Question Can't Get Headphones to Work

[Hutchins4292]

Although I describe a problem with getting hardware (headphones) to work, I believe the problem is with Windows 11 settings (as explained below) which is why I'm posting in this forum.

I have used inexpensive Bluetooth earbuds to hear audio, but they are unreliable, working sometimes and not others. I'm weary of having to spend a quarter hour or more getting them to work before I can hear audio from the system; PLUS I can't get the damned things to stay in my ears. I have a pair of headphones that I know to work having tested them on my guitar amplifier. I have plugged them into the headphone jack on the front of my system case but cannot get any audio to play.

I do not have any functioning speakers although I do see ports for attaching speakers and a microphone on my system unit. I have never used either of those ports.

Here is what Device Manager shows me.
DevMgr Audio.png (35.03 KiB) Viewed 22 times
I don't know, for certain, what the R240HY is. I think it to be the designation for my ACER LED monitor. Searches online tell me that the ACER R240HY monitor has NO audio capability; so I don't understand why it is appearing under Audio in the Device Manager, unless, of course, it is not referring to the monitor. I did find a headphone jack on the back of the monitor. I've tried it and the one on the system unit (case). Neither gives me sound in the earphones.

Win 11 Settings > Sound > Properties also shows the R240HY as the audio device.
System Sound Properties R240HY.png (131.44 KiB) Viewed 22 times
I have no clue why Don't Allow appears. I'm really flummoxed by the fact that there seems to be no way to change that setting.

Having previously been able to use BT earbuds, I infer that the system audio (Realtec Audio Effects Component in Device Manager) works. Having never used the headphone jack successfully, I don't know if there is a hardware problem with the jack.

I think the fact that the system shows what I believe to be my monitor - which has no speakers that I can discover physically or by searching online - as the audio device to be the problem. I'm at a loss as to how to change the Don't Allow (in the screenshot above). I DID test the headphone jack's operability using my guitar amp; so I know the headphones work.

Thanks, in advance, for any help you can give me.

 

[Aeacus]

Having never used the headphone jack successfully, I don't know if there is a hardware problem with the jack.

Your issue is either software or hardware.

Software wise, when you have more than one audio output device, you need to select the default audio output device from the settings. Doing that from Win is cumbersome and difficult. For that purpose, it is far convenient to use 3rd party app. E.g SoundSwitch,
link: https://soundswitch.aaflalo.me/

With SoundSwitch, before switching between devices, you need to open it's settings and 1st select the devices what you want to switch in-between. Afterwards, switching between audio output devices is by Alt + Ctrl + F11 and between recording devices, by Alt + Ctrl + F7. These are default hotkeys, that you can change within SoundSwitch settings.

SoundSwitch is a godsend app. I have 5 audio output devices and 6 recording devices connected to my PC, where i can define freely by which devices i can switch in-between, to make them the primary/default device in Win, as need be.

I have a pair of headphones that I know to work having tested them on my guitar amplifier. I have plugged them into the headphone jack on the front of my system case but cannot get any audio to play.

As for hardware; what is the impedance of your headset? Since if it is too high, the PC isn't powerful enough to power and sustain it. When headset impedance is high, any sound heard from headset is very quiet. And if too high, no sound what-so-ever.

Your guitar AMP is far more powerful than the common PC and it's 3.5mm jack. Hence why headset works with AMP, which naturally amplifies the sound and also provides appropriate voltage to the headset. But PCs aren't built as high-grade amplifiers. On the MoBo, there is dedicated section for audio and it may provide a bit of amplification, but nowhere near close to the requirements of studio headphones.

I think it to be the designation for my ACER LED monitor. Searches online tell me that the ACER R240HY monitor has NO audio capability; so I don't understand why it is appearing under Audio in the Device Manager, unless, of course, it is not referring to the monitor.

HDMI and DP cables can carry audio as well, and this is what the Win picks up, despite the monitor not having any actual speakers in it, to produce sound. My Win10 also shows my MSI monitor as one of the audio output devices, despite my monitor not having built-in speakers in them.

 

[lantis3]

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/586510/no-sound-from-new-r240hy-bidx-monitor

The R240HY BIDX has audio output but no speakers. the BMIUZX and ABMIDX SKUs have speakers built in.

Your monitor's label should tell you what model you have. If it does have speakers built-in and you are using VGA (not shire about DVI) cable, all you need is an audio cable from PC to the monitor headphone jack in.

 

[Hutchins4292]

Your issue is either software or hardware.

Software wise, when you have more than one audio output device, you need to select the default audio output device from the settings. Doing that from Win is cumbersome and difficult. For that purpose, it is far convenient to use 3rd party app. E.g SoundSwitch,
link: https://soundswitch.aaflalo.me/

With SoundSwitch, before switching between devices, you need to open it's settings and 1st select the devices what you want to switch in-between. Afterwards, switching between audio output devices is by Alt + Ctrl + F11 and between recording devices, by Alt + Ctrl + F7. These are default hotkeys, that you can change within SoundSwitch settings.

SoundSwitch is a godsend app. I have 5 audio output devices and 6 recording devices connected to my PC, where i can define freely by which devices i can switch in-between, to make them the primary/default device in Win, as need be.


As for hardware; what is the impedance of your headset? Since if it is too high, the PC isn't powerful enough to power and sustain it. When headset impedance is high, any sound heard from headset is very quiet. And if too high, no sound what-so-ever.

