Peterborough Linux User Group (Canada) Forum

Linux & Android => Support => Topic started by: fox on November 17, 2020, 04:35:34 PM

Title: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 17, 2020, 04:35:34 PM
I picked up a Jabra 15 bluetooth headset, mostly to provide sound output for Zoom (and Jitsi) calls. I have an internal microphone on my iMac, but no Linux distro appears to work with either the internal speakers or the internal microphone of this computer. The computer sees both the Jabra earphone and the mic. The earphone part works OK, but the microphone sound is horrible - mangled and off pitch. I can't seem to fix it, and I came up with no solutions from internet searches. The searches suggest that the problem lies with pulse-audio sound handling and that it's a problem across distros. I'm just wondering if any of you are running any brand of bluetooth headset on Linux and getting both parts to work OK.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: Jason on November 17, 2020, 09:58:43 PM
I have used a Bluetooth headset on Linux Lite but it's not the kind with a microphone. Headphones only. But it worked fine although it doesn't seem to go very far, sadly and if there's anything in the way it really cuts in and out.

My video chats use the external webcam as video and microphone and I have a cheap pair of wired headphones for sound. You should have come on tonight and see if was any different on Jitsi. We miss you, man. :) :) :)
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 18, 2020, 04:00:31 AM
Yes, I also have a set of inexpensive Bluetooth earbuds, but I don't think they have a microphone with them.
I will look in the dollar store tomorrow and see if they have a cheap bluetooth headset.  The Lindsay dollar store has quite a variety of bluetooth headphones.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 18, 2020, 08:26:06 AM
Thanks, guys. My bluetooth earbuds work well; the issue has been the microphone only, even in the Jabra headset I bought. I tested that headset on the Mac OS and everything works there, including the mic. I have tried two other devices with different connections. One was a Logitech H111 headset with microphone. This one plugs into the headphone jack port. When plugged into it, nothing works. When plugged into the usb dongle with jack ports, the headphones work but not the mic. The other was a Logitech H390, which plugs into the usb port. It worked well, including the mic, but I really don't need a full blown over the ear headphone; just a mic. So I took it back, hoping I could find something less imposing and less expensive that would give me a working mic. I also tried a Sony XRS-XB01 extra bass portable bluetooth speaker, which I bought for my wife. It works fine.

My conclusions so far: usb devices work; bluetooth speakers (or the speakers in headsets) work; devices that plug into the headphone port work only if plugged into a usb dongle and then only the speakers. A tiny in-ear bluetooth headset with mic like the Jabra would be perfect if I can get the sound to work - lightweight and portable. It's so close because the mic does work; just poorly. If any of you know of a similar device that works with Linux, do let me know. The only other alternative I am considering is to buy an inexpensive usb mic for use in videoconferencing, but I really prefer the light wireless headset option.

Of course I can just do my videoconferencing on the Mac OS, and that's what I'm doing now. But this feels like a surrender.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: Jason on November 18, 2020, 09:36:09 AM
If I see one that seems to work, I'll let you know. I could definitely use one so I'll look around. The laptop I bought from you has Bluetooth although my main (unworking) desktop doesn't. But I'm not sure I'd need a microphone since the only time I need to use one is in video chats and the camera handles that already. Although it does appear to be too sensitive.

Also, I noticed that you said this, "devices that plug into the headphone port work only if plugged into a usb dongle and then only the speakers." It might not be helpful but check if the jack has 2 black bands on the jack or 1. The first is designed for phones/tablets. It won't work properly when plugged into a PC jack which might be the behaviour you're getting. The kind for a PC that plugs into jacks should have two ends, one for the microphone, the other for the mic, AFAIK.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 18, 2020, 10:06:13 AM
The plug on the Logitech H111 has three black bands, and there is only one plug. So maybe the problem is that it isn't meant for a PC. I did read some stuff on the internet about the need for a splitter. But I can tell you that it worked fine on the Mac side when plugged into the headphone jack directly; i.e. I didn't even have to plug it into the usb dongle.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: Jason on November 18, 2020, 02:35:09 PM
Apple tries to be simple for everyone so it's possible they just make the same connection socket for their Macs, phones and tablets. I think you can use a single band connector in a 2-band socket, but you'll only get the audio out part which is why I thought maybe that's what the problem is, at least for the wired one.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 18, 2020, 04:48:56 PM
Ok, I picked up a wireless Bluetooth earbud headset at the Dollar store for $6.
Works well on my MXLinux distro on my Dell XPS 13 notebook computer.  I installed a sound recorder program on the computer, to check the mic operation and it works fine.  The sound is very good.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 18, 2020, 08:27:43 PM
Spill the beans! What is the name of the set? What sound recording program did you use to test it?

