Output sound quality drops drastically when activating microphone on WIRED headset

Hello Bartek

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

The issue you're encountering with your Jabra Evolve 20 MS headset connected via USB-A to your Windows 11 PC is indeed perplexing, especially since it doesn't occur on your Windows 10 work laptop. This suggests that the problem might be specific to your PC's settings, drivers, or the way Windows 11 handles audio devices when the microphone is in use.

Here are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue:

1. Exclusive Mode: Go to Sound settings in Control Panel (you can search for "Sound" in the Start menu). In the Playback and Recording tabs, find your headset, go to Properties, and under the Advanced tab, uncheck "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device." This setting sometimes causes issues when different applications try to use the device simultaneously.

2. Windows Sonic or Spatial Sound: In the Sound settings, ensure that Windows Sonic for Headphones or any spatial sound format is turned off. These settings can sometimes interfere with audio quality.

3. Ensure your audio drivers are up to date. Visit the manufacturer's website for your PC's motherboard or sound card and download the latest drivers. Also, check Jabra's website for any firmware updates for your headset.

4. In Discord, go to Voice & Video settings and disable "Automatic Gain Control," "Echo Cancellation," and "Noise Reduction." These settings can sometimes lower output quality.

   Do the same for Skype and any other communication software you use.

5. And you may Perform a clean boot (microsoft.com) to see if it is normal, this is a troubleshooting step. In this mode, we can further confirmed whether it is caused by system problems or third-party software or personalized Settings. So please be patient.

   Disclaimer: A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.

   These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get you back on track.

If there is anything not clear or I can't understand your problem, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Best Regards

Patch - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hey Patch, thanks for your message. I have just completed all the steps you suggested. Unfortunately, none of them was able to fix output audio quality issues I have :(

Exclusive mode - checked, no effect

Windows sonic/spatial sound - disabled

Drivers are as fresh as they can be

I have skipped Discord suggestion, as my issue is not discord specific

Clean boot - done, post restart issue is still present.

I'm leaning towards PC wipe :)

Hello,

Thank you for your try and feedback: it may be caused by a problem with the user profile. It is recommended that you create a new profile and try：

Create a new administrator account

Meanwhile, you may create a new test account, and switch to the newly created account to see if the function is normal. Because this cannot be ruled out due to the wrong configuration.

l  Create a local user account

1. Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. (In some versions of Windows you'll see Other users.)

2. Select Add someone else to this PC > I don't have this person's sign-in information, and on the next page, select Add a user without a Microsoft account.

3. Enter a user name, password, or password hint - or choose security questions—and then select Next.

Change a local user account to an administrator account

1. Select Start  > Settings  > Accounts.

2. Under Family & other users, select the account owner name (you should see "Local Account" below the name), then select Change account type.

3. Under Account type, select Administrator, and then select OK.

4. Sign in with the new administrator account.

Visit Create a local user or administrator account in Windows (microsoft.com) for more details.

Note: If the new account is normal, please do not delete the old account before backing up the data of the old account to avoid any data loss.

We look forward to hearing back from you.  

Best Regards

Patch - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi Patch, nice to hear from you again. And also again, I went throug your instructions and issue still remains. Got some screenshots for you from my brand new, local administrator account called 'test' :D I don't even have to go any specific app to experience dropping output audio quality (that's the same behavior i can replicate on my main account). It's enough to toggle between input device options (first screenshot), whenever i select top option of "Mikrofon zestawu słuhawkowego", which in Polish means just "headset's microphone", audio quality of song i'm currently listening immediately drops, when i click on bottom one - "stereo mix", its back to normal, good quality.

Same happens when i toggle between tabs. Audio is 'telephone quality' when i select Recording tab, and is all god on "playback" tab. So still same problem - microphone activation swaps audio codecs/drivers in a way that can be expected from bluetooth headset, but by any means when using my wired Jabras.

Hello
Thank you for providing the screenshots and the detailed description of your issue. It sounds like when you select the "headset's microphone" (Mikrofon zestawu słuchawkowego) as the input device, your system defaults to a "telephone quality" audio profile, which often happens with Bluetooth headsets to balance the simultaneous use of the microphone and speakers. However, since you are using wired Jabra headphones, this should not be the case.

Here are some steps you can take to potentially resolve this issue:

1. Update Audio Drivers:

   • Ensure that your audio drivers are up to date. You can do this by going to the device manager, finding your sound card, and checking for driver updates.

2. Windows Sound Settings:

   • Go into the "Sound" settings in the Control Panel, and under the "Recording" tab, find your microphone. Then click on "Properties" and look for a "Quality" or "Advanced" tab where you can change the default format. Make sure it's set to the highest quality available.

3. Default Communication Device:

   • In the "Sound" settings under the "Playback" and "Recording" tabs, you can set your headset as the "Default Device" and the "Default Communication Device." Ensure that the headset is set as the default device for both playback and recording.

4. Disable Telephony Services:

   • Sometimes, Windows services related to telephony can override your settings. You can try disabling telephony-related services from the Windows Services manager.

5. Use High-Definition Audio Codec:

   • If your system supports High Definition Audio Codec, make sure that it is selected instead of a telephony codec. This is usually found in the properties of your audio devices.

6. Jabra Software:

   • If Jabra has a software or driver package specific for their headset, install it from their official website. Manufacturer-specific software can sometimes resolve compatibility issues.

7. Check Audio Enhancements:

   • In the speaker properties under the "Enhancements" tab, ensure that no enhancements are causing the issue. You can test by disabling all enhancements temporarily.

If after trying these steps the issue persists, it may be worth reaching out to Jabra's support to see if they have any known issues or firmware updates that could resolve this anomaly. It may also be a hardware-related issue, where the wired connection is being misinterpreted by the system as a Bluetooth or lower-quality audio device.

We look forward to hearing back from you.  

Best Regards

Patch - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi Patch. I have just received reply on my support ticket from Jabra. Apparently, as suprising as it may seem, this behavior is there by design. Audio output quality is expected to drop when microphone is activated. Those are just simple office headphones, but that is really dissapointing given price tag on this model.

If you have any questions later, please feel free to ask.

Best Regards

Patch - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hello, I understand your disappointment due to the headphone issues, especially considering the price and brand reputation of Jabra headsets. It's true that some headsets reduce audio output quality when the microphone is activated, usually to optimize call quality and reduce interference from surrounding noise. This may be part of a design decision to ensure clearer voice transmission during calls, but it may be a disappointing limitation for users who expect high-quality audio output.

Please be assured that this is not a Windows issue, but a feature of the headset's design. If you are satisfied with this solution and think it helped understand the situation and alleviated your concerns, please consider marking it as helpful. This way, it will be easier for other users with the same problem to find the answer and understand that what they are experiencing is part of the device's design and not a flaw or bug.

Hopefully this provides you with some comfort and helps you better understand your headset's behavior. If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please feel free to let me know.

Best Regards

Patch - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Thank you, the first suggestion worked perfectly.