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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On the contrary, I have an old Razer Basalisk v3 mouse, and it works perfectly with linux. I installed openrazer to controll the rgb and everything works perfectly.
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Razer stuff is fine in Linux. I use several different Razer products on Linux and they all work fine, including Arch Linux on my Razer Blade 14 laptop. Their protocols are pretty well understood at this point on most of their devices.
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Yeah lesson learned lol. I figured, I don’t need the fancy features. Turns out volume control is a fancy feature. And I’m not even talking about the volume wheel on the headphones. I’m saying, adjusting my system volume barely affects the headphone volume.
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Are there any companies that are especially friendly towards Linux? I’m not looking to buy anytime soon but I’d be curious to know.
Are you married to the idea of wireless? The old suggestion of decent headphones and a mic are imo the best way to do things. I’ve got an old blue yeti I use when I need a mic, but been considering getting a modmic to attach to my headphones. I ran with a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-880s for over a decade as my daily drivers with a FiiO DAC/amp combo, use a k5 pro now with some DT 1990s and found that to be a great combo.
I kinda am yeah :P I also want to use it for work, and I can’t sit still so I am always getting up. I wanna be able to participate in a call while I’m in the kitchen for example :P
Razer is awful, they are about as proprietary as it is possible for a consumer electronics company to reasonably be. Avoid them at all costs.
Logitech is generally a better choice when available.
Steelseries, although I don’t generally love their build quality, has worked well on Linux for me. I can’t speak for their cheaper headsets but I specifically am using a Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless in Bluetooth mode with a magnetic-tip USB cable for charging (leaving the Micro-USB tip in the headphones at all times, because fuck Micro-USB).
I assume the non-Bluetooth USB dongle works fine as well but I’m too lazy to use it and have probably lost it somewhere along the way so I can’t personally confirm that. Bluetooth is my jam though.
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. They’re excellent headphones, decent microphone. Comfy, long battery life. It’s the swap-able batteries dock station type. So they’re decently popular and this exists:
https://github.com/elegos/Linux-Arctis-Manager/
Edit: also has Bluetooth support. I use them with my phone too not just the 2.4Ghz Desktop dock.
these seem great but 300 bucks is… steep
Agreed, but you never specified price range :p
I consider these my upper limit but I think I can feasibly get over a decade of use out of this headset especially with the battery setup.
The one I use was discontinued years ago, so instead of recommending it, I’ll offer a suggestion:
Don’t look for “gaming” headsets. Look instead for well-regarded headphones and mic, or for a telephony (VoIP) headset from a brand that specializes in them, on sale. You’ll be more likely to find something that sounds good in both directions and lasts a long time.
Tbf, this holds true for any accessory, from chairs to computer cases: Anything branded as “gaming” is usually mid quality at a premium price.
I got a pair of Fractal Scapes. The software to modify them is just a website so it’s easy to EQ them on Linux (I run bazzite). The EQ profiles are also saved locally so once it’s set you never have to look at the website again. The works dick worked straight away and volume control+ play/pause work massively on Linux which is great
Same here, no issues so far!
Just got these recently they’re awesome. Wireless charging, Bluetooth support, flip mic to mute, really comfortable and sound great.
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It’s their first one and so far I’m quite happy with it! The dock is especially nice and one of the main selling points to me from a convenience perspective and it works great. I’m lazier than ever XD
No chat mix is what kills it for me. I’m spoiled with independent volume control between chat and game output. If I can find a solution for this it would open up a world of headsets for me. Steelseries used to do it on headset, now you need their shitty app on newer sets.
I have always used SteelSeries. It might not be the best (because it’s a gaming headset), but it has always worked on Linux and it’s Danish 😁
Audio Technica M50X’s with a Fiio K5 Pro DAC/amp
I love my Steelseries Arctis 7. It doesn’t need any software to configure at all, works out of the box in Linux. Has a nice hardware mixer right on the headphone so you can lower game sounds to hear voice chat better and vice versa.
Is it corded? I think I have a 3, and got the one with 3.5mm plug. Never had an issue.
I have the same, an old arctis 7, and it’s plug-and-play on Linux mint. It’s wireless with a USB-c dongle, but 3.5mm jack is an option.
Once upon a time, I was worried I had to buy another headphones, but I used an aux cord to plug it into a headphone-amp for my electric guitar, and it just works. It turns on & off automatically with the aux cord. I suspect it has to be charged to still work, but I haven’t tested that.
I had an old Arctis 7 that finally fell apart last month after 8 years of heavy use.
I got a new Arctis 7. It is complete garbage. Cheap materials, smaller to the point that it just doesn’t fit my head, my ears don’t fit in the cups.
And instead of having it register two devices for chat and game you get a single device and then have to use their software to mix the chat, which is a nonstarter for me on Linux. SteelSeries has enshittified hard.
This was my experience exactly. Luckily my old arctis still works I’m just terrified of the day when it doesn’t
Do you know about HeadsetControl?
Not sure how chat mix works on Linux though.
Wireless with a USB dongle. Analog will never have issues, but this fancy wireless one doesn’t either :)
How does this dial work which lowers game volume so you can hear voices?
The headset presents 2 separate audio devices to your computer, so you direct your games to use the headset game output and Discord or whatever to use headset voice. It’s pretty magical honestly, no tabbing out when you can’t hear a dude.
Corsair Virtuoso XT ! Best microphone on a wireless headset I’ve ever heard !
Remember to use JamesDSP and make a profile with the proper AutoEQ data no matter which headset you buy ! Makes it sound instantly much better and less muddled. I can’t live without it x)
Ohh I’ve been using Easy Effects for a quick bass boost but James DSP looks much more advanced!
Sony wh xm4. Remember that Bluetooth audio will suck if you are using vocal chat.
steel series arctis nova 7, working great
Sennheiser HD 280 pro
Main difference beetween that and most other monitoring stuff is the plastic build, but it.only costs like 80€ vs 120-150€, and it has lower impedance if you don’t want a separate audio setup for it or want to buy it later
This is by far the best headset you can get for that amount of money. Easily repaired, great sound quality, sturdy build. Love this model. I have had mine for almost a decade now.
It’s not a wireless setup, but in case someone else is looking: Audio-Technia ath-m20x headphones driven by a Fosi Audio Q4 DAC (because your headphones will only sound as good as their source).
Sounds great for a ~$100 budget. And the DAC has worked right out of the box with no driver issues on the few (fedora based) distros I’ve tried.
My Sony XM3 headset works really well
Are you using the mic on that as well? When I use the mic + audio, the audio quality suffers a lot. I’ve attached a mod mic to mine and got the best of both worlds.
Quality-wise, the mic on that headset is bad, but it’s not the fault of Linux.
Yes, same problem on windows. Using headset mode (audio + mic) changes the headphone audio to shit on top of the mic sucking. So to all reading this, it’s not good as a headset. Just as headphones, it’s fantastic.