Can you post a picture? Does it have a mic that sticks out on a stalk, or is it embedded in the earbud?
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 19, 2020, 06:38:36 AM
Photos are attached.
It is an "Escape" Brand and the mic is built into the control bar on the earpiece cord.  They fit nice and comfortable, in my ears.
On my MXLinux Distro, I went into Synaptic and installed the program  "Sound Recorder" ver 3.28.2  ( it is shown as gnome-sound-recorder, in Synaptic)
This item was at the very large "My Dollar Store with More" at the Lindsay Square Mall on Kent street. 
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 19, 2020, 07:22:06 AM
Thanks; I'll look for it at one of our Dollar stores. Have you tried it on Jitsi yet? I'm asking because I wonder if it's possible for the mic to work when recording, but not during a live video conference.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 19, 2020, 09:32:19 AM
I will try to set up a Jitsi video chat test, sometime today.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 19, 2020, 04:13:03 PM
So I set up 2 of my notebook computers for a Jitsi video chat test and the bluetooth earbuds headset mic appears to work fine under MXLinux.
I don't think the built in mic on the notebook was operational because the bluetooth id of the headset was showing as the connected device for sound.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 19, 2020, 05:06:50 PM
Interesting, thanks. Now I need to know what store you got this in. We don't have anything called a "Dollar Store" in Peterborough. We have Dollarama and a few others. I looked this up in Lindsay, and you have a few but none called "Dollar Store". Might it be "Your Dollar Store with More" in the Lindsay Square Mall?
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 19, 2020, 06:27:08 PM
Yes, that is correct, dollar store with more, see my Reply #9 .
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: Jason on November 20, 2020, 04:55:01 AM
That's pretty cool! $6 for Bluetooth earbuds; I didn't expect that was even available unless on a slow boat from China. I haven't seen those here. Can you pick me up a pair, Bill and I'll pay you back on Thursday next?
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 20, 2020, 05:04:52 AM
Sure, I can pick up a box for you. It will be $6 plus the tax.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: fox on November 20, 2020, 03:37:03 PM
Before I got too excited about your result, Bill, I thought I should make a test of my own, just like yours, running the Jabra Talk 15 through a PC running Ubuntu. I did so by connecting it to my Dell xps. Sure enough, it also worked and with good microphone sound. So the problem now appears more complicated as has often been the case running Ubuntu on a 5k iMac. Bluetooth works fine on this iMac, but with speakers, not mics. Running the Bluetooth mic through the iMac gives a distorted sound, and it might be because you can't get high fidelity playback with the microphone. At any rate, I'm giving up on a Bluetooth headset and mic for this Mac. Since everything connected with USB seems to work, my choices are: USB mic as a separate device; USB headset/mic like the Logitech H390 (which does work); or no mic at all and do Zoom/Jitsi calls on the MacOS side or another computer. Weird, eh?
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on November 20, 2020, 03:56:21 PM
Ok Mike, good thing you did a test of the bluetooth headset with mic, on a different computer.
I was sort of expecting your Bluetooth mic issue with the IMac was unique to that machine.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: ssfc72 on December 28, 2020, 08:52:19 AM
The one quirk with this excellent set of bluetooth wireless earbud headset is that with my Mint 19.1 computer,  the earbuds when turned on, default to maximum volume.  With my Mint 19.1 when the bluetooth activates, it also seems to default to max volume. This results in my ears being blasted by the sound, until I can turn the audio volume down on the computer.
This also seems to create severe audio distortion, until the computer volume control is lowered.

I have tried to set the computer volume to a low level before the bluetooth is switched on but when bluetooth takes over, it seems to default to maximum volume.
Title: Re: microphone on bluetooth headset gives mangled sound
Post by: Jason on December 28, 2020, 12:25:17 PM
I'll try this and report back if I get the same issue and how to fix it if I can.