This post is more than 5 years old
9 Posts
0
6072
Inspiron 7559 refuses to enable external mic (speakers work fine)
Hi
I have a new inspiron 7559 (about a month old), windows 10, everything updated, no interfering antivirus, etc.
Since the start, I've been unable to use my external mic. I have a headset with a microphone, on one of those mic+speaker combined 3.5mm plugs. When I plug it in, the sound system detects my headset just fine and routes sound to it.
It kinda bugs me that the system doesn't show the individual devices to windows for finer control, and instead just reports a single audio device, but ok fine, I can understand that from a technical POV.
The real problem though is that no matter what I do, only the built-in microphone is used, never my external one on the 3.5mm plug. It doesn't show up as a device, there's no setting for it in the sound system, and the system doesn't switch to it automatically when it's plugged in. I just cannot get any sound from it (no, it isn't broken).
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.
Jim Coates
4 Operator
4 Operator
•
13.6K Posts
0
May 13th, 2016 17:00
Many or most of the Dell laptop models with Reatek hardware have an app called Dell Audio Manager or just Dell Audio, which is a truncated version of the Realtek Audio Manager found on other brands of computers. I don't know whether the 7559 is supposed to have it or not, but if so it should have been pre-installed at the factory, and also part of the Realtek driver download from the laptop's support page.
Anyway, if you do have that app it might give you a little more control.
I can't speak for Dell, but I would note that its track record is not good regarding getting audio issues fixed.
Faziri
9 Posts
0
May 14th, 2016 06:00
Well I finally figured it out... Talk about bad UI design though.
I've seen the control app before but I'd rather not have it at all because I prefer just using windows'. It doesn't really do anything more, and it's bugged in that the switch to turn off all the audio "enhancement" doesn't stay turned off like it should. I had posted a topic about that too here but it still hasn't gotten through. I also never did get the emails that would tell me about replies to this topic or approval/rejection of my new topics.
It's amazing how much mundane stuff inexplicably malfunctions around me: not even just making my account for this forum and then getting related emails works.
Anyway, this control app has a tab with a little icon that shows if it's detecting something being plugged in. It turns out you can click on that (with no indication that you can) to open a dialog where you can select what kind of device it is:
https://vgy.me/6ytHMr.png
If you pick something like this, it finally does enable the microphone. Obviously I don't want it to pop up every time I plug something in, but fortunately it at least remembers your last selection so it should be fine now.
Thanks for the nudges in the right direction, Jimco
Jim Coates
4 Operator
4 Operator
•
13.6K Posts
0
May 13th, 2016 09:00
Hello. The setting is "Microphone" in the list of devices in the recording tab of the sound properties. "Microphone" is for either the built-in mic or the external mic when one is plugged in.
Note that it must say "Realtek" under "Microphone". If it just says "High Definition Audio Device" then the Windows native audio driver is installed, and it does not recognize the external mic jack.
If the Realtek driver is installed, you can right click on Microphone and open its properties and fool with them, but if the Realtek driver is not detecting the mic then it is probably a buggy driver. It detects a mic by using impedance sensing, and I don't think they always set the parameters correctly.
Faziri
9 Posts
0
May 13th, 2016 12:00
I agree with all you said (I'm in IT and electronics myself), and I think it is indeed a bugged driver. It definitely says Realtek audio device in the settings window, and it never picks up my external mic.
By "no setting for it" I meant that the driver doesn't expose the detection or let you override it at all. All you get is the combined device, and if it doesn't work, that's too bad.
So yeah, I'm less than impressed with realtek's drivers yet again (this isn't the only problem I have and not the first time realtek cards bug out on me). Any chance of dell stepping in and taking care of an update? I didn't buy a machine this expensive to have it not work properly...