Microphone just...stops working?

Anonymous Robot

So I've had a Plantronics headset for about two months now. I'm talking on Ventrilo, and all of the sudden the mic just stops working. I hadn't changed any settings, or anything, that I know of.

I tried restarting, and that's no good. I tried running the sound devices wizard, and it couldn't pick up any sound from the mic.

Is there anything I can mess with to get this working? I simply cannot afford another headset.

Anonymous Robot

This thread should be moved to H/A, my apologies.

HarshLanguage

Have you tried unplugging it, replugging it, and fiddling with the mic wire and the mic boom while you speak into it? I'm thinking that the wire has come loose or been damaged inside the rubber cord. In which case, you're probably out of luck, sorry. But the fiddling might give you intermittent functionality when you fiddle it in certain ways, proving that it's a physical problem.

Have you tried it on a different PC? Or in a different mic plug on your PC, if you have both built-in motherboard sound AND a separate sound card (which some people do).

Anonymous Robot

HarshLanguage wrote: »

Have you tried unplugging it, replugging it, and fiddling with the mic wire and the mic boom while you speak into it? I'm thinking that the wire has come loose or been damaged inside the rubber cord. In which case, you're probably out of luck, sorry. But the fiddling might give you intermittent functionality when you fiddle it in certain ways, proving that it's a physical problem.

Have you tried it on a different PC? Or in a different mic plug on your PC, if you have both built-in motherboard sound AND a separate sound card (which some people do).

I have tried unplugging it. The mic and headphone have one wire, as far as I can tell, or the mic wire is concealed. Have tried adjusting mic boom.

If the wire has come loose or the cord has been damaged, then this will be the fifth mic in the span of 18 months where that's happened to me, nearing $250 cumulative. This may be my last mic, it just isn't worth it.

Will try another computer.

sonictk

You spend $50 on each mic? Unless you're doing professional voice recording, a simple mic should run you about like... $5?

Anonymous Robot

sonictk wrote: »

You spend $50 on each mic? Unless you're doing professional voice recording, a simple mic should run you about like... $5?

The cheapest ones they offer in my area are $30 (mic and headphone set).