I have an ASUS UX32VD laptop with Linux Mint 21.3 freshly installed and I am experiencing a low volume issue when connecting to my Creative 2.1 Bluetooth speakers
Connection to the speakers is done through a Bluetooth USB dongle.
The speakers have an independent means of volume control by means of a plus (+) and minus (-) volume buttons located on one of the speakers.
When using windows, the operating system volume control is independent from the speakers "hardware" volume - meaning that even if the maximum system volume is too low, it is possible to further increase the "hardware" volume on the speakers themselves.
With Linux Mint 21.3, the speakers "hardware" volume is connected to the operating system volume, meaning that when the "hardware" volume on the speakers is increased, the volume changes in the operating system as well, the maximum/minimum volume thus being limited by it as well.
This makes it very difficult to, as an example, watch a movie, as the operating system maximum volume is too low.
Adjusting the volume on alsamixer doesn't help and Pulse Audio Volume Control distorts the sound.
If the operating system didn't control the speakers volume, the issue could be solved.
Then my question is: is there a way to prevent/disabling Linux Mint from controlling and thus limiting the "hardware" volume of the speakers?
Thank you all in advance for your help.
[SOLVED] Disabling volume control on USB Bluetooth speakers
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[SOLVED] Disabling volume control on USB Bluetooth speakers
Last edited by Pepperoni on Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Disabling volume control on USB bluetooth speakers
After many weeks of reading up on forums about how to deactivate volume control for the Bluetooth speakers (if I understood correctly, this feature is called "avrcp_absolute_volume") I managed to find a workaround solution.
Instead of connecting to the speakers using the provided Bluetooth USB dongle, I tried to connect by just using the Bluetooth that comes with the laptop and for a reason that is mysterious to me, this method allows for the volume of the operating system to be controlled independently from the speakers volume.
Volume is now louder than ever and without distortion!
Lastly, I will add that connecting to the speakers using the default Bluetooth was a challenge because the speakers couldn't be found using the default Bluetooth manager program, however I was able to connect to them through the terminal using the instructions in:
https://www.baeldung.com/linux/bluetooth-via-terminal
Instead of connecting to the speakers using the provided Bluetooth USB dongle, I tried to connect by just using the Bluetooth that comes with the laptop and for a reason that is mysterious to me, this method allows for the volume of the operating system to be controlled independently from the speakers volume.
Volume is now louder than ever and without distortion!
Lastly, I will add that connecting to the speakers using the default Bluetooth was a challenge because the speakers couldn't be found using the default Bluetooth manager program, however I was able to connect to them through the terminal using the instructions in:
https://www.baeldung.com/linux/bluetooth-via-terminal