Can't change volume for “NO Bounds” bluetooth speaker on Zorin 18

Hardware Support
1

On Zorin OS 18.1 with PipeWire 1.0.5, WirePlumber and BlueZ 5.72, my “NO Bounds” Bluetooth speaker has an issue where I can't change the volume via software, only mute. Even on the lowest hardware volume setting the volume is too loud.

Device: NO Bounds Bluetooth speaker (House of Marley)

In pavucontrol the output for No Bounds is “High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink)”
The audio quality is fine, but moving the device slider anywhere between 100% down to ~10–20% makes no noticeable difference. Then at 0% it mutes.

If I switch the profile to “Headset Head Unit (HSP/HFP)”:

  • Volume slider works normally with fine control.
  • Audio quality is very poor (narrowband/mono), so not usable for music.

What I’ve tried

  • Verified I’m on PipeWire + WirePlumber (Server Name: PulseAudio (on PipeWire 1.0.5)).
  • Created ~/.config/wireplumber/wireplumber.conf.d overrides to disable Bluetooth hardware/absolute volume (bluez5.enable-hw-volume = false and a device rule for bluez_card.E8_07_BF_12_1E_BD).
  • Restarted WirePlumber and PipeWire, cleared WirePlumber state, re‑paired the speaker, and confirmed A2DP is selected in pavucontrol.

None of this fixes it.

On an older Mint 20.3 install (PulseAudio + BlueZ), the same speaker in A2DP had a normal, usable volume range, so it looks like a PipeWire/BlueZ issue rather than a hardware fault.

System Details Report

Report details

  • Date generated: 2026-05-26 17:33:34

Hardware Information:

  • Hardware Model: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
  • Memory: 12.0 GiB
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-5300U × 4
  • Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 5500 (BDW GT2)
  • Disk Capacity: 1.0 TB

Software Information:

  • Firmware Version: JBET46WW (1.11 )
  • OS Name: Zorin OS 18 Core
  • OS Build: (null)
  • OS Type: 64-bit
  • Windowing System: Wayland
  • Kernel Version: Linux 6.17.0-29-generic

~> bluetoothctl info E8:07:BF:12:1E:BD

Device E8:07:BF:12:1E:BD (public)
Name: NO Bounds
Alias: NO Bounds
Class: 0x00240404 (2360324)
Icon: audio-headset
Paired: yes
Bonded: yes
Trusted: yes
Blocked: no
Connected: no
LegacyPairing: no
UUID: Serial Port (00001101-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
UUID: Audio Sink (0000110b-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
UUID: A/V Remote Control Target (0000110c-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
UUID: A/V Remote Control (0000110e-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
UUID: Handsfree (0000111e-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
UUID: PnP Information (00001200-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
Modalias: usb:v099Ap0500d011B

2

Are Secure Boot and Fast Boot in BIOS disabled?

You could try it with switching to Xorg and see if it behaves different. To do that, go to the Login Screen. Click there on Your Profile so that the Password Field appears. When it is appeared, You should see a Gear Icon in the bottom right Corner. Click on it and choose the Option ''Zorin Desktop on Xorg'' and then log in.

1 Like
3

Thanks very much for the suggestions!

I've tried using the Xorg login, but still the same problem.

Are Secure Boot and Fast Boot in BIOS disabled?

I'll check, thanks. To be clear, you're saying that it's better for them to be disabled for this problem?

4

I personally think that it is better to be disabled in Common when using Linux. It can avoid Issues.