Bose QC2 Communications Kit + PBG4 for Skype: how to make it work?

Question

Bose QC2 Communications Kit + PBG4 for Skype: how to make it work?

I have a PBG4 15" with a headphone jack and the line in jack. I just picked up the Bose Communications Kit which add a microphone to the cord of the QC2 headphones, and an extra connection on a single jack as the channel for microphone in. In other words, I've got a single jack at the end that covers both microphone in and stereo audio out (back to the headphones).

If I plug it into the headphone jack, I get the normal stereo sound out of the PBG4, but no microphone in. If I plug it into line in, I get no microphone in either. So, now that I see that it isn't going to "just work" like I had hoped, I'm guessing I need something to either split the microphone signal from the headphone signal plugging each into the 2 jacks??? OR, maybe a USB device that accepts one jack combined microphone and headphone and then makes this work via USB???

End result is that I'm trying to get a Skype VOIP solution working for when I travel and very, very occasionally need to make a call. Right now "as is" would mean just using the headphones, and trying to get by on the PBG4's internal microphone, but I hear that too noisy for people on the other end. So I would really like to make this Bose QC2 option work. Anyone know a way?

PowerMac G4 Dual 1Ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Bose QC2 with Communications Kit

Posted on Nov 13, 2009 10:52 AM

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Answer 1

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Nov 13, 2009 1:01 PM in response to HobeSoundDarryl

All I know about the kit you bought is what I can read about it on Bose's web site, but from that, it appears that the kit is designed for connection to a mobile phone, not a computer. There's nothing on the web page to suggest that interfacing it with a computer is possible, or if it is, how to do it.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/popup/techdetails/popup_mobile_comm_kitcompatibility.jsp

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Answer 2

Nov 13, 2009 2:43 PM in response to eww

Right. But that's why I'm asking here, hoping that someone has found a good way to make the connection. Since my first post above, I've found this:
http://www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=8183
and this...
http://www.usbgear.com/computercabledetails.cfm?sku=USBG-X2X&cats=136&catid=121%2C136%2C134
and wonder if I could pair the 2 to get to what I am seeking. The cable appears to split microphone in from headphone out into 2 cables, that then look like they could be plugged into the USB device. But I would love for someone to tell me that this will work, or why it wouldn't.

But more so, while I've come to embrace that I'm going to need at least one adapter, I would love for someone to point me to a USB device like that one with just one port (that would take in the combo 3.5mm stereo headphone plus microphone that is already at the end of the Bose cord.

I would this that this would exist as a product, since I can't be the first person wanting to use the QC2 + Communications Kit with a computer instead of a cell phone. And such a device seems like it would also work with all the other headphones set up this same way (for use with a cell phone). Anybody???

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Answer 3

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Nov 13, 2009 3:30 PM in response to HobeSoundDarryl

I don't mean to suggest that there's anything wrong with posing your question here, but have you posed it to Bose tech support? They obviously have an interest in helping you get this to work, and they may have dealt with the question before.

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Answer 4

Nov 13, 2009 4:11 PM in response to eww

I talked to Bose, and they said it is really made for cell phones, not computers. And they couldn't comment about adapters, and similar. I really didn't expect this to be very complicated. At it's most basic, it is using an OLD (established) jack involving microphone in and headphone out (an old, long established technology). I guessed there would be tons of options and am quite surprised to find none so far.

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Answer 5

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Nov 14, 2009 7:46 AM in response to HobeSoundDarryl

I'm not convinced that the technology in question here (the four-conductor phone plug and port) is really as old or as commonplace as you think it is. Most combination mike-and-earphone headsets designed for PCs still have two phone plugs, one for the mike and one for the earphones. Most PCs in use today expect that configuration and can't interface with what you have there. Perhaps the newest ones have four-conductor audio ports like the iPhone and other advanced smartphones on Bose's compatibility list; I'm not sure about that. The newest Mac notebooks do, but I don't think any Powerbook did.

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Answer 6

Nov 14, 2009 7:56 PM in response to eww

Let me try again. Why I thought it would be easy to find the adapter goes like this: lots of phones- iphones being just one- work with this kind of jack. Road warriors take their phone and laptop on the road. If there is no adapter, then they can't readily use one set of headphones + mic with both phone and laptop- just the phone. Furthermore, a person buys one great set of headphones plus mic (like these QC2s). If they are going to lug them around, why not use them with whatever they can?

What I'm looking for is a way to make this connection happen. I can't be the only guy in the world wanting to make this work. Today, I (re)discovered the iMic device and wonder if it (alone) or it plus the cable referenced up above might do the trick. Anyone?

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Answer 7

Nov 14, 2009 8:12 PM in response to eww

In further searching, I found this http://www.hellodirect.com/hellodirect/Shop?DSP=30102&PCR=1:1:5:15:180:3140&IID= 14108&itemskuid=14108 which looks like it could be THE solution, but again, I'd love someone to confirm/deny.

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Answer 8

Nov 16, 2009 4:14 PM in response to HobeSoundDarryl

I have since called hellodirect.com and learned that the "O ring" configuration for that device's 3.5mm jack is different than Apple's iPhone/iPod "O ring" configuration, so it will not work.

Back to square one: I basically have an iPhone/iPod matching headset jack (headphone + mic) on the end of these Bose QC2 with Bose communications kit. More simply, I can just plug this into an iPhone/iPod and use the headphone and microphone- just like Apple's stock ear buds + microphone. The goal remains to try to find a way to connect them to my Powerbook G4, probably via a USB port (some kind of USB adapter).

Looking at the cable splitter referenced up above and again here: http://www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp?idproduct=8183 (which specifically says it's made for iPhone/iPod jacks), I now wonder if that plus the griffin iMic