I have a Shure SM58 on a stand running though a focusrite scarlett and akg k371s. I got the the mic and interface used on eBay. I previously used a behringer xm8500 and a behringer usb audio interface which honestly gets you most of the way there in terms of audio quality. The headphones have a replaceable cable via mini XLR, which is the failure point on most wired headphones.

I’ve never had audio problems on Linux, these days everything uses a generic driver.

If the stuff I’ve used has an app on windows, I don’t know about it. All my audio gear has been plug and play in Linux without issues. I’m going to guess that if you have Bluetooth working in general on your device, the headphones won’t be a problem themselves.

Based on what you are looking for, the only thing I can recommend specifically is ModMics from Antlion Audio - they specialize in good¹ mics as an addon for a good set of headphones, I believe using an adhesive pad to attach it where you want it. Basically, instead of paying extra for lower quality stuff “for gamers”, find a good pair of headphones from a reputable audio brand, and then slap a mic on the side.

For reference - I gave up on “gaming” options a while ago. I have a Scarlet Solo audio interface with an AudioTechnica XLR mic, AudioTechnica ATH-AD700X headphones, and then Edifier studio monitors for speakers with a Mackie Subwoofer. It all runs off the Scarlet box though, so that is the only thing plugged directed to the PC. I do still have a Steel Series headset that I take with me travelling, since the rest of it would be a lot to drag along and it has served me quite well without any need of software either. I run Garuda Linux (an arch derivative) with KDE, if that matters - I would hope that wouldn’t make a difference but included it for complete info (not just because “I use Arch, BTW (sort of)”.

¹ - I have not used these personally, but they were recommended to me several years ago by someone whose judgement I trust. I hope they have not gotten shitting since then.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

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:

• Light, for gaming I like extra light. I also prefer open. Both helps with heat/fatigue, and the last to pinpoint things happening in the game.
• Detachable cables, easier to fix. Preferable not proprietary, just because they are cheaper to find extra.

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.

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.

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.

Any analog headset and microphone will work. Avoid bluetooth, it has terrible latency issues and two way audio sounds like crap.

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.

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.

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.

Senny