Windows 10: Bluetooth headset audio problems (hands-free unusable, stereo choppy)

Hi, and thank you for following me on this journey trying not to pull my hair from my head as I try to enjoy music on my new laptop.

Long story short: I've treated myself to an "ASUS TUF506IV-AS76 TUF A15 Gaming Laptop", but I'm bumping into some issues as I've started using it. Particularly, Bluetooth Audio seems to be a mess!

Now, before I blame the laptop (and try something radical like a BIOS firmware update) I want to rule out everything else.

I'm using Windows 10 Home 64-bit that came pre-installed. It's up to date with Version 20H2 v19042.630 (except for the optional "2020-11 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 10 Version 20H2 for x64-based Systems (KB4586853)").

Drivers, including Bluetooth are updated.

Now, the main culprit here I think is windows choice of mishandling APTX (or AD2P) high-quality audio and the mono-headset mode. The headphones I'm using (Sennheiser HD 405BTNC) work flawlessly with any and all devices I've tried them on, but here's the catch: this headset can be operated in one of two modes at a time: a) one-directional HD stereo audio listening only, or b) bi-directional "hands-free" mode, listening to only low-quality and mono audio, but enabling the included microphone.

In Linux there's a clear cut between the two modes, and you can't fall in mistakenly ambiguous modes like trying to use the microphone while being in stereo mode.

In my old laptop's Windows 10 (Enterprise 64bit, not updated to 20H2) the B mode isn't even recognized by Windows (Linux does pick it up, so it's not a hardware incompatibility issue) but A mode works great.

In my new laptop, however, Windows 10 decides to recognize both modes, but allows you to set incoherent states, such as selecting HD Stereo audio output at the same time as trying to grab the headset's microphone input:

If I select both input and output as B mode ("Hands-Free AG Audio") then audio quality is terrible beyond expectations: other OS' play mono audio with low quality, but this Windows 10 displays something totally distorted and incomprehensible, so while I normally like to use the headset in that mode during meetings so people can hear me clearly even if I don't hear them as well, but it looks like that will be an option for now.

If I choose to use A mode (Stereo) as output and use the laptop's Realtek Microphone Array as input, then the audio I hear is OK... Except when it isn't and chops up horribly as well. The only way I've managed to workaround this is to go to device manager and disable the Hands-Free AG Audio device; this removes the choice of B mode from input and output sections on the sound console and fixes the choppy audio issue 99% of the time.

So, coming to this point, I have 2 problems I'd like to solve:
1) How can I get the Hands-Free mode to work so I can actually use the headset's microphone without entirely losing the ability to understand what other people are saying?
2) How can I more reliably reproduce and then completely fix the 1% of the time that audio still breaks up?

I'll post any information that may be of use for troubleshooting this. I've checked out other people asking similar questions, but nothing's helping.

Here's the full speccy dump on my new laptop with bad sound: http://speccy.piriform.com/results/T...0Ta62flSPytmfB

Here's LatencyMon while listening to Spotify with no issues on Stereo mode:



Here's LatencyMon while listening to Spotify trying not to cry on Mono mode:



So.. Something's definately adding latency to the Hands-Free mode. I've tried disabling all "enhancementes" and the Windows troubleshooters with no luck.

And here's the dump for my old laptop with no audio issues: http://speccy.piriform.com/results/0...nI6Z8lMLcrLBxf

:)

 

Bluetooth Headset - Windows 10 - appearing as Bluetooth hands-free

I recently bough the following product from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019ZEHA36/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Essentially it works in terms of connecting etc and bonding via Bluetooth.

The issue lies with windows picking this up as a Bluetooth hands-free device, see icon below.
Hands-free ICON

This I think is part of the problem, furthermore, under sound control there is the following options, Stereo and Hands-free.
Playback devices

Please for the time being ignore that the headset is disconnected.

Under recording devices its the following: Recording devices

Putting all of this together I have the following options:

• use the Handsfree option but suffer with low quality sound through headset (channel 1)
  
• Use the Stereo as default - which means good quality sound (channel 2) - but also means that the device no longer has any Mic associated with it.
  

Furthermore, searching across the web, it was noted to disable hands free "under services, under device manager". However this just means that it defaults to the Stereo every time and the hands free (which includes a Mic) does not work.

I have also connected a USB blutooth device (running V10) as supposed to the internal, but still not luck. I have re-installed the device multiple times with reboots and removing it from devices.

Please can someone help here with any suggestion, I am very close to just returning this item as its not working properly...

 

Bluetooth Headset unable to switch between "hands-free" and Stereo

I had what seems to be a fairly common problem with my Bluetooth headset. the audio would sound canny and horrible most of the time. i found a solution that said to uncheck the "Hands-free Telephony" box under the services tab, in devices, for the headphones.
doing so allowed me to switch from the "hands-free AG audio" to "stereo" version of my headphones in the playback tab. unfortunately this also disables the microphone on my headset. Now i am unable to switch back from stereo to the hands-free AG audio version,
even when rechecking the "hands-free telephony" box, completely locking me out from using my mic. at least the audio sounds good now, but i would like the ability to use my microphone.

 

Bluetooth Headset - Windows 10 - appearing as Bluetooth hands-free

I recently bough the following Headset:

WH-CH700N

Essentially it works in terms of connecting etc and bonding via Bluetooth.

The issue lies with windows picking this up as a Bluetooth hands-free device.

This I think is part of the problem, furthermore, under sound control there is the following options,

WH-CH700N Stereo and WH-CH700N Hands-free AG Audio.

Under recording devices its the WH-CH700N Hands-free AG Audio.

Putting all of this together I have the following options:

• use the Handsfree option but suffer with low quality sound through headset (channel 1)
• Use the Stereo as default - which means good quality sound (channel 2) - but also means that the device no longer has any Mic associated with it.
  

Furthermore, searching across the web, it was noted to disable hands free "under services, under device manager". However this just means that it defaults to the Stereo every time and the hands free (which includes a Mic) does not work.

I have also connected a USB blutooth device (running V10) as supposed to the internal, but still not luck. I have re-installed the device multiple times with reboots and removing it from devices.

Please can someone help here with any suggestion? I have tried our 3 other different BT Headsets!

The TT-BH03, the MDR-XB650BT, the Mpow Cheetah!

Every Headset has the same Problem!!

The headsets have no windows drivers!

For Example the WH-CH700N you will just find Android and IOS drivers

https://www.sony.de/electronics/support/wireless-headphones-bluetooth-headphones/wh-ch700n/downloads

There must be a solution for this Problem, and i see there are more people with the same Problem.

What i already found out is,

it is possible to just use the microphone (Audio-In) and select the Plugged in Speakers for Aufio Out so you can here VOIP together with every other sound on the Speakers. Why is it not possible to get the same Output on the WH-CH700N Stereo? As soon i
join a Teamspeak Server i cant here anythin on the WH-CH700N Stereo!

please help me....