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05-29-2022, 12:46 PM
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#1
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LQ Guru
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Distribution: Slackware, Slarm64 & Android
Posts: 17,262
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Quick Audio Questions
Having had Laptops for 15 years, it's been a while since I got up close & personal with PCs (In a box) and they have sure changed.
Audio Questions: (As I'm buying accessories)
I appear to have sound from graphics card, & m/b chipset. My only speakers are currently on hdmi.
1. Have any 4 pin 3.5mm plugs made it to the front panel of PCs yet, or is it still stereo (3 pin) & microphone (2 pin) on the front?
2. I take it the Line in, Line out on the soundcard are 3 pin. Is the Microphone socket on the soundcard 2 or 3 pin?
3. Are these usb webcams with microphone the way to go or should I get a headphone set with a mic?
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05-29-2022, 12:57 PM
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#2
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LQ Guru
Registered: Sep 2011
Location: Upper Hale, Surrey/Hants Border, UK
Distribution: One main distro, & some smaller ones casually.
Posts: 5,773
Rep: 
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I just plug my speakers into the 3.5mm (headphone) socket to get sound, (using an old XGA monitor with built in speakers mostly), & use a USB mic when wanted, but I do have a quality webcam, but again it's a USB plug & play item.
(My RPi will send sound to either HDMI or analogue socket, as will most of my desktop boxes.)
Last edited by fatmac; 05-29-2022 at 12:59 PM.
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05-29-2022, 01:48 PM
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#3
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LQ Guru
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Distribution: Slackware, Slarm64 & Android
Posts: 17,262
Original Poster
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Thanks for the reply. Speakers are 3 pin, so if you plug them into a 4 pin socket, you short the microphone. That's the issue. A usb microphone works - that's good to know.
Having done local experiments, I got Zoom locked in a loop trying to detect my microphone, and that using a 4 pin headset. So it looks like "3+2" is the way to go, but everybody's selling 4 pin stuff or usb builtin.
Linux doesn't appear to be talking to my onboard sound. Speaker detection? Anyhow, it's early days.
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05-30-2022, 01:34 AM
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#4
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LQ Addict
Registered: Dec 2013
Posts: 19,872
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Quote:
Originally Posted by business_kid
Speakers 3.5mm stereo cables are 3 pin, so if you plug them into a 4 pin socket, you short the microphone.
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I assume that's what you meant.
But I don't think it does anything bad - you can still use 3-pin cables on 4-pin sockets to listen to audio.
Anyhow, if you still need the mic, and there's no separate mic in, you need to buy an adaptor that splits all those pins into a) a line/headphone socket and b) a mic socket.
Depending on soft-/firm-, maybe even hardware you can still use the device's own mic when plugging a 3-pin headphone cable into the 4pin socket. This works on my phone and laptop.
Last edited by ondoho; 05-30-2022 at 01:36 AM.
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05-30-2022, 04:32 AM
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#5
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LQ Guru
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Distribution: Slackware, Slarm64 & Android
Posts: 17,262
Original Poster
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This is Ireland. I'm stuck buying online or 3rd party right at the moment. The Online just want to sell me unspecified. Getting something technical 3rd party is dumb.
Last edited by business_kid; 05-30-2022 at 04:36 AM.
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05-31-2022, 06:08 AM
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#6
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LQ Guru
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Distribution: Slackware, Slarm64 & Android
Posts: 17,262
Original Poster
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Well, the webcam came. The microphone plug was a 3 pin and with only a short cable split between it and the usb, so it only wanted to go into the (Onboard) soundcard I'm not listening to.
I tried the microphone in the front mic socket (no dice) and even in the monitor, which also has audio.
Stereo on a microphone is just a farce, but apparently everyone supplies it. The pc is probably wired mono. Pavucontrol wouldn't show me anything.
~Have we no Audiophiles on LQ?
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05-31-2022, 12:49 PM
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#7
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LQ Guru
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Distribution: Slackware, Slarm64 & Android
Posts: 17,262
Original Poster
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Sorted myself.
On a local site, https://www.adverts.ie/cables/3-5mm-...cable/24463987 there's an adapter that accepts a 4 pin headphone (= EVERY headphone/mic combo) and gives you separate inputs for the 3 pin earphone & Mic sockets. I used to make those sort of things in a few minutes, but I ordered this.
So I presume the mono socket in my old laptop has been "upgraded" to a stereo one by running 2 parallel input pairs to the same mike. Such is life. It lays open the question of which side of our mouth we're speaking out of. 
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06-01-2022, 11:05 PM
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#8
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Member
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: woodstock-kingston ,ny usa
Distribution: Started out w/Redhat 6.0,7.3,then Suse 8.2 , 9.2 ,10.open suse , KNOPPIX 2.73 &5.1 & Puppy
Posts: 164
Rep:
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HAVE WE NO AUDIOPHILES On LQ?????
Quote:
Originally Posted by business_kid
Well, the webcam came. The microphone plug was a 3 pin and with only a short cable split between it and the usb, so it only wanted to go into the (Onboard) soundcard I'm not listening to.
I tried the microphone in the front mic socket (no dice) and even in the monitor, which also has audio.
Stereo on a microphone is just a farce, but apparently everyone supplies it. The pc is probably wired mono. Pavucontrol wouldn't show me anything.
~Have we no Audiophiles on LQ?
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YES -you have audioPhiles here on LINUX Questions!! -been doing the "audiophile thing for 30 years!!!!!!!
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06-02-2022, 07:19 AM
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#9
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LQ Guru
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Distribution: Slackware, Slarm64 & Android
Posts: 17,262
Original Poster
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Well I asked a question on pc audio and nobody seemed to know...excuse my impertinance
Anyhow, this 4 pin 3.5mm socket to 3×3.5mm plugs seems to be what I need for solving the headphones thing. The fact that I have two sound cards (One built into motherboard, one built into video card) doesn't make things any easier. We'll muddle on…
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