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Headset with Mic In iMac Headphone Port

K

Kaos Theory

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 9, 2008
55
0
I am interested in getting a gaming headset, and I do not want to pay the extra money to get a USB headset. The current set I am interested in, the Sennheiser PC 151, isn't USB, and I heard from one review that you must have a USB connection to use the mic on your Mac: "The microphone is not powered and my Intel Mac requires a powered microphone in the Mic Input jackslot. I had to acquire a USB adaptor, but then it worked perfectly. These do not come with a USB plug, only mini-jacks." (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC151-Headset-Cancelling-Control/product-reviews/B000NOR89Y) Another review said that the headphones worked fine on their MacBook Pro, though, so I am confused. Would I be able to use the headset and mic (PC 151) without any trouble on my 2008 iMac? Thank you for your help :D.
 
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Hey, long-time lurker, first-time poster here. :eek: I'm wondering if I need a USB adapter for the same sort of thing, specifically these headphones I already own:

http://www.amazon.com/Yapster-TM-YP100A-Universal-Gaming-Headsets/dp/B001FYDNEA

I'm pretty certain it doesn't have a powered mic. So do I need a USB adapter for the mic to work? Or should my headset work fine? I checked Apple.com to make sure, and the aluminum iMacs (at least the newest ones) have separate jacks for mic and headphones.

Kaos Theory - I don't remember which iMac the '08 is because I get time and technology confused in my head. ;) If it's the white one, this photo shows separate jacks for both. But I don't know what that says about needing a USB adapter or not.

http://images.macworld.com/images/legacy/2004/10/images/content/imac2.gif

Can anyone offer any better information for us? I don't know anything about this sort of thing. All I know is I plug in my headphones into my boyfriend's Asus laptop and they work on there. :)
 
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...

Haha, thanks for the reply... It turns out that I ended up getting some headphones that don't have a mic, so it doesn't matter whether I need to get a USB adapter or not.
I think that this is the problem: Mac's have one headphone jack for audio out, and then a port for audio in. I don't think one of them can do both, so that's where my original question sprang from. I would try your headset on your Mac without an adapter, then if you can't use the mic, go ahead and get one. BTW, nice headset :). Good luck with your listening :D.
Oh, and the '08 iMacs are the aluminum Intel ones ;).
 
Thanks for the clarification. :) I'll try out the headset as soon as I get my iMac. Hopefully it'll work without an adapter.
 
Lol, glad I could help on my help thread :D. Have fun with your new iMac... And if you intend to use that headset for gaming, I recommend CoD4 for Macintosh :). Happy listening.
 
Kaos Theory said:
Lol, glad I could help on my help thread :D. Have fun with your new iMac... And if you intend to use that headset for gaming, I recommend CoD4 for Macintosh :). Happy listening.
Click to expand...

I'm terrible at FPS games, though! I just want to play WoW and Star Wars: The Old Republic when it comes out. I don't expect a Mac client for Old Republic but at least there's Boot Camp. SIGH. ;)
 
Haha, sometimes you just gotta put up with Windoze... :rolleyes: At least you'll be able to play it at higher settings lol. :apple:
 
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