LOUD Audio Burst w Headset/Mike

Waltz · Post by **Waltz** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:08 pm

I purchased a MagicJack thinking I could use it with my PC’s boom mike/headset while I was working on the PC. I use the mike/headset to record instructional audio/video files… and it works fine with the recorders.

After a few hours typing back and forth on the live chat the problem was not resolved. [I am not much of a typist which is why I wanted the capability to talk through the PC in the first place.] I do not think the techs even understood what the problem was. They had me go through the same things I tried, on their web site, before contacting them… yes them. I talked, or rather typed, to two different tech support folks over a 3 hour period. The second tech had me do the same things all over again.

PROBLEM DEFINED:
The problem with using the headset/mike is the person on the other end hears their own voice come back to them as a loud delayed burst. Turning the headset and mike volume controls on MagicJack way down did decrease the volume of the burst but did not eliminate it. The volume was low to begin with. The burst heard by the person called is not only very LOUD it is also delayed by a second or two… making it very hard or impossible to carry on a conversation.

WHAT I TRIED:
I tried an old dial phone but while it worked better the volume was very low… even with the MagicJack phone volume turned up. I finally purchased a new Single-Line Headset Telephone with another boom mike/headset. I have now used it several times talking to a few people and it seems to work ok. I would still like more volume as I am running at max volume now and if people talk very softly it is hard to hear them. The phone I purchased is from Radio Shack online and was on special last December. It is a Plantronics T10 (See plantronics.com). I can use it with my home system if I decide to drop MagicJack later.

Has anyone had any luck at using the PC’s Mike/Headset with magicJack?
Does anyone have any idea what is causing the LOUD BURST at the called person’s phone?
What can be done to eliminate it?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

mberlant · Post by **mberlant** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:36 pm

To reduce echo you need to reduce the volumes inside the MJ softphone, because that is where the caller's voice bleeds into yours. Reduce the receiving volume to the minimum comfortable volume to your ears and set your microphone to about 1/3 and ask callers to help you tweak the rest.

Waltz · Post by **Waltz** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:38 pm

Thanks!
I had suspected that is where the problem lies. What is amazing is the echo returned to the person on the other end is very loud even if there voice and mine are low. I thought it may be feed through my headset/mike so I have tried unplugging the headset/mike but their voice stills come through. It is not just an echo but a loud short burst of only a word or two in a sentence… but VERY LOUD.

Are saying the bleed through is in the MJ hardware and not the PC? Since I can hardly hear them as it is I could not use it in this condition. I may try reducing the receiving (headset) volume and see if I can listen on my speakers… I can turn them up a little more. I may also try to add a headset/mike amplifier external to the PC. Has anyone tried that? If so what did you use and where did you find it?

For now the NEW Plantronics T10 phone seems to work just fine. I think it may have a built in amplifier.

Hey for $20/year I am fairly happy with MJ… and it may eventually drive the other long distance carriers’ prices down.

Thanks again mberlant for your reply!

bruiseviolet · Post by **bruiseviolet** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:28 pm

Go into your sound properties in the control panel and make sure MIC BOOST is not checked. that will cause this to happen also.