Windows 11 Audio Weirdness: Bluetooth vs Wired, Headphone vs Headset, and More

I do some Youtube videos and one of the ways is to use NVIDIA Shadowplay to both capture the foodtage AND to add live commentary. However, it seems that Win11 has changed the way things are set it's a royal PITA to connect Bluetooth headset, but only use it as Bluetooth headphones. It seems you cannot "choose" that, but you have to disable it under Settings // System // Sound then find Microphone section, find the Bluetooth microphone, and click on "don't allow". 

There are other ways, but they come with additional drawbacks. One of the ways offered up by Google via one of the forums was go into Device Manager and disable the device's "AVRCP" protocol driver. However, this has several problems. a) if you disable AVRCP, Windows will not detect your headset as a headphone, but as a hands-free device. What's the difference? A hands-free device, in order to give microphone fidelity, HALVES the audio transmission quality of whatever you're receiving. Since we're NOT using the microphone, and Bluetooth already has lousy audio quality (and Qualcomm's AptX supposedly helps with that, but is obviously exclusive to Qualcomm chipsets) this is a very bad compromise. 

PC Macroboard Update: I Bought One! Epomaker EK21 VIA

Sometimes, somethings are just too good of a bargain you can't pass it up. And when I saw a macroboard available for sale, it took me several minutes to decide to take advantage of it. 

I am buying this: Epomaker EK21 VIA

Epomaker EK21 VIA, courtesy of Epomaker.com

You may be asking: so what? It's a numpad. 

Ah, but it's a triple mode numpad: wired, Bluetooth, and dongle-wireless. 

Okay, so? 

It's also VIA firmware customizable. No proprietary software needed. Use the nearly universal VIA website to map everything, from macros to layers. And it has a knob in the upper left corner. It's RGB, hot swappable switches, And it has 4 layers (0 through 3), and can be paired to up to 3 devices under Bluetooth. No more struggling with proprietary macro software. 

And the best thing is the price. It's on sale for $33.99, and there's a $5 off coupon you get if you do the spinner game on their website. Shipping from China is free. Final out the door price: $28.99. No tax either. 

I can easily program the RGB lights to indicate the layer mode, which means I have 20 keys and 1 knob to program * 4 layers to map. Even if we take away 1 key as layer switch, that's still 19 keys + 1 knob x 4 I can map actions to. 

The only thing that could be better would be it has a display, like Stream Dock or XenceLabs macropad. And those are $100. Maybe discounted to $80 if I find it REALLY on sale. And they don't have nearly as many keys as this. For saving $50+ dollars, I can live with the limitations, esp. if I find my "relegendable" keycaps I stashed away somewhere. 

Yes, you can make IEMs Wireless... With a "Bluetooth Adapter"

 IEMs, or "in-ear monitors", are basically in-ear high-end earphones, that usually look like this:

KZ ZEX hybrid IEM from KZ-Audio

Note the wires. Yes, this has wires. because these are wired IEMs. And most people prefer it that way. In fact, they would even upgrade the wires to monocrystal core, multi-strand, oxygen-free wiring... However, these wires are... replaceable. Yes, you can remove the wires. There are 3 types of plugs, 0.75mm (or 0.78mm), MMCX, and a new one called "S-plug", which seems to be a variation of the 2-pin. 

What if you want a set of wireless IEM? 

You could add on what's commonly called "Bluetooth adapter", or "Bluetooth upgrade wire". And they'd look something like this. This is the split version. You can also get one that's linked together via wire around back of neck. 

KZ AE01 BT 5.4 IEM Adapter via KZ-Audio

See where it connects to the two IEMs? So basically it will turn any 0.75mm or 0.78 mm 2-wire IEM into a Bluetooth wireless version. IEM itself is NOT included, but AE01 itself is available directly from KZ for as low as $25 USD or from Amazon in the US for about $34, which seems to be a bargain. KZ itself also makes a version using several different Qualcomm chipsets for different price points. And you can also find versions made for MMCX and S-plug. 

This obviously, is NOT the only company making such. Prices vary greatly, from $20 to $200. The more expensive ones are from famous maker (such as Shure) and/or using high-end Qualcomm Bluetooth chipset that also support Qualcomm HD audio, AptX, and so on. 

So if you have a good set of 2-wire IEMs, you can turn them wireless with these adapters. 

Weird Limitation on this 3 knob 11 key macroboard...

A while back, I'm not sure where, I picked up this macro keyboard that has 3 rotating encoders (knobs) and 11 keys. However, I can't find a use for it at the time, so I put it back in the box. (I actually also have a single knob 6 key version I probably bought off Temu)  Now that I dug it out again, I start to wonder what can I do with it. 

Took me a while, but I FINALLY found the right driver for it. It was made by Videyt, but their download website is NOT well designed. The software listed next to the device actually will NOT work. I had to download the version just above it, the "upgraded" version's software, to see the device. 

And somehow Chrome won't finish the download. Had to bring out Firefox to download the file correctly. 

Then there's the problem of setting "layers". You see, while the software claims to support 3 layers of settings, there seems to be no key or keymapping in the software that lets you toggle through the layers. 

It wasn't until I find better description of the device that I realize there isn't one. There is an EXTERNAL button that toggles among the 3 layers. The button was so tiny and recessed flat I thought it was a reset or Bluetooth pairing request button. It wasn't until I saw a diagram that labelled the LED as layer indicator that I realized there's only a manual switch. Yes, I know this is not an exact match, but it's close enough. And yes, mine has RGB lights... and Bluetooth. 

Probably should have paid a bit more so I can get one that's compatible with GMK or VIA firmware... so I can toggle layers via one of the keys, not a switch. Hahaha. Still, those are like $70-100, whereas this one... is about $35-45. (The little 1 knob 6 key one is like... $10-15?)

ed

Post-Black Friday Rant

Image via WikipediaThis year's Black Friday is a real bust, not much good electronics and gadgets for sale at all. I bought myself a refurb Jawbone 1.0 for $54, and that's via online, even BEFORE black friday.

Which brings me to a rant on Bluetooth headsets.

I don't believe I have very strange ears, so why is it that very few BT headset fits me well? They don't fit comfortably, or they have lousy volume, or they have lousy battery life... The list goes on, and on.

Tried cheap ones, expensive ones, just not super-premium ones yet.

Tried Jabra for a while. Had like three different Jabras. BT125 keeps losing connection to my phone, so did a BT2020. Even that one that uses batteries didn't work that well. One of my friends had it literally smoking (too hot to hold in hand).

Tried third-party. Plugs are never universal, and the fit to ear is usually horrible. Argh! Tried two or three different ones from various sources.

Motorola at least standardized on one plug, but the older models are huge (and still don't fit the ears that well), and a mid-level model (about $40 retail) I got lost half of its volume, making it nearly useless.

Decided to try something a bit higher... Tried a Plantronics "rugged" model... Worked well enough for a week. Then the plastic cover no longer fits. Argh, and neither does the charge port cover.

So when I saw the Jawbone 1 refurb for sale, I decided to try it. New, they got for about $80-$100. 2nd gen Jawbone goes for $130 in stores. The refurb is $55.

First thing I saw is 4 different ear pads and 4 different ear hooks. Wow! And the earhook is metal, but with a rubber stretchy-section. 2nd, it has USB charge cable. In fact, the "home charger" is a 120V to 5V USB adapter. That's usually extra cost item but here it's free. Third, the packaging is very distinct, a clear plastic box with the accessories in black boxes encased below. I'll have to include a picture soon.

So far, it seems to drop connection a bit, but calls are coming in and going out clear, so not too much complaints so far. There's always wish for the smaller model. :D