How do you pick your hardware?
Currently on the market for new audio hardware, headset and mic. Gaming hardware manufacturers often come with their own software that doesn't run well on Linux.
How do you decide what hardware to buy and you can be sure it will work with your OS?
I am currently looking to get Bluetooth headphones but still am unsure about the mic solution, a fixed mic on the desk seems so uncomfortable and a clip-on mic often also comes with it's own software or Android app.
What audio setup does Lemmy use with their Linux setup?
46 replies
As a LATAM hardware enthusiast I get what I can when I can, most of the time is outdated and/or used, also don't forget overpriced.
If a piece of hardware is marketed for "gaming" and isn't a mouse or a GPU, I'm taking my money elsewhere. Works for chairs, mics, headphones, earplugs, keyboards, monitors, everything. Gaming brands are such a scam.
I'm just here to echo that for audio equipment, look for whatever the audiophiles recommend, especially the non-gatekeeping ones and those that can respect a budget.
Headset (as is, headphones and mic in one device) that is decent is really hard to find, if possible. You will most likely have to pay more, but it's much easier to have both the output and input be good this way.
I'm using a setup that i already had when i was still on windows, but it's pretty much a driverless setup so it worked on linux just fine.
I use a JDS Labs dac and amp that i bought years ago and they still work great, the dac is plug and play. I paired it with a sennheiser HD660S that i'm still very happy with. Unless wireless is really important to you i'd recommend wired because they offer the best quality in terms of bitrate. With my sennheisers the nice thing is that the cable is easily replacable because they're just plugs that you can pull out of the earcups.
For discord i'm using an old usb mic that i bought years ago that seems to work fine.
Basically what i'm saying is don't bother with the gaming headsets. The one thing i miss on linux is dolby atmos tbh. On windows i used it for virtual surround sound as a replacement for the gaming headset software, but last time i checked you can't use it on linux. Some games have virtual surround sound baked into their settings, which works without OS-level software, but for the games that don't i miss it. I'll probably keep using this audio setup until something dies cause i'm just really happy with it.
Edit: you could also pair good wired headphones with something like a Fiio BTR15, which also supports bluetooth. That way you can still walk around with the dac/amp in your pocket. There's still going to be wire between the headphones and the amp of course, so it depends on how allergic you are to wires. I bought a Fiio mainly as a more portable wired setup for my phone/laptop.
When I moved 100% to Linux, I could still use all my hardware. There are plenty of vendor-agnostic projects for major brands, like Logitech and Razer. But for me, it was all plug and use.
Most software are just gimmick for lights and equalizers. I have a DAC from soundblaster like that. You can get vendor-agnostic on Linux, like EasyEffects, that offers the same equalizing features, and I can get profiles from other people.
As others said, don't buy "gamming" branded garbage, you can often find the same product cheaper from an audio company, like those Razer microphones (they were good, I have 2 I got from goodwill and both are plug and play).
If you insist on getting gamming junk, some you just need to configure once with their app, and then you can plug it anywere. You might find vendor-agnostic for those.
Audio is very important for gaming, but not all game is made equal. While you can get low latency for visuals, a lot of games use codecs that adds a huge delay in audio. Bluetooth will just make it worse.
A bluetooth headphone, is just a headphone with some extra electronics jammed in there, adding weight and making it harder to fix, and usually more expensive than buying those components apart.
My checklist depends on the hardware and use (gaming, relaxing, production), I am more worried about internal components, how often they break and how easy to fix, but in general:
Headphones:
Some people decide on the sound signature based on the games they play most.
I like audio-technica and hifiman entry level headphones, I read some people complaining about recent hifiman. Also, notable IEM : Sennheiser IE 200 (maybe with tape mod).
Mic:
Really depends on what you are recording.
If it is just for gaming, while you are playing and talking with people, do not use a mic on top of your table.
You will just annoy people while typing.
Either use an arm, a headphone mod, or a lavelier.
DAC:
Most motherboards nowadays come with chipset better than entry level DACs. Just make sure they are not branded as "USB interface" as those have huge problems.
Issues like electronic interference are a thing from the past. If you find, avoid that motherboard brand.
If you really need a DAC, check their chipset.
For your case:
If after reading everyone's suggestion, you are still leaning on bluetooth.
Get a wireless DAC with mic, and plug the headphones/IEMs to it.
If the timing is important, do not use bluetooth. If you require bluetooth, do not use other bluetooth equipment nearby, the more devices you add the more latency and loss you have. Also, look into IEM bluetooth, they come with mic, are lighter. Or if you need a headphone, look into wireless DAC.
