED]

Last edited by Blowhard (2021-05-31 08:00:01)

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: [SOLVED] Audio input while A2DP output

A2DP doesn't support microphones on linux. It's HSP/HSF or nothing.

Android, Mac and Windows all use proprietary vendor drivers for which the source code is unavailable.

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

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V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,104

Re: [SOLVED] Audio input while A2DP output

You cannot use A2DP for audio input, there would be no need for these different profiles if this was possible.

There is a newer standard with mSBC implemented in pipewire check whether that is enabled or whether your headset supports this in the first place. https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire … quests/323

Blowhard

Member

Registered: 2020-11-06

Posts: 7

Re: [SOLVED] Audio input while A2DP output

Okay. Thank you for this clarification!

progandy

Member

Registered: 2012-05-17

Posts: 5,307

Re: [SOLVED] Audio input while A2DP output

You cannot use A2DP for audio input, there would be no need for these different profiles if this was possible.

In theory some headsets support a hack to A2DP using the proprietary aptx LL or FastStream codecs to support a microphone backchannel. Neither pipewire nor pulseaudio implement support for that and your headset does not have these codecs either.

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