First, get a condenser microphone with an XLR plug and one of those adjustable arm stands:

Second, get an XLR->USB audio interface (or just a converter cable) to go with it.

I own the gear pictured, but I can't recommend those specific things because I bought them 8 years ago and they've been discontinued since. I started out with the box-shaped interface, but eventually realized I didn't need its features and swapped it for the XLR->USB cable to save space/complexity. If I were using wired headphones (studio monitors) instead of speakers I might have kept using the box.

Also (and perhaps most importantly): the mic itself is analog and the USB converter is just doing generic analog->digital conversion. There is zero reason for it to need any software other than the kernel's built-in USB audio driver.

If you're playing games where directional audio matters, I would strongly recommend monitor headphones. It makes it much easier to figure out exactly where sound is coming from. I have Sony MDRs and I love them.

For a mic, there are some great options out there that are reasonably inexpensive. I have a Blue Snowball that's lasted the better part of a decade and still works great, and I know that there are others at a similar price point that might even be better by now. Check out reviews from humans, whether text or video. Boom arms go a long way toward minimizing background noise from desk vibration, and also make it easier to adjust the placement of the mic.

You don't want Bluetooth headphones. Get wireless headphones that use an RF dongle instead. Better range, sounds quality etc. Just plug in the dongle and go.

Honestly if it needs an app it's probably overpriced garbage anyway. High quality analog headphones have been made for decades without any apps. As others have said ditch the "gaming" headphones, they almost always suck and are overpriced for what they offer.

You should ideally look for headphones with a frequency range of 20Hz to 40kHz (the full range of human hearing) but even a 40Hz to 20kHz range would be decent. This is the biggest quality factor for headphones.

If you're gonna plug it straight into your computer or audio card via aux or usb you want something with low ohms (either 2Ω or 6Ω) but if you're gonna use an audio interface or mixing board you want something with around 200 ohms. In laymans terms, low ohm headphones with powerful audio device = blowing out the headphones. High ohm headphones with tiny device (like a phone) = quiet muffled audio.

For microphones, range doesnt matter as much because most people talk around 200Hz and don't really go too high or low. Also look for "condenser" mics which capture voice much better than dynamic mics.

For connection, best quality is probably gonna be an audio interface. The mic connects via XLR cable, the headphones over aux, and it usually has a USB-A connection to the pc. If you're running Linux, Pulseaudio has great support and is much better than default ALSA.

My favorite mic brands are Shure and Rhode, and my favorite headphones are made by a German company called Beyerdynamic. Mackie also makes some cheap and quality mixing boards. Probably more info than you needed but the audio rabbit hole is very fun to explore!

Most of my hardware is from before I switched to Linux and I don't see the need to switch anything that's still working. I have a pair of Sennheiser 6xx's that I use at my desk (my usage is occasional enough that I haven't been able to justify buying a dedicated DAC/ Amp) and a pair of Sony WH-1000XM6's that live in my backpack for when I'm outside the house.

For mic I usually use the mic built into my webcam (Logitech c920) at my desk, it's nothing fancy, but it works well enough for the occasional voice/ video call. I don't think I've had reason to need to use my mic while away from my desk, but I'd probably fall back to the one built into my laptop or use the XM6's mic.

The only thing that might need software is the XM6's, but those can always fallback to using a wired connection in a pinch. Plus, since they can be paired to both my phone and laptop at the same time, I can use the android app to handle settings tweaks (usually just adjusting the noise canceling mode).

This is what worked for me: Abandon 'Gaming' and start looking at 'Audiophile'. Those guys and gals know EVERYTHING about sound and can probably tell you exactly which headphones and what mic are worth it for you.

None of my audio gear has an app (I think), so compatibility with Linux hasn't been an issue.

And I use headphones with a separate mic (on a long-ish arm) as I felt that the audio quality on all headsets I looked at was terrible.

I prefer an aux cable headset. No charging, no connection issues, and the quality is always 100%. You will also never have compatibility issues.

Might not be for you, but just a thought.

Just to counter all of the (totally justified) corded propaganda, if you do want gamery Bluetooth headphones, Razer peripherals work very well with openrazer (backend) and polychromatic (front end) which are fairly easy to set up as long as you’re not using secure boot. Just make sure if you go this route you check the openrazer site for the list of supported devices before you buy.

A FiiO E10 and your choice of decent analog headphones should work fine. As for the mic situation, a decent lapel mic going to the analog mic input on your PC should also work fine.

I use cables, batteries are for ewaste.

Senny

Wired HD 6XX, Fiio K1 r2r since my desktop dac is garbage, and Shure Mv7+. Obviously you don’t need anything as expensive as that but I think separate stuff will always be better. It is less convenient though for sure

I have a really simple setup since I don't really do content creation or music or anything really needing a quality microphone. I use the Drop/EPOS pc38x with the velour ear pads. As far as gaming headsets or just headsets in general, the sound quality is really good. Actually pretty decent mic for a headset, comfortable, braided cable, volume knob. Can't complain.

If I had more money I'd look at proper headphones and a standalone mic, but for 200 (160 when I bought them) it's solid. I personally don't like Bluetooth peripherals, wired gives the lowest latency and don't have to bother charging or having the batteries eventually needing replaced if they're even user replaceable. And not to mention not needing any bloatware to use. Just plug n play

I use a Motu M4 audio interface with headphones wired to it, as well as a Shure mic. Since I do music I already had it setup.