Question Can my computer use an all-in-one headphone/microphone with one jack?

hbenthow

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Dec 11, 2014
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My HP computer has two audio jacks in the front. One has a headphone symbol on it, but the other has both a headphone and microphone symbol. Is the one with both symbols capable of utilizing a one-plug, all-in-one headphone microphone headset, or is it merely capable of using either a microphone or a pair of headphones (but not transmitting audio in both directions simultaneously)?

The image below is of a computer with the same symbols by the jacks as mine has.

set-up-gaming-headset-with-computer2.png
 

Quarkzquarkz

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Sep 18, 2013
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No. The headphone jack has no microphone signal, only audio and vice versa for the microphone input. The desktop itself utilizes 2 separate signals for this very reason. Thus, putting in one or the other will not work. Even if you had a headphone jack that contained all-in-one so to speak, it still wouldn't work because the printed circuit board itself has 2 separate signals dedicated for each specific input. Good luck!
 

hbenthow

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Dec 11, 2014
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No. The headphone jack has no microphone signal, only audio and vice versa for the microphone input. The desktop itself utilizes 2 separate signals for this very reason. Thus, putting in one or the other will not work. Even if you had a headphone jack that contained all-in-one so to speak, it still wouldn't work because the printed circuit board itself has 2 separate signals dedicated for each specific input. Good luck!

So one of the jacks (the one with both symbols) can take either a microphone of a headphone - just not both signals at once, correct?
 
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