Bluetooth audio is my least favorite part of using Linux and it seems like my coworkers agree. I hear a lot of praise for pipewire, but it doesn’t match what I experience. Does any system work well for anyone?
To clarify, it can work. But it’s a harsh experience compared to say Android. I’ve used Ubuntu, Fedora, and PopOS. I’ve tried a few different headphones, using Galaxy Buds 2 current. Pulseaudio tends to “do as it’s told” but doesn’t automatically switch to the right (confusingly named) profile. With Ubuntu 23.10, using pipewire, it does automatic switch profiles. Sometimes this works great. But very often, it gets stuck on on a profile or just stops working. I have to reconnect bluetooth to fix it.
Is there some magic combination of things that works or is this just how it is for everyone?
No issues to report here. Audio sucked when I had an old shitty laptop with a BT4.0 chip but after I upgraded to a Thinkpad X280 Bluetooth just worked out of the box. Been using pipewire but before that I used pulseaudio with bluetooth audio extensions that you can find on the AUR. Pulseaudio was far less stable, pipewire just werks.