cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/55388559
I made the mistake of believing some dumb guide online that recommended the Razer BlackShark v2 Pro for Linux. Literally the volume control is broken out of the box lol.
I just want a wireless headset. For listening to audio. And a mic. Don’t care for fancy features. Apparently too much to ask for a linux user.
What are y’all using and how is it working for you?
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I’ve always vouched for fully separate headphones + mic for years, though admittedly that’s probably less applicable for wireless preferences.
I swear by Sennheisers, currently using a Schitt DAC/amp, though offhand I forget the exact model of both. I used to stream and I sold off all my equipment except for mic RE20 XLR mic. I use an elgato stream deck plus with the xlr dock because funny knobs and buttons but their linux support is nonexistent and the foss alternatives aren’t great, but it works.
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. My biggest recommendation for wireless though is just to avoid Bluetooth. Get something with its own dedicated base station. Not that Bluetooth doesn’t work with Linux, but it’s just not the best tech and introduces a lot of potential failure points.
I got this recommendation from a colleague too and it seems really good but it sure is pricey. Were you able to take full advantage of all the fancy features with linux?
I don’t use their software suite – I can’t remember if it’s possible to get working on Linux, but when I used it on Windows I found it to be mostly a gimmick. I prefer the unfiltered audio.
The hardware is solid, but they’ve also got other options. I used to own an Arctis 5, which was also good. I think the drivers are just a bit higher quality in the Pro but I didn’t have sound quality complaints with the cheaper ones, they just failed after several years.
Not OP, but the software currently is incompatible with linux AFAIK. There are some third-party applications that try to restore some of the features available in Windows, most notably the chat-mix, but I haven’t yet gotten that working and honestly just gave up on it. I have one of the other Arctis models though, not the Pro.
I have been using an open source 3d printed design for a bit and they’re the most comfortable headphones I’ve used. All the components together cost around $150 if I’m remembering correctly (not including the cost of the 3d printer and soldering iron). Adding an in-line mic shouldn’t be an issue if this project seems doable for you.
I would recommend against buying any gaming headphones. I bought the Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless for $330 and a year later regretted it so much because I could have bought a pair of audiophile headphones that would have been more comfortable and given me much better audio quality and directional sound, and a separate microphone that would have been better for the same price.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.
Plug-and-play on Linux, features a hot-swappable battery so you literally never have to worry about charging.
It’s been a life changing headset. I can never go back.
I’ve bought a hyperx cloud III and I’m having no issues. Feels solid and audio is good. No complaints about the microphone from my cohorts. Mine is wired but I believe they sell it wireless for a bit of a premium.
Bose Quietcomfort Ultra with a USB microphone.
These are worth the price for a decent wireless set. Mine are almost a decade old, replace ear pads and battery every few years.
As others have mentioned, I also use separate headphones and a microphone, mainly because I haven’t had great experiences with headsets in the past.
Right now, I’m using the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X paired with a HyperX QuadCast 2, and I’ve been really happy with the setup.
This is probably not what you are looking for, but I recently got the Fairbuds XL since I wanted something repairable. They work pretty well with my Steamdeck, but I haven’t tested the mic yet. Changing volume works on SteamOS at least.
I have the fairbuds as my travel headphones. Overall very disappointed with these. The mic sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t (both on PC and android). I have replaced the shitty plastic pieces on the sides three times, and the fourth is already cracking.
They recently (end of last year) released a redesigned version. That is the one I got because I read about the issues you described beforehand. So I hope they learned from those, I will see…
Arctis 7
I’ve had a bit of luck using an Arctis 7 X using the Xbox Wireless Adapter, but xone can be finicky and it seems like Microsoft doesn’t sell the adapter any more (and my cat just bit off the sync button…)
Edit: Also secure boot makes things even more complicated…
I have some steelseries (I believe maybe arctis 7 or 9? I should check, not the one that also does Bluetooth), and it works fine after using the accompanying software once years ago to set mic loopback to the level I like.
It has
- mic loopback (adjustable with the windows only software but set and forget)
- 2 channels, one for chat and one for “gaming” i.e. anything else. Perfect to set gaming as default output and slack or teams or discord or whatever you use to voice chat to the chat channel and you can use the knob to dial between 0% chat & 100% game <-> 100% both <-> 0% game & 100% chat
- another knob for the global volume which then combined with the other knob allows all possible configurations
- mic mute button
- usb micro-b charging
- some weird specific cable that does 3.5mm jack iirc, never used it but then you can use it for your phone I guess
- connects to your computer using wireless (2.4ghz usb dongle at computer side)
All of those in hardware so no software needed, except for the mic loopback, so pretty happy with that. I’ve had it since my windows 7 days, and I refused to “upgrade” to a higher version of windows, instead upgraded to linux, so it’s been going strong for years and years now
Only thing was that I replaced the over ear pads
9/10, easily
I don’t use a headset. I have proper headphones and a cheap clip-on mic for the rare occasion.
Some cheap JBL cable earphone I bought some 5 years ago, and that in recent months even had an adventure in a centrifuge washing machine. It’s working pretty well, barely picking any background noise, and listening is not migraine-inducing despite imo lacking a strong bass channel.
I’ve just been using an old Plantronics Blackwire 300 since someone gave me several pairs of them. They are very lightweight and the audio is decent. The USB connection works fine on Linux. You can also disconnect the headset from the USB adapter and plug it into a 4 pin headset jack.
I am using the same i use for my Smartphone. Fairbuds XL via Bluetooth.
