Here we can see “How to Use a Single Audio Jack to Connect a Headset to a Laptop, Tablet, or Smartphone”
Instead of two separate audio ports, many laptops now have a combined headphone and microphone jack. This trend began with smartphones and tablets and has since expanded to include MacBooks, ultrabooks, and convertibles such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro.
You don’t need to buy a new headset if yours has two separate 3.55mm audio connectors for the headphone and microphone. If you know what to look for, you can find a reasonably priced adaptor.
What You’re Expected To Do
If you’re looking for a new headset and have a laptop, tablet, or smartphone with a combined audio jack, you should consider the following options:
- A headset has a two-in-one audio jack: This type of plug, for example, can be found on Apple’s iPhone headsets. Headsets for Android phones and other mobile phones should also work. However, this connector is typically only found on headsets designed for mobile use; larger pairs of headphones are unlikely to include it.
- A USB headset is available: You can connect your headset to any device that has a USB port if it has one. In addition, you can entirely bypass the device’s audio jack using a USB headset, so it doesn’t matter what type of audio connector your gadget has. This is a nice alternative, but it means you won’t be able to connect your headset to anything that doesn’t have a USB port, such as a smartphone or tablet.
- A Bluetooth headset is available: A Bluetooth headset can be used with any Bluetooth-enabled device, including laptops and smartphones. Bluetooth, unfortunately, is a power hog. Therefore, these headphones are often intended for use with a cell phone rather than a laptop.
You’ll probably want a USB headset if you’re buying a headset for your laptop. However, if you’re buying a headset for your smartphone or tablet, you can choose between a wired headset with a single plug and a Bluetooth headset, depending on whether or not you want a wireless connection.
Connecting Separate Audio Jacks on a Headset to a Combined Audio Jack
There is, however, a fourth possibility. Some manufacturers make adapters that can turn a headset with separate headphone and microphone connectors into a single, integrated connector, allowing it to be connected to modern computers with only one audio jack. You could even use the same 3.5mm audio jack to connect speakers and a microphone — it doesn’t have to be a headset.
This adaptor can be difficult to come by. When looking for it, you’ll come across several headphone splitter adapters – you don’t want a headphone splitter adapter; it won’t work. We bought the StarTech MUYHSMFF adapter on Amazon and tried it on various devices, including Microsoft‘s Surface Pro 2 and Apple’s newest MacBook Pro.
Insert your microphone and headphone connectors into the adapter’s respective jacks, then plug the adapter into the combined audio port. Before connecting the adapter to the device, you must first plug your headset into the adaptor. If you don’t, you’ll need to disconnect the adapter and re-plug it to ensure that your device recognizes the microphone and headphone connections.
Although we tried this adapter with various popular devices and found it to function well, there’s no assurance that it will work with every ultrabook out there. However, if you have a quality headset or microphone that you want to use with your new laptop, it’s worth a chance for a few bucks.
Of course, none of this matters unless you want to use a microphone as an audio input device. If all you need is audio output, plug your headset’s headphone connector into the audio port. Your microphone will not work, but your headphones will.
Conclusion
I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any queries or comments.
User Questions:
1. Can I use a headset mic with a laptop that only has one jack?
Yes, a headset with a TRRS jack and a TRS port can be used. However, this implies that if your microphone is plugged into a TRS port designed for output only, it will not operate. As a result, you can only use this combination if you utilize the headset as an output-only or input-only device.
2. Why won’t my laptop use the microphone on my headset?
On your computer, your headset mic may be disabled or not set as the default device. Alternatively, the microphone volume is so low that it is unable to record your voice. Enable the Headset Microphone by right-clicking it. Select Set as Default Device from the context menu when you right-click it again.
3. Can Bluetooth headsets be used with laptop computers?
You can connect your PC to various Bluetooth devices, including keyboards, mice, phones, speakers, and much more. In addition, Bluetooth is incorporated into some PCs, such as laptops and tablets. If your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth, you can get it by plugging a USB Bluetooth adaptor into the USB port.
4. What if my laptop and my USB-C earbuds aren’t compatible?
USC-C earphones and my Laptop aren’t compatible? from UsbCHardware
5. Am I the only one that feels like the removal of the headphone Jack just came a year or two too soon?
Am I the only one that feels like the removal of the headphone Jack just came a year or two too soon? from Android
