Faulty headphone jack on new laptop?

Manxman_in_exile

matelodave said:

If you've got two sockets, one marked with a microphone symbol and the other with headphones then you probably got a three ring socket for headphones but if its combined (ie only one socket) then it will be a four ring one like it shown in the picture (tip, ring 1, ring2, sleeve). If the headphones only have three rings (tip, ring, sleeve) then you are likely to get intermittent contact so you'll need an adapter like the one shown.

There's only a single socket available - and I assume that that is for audio output as (1) it's got a headphones icon next to it, and (2) the specification on Dell's website refers to it as a "Headset jack", and nowhere does the specification refer to any input at all for an external microphone.  The only mention of a microphone in the spec is to the integral microphone next to the camera above the screen.

I suppose I could well be in error in not realising that a "Headset jack" refers both to audio output and input and therefore it is a combined socket.     Might that be the problem?

Again I appreciate the help from everybody - it's very educational.  But I need to disappear now till tomorrow.  

Cheers.

wongataa

Manxman_in_exile said:

I suppose I could well be in error in not realising that a "Headset jack" refers both to audio output and input and therefore it is a combined socket.     Might that be the problem?

A headset has headphones and a microphone so the socket will be a combined one.  These can cause problems with some headphones just as you have found.

matelodave

If it describes it as a headset jck then there's a better than even chance that its a four pole connector so you'd need an adpater to convert it to conventional 3-pole headphone plug (like the one above or like this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/382274545765)

Manxman_in_exile

wongataa said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

I suppose I could well be in error in not realising that a "Headset jack" refers both to audio output and input and therefore it is a combined socket.     Might that be the problem?

A headset has headphones and a microphone so the socket will be a combined one.  These can cause problems with some headphones just as you have found.

matelodave said:

If it describes it as a headset jck then there's a better than even chance that its a four pole connector so you'd need an adpater to convert it to conventional 3-pole headphone plug (like the one above or like this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/382274545765)

Hi guys.

Yes - I'm coming to the conclusion that it's probably the lack of 100% compatability (or whatever) between the headset socket and the headphone/earphone plugs that is the problem.  My wife has a headset that she uses for Teams/Zoom meetings and that has a four pole connector, so I'll test that headset over the weekend to see it solves the problem.

I'll probably get a 3 pole > 4 pole adapter from Amazon or somewhere anyway.  They seem to be only a few quid.

Thanks again to everybody who has contributed.  I've had to do some research to understand what you're all talking about so I've learned something new.  Something I should have known when I chose the laptop...   

(PS - We actually have a drawerful of miscellaneous audio bits and pieces that we've collected over the years - mostly not knowing or remembering what they are!  I noticed this morning that one of them appears to be some kind of 3.5mm adapter with gold connectors.  I'll see if that fits and whether it might give a more reliable connection.  [EDIT:  No - that adapter doesn't work at all so scratch that])

The problem with testing different things is the amount of time it takes if you just want to change one variable at a time.  And if it's intermittent you don't really know if you've definitely fixed it.  Thanks again.