This is what worked for me: Abandon 'Gaming' and start looking at 'Audiophile'. Those guys and gals know EVERYTHING about sound and can probably tell you exactly which headphones and what mic are worth it for you.
None of my audio gear has an app (I think), so compatibility with Linux hasn't been an issue.
And I use headphones with a separate mic (on a long-ish arm) as I felt that the audio quality on all headsets I looked at was terrible.
Budget focused audiophiles tend to have good advice, regular audiophiles can be completely dillusional and spend unbelievable amounts of money for placebo gains.
Ahh, but have you considered buying wires made of silver for your hi-fi? They're a bargain at only £200 per metre!
I second this mostly.
Just need to make sure you look in the science backed audiophile places and not the cable lift snake oil sections
Do not listen to audiophiles. Distortion and frequency response are the only things people can AB test reliably about sound quality.
Say that to a tube amp.
Massive dist, wonderful sound!
That's the point, distortion sounds good sometimes. You're not going to hear golden cables
There is horrible distortion too, I don't know what you want to say with that. I'm no "audiophile" with golden cables lol
I think the point is that you can distinguish distortion, not whether distortion is good or bad.
I prefer an aux cable headset. No charging, no connection issues, and the quality is always 100%. You will also never have compatibility issues.
Might not be for you, but just a thought.
It's wild how much people hate wired headphones...
sitting at a desk is mostly fine, as soon as you start moving it's annoying as hell
Yeah, I went full wireless headphones, keyboard and mouse once upon a time. Then I would have one of them run out of batteries while raiding in WoW or doing WvW in GW2. I went back to wired after that.
Indeed. I don't get it.
I disliked it mainly because of the cable breaking, which happened to my first gaming headset as a kid. However now i just own a sennheiser where you can easily pull the cable off of the earcups and replace them, so it's not an issue anymore.
It's probably a generational thing.
Growing up with wired or nothing, and wired was a blessing. But iphones lost the 3.5 milly a decade ago, and wireless had obviously been around for longer.
So there's full on adults out there now, who just never had to put up with the cord.
If I got cans on and something happens around me, I instinctively take them off and put them down first. Someone who just never uses wired headphones in any other scenario, is just gonna stand up and walk away.
I feel like it's something people would quickly get used to, but maybe they've tried and can't?
That's a good point, habit is a powerful thing, and so is generational experience.
I like my BT headphones for doing things like vacuuming around the house. There are definitely advantages to wireless. But when I'm on the PC I'm happy to just plug in and forget.
I hate them on the go because they will strangle me if I'm wearing a acarf. Or the cable gets stuck somewhere on my backpack or bag.
But at the desk I don't wear a scarf or backpack so I prefer wired.
Honestly if it needs an app it's probably overpriced garbage anyway. High quality analog headphones have been made for decades without any apps. As others have said ditch the "gaming" headphones, they almost always suck and are overpriced for what they offer.
You should ideally look for headphones with a frequency range of 20Hz to 40kHz (the full range of human hearing) but even a 40Hz to 20kHz range would be decent. This is the biggest quality factor for headphones.
If you're gonna plug it straight into your computer or audio card via aux or usb you want something with low ohms (either 2Ω or 6Ω) but if you're gonna use an audio interface or mixing board you want something with around 200 ohms. In laymans terms, low ohm headphones with powerful audio device = blowing out the headphones. High ohm headphones with tiny device (like a phone) = quiet muffled audio.
For microphones, range doesnt matter as much because most people talk around 200Hz and don't really go too high or low. Also look for "condenser" mics which capture voice much better than dynamic mics.
For connection, best quality is probably gonna be an audio interface. The mic connects via XLR cable, the headphones over aux, and it usually has a USB-A connection to the pc. If you're running Linux, Pulseaudio has great support and is much better than default ALSA.
My favorite mic brands are Shure and Rhode, and my favorite headphones are made by a German company called Beyerdynamic. Mackie also makes some cheap and quality mixing boards. Probably more info than you needed but the audio rabbit hole is very fun to explore!
It's not the range, it's the actual frequency response. See: Harman curve
Why do you want high ohms?
My mixer is preamped and I also use my headphones for a guitar amp, so I need higher ohms to handle and match the output. Not good for my hearing ik but with open back headphones and loud music I might as well be at a concert
Yes, you need it then. Random guy on the internet doesn't need high impedance
Any analog headset and microphone will work. Avoid bluetooth, it has terrible latency issues and two way audio sounds like crap.
