Fedora 43 - anyone mananged to make the Bluetooth codec default to SBC-XQ?

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
1

OS: Fedora 43
Kernel: 6.17.12-300.fc43.x86_64
BIOS: 03.17
Laptop: AMD Ryzen 7040 Series

I’ve tried all the guides I can find, making configuration files in /etc/pipewire with

bluez5.enable-sbc-xq = true

and restarting pipewire and pipewire-pulse services, rebooting the machine, repairing the headphones. It just defaults to AAC every time.

2

I’m dealing with the same issue, I’ll let you know if I figure anything out.

3

That would be good. I gave up and forgot about it, but it would be cool to solve. Seems like it should be possible or at least a feature request.

4

The following solution has been working for me over the past week or so. I created a file in the ~/.config/wireplumber/bluetooth.lua.d/ directory with the contents below (I cat’d my file). I think I had to create the bluetooth.lua.d directory as well as the 51-bluez-config.lua file.

keatumal@fedora:~$ cat .config/wireplumber/bluetooth.lua.d/51-bluez-config.lua
bluez_monitor.properties = {
[“bluez5.enable-sbc-xq”] = true,
[“bluez5.default.codecs”] = “[ sbc_xq ]”,
}

FWIW, you might be able to update the file you already have in etc, but not sure.

Hope this helps!

5

This is where I discover I don’t even have wireplumber installed, for some reason. Linux audio is a special case isn’t it?

1 Like
6

I tried this and also tried a variant of the same settings in pipewire.conf in /etc/pipewire, but neither worked for me.

I also gave this a go, but got a bit lost in the dependencies for the SBC rebuild and gave up since I don’t think the project is getting updates: GitHub - ezrakhuzadi/bluetooth-bitrate-manager: GTK4 Bluetooth Bitrate Manager for Linux with a live codec/bitrate monitor and one-click SBC-XQ high-bitpool helper (PipeWire/WirePlumber) · GitHub

I think the main problem is my bluetooth headphones are primarily controlled by the connection to an iPhone, which locks everything to AAC. I just got some Nothing Ear 3’s and you can set them to High Quality Audio to enable LDAC but you need an Android device to connect them to temporarily to access the setting that is absent on the iPhone app. Or there’s an unofficial web interface that, of course, supports all Nothing devices except the Ear 3’s: https://earweb.bttl.xyz/

At this time I give up.

7

Ok I didn’t give up and it now seems to be connecting to SBC-XQ as default. I think I got there by doing the following:

  1. Forget the Ear 3’s on the iPhone and laptop and then do a fresh pairing just on the laptop.
  2. Replace pipewire-media-session with wireplumber
  3. Fiddle around for two hours making various different pipewire config overrides none of which made any difference. Feel free to skip this step.
  4. Give up and clean up all config override files and folders and confirm it’s still defaulting to AAC.
  5. Order ASUS USB-BT600 dongle.
  6. Disconnect and wander off to get coffee and build a chair.
  7. On reconnection notice it’s defaulted to SBC-XQ.
  8. Do system update and reboot.
  9. Reconnect earbuds. SBC-XQ again.
  10. Cancel order for dongle.

I haven’t reconnecting the earbuds to the iPhone yet, because I’m sure Apple will customarily ruin everything, but for now this works.