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Comments on How can I plug in both a microphone and speaker to a laptop with a single 3.5 mm jack?

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How can I plug in both a microphone and speaker to a laptop with a single 3.5 mm jack?

+2
−3

My dad has a Lenovo Y700 laptop with only one 3.5 mm jack (green arrow in pic). He uses this laptop for video calls.

He must use the single jack for speakers, because it is impossible to hear people clearly with the laptop's own, shoddy speakers. That means for a microphone, he must use the laptop's builtin mic, which produces terrible audio quality for the other person.

He has Zalman ZM-MIC1, but how can he plug in both this mic, and the speaker?

I am hoping to avoid buying additional microphones, because we already have 5 spare standalone microphones and wish to save money.

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3 comment threads

x-post https://superuser.com/q/1666724/383391 (1 comment)
No can do. (1 comment)
Today i'm going shopping... (3 comments)
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+8
−0

You are looking for a TRRS Headset Adapter

The Lenovo Y700 has a Combo Audio Jack designed for headsets that contain their own microphone. That means that the jack can handle both audio output and input at the same time.

There are different standards on how to make devices for this and the User Manual for the Y700 even states:

• The combo audio jack does not support conventional microphones.

• The recording function might not be supported if third-party headphones or headsets are connected, due to different industry standards

I personally own a Lenovo Legion Y740. That's not the same as your dad's Y700, but I suspect they would have the same technology for their Combo Audio Jack. I tested a TRRS Headset adapter on the Y740 to split the signals for the Combo Audio Jack into microphone and speaker and it worked.

UGREEN TRRS Headset Adapter

If you don't want to worry about TRRS and want something that will work for any computer, your best bet is to buy a USB Audio Adapter. These are easily found at your favorite online retailer for around $10 USD (the same as the headset adapter) and feature both a microphone and headphone jack. I use the one below myself for video conferencing sometimes.

Sabrent USB Audio Adapter

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1 comment thread

Make sure it has the right number of rings (1 comment)
Make sure it has the right number of rings
matthewsnyder‭ wrote over 1 year ago

Usually, these jacks are designed to be used with phone-type earphones that have a mic as well. Otherwise people would have no way to make calls. So the jack probably supports both input and output. I used an adapter like this as well at some point and they work pretty well.

Keep in mind that the number of black rings on the plug matters. Dana already said TRRS - but there is another type with fewer rings, and you don't want that one! So make sure to check how many rings the TRRS is supposed to have, and how many are on the one you're buying (Amazon sellers often mislabel such small and cheap parts).