Your guitar AMP is far more powerful than the common PC and it's 3.5mm jack. Hence why headset works with AMP, which naturally amplifies the sound and also provides appropriate voltage to the headset. But PCs aren't built as high-grade amplifiers. On the MoBo, there is dedicated section for audio and it may provide a bit of amplification, but nowhere near close to the requirements of studio headphones.


HDMI and DP cables can carry audio as well, and this is what the Win picks up, despite the monitor not having any actual speakers in it, to produce sound. My Win10 also shows my MSI monitor as one of the audio output devices, despite my monitor not having built-in speakers in them.

Thanks for this information. I don't think the headset has high impedance. It's a relatively inexpensive set. I don't have other devices to check them in.

 

[Hutchins4292]

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/586510/no-sound-from-new-r240hy-bidx-monitor

The R240HY BIDX has audio output but no speakers. the BMIUZX and ABMIDX SKUs have speakers built in.

Your monitor's label should tell you what model you have. If it does have speakers built-in and you are using VGA (not shire about DVI) cable, all you need is an audio cable from PC to the monitor headphone jack in.

The monitor does not have built in speakers. I verified that fact online. It IS connected to the system with an HDMI cable which should carry audio to the jack.

I THINK the problem is with the audio settings, but I cannot figure out how to change them.

 

[lantis3]

What's motherboard model?

Have you installed audio driver from motherboard vendor? Chipset/video driver update might help too. Some Intel video and audio functions are integrated.

 

[Hutchins4292]

Your issue is either software or hardware.

Software wise, when you have more than one audio output device, you need to select the default audio output device from the settings. Doing that from Win is cumbersome and difficult. For that purpose, it is far convenient to use 3rd party app. E.g SoundSwitch,
link: https://soundswitch.aaflalo.me/

With SoundSwitch, before switching between devices, you need to open it's settings and 1st select the devices what you want to switch in-between. Afterwards, switching between audio output devices is by Alt + Ctrl + F11 and between recording devices, by Alt + Ctrl + F7. These are default hotkeys, that you can change within SoundSwitch settings.

SoundSwitch is a godsend app. I have 5 audio output devices and 6 recording devices connected to my PC, where i can define freely by which devices i can switch in-between, to make them the primary/default device in Win, as need be.


As for hardware; what is the impedance of your headset? Since if it is too high, the PC isn't powerful enough to power and sustain it. When headset impedance is high, any sound heard from headset is very quiet. And if too high, no sound what-so-ever.

Your guitar AMP is far more powerful than the common PC and it's 3.5mm jack. Hence why headset works with AMP, which naturally amplifies the sound and also provides appropriate voltage to the headset. But PCs aren't built as high-grade amplifiers. On the MoBo, there is dedicated section for audio and it may provide a bit of amplification, but nowhere near close to the requirements of studio headphones.


HDMI and DP cables can carry audio as well, and this is what the Win picks up, despite the monitor not having any actual speakers in it, to produce sound. My Win10 also shows my MSI monitor as one of the audio output devices, despite my monitor not having built-in speakers in them.

Thanks for recommending Soundswitch. I installed it and now the headphone jack on my monitor produces audio.

 

[Hutchins4292]

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/586510/no-sound-from-new-r240hy-bidx-monitor

The R240HY BIDX has audio output but no speakers. the BMIUZX and ABMIDX SKUs have speakers built in.

Your monitor's label should tell you what model you have. If it does have speakers built-in and you are using VGA (not shire about DVI) cable, all you need is an audio cable from PC to the monitor headphone jack in.

The monitor is connected to the system unit via HDMI cable which, as I understand it, carries both audio and video signals. Am I wrong?

 

[Hutchins4292]

Thanks for recommending Soundswitch. I installed it and now the headphone jack on my monitor produces audio.

Hmmm. The headphone jack on the R240HY worked briefly after choosing it with Soundswitch, but it has stopped working.

 

[Hutchins4292]

What's motherboard model?

Have you installed audio driver from motherboard vendor? Chipset/video driver update might help too. Some Intel video and audio functions are integrated.

The unit is an HP Slimline Mini Deskset that I obtained as a refurb from woot.com. I don't know it to be the case but this system unit, not including the monitor, was probably originally deployed as a workstation in a larger network.

Here's what Speccy says about the mobo:
Manufacturer HP
Model 885F (U3E1)
Version A (SMVB)
Chipset Vendor Intel
Chipset Model Comet Lake
Chipset Revision 03
Southbridge Vendor Intel
Southbridge Model H570
Southbridge Revision 11
System Temperature 38 °C

. . . and the Audio:
Audio
Sound Cards
Realtek High Definition Audio
Intel Display Audio
Playback Device
R240HY (Intel Display Audio)


Can you suggest where I might locate updated drivers? Device Manager says of the audio " . . . the best drivers are already installed."

 

[lantis3]

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/desktops

The monitor is connected to the system unit via HDMI cable which, as I understand it, carries both audio and video signals. Am I wrong?

You are not wrong if the driver is installed correctly. I have encountered numerous times if it's not installed/identified correctly, the hdmi sound will not transmit correctly to the monitor/TV. There are too many times Windows just can't detect TV/monitors correctly for my own experience.

Can you suggest where I might locate updated drivers? Device Manager says of the audio " . . . the best drivers are already installed."

Try HP's autodetect
https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/desktops

or Intel's
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html

Realtek driver sometimes might help too.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-bit-for-intel-nuc-kits-mini-pcs-nuc6cay.html

https://www.realtek.com/Download/List?cate_id=593&menu_id=298

 

[Hutchins4292]

Headphones are working again plugged into the R240HY monitor's headphone jack.