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Dell Inspiron 15 audio jack and socket type?
Hello,
I am using Dell Inspiron 3542-4627, and I am about to buy a new headset. Since my laptop has only one input jack for both microphone and headphones, and most headsets have separated microphone and headphones inputs, I really need to know which type of audio jack my laptop has. How can I know if my laptop has TRRS or TRS socket jack? I need to know this so I can get 2xTRS to TRRS or 2xTRS to TRS splitter?
Thank you in advance.
Cheers.
Jim Coates
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September 19th, 2016 15:00
2x TRS to TRRS. Any combo headset jack is TRRS, because the stereo headphones need 2 contacts, the mono mic needs one, and it all needs a common ground, for a total of 4 contacts.
The combo jacks assume that a combo headset (smart phone type) will be used with it. I think the thinking is that most people want to just do communications with their laptops, and that the people who are serious about audio will get outboard audio interfaces for their high quality audio needs.
You can try a traditional computer headset with a splitter, but we have received mix reports about splitters, with more people saying they did not work than people who have had success. An alternative to a splitter is a usb audio jack. Those provide separate ports for the mic and the headphones, and are cheap at Amazon and elsewhere, but might not be of the best quality. Usb jacks have their own DAC and ADC, and thus constitute a separate audio systems from the laptop's integrated Realtek audio system.
joa1101
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September 20th, 2016 03:00
Thank you for your answer jimco, I really appreciate it.
Do you know if splitters/usb jacks affect sound and microphone quality and intentsity?
Jim Coates
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September 20th, 2016 07:00
I don't know. If the splitter works at all then I shouldn't think it would affect the sound. If it doesn't work, that could be because the adapter is altering the impedance so much that the jack sensor cannot detect the mic (just speculating). If that were the case, then the impedance might slightly affect the quality of the mic signal, but it would be a moot issue.
A usb jack could affect the quality. A usb jack is just a pair of converters. The software is provided by the Windows native usb audio driver. So the mic signal quality entirely depends on the ADC converter. A cheap convertor might have a high noise floor, making it unsuitable for professional work.