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Topic: Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add (Read 388 times) previous topic - next topic
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Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add

Hi,
my system used to switch audio output automatic to the just connected bluetooth earphones.
I recently added an external display port monitor with audio.
Now the audio output does not automatic switch to the just connected bluetooth earphones.
I have to manually select the bluetooth earphones as output device.

Is there a Audio Output Device Priority ?
Any idea ?


inxi:
Code: [Select]
System:
  Kernel: 6.8.9-zen1-2-zen arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 14.1.1
  Desktop: MATE v: 1.28.2 wm: marco dm: LightDM Distro: Artix
    base: Arch Linux

Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Haswell-ULT HD Audio vendor: Lenovo driver: snd_hda_intel
    v: kernel bus-ID: 00:03.0 chip-ID: 8086:0a0c
  Device-2: Intel 8 Series HD Audio vendor: Lenovo driver: snd_hda_intel
    v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:9c20
  API: ALSA v: k6.8.9-zen1-2-zen status: kernel-api
  Server-1: JACK v: 1.9.22 status: off
  Server-2: PipeWire v: 1.0.6 status: off with: wireplumber status: off
  Server-3: PulseAudio v: 17.0 status: active

Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface driver: btusb v: 0.8 type: USB
    rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 2-7:7 chip-ID: 8087:07dc
  Report: btmgmt ID: hci0 rfk-id: 15 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 4.0
    lmp-v: 6

Re: Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add

Reply #1 –
Not sure if this helps you, but in pavucontrol (I use it with pipewire and pipewire-pulse) you can click the box with the tooltip "set as default" (checkmark icon) under the "Output Devices" tab.

There is probably a way to set this through .conf files as well I would imagine.

Re: Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add

Reply #2 –
Hi Wolzly,

making the bluetooth earphones the default would be not that easy because

1. The kernel/alsa don't know about them:
cat /proc/asound/cards

Code: [Select]
 0 [HDMI           ]: HDA-Intel - HDA Intel HDMI
                      HDA Intel HDMI at 0xe0630000 irq 62
 1 [PCH            ]: HDA-Intel - HDA Intel PCH
                      HDA Intel PCH at 0xe0634000 irq 63
There are dynamic added to the system.
And 2. to make it more complex, I have two pairs of the same bluetooth earphones with different bluetooth alias names to keep
them apart.
I tried setting them as default in pavucontrol. But as soon as I disconnect them, they get "forgotten" as default.

Re: Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add

Reply #3 –
Hmm that's odd.  My bluetooth headphones retake the default status when they are reconnected.  Don't think I did anything fancy to make that happen, it just seems to work.  If my bluetooth's battery dies, my wired headphones are automatically putting out the audio, and if I reconnect the charged bluetooths then they take the audio back.

Maybe this could be helpful?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PulseAudio/Examples#Set_the_default_output_sink

Re: Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add

Reply #4 –
I solved my problem, well, sort of.
I disabled the analog part of my sound chip with:
/etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf:
Code: [Select]
# disable analog output/input
options snd-hda-intel model=digital-only
drawback: no more mic input. :(
Now with one sound card less the automatic switching to/from the Bluetooth earphones work again.

I don't like the way the Linux bluetooth management is done. It is very Microsoft like.
Automatic connections work most of the time until they don't. Manual connections does not work.
I would be ashamed to deliver such a low level of reliability.

Re: Bluetooth earphones not longer auto output on connect since dp monitor add

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Andy – on
I don't like the way the Linux bluetooth management is done. It is very Microsoft like.
Imho, what is "Microsoft like" is pulseaudio:

I have been using alsa only for several years.
I removed all pulse packets except libpulse and libcanberra.

I use alsa and the nice and very practical qastools mixer on different pc:
https://forum.artixlinux.org/index.php/topic,4318.msg27848.html#msg27848

Note: I don't play games and don't use wine or steam.
But I have sound in all my apps.