How to connect headphones to a computer (Windows 7). Do not connect the headphones to the computer, what should I do?

If you constantly work at the computer and at the same time like to listen to music, then you do not need to talk about the importance of headphones. Without them, your musical preferences become known to everyone around you, and this is not always a good thing. And that's not to mention the happy parents of young children, who have a bad habit of waking up from every loud sound.

Strangely enough, but the question of how to connect headphones to a computer (Windows 7 in this respect is in the lead), is set a considerable number of users. Strange (at first glance) it may seem because of apparent simplicity. Like, I connected the plug to the right connector, and that's it, it's a hat ... Unfortunately, it's not always so easy.

Rear Panel Connection

Today, more and more users are buying headphones with a microphone: the increasing popularity of Skype is affecting, and it's not worth forgetting about other similar programs. In addition, with the help of this type of headset you can play online games, communicating with your rivals through voice communication. However, it is not so easy to "make friends" with old computers, on the motherboard of which there may not be suitable connectors.

Before connecting the headphones to the computer (Windows 7 has problems in this regard, and therefore be careful), you need to make sure that the jack under them is intended for stereo sound. So make sure beforehand that you plug into the audio connector a normal stereo cord.

It is checked up to banality simply: on Jack `it should be necessarily drawn two black strips. Otherwise, there is a short circuit on the right output, which eventually leads to the failure of the connector. If you use standard headphones, then in the store for radio amateurs it is better to find a special adapter that will prevent the possibility of such a closure.

If you bought a normal stereo headphone with Jack plug, which is 3.5 millimeters in diameter, you can connect them to the green connector on the sound card of your computer or laptop. If there is no color marking, be guided by the inscription "Phones", which should be in any case.

Connecting professional headphones

Professional equipment, which is used by directors and employees of record studios, is a separate topic. The thing is that these headphones are equipped with plugs with a diameter of 6.3 millimeters. You can connect them to a completely normal port, simply by purchasing a suitable adapter from the radio components store.

But professionals notice that these plugs set the so-called "radial" load on the socket. So try to create a self-made adapter. This is easy: take a 3.5 mm plug and a 6.3 mm connector, attach them to each other with a suitable copper core wire.

Old equipment

Since you can connect headphones to a computer, if they are equipped with an old ONC-VG plug, you can not directly get it, you need to think about making a special adapter. If you are interested in radio engineering, you know that such a plug is available on old domestic headphones of the TDS series. Despite a decent age, the quality of their sound to this day remains on top.

To mount such an adapter, use an ohmmeter to check the pinout of the plug. If it is connected between the input and the common contact of one of a pair of channels, then only one of them will be clicked.

In the event that clicks are heard at once in both channels (simultaneously), they are connected in series. After determining which channels correspond to the stereo output, you can start making an adapter. It will require a standard socket of the type ONTS-VG, equipped with five contacts, and a 3.5 mm Jack plug.

A bit about headphones with a microphone

Finally, let's talk about how to connect headphones with a microphone. Since there are two plugs for such equipment, it is necessary to look for a connector marked "Mic". Keep in mind that the quality of work and sound transmission depends largely on the software you use, so you need to configure it correctly. Consider the most common and simple method.

To do this, click on the "Start" button, find the "Control Panel" item in the opened menu. In the next dialog box, select the "Sound" option. There we are interested in the "Recording" tab, which clearly shows if the input for the microphone is connected, or you made a mistake with the line input.

Connect through the front panel

Today it is difficult to find a system unit on sale that would not have a headphone jack on the front panel. And this is a great joy, as in a relatively recent past you had to crawl at the computer, searching for the desired connector by touch.

Before connecting the headphones to the computer (Windows 7 you or another OS - it does not matter), it is desirable to install the software from Realtek. At once we will make a reservation: at first we will consider this case, since controllers from this manufacturer are the most widespread and are found almost in every system unit.

Where to connect

First you need to look at the connectors themselves: next of them, which is intended for headphones, there will be a corresponding icon. If you have a device with a headset for talking, you need to connect the second connector correctly. In this case, you will also be helped by the corresponding pictogram.

You can understand this by looking at the color of the plug itself: if it is for headphones, then it is covered with green plastic. If for a microphone, then the finish is often pink.

Software

After connecting, you need to start the Realtek manager, which in such cases should be searched in the tray. Run the utility: on the right side of its dialog box, you will see the connectors for connecting headphones. Note: the active jacks will be highlighted brighter, while the disabled ones are easy to recognize by easy "blurring".

To activate the inactive jacks, you need to click on the folder icon at the top of the dialog box. A window opens with the parameters of the connectors, through which they can be controlled.

In it, it is necessary to check the option "Disable the definition of the front panel sockets", and then click "OK". The outputs will become active, after which you can easily determine where to connect the headphones to the computer.

If headphones with a microphone

Double-click the left mouse button to open the device selection window. In the drop-down list, select headphones or a microphone (if necessary). Only after carrying out all the above manipulations, the front exits begin to work fully.

