Meanwhile I still cannot get Bluetooth audio to work on my Linux workstation. I tried 3 different Chinese USB sticks already and asked ChatGPT for help. Maybe I should give up and try some more expensive brands. But keep in mind that ESP32 is also of Chinese origin.
This is such a weird comment. You can find things in the US where there are cheap versions that don't work and more expensive versions that do work. Going out of your way to by less expensive things and then blaming the Chinese on the quality, rather than your cheapness, is really a decision.
From personal experience, I've got dozens of esp32 devices around my house and they all work great.
Linux has the best Bluetooth stack of any of the current three operating systems. Which is kind of a depressing statement, but it's actually feature complete.
You really don't want to know just how bad Windows' Bluetooth stack is. It doesn't even implement basic features. I would hesitate to call it a compliant implementation at all. Oh, the API call for all BT features exist, but they either do nothing, return garbage and lies, or are just broken.
If you use a well supported BT adapter under the right Linux distro, it's flawless.
Your comment is asseting that all of the world's most populous country is a single monolithic entity that produces crap except for this one thing (that is probably also suspicious because it's Chinese)
You're deflecting blame for your shitty decisions onto a racist strawman.
Buy a good Bluetooth adapter which is actively supported by the Linux kernel. Do 20 minutes of research instead of buying the cheapest thing you can and then spouting racist bullshit to post-hoc justify yourself.
If you take a few moments to think about what you're doing, you can get Bluetooth working flawlessly by simply buying the correct adapter. And you don't have to be a racist xenophobe about it.
Make sure you're using pipewire. If your bluetooth headphones require Bluetooth LE, make sure it's enabled in the bluez settings. Also, make sure your bluetooth adapter supports Bluetooth LE.
Try the TP Link UB500 Plus (UPC 810142823098) - Excellent range; best performance achieved with a few feet of USB extension cable between the dongle and the computer.
However Bluetooth on Linux is indeed currently irritatingly borked when it does decide to not work. The UB500 is plug and play on Linux.