# Bluetooth headset cant set output as A2DP sink while using the mic as input device

**URL:** <https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944>\
**Category:** Budgie Desktop\
**Created:** [July 16, 2020, 10:35am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944 "2020-07-16T10:35:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Falc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Falc](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Falc)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 10:35am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/1 "2020-07-16T10:35:17Z")

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I’m not sure where I should report this bug as I don’t know if its a UB issue, a Budgie issue, or a Ubuntu issue.

I have the popular Sony WH-100XM3 headset.

I can connect to the headset fine using bluetooth. I set the Output device in Sound Option, there are two configurations A2DP Sink (sounds great) and HSP/HFP (sounds terrible).

If I set the input device to the headset, it silently switches the Configuration to HSP/HFP and so the audio sounds terrible.  
If I then switch the configuation back to A2DP sink, the audio output sounds good again, but then the input device switches to something else.

So the problem is that I cant use the headset as audio input while having the good-sounding output configuration.

Does anyone know where I should report this issue?

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**Author:** ![fossfreedom](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/fossfreedom/32/1405_2.png) [@fossfreedom](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/fossfreedom)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 10:53am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/2 "2020-07-16T10:53:41Z")

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The bluetooth package is called bluez

Suggest report to launchpad

```
ubuntu-bug bluez
```

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**Author:** ![Falc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Falc](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Falc)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/3 "2020-07-16T11:11:57Z")

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Great thanks I’ve done that

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**Author:** ![ElChimi\_Churri](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/elchimi_churri/32/2613_2.png) [@ElChimi\_Churri](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/ElChimi_Churri)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/4 "2020-07-19T13:27:48Z")

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To my knowledge it is not a bug, bluetooth doesn’t have the bandwidth necessary to act as A2DP sink while also transmitting audio back to the pc. Android phones and iphones switch “on the fly” so that it sounds good to both ends but the linux implementation does not.

If anything it is a problem in the bluetooth standard and a quick google search proves it.

What i do in my laptop is to set the bluetooth headset as A2DP sink and use the internal mic of the laptop as the default input device.

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**Author:** ![Falc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Falc](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Falc)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 8:54am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/5 "2020-07-22T08:54:07Z")

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Yes I think you are correct, but it looks like [a solution is on the way](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1838151).

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**Author:** ![jesssullivan](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/jesssullivan/32/2625_2.png) [@jesssullivan](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/jesssullivan)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/6 "2020-07-24T20:25:53Z")

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I am curious about this too, looking forward to hearing what yall figure out.

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**Author:** ![Falc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Falc](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/Falc)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/7 "2020-09-25T14:34:56Z")

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By far the best solution I found was to buy an Bluetooth Audio Adapter for PC which pairs to the headset and acts like a usb sound card.

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**Author:** ![tarator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/91b2a8/32.png) [@tarator](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/u/tarator)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 5:58am UTC](https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/bluetooth-headset-cant-set-output-as-a2dp-sink-while-using-the-mic-as-input-device/3944/8 "2020-10-13T05:58:02Z")

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To get my bluetooth speaker working on Ubuntu (Budgie) I used the following resources.  
I have a “ **Bose Soundlink II SE** ” bluetoo0th box.  
I’m not sure if this is really exactly the same problem you guys have, but anyway, I hope this helps anybody.  
This are my personal notes:

* * *

Get Bluetooth Headset working: [https://askubuntu.com/a/1062649/345438](https://askubuntu.com/a/1062649/345438)

especially this: [https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/Bluetooth/](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/Bluetooth/)

TL;DR: oFono is necesary. There needs to be a dummy modem installed if there is no LTE/UMTS modem present on the machine (Paket `ofono-phonesim`) , so that PulseAudio can use the profile `headset-head-unit`:

```auto
pacmd list-cards
# "4" is the index of the Bluetooth device (which may vary)
# the following command shouldn't throw an error:
pacmd set-card-profile 4 headset_head_unit

```