Before connecting the headphones to the computer, it is better to make sure of their performance in advance, by testing them on the player or smartphone. Surprisingly, how many nerves were spent on connecting equipment that was already faulty!

Can I connect headphones and speakers at the same time?

It is generally accepted that if you connect speakers, headphones can only be plugged into their connector (if any). This is not true!

You can do much easier by buying a cheap and practical splitter. You can connect two pairs of headphones to it. Also there are devices that support the possibility of connecting more devices. But before connecting the headphones to a computer (Windows 7 or similar system) by this method, make sure that your amplifier will pull out so much.

Possible problems

We have already said that it is not always possible to do everything from the first time. The most common problem is the absence of sound. What happened and how to eliminate such an unfortunate misunderstanding?

First of all, you need to check the headphone plug itself. Among cheap models, you can often find hidden marriage, when the diameter of "Jack" is slightly less than that of the connector. In this case, a complete visual impression is created that it is securely inserted, but the computer does not "see" the headphones.

To protect yourself from such surprises, be sure to check the equipment you buy in the shop.

Of course, that it can be the connector itself, which is especially important for old computers. Check it by connecting to it known working speakers or other headphones.

Among other things, the problem can be in the mixer settings. To check them, you need to find the icon in the tray with the speaker, and then double-click on it with the left mouse button. A dialog box will open in which all possible programs and devices for sound output will be marked with icons. Its level can be adjusted using the same sliders. They also need to pay attention when quietly playing headphones on the computer.

If under any of the devices you noticed an icon with a crossed out speaker, then the problem will be solved very quickly. Simply click the icon once with the left mouse button. After this, you can conduct a test of the performance of headphones.

Make sure that the audio device is connected

If the computer does not "see" the headphones, the cause can also be searched in the "Task Manager". To do this, right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties in the context menu that opens. A window opens, on the left side of which you need to find and activate the "Device Manager" option. In the dialog that appears, select the item "Sound, video and game controllers." Expand the drop-down list by clicking on the "+" icon.

Drivers

If there is a question mark in front of one of the devices in the list, then the problem is in the drivers. Click on it with the right mouse button, and then click on the item "Update drivers" in the dropped context menu. Important! For success, you must have a media with installation files or the Internet, from which the program itself siphons everything you need.

Restore the original device driver

Even if you do not have headphones on your computer after that, it makes sense to try to roll back the drivers to their original state. To do this, we do everything as in the previous case, but after you click on the device with the right mouse button in the drop-down menu, select the "Properties" item. A dialog box appears in which we are interested in the "Driver" tab.

Opening it, you need to click the "Rollback" button. All! Most likely, the system will be able to roll back to the last successful configuration, after which your equipment will work.

Some notes on USB headphones

Recently, USB microphones have become relatively popular. Their dignity is that they only need one connector. Unfortunately, they have certain drawbacks. Very often they "refuse" to work with old motherboards.

It happens that headphones are not connected to the computer due to the fact that the old USB 1.0 standard is used. Its speed is trite enough for adequate data transfer, and therefore in the case of the old machine it is better not to buy such models at all.

And further. It is generally accepted that such headphones are universal. This is far from the case. They are great for negotiating Skype and online games. It is strongly recommended not to use them for music! The fact is that they are difficult to calibrate at low frequencies, and when watching movies where sound is superimposed on music, USB headphones for a computer can greatly "lubricate" the sound, making it fuzzy.

It is best to connect them through the rear connectors. As a rule, the data transfer rate is always higher. In addition, often the front connectors are connected by the "talented" assemblers badly, so that there may be problems with connecting and determining the equipment. So before you plug in the headphones, Windows 7 (and if the OS is older, especially) should be completely updated so that all drivers are available.

Gamer models

And now let's talk about games. This is a special topic. The fact is that for a full and interesting game, a well-chosen sound theme is vitally important. Have you ever listened to music in Morrowind? If so, you certainly can not imagine how you can play this wonderful game, mocking your ears through cheap Chinese devices!

In general, gaming headphones for a computer must maintain an optimal low-frequency balance . This is due to the fact that you will not have a subwoofer (for obvious reasons), and high frequencies in games are very rare (not really this opera, in fact).

Of course, in WOT and similar team projects involving interaction with other gamers, the built-in microphone will come in handy.

As for the materials for the case, it is preferable to choose qualitatively screened models. In order to fully immerse in the atmosphere of the virtual world, it is necessary to completely abstract from the reality of the surrounding reality. If you can hear all the sounds in the room through the headphones, then you will not be able to do it.

Cups should be covered with a soft and "breathing" material, which will not rub the skin of the ears, nor will it help them to become chapped with sweat.

Please note: the weight of professional headphones is pretty decent. Of course, after a few minutes you stop noticing it, but after an hour and a half after the start of the game, we advise taking breaks. This is useful not only for your eyes, but also for the neck.

When choosing a game model, pay attention to more expensive samples. As a rule, several speakers are installed in their cups, the volume of each of which can be adjusted separately.

We hope that you learned how to turn on your headphones. Windows 7, as experts say, has some problems with audio transmission, and therefore we advise you to connect devices using a high-quality sound card.