Hi all,
I've been around the internet to find out why I can't get my headset mic to work on the MBP. Mostly, I have read that it is "because it's a line-in and requires a powered microphone". I have done some tests and determined that that is not the reason - but the real reason still eludes me. Here are some interesting facts...
I have tried 2 gaming headsets using the audio-out and line-in jacks. Earphones work fine, mic produced no sound whatsoever. Let me clarify again that it is not low volume due to no amplification - there is no input at all. Then, I put the microphones through an amplifier and again no input at all. Then, I tried a karaoke microphone. It worked fine, but the volume was low. Through the amplifier, it was loud and clear. Most microphones are "mono", but I noticed that the two headset mic plugs had a "stereo" design, meaning two black dividers on the plug instead of one. The karaoke mic plug was mono.
Here's where it gets weird. As a test, I hooked the stereo earphone part up to the line-in jack (unpowered). The earphones worked as a mic and I could talk into them like an unamplified microphone. The macbook pro picked up sound just fine, albiet at a low volume. Both headsets did this.
So, in summary my tests for successful sound input are:
Mono karaoke mic unpowered - yes
Mono karaoke mic powered - yes
Stereo headset mic unpowered - no
Stereo headset mic powered - no
Stereo headset earphones unpowered - yes
Stereo headset earphones powered - yes
Can someone with an electronics degree explain why the real microphone will not work in the line-in port?'
Thanks,
Hank