Idk about latency but UX wise it has some weird limitations - you can't mark an external audio jack connected device as input or output only, with the weird result that when i connect my external microphone it considers it an output too, and automatically switches to it as output too, which of course doesn't work. Windows and Linux ask me what did i just connect and adapt accordingly.

Here's a workaround, it's ridiculous and probably a bug (any Apple SEs in the audience please move along, nothing to see here) but it works:

- Open the "Audio MIDI Setup" app that comes pre-installed with the OS

- Bottom left plus icon > "Create Aggregate Device" and optionally name it

- Add your built-in microphone to this new device by dragging it from the sidebar to the left

- Open your sound settings, and select the aggregate device as your main sound input

After this it should no longer change the main input device when you connect something else.

It might be better in terms of latency (I have no idea) but it's way buggier than Windows'. Crashes all the time for me. Plus it has some stupid missing features like volume control isn't implemented for HDMI audio (it is on Windows) and you can't capture the audio output - at least without fairly extreme hacks. It's a lot easier on Windows.

I haven't used sound on Linux for a long time but when I did it was in a completely different league to Mac and Windows - in a bad way.

> I haven't used sound on Linux for a long time but when I did it was in a completely different league to Mac and Windows - in a bad way.

I am not a sound engineer. I don't do music composition. I am simply a user who wants things to work.

Sound hasn't been an issue for me in Linux (as a user) for a long time. There was a period when the audio system was replaced with Pulse, which was terrible as they published Beta software to end users, but that quickly fixed itself and we are talking 20 years ago. Linux audio has been by far the best for usability for me.

I also understand that the latency issue has been dramatically improved over the decades with the current situation with Pipewire being excellent. If it has been a long time since you have used Linux sound, then just be aware that it is not the same as it was.

My Mac refusing to adjust the volume via HDMI I assumed was a feature to push towards buying an Apple display.

Sound has worked better for me on Linux than it did on Mac and Windows. Albeit, I haven’t used Windows in 5 years or so.

It is the best, it's low latency and very stable contrary to Windows shitty high latency direct sound API which is a complete mess. So much that Steinberg had to develop some respectable universal audio drivers for windows called ASIO, Microsoft never cared about the issue.