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XPS 8930, front Mic jack not working
Hi. I recently purchased an XPS 8930, and I’m experiencing problems with the front (and only) mic jack not working. I use an audio splitter—one plug into the headphone jack; the other into the mic jack—to attempt using a headset for communication. While the sound comes through perfectly, the mic doesn’t work. I’ve tried tutorials online and even contacted Dell Support but haven’t been to rectify this issue. I think it may be a hardware issue, because a USB mic connection works just fine. It’s the front jack that seems inoperable. Anyone else having this problem?
Ajwe
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February 23rd, 2021 16:00
Well, this is sort of embarrassing, but I figured out the problem! Actually, I found the following video and even though I couldn't understand a word of what the guy was saying, it explained the problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxYH0Ag37L8
It turns out that my lavalier microphone needs a TRRS -> TRS converter, which is just a little adapter that makes the microphone jack have 3 segments instead of 4, and that does the trick!
I needed to boost the levels in the sound configuration settings panel to make it so that the volume is loud enough, and that introduces a little bit of noise, but that's the mic's limitation not the Dell's.
Anyway, thank you Ron for trying to help (and I apologize for taking up your time!)! I hope, if someone else stumbles upon this page, that this will be helpful for them, too.
Vic384
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March 31st, 2019 08:00
Have you checked in Control Panel | Sound | Recording tab to see if the Microphone (Realtek Audio) indicates that the microphone is plugged in and set as the default device?
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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March 31st, 2019 20:00
Try a headset with those ports native-ly (no splitters or adapters).
E.Smith
4 Posts
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April 1st, 2019 07:00
Hi Tesla. Thank you for responding. It appears that no type of microphone works in that particular jack. Possibly a hardware issue?
E.Smith
4 Posts
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April 1st, 2019 07:00
Hi Vic. Thanks for chiming in. I have tried to go through the Control panel to make sure the Realtek Audio is set to default. While the system recognizes that the port is "working properly", it does not register anything plugged into the jack, no matter what type of microphone I plug into it.
Here's the new weirdness attached to this dilemma: if I plug in a usb-enabled microphone, everything works perfectly. So, it would seem the problem is a hardware issue associated with that particular jack.
Tesla1856
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April 1st, 2019 09:00
Normal and expected since it has it's own tiny "sound card" inside.
Tesla1856
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April 1st, 2019 09:00
Yes.
But software is also likely. Are you sure you have the analog mono-Mic's Input level turned up ?
E.Smith
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April 1st, 2019 10:00
Vic384
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April 1st, 2019 13:00
Have you checked the Realtek HD Audio Manager? I am not sure what it is called in the XPS 8930 perhap MaxxAudio or Dell Audio. You may find it in the Start menu under the Dell folder or in Control Panel | Hardware and Sound. On my XPS 8910 the Realtek HD Audio Manager displays a notification when something is plugged into the audio jacks.
awap2020
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March 31st, 2020 21:00
I am having the same issue. I cannot get my microphone to work, I've tried multiple headsets with microphones and no luck. Has this been solved?
RoHe
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April 1st, 2020 11:00
@E.Smith @awap2020
Did you check in Win 10 to make sure the mic is turned ON and whatever app(s) you're using with the mic has permission to use it? Look on the Win 10 Microphone Privacy screen for the ON/OFF switch. I bet the mic is off...
And did you run the microphone setup on the Windows Speech screen?
Archie Hu
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February 11th, 2021 11:00
I had the same issue. It turned out to be a problem with the software. After I updated the Windows, the problem went away!
Ajwe
13 Posts
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February 22nd, 2021 12:00
I'm having the same problem, though I'm just using the mic jack (not headphones). I have a lapel mic that I've tested separately on 2 laptops, so the microphone appears to be working just fine. But, when I plug it into the front 'mic' port on my XPS 8930, a message pops up and asks whether the device I just plugged in was "Line in" or "Mic in", so I choose "Mic in" and click OK.
Then, I've tried to test it out with several applications: Voice Recorder, Zoom, and the Control Panel / Settings. None of them are able to detect any input from the microphone. I have checked the Microphone Privacy Properties and they are set so that "Microphone access for this device is on", to allow apps to access the mic, and to specifically allow mic access for Voice Recorder.
Here are the property windows in Control Panel / Settings:
The one thing that maybe looks a little fishy is the Information text box in the Events panel. Here's the full text:
Device SWD\MMDEVAPI\{0.0.1.00000000}.{d0ab3e6e-ea72-4932-9fef-e204b265ce89} was not migrated due to partial or ambiguous match.
Last Device Instance Id: SWD\MMDEVAPI\{0.0.0.00000000}.{43bec7ba-8379-4e22-96fb-62394bfb1b5b}
Class Guid: {c166523c-fe0c-4a94-a586-f1a80cfbbf3e}
Location Path:
Migration Rank: 0xF00000000000F120
Present: false
Status: 0xC0000719
Any thoughts on what might be the problem? I'm using Windows 10 Home Version 10.0.19042 Build 19042. I've used the Dell tools to make sure I have all the latest drivers & firmware installed.
(When I use a USB mic, it works just fine, but the USB mic that I have is not a practical one for me to use for an upcoming presentation so I'd much prefer to have the lapel mic working properly.)
Thanks!
RoHe
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February 22nd, 2021 14:00
@Ajwe
Plug in the mic and choose "Mic in" when prompted.
Now open the Waves MaxxAudio Pro control panel and click the Voice icon. Is the slider is turned on there?
Ajwe
13 Posts
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February 22nd, 2021 15:00
Thanks for the reply. Yes, the slider you indicate is turned on.
(FWIW, I think I used to have a different version of MaxxAudio on the machine and when I used the Dell Support website while trying to diagnose this problem over the last few days, it might have "updated" this software, but I'm not sure if it's newer or older! Anyway, the version it's using now is: 1.0.113.0)
It *looks* as if this tool is detecting some audio input, but when I speak into the mic or tap it, there's no change at all to the signal. (I recently set the Audio->Sound->Recording "microphone boost" to +30db, which shouldn't be necessary, but I suspect all of that signal in the screen cap below is noise from this mic boost...)
Thanks.