XPS 15 9560 Headphone jack function as a mic jack?

Well for your case, the headSET option would be correct, since that means a device that offers both headphones (audio out) and a mic -- but note that you do apparently also have a Mic In option, though this would prevent audio output to the headphones.  However, if selecting the headset option isn't working, the issue with the TRRS "standard" is that it isn't a standard. The industry never agreed on which pins would be used for which connectors (Ground, Mic, Left Audio, Right Audio).  I think Samsung did it one way and Apple did it another, for example, and this of course causes interoperability issues.  So if choosing "headset" isn't working, it's probably because the XPS is expecting Option A and your splitter is wired for Option B.

Theoretically, given that the audio chipset allows the pins to be dynamically assigned to various purposes depending on the device that's plugged in, it MIGHT be possible to have a "Headset" and "Headset (Alternate Mode)" device option in order to accommodate both TRRS configurations, but I seem to recall one of the TRRS implementation differences being where the Ground pin was placed, and maybe that pin can't be reassigned simply via software, which might explain the absence of such an option. Sorry!

I think jphughan could be right on this (regarding headset option, or possibly the adapter not being recognized properly) and unfortunately I haven't found a lot on this yet. Do you know have a link to the adapter you bought? Also, if you just select mic by itself without the headset portion attached (so mic into adapter into system, and headphone portion unplugged) does the system at least acknowledge the mic then (assuming you selected just mic)? 

One other thing you could try is removing some of the audio settings/drivers, but I would need to check into that first to see if it is worth it, so trying to see if the mic is working first might be the best place to start. 

On a side note, another option is to get a USB audio amp and then plug your headset into that, obviously a bit more expensive but it might allow you to get better sound out of the gaming headset.

Best regards.

Brad

Headphones will work fine.  The system adjusts for the connection and many headphones will have a built in microphone.

The newer drivers give you an option to not show the popup but will default back to that same device whenever something is plugged in.  This selection can be changed manually using the Advanced options on these drivers.

unfortunately I haven't found a lot on this yet.

Brad, I partially covered this  in section 6 of the Headphone Jack FAQ. "We have received conflicting reports about headset adapters. They seem to work with some laptops but not for others, so buy at your own risk."

Most of the reports we have received have been negative.

another option is to get a USB audio amp and then plug your headset into that, obviously a bit more expensive b

A cheaper option along those same lines is to get a usb audio jack for only a few $. Of course the quality would not match that of a usb audio interface.

Thanks for all the great responses guys, I'd be lying if I said I understand all of it though. When I plug the headphones in no option to select 'mic' comes up.

You know I always assumed this laptop had one USB port... turns out there's one on either side of the laptop haha so definitely possible to use a USB adapter also.

I contacted the person I purchased the splitter from and they've told me it is for OMTP standard and I may need CTIA standard? Going to try the CTIA standard and then if that doesn't work I'll try the USB adapter or USB audio amp (because who doesn't enjoy better sound quality).

I'll report back with what happens.

Do you have a headset like and iPhone you could try so you could see how it is supposed to work?

I don't have any experience with the adapters so it may be as Jim suggests.

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the heads up on this, I meant on an internal search on my first part, but your FAQ honestly would have been a much better place for me to start. I'll definitely remember to check on that in the future, and thanks again for all of your work/answers on here!

Best regards,

Brad 

Sounds great, definitely report back, I'm curious if the other standard will work any differently. 

Best regards,

Brad

@Aaron, what do you mean you don't have an option for a mic?  You originally said that one of the options is "Mic In".  That's your mic option.  But if you're plugging the headphone and mic jacks in one at a time, try instead plugging both of them into the adapter and then plugging the adapter in as a single unit, and then selecting the headset option.  You do NOT want to plug them in sequentially.

Ok update time:

Here's a link the picture I see when plugging my headset in https://ibb.co/fvZWev. I'm trying to use this   headset (www.pccasegear.com/.../39792 to play csgo.

The first OMPT adapter I used (www.ebay.com.au/.../301775017364 was still using the laptops microphone with me plugging both headphone leads into the adapter and then into the laptop and pressing OK.

Additionally the second CTIA adapter I used (www.ebay.com.au/.../182432000972 in exactly the same way is still using the laptops microphone.

Does the picture I uploaded show an image of what is meant to come up when plugging in a headset? Am I meant to change any of these like 'dell devices' or highlight certain things e.g. Mic In, Line In for them to work?

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3517/t/20012104

does anybody know about this? 

Thanks for any help.

Hi Jimco,

I never noticed the initial connection being a 4 pole plug as I've always had the combo jack that came with the headset to plug into my previous laptop as it had two separate audio ports.

I'll go home tonight and try it with the 4 pole plug but I'm doubting this instantly fixes my problem - I still have a feeling it has to do with drivers somehow. With regards to the picture I cannot select anything other than headphones small medium or large.  I'd really like this problem fixed.

Thanks

Hi all,

I plugged my headphones in via the 4 metal segment Jimco pictured but still nothing. I believe this to be a driver issue. Can I call Dell to get help? I'm a little over playing the guessing game to be honest after spending nearly $3,000 on a laptop.

Cheers

Sorry I missed this for a while. @Aaronmr, for the picture you're seeing, can you select HeadSET rather than Headphones?  If not, does expanding the dropdown where you currently see Headphones Medium show any Headset options?  If not, then this may be a case of competing TRRS standards as I said before, and depending on the connector arrangement of your headset vs what the laptop is expecting, it might not even be possible for a driver update to allow the laptop to dynamically reconfigure itself to accept your headset's configuration.  As I mentioned before, if one of the swapped pins is Ground, I doubt that one can be dynamically remapped.

You can certainly call Dell about this if you haven't already, but I doubt they'd give you any insight on this.