Bluetooth headset for BOTH music and voip?

farsen · 15 Nov 2017

Hi.

I´ve bought a pair of JBL everest 710 bluetooth headphones with a mic for my work-pc, so I can hear music and answer phone calls on Skype for business. Sounds quite basic right? Well as far as I can see this is not possible, but I hope you can prove me wrong :)

In windows 7 'Sound devices' dialog I can choose either to use my bluetooth headset as 'Headphones' or 'Headset'. If I choose the first I can hear music, but the mic is not available in Skype for business. If I choose the latter the mic is available and can be used, but when I play music it´s in horrible phone quality.

Multiple google results leads to the answer that you should just choose the music option. But this aint good enough for me since I bought the headphones for both music and telephony.
When connecting the headphones to my android smartphone there is no problem.

Hope you can help, thanks! :)

Barman58 · 15 Nov 2017

Most of the Bluetooth and conventional wired headphones on the market today are designed for use with mobile devices and so use connections for these devices - there may be a button press combination that switches the headphones themselves into the correct mode but this will also depend on the Bluetooth version running on the computer.

your system should be OK on the Headset Mode as long as the headphones are setup correctly

There are many Bluetooth protocols ...

List of Bluetooth profiles - Wikipedia

you need to combine the A2DP Music and the HSP Headset protocols, which are these days becoming standard in Mobile (Cell) phones, but are only just becoming available in PC devices I've checked the spec on the headphones and they easily meet requirements so you may need to source a suitable Bluetooth USB "dongle" with the required protocol support Have checked locally to me and it looks like you will need a Bluetooth 4.1 usb adaptor for the PC as I am not certain if the version 4 will allow the use of the two protocols you need at the same time

What I do is use a wired Phone headset and use a splitter adaptor for splitting the single plug on the headphones into the two plugs usual on the PC, ( be careful what you buy if you go this way as Apple have modified the pin out on the standard plugs used on everything else so they can patent it and rip people off as always)

farsen · 15 Nov 2017

Thanks alot for your very competent answer.
I am no technician, but what I hear you saying is that if I want to use a wireless bluetooth connection and achieve both music and voip, I can try to buy a bluetooth 4.1 dongle. The drivers for this dongle should be able to support newer protocols which enables multiple connections to the headphones. And then windows is able to send both music and voip signals over the same connection. Do I understand correctly? :)

I do not use apple products, so that wont be a problem.

Thanks alot!

Barman58 · 15 Nov 2017

Yes, I've done it myself on Windows 10 PC's and Laptops

The only issue I can see is getting a suitable BT4.1 adaptor for Windows 7 - saying that there are still a lot of windows 7 systems in use so this should not be a major problem but just check the specs for correct driver and protocol support before purchasing and if possible use a supplier that offers a simple to use returns policy - I have seen a lot of quality variation in USB adaptors in the past

farsen · 15 Nov 2017

Alright, I will do that. Thanks alot for your answer!

farsen · 17 Nov 2017

Hi again Barman :)
I´ve been searching for a usb bluetooth 4.1 dongle, but can´t find any! Only 4.0 dongles. Even though some sites it says 4.1 in the title, the description says 4.0. Am I missing something? Would those 4.0 fit my needs?
See for an example these dongles:
https://www.amazon.com/Bobury-Blueto.../dp/B06XKFQ1Z1
Eh-md21 Bluetooth 4.1 Usb Dongle - Buy Bluetooth Usb Dongle,Bluetooth 4.0 Usb Dongle,Bluetooth Dongle Product on Alibaba.com

Thanks alot :)

Barman58 · 17 Nov 2017

I think it's just a case of carefully checking the fine print that the protocols you need are included, the 4.1 version number is new so some suppliers will update the "headline Information" and leave the detail unchanged. The market is very volatile and competitive, which can lead suppliers to claim more for their devices than they can actually do which is why I suggest the use of a supplier that has a "No Quibble" warrantee returns policy. It may also be a good idea to search for the item you are looking at's User Guide or manual online as that should give full information of specs

The issue that I find is that although the suppliers specify the Bluetooth version number they rarely specify the actual protocol support which is the information you require, Technically the version 4.0 devices should give what you need but I do suspect that there are some unscrupulous sellers out there that change their advertising at will whenever a new version is released without changing the device

There is also the option of specialist Software/Devices BlueSoleil, the most easy-to-use, innovative and interoperable Bluetooth software, Bluetooth driver has been around since before bluetooth was included, (as a fully working System), with windows, and I always advised against it as there was an additional cost involved, (it was included with some hardware for free but in a limited "taster" form only). I have started to see some suppliers offer fully working versions, at their cost, to allow better control of the numerous protocols so it is something to look out for as an option as it can make controlling multiple channels easier