I recently bought an Alienware AW3225DM monitor and found that it doesn't have a headphone jack. I connected my earbuds to both the front and rear audio ports on my Omen desktop instead. Windows 10 detects "Speakers/Headphones (Realtek(R) Audio)" and shows the volume meter moving when I play a YouTube video, but I can't hear anything through the earbuds. The earbuds work with other devices. My system has an Intel Core i7-8700, 16GB of RAM, and an RTX 4060. Could this be a Realtek setting or jack issue, or would an audio extractor be a better solution?
2 Answers
Since both the front and rear jacks behave the same way, the problem is probably with the Windows or Realtek audio configuration rather than one physical port. Double-check that the Realtek speakers are the default output, that the device isn’t muted, and that the left/right balance is equal. Reinstalling or updating the motherboard’s Realtek audio driver may also help.
The earbuds themselves may be fine but still have compatibility issues with the desktop’s analog jack, especially if they use a four-contact headset plug. A small USB audio adapter or USB DAC is usually inexpensive and avoids the onboard Realtek jack entirely. It should appear as a separate output device in Windows and is simpler than buying a DisplayPort or HDMI audio extractor.
They’re inexpensive Walmart earbuds, but they work normally on my other devices. I’m still open to trying a low-cost USB audio adapter if the desktop jack can’t be made to work.
I tried both the front and rear ports and got the same result: Windows shows audio activity, but nothing comes through the earbuds.