You don't want Bluetooth headphones. Get wireless headphones that use an RF dongle instead. Better range, sounds quality etc. Just plug in the dongle and go.
The only annoyance for this approach is that these dongles tend to be proprietary, and you might not even be able to get a replacement if it's damaged depending on the model.
I'd find stuff I am interested in for the hardware, and then do a search to see if any of those work with what I intend to use it with.
Buy audio equipment and not a dongle.
If you're playing games where directional audio matters, I would strongly recommend monitor headphones. It makes it much easier to figure out exactly where sound is coming from. I have Sony MDRs and I love them.
For a mic, there are some great options out there that are reasonably inexpensive. I have a Blue Snowball that's lasted the better part of a decade and still works great, and I know that there are others at a similar price point that might even be better by now. Check out reviews from humans, whether text or video. Boom arms go a long way toward minimizing background noise from desk vibration, and also make it easier to adjust the placement of the mic.
Designed to be repairable, great build quality, and the satisfaction of seeing how often professionals are wearing them in podcasts, music studios, ect. All for 1/3 of the price of bluetooth sets that can rival the sound quality.
This is true. I regularly get a kick out of watching professionals using the same headphones.
First, get a condenser microphone with an XLR plug and one of those adjustable arm stands:
Second, get an XLR->USB audio interface (or just a converter cable) to go with it.
I own the gear pictured, but I can't recommend those specific things because I bought them 8 years ago and they've been discontinued since. I started out with the box-shaped interface, but eventually realized I didn't need its features and swapped it for the XLR->USB cable to save space/complexity. If I were using wired headphones (studio monitors) instead of speakers I might have kept using the box.
Also (and perhaps most importantly): the mic itself is analog and the USB converter is just doing generic analog->digital conversion. There is zero reason for it to need any software other than the kernel's built-in USB audio driver.
Just to counter all of the (totally justified) corded propaganda, if you do want gamery Bluetooth headphones, Razer peripherals work very well with openrazer (backend) and polychromatic (front end) which are fairly easy to set up as long as you’re not using secure boot. Just make sure if you go this route you check the openrazer site for the list of supported devices before you buy.
Most of my hardware is from before I switched to Linux and I don't see the need to switch anything that's still working. I have a pair of Sennheiser 6xx's that I use at my desk (my usage is occasional enough that I haven't been able to justify buying a dedicated DAC/ Amp) and a pair of Sony WH-1000XM6's that live in my backpack for when I'm outside the house.
For mic I usually use the mic built into my webcam (Logitech c920) at my desk, it's nothing fancy, but it works well enough for the occasional voice/ video call. I don't think I've had reason to need to use my mic while away from my desk, but I'd probably fall back to the one built into my laptop or use the XM6's mic.
The only thing that might need software is the XM6's, but those can always fallback to using a wired connection in a pinch. Plus, since they can be paired to both my phone and laptop at the same time, I can use the android app to handle settings tweaks (usually just adjusting the noise canceling mode).
A FiiO E10 and your choice of decent analog headphones should work fine. As for the mic situation, a decent lapel mic going to the analog mic input on your PC should also work fine.
Senny
Same. I bought wireless Sennheiser headphones around 10 years ago and I don't see myself buying a different set anytime soon. I just replace the pads every couple of years. They are still on their original batteries too.
Wired HD 6XX, Fiio K1 r2r since my desktop dac is garbage, and Shure Mv7+. Obviously you don’t need anything as expensive as that but I think separate stuff will always be better. It is less convenient though for sure
I use cables, batteries are for ewaste.
There are replaceable battery wireless headphones
A good thing, but also a restriction I imagine, i.e. there are hardly any of them.
We always try to buy corded, or at least replaceable rechargeable battery items, but they are not that common these days.
I have a really simple setup since I don't really do content creation or music or anything really needing a quality microphone. I use the Drop/EPOS pc38x with the velour ear pads. As far as gaming headsets or just headsets in general, the sound quality is really good. Actually pretty decent mic for a headset, comfortable, braided cable, volume knob. Can't complain.
If I had more money I'd look at proper headphones and a standalone mic, but for 200 (160 when I bought them) it's solid. I personally don't like Bluetooth peripherals, wired gives the lowest latency and don't have to bother charging or having the batteries eventually needing replaced if they're even user replaceable. And not to mention not needing any bloatware to use. Just plug n play
I use a Motu M4 audio interface with headphones wired to it, as well as a Shure mic. Since I do music I already had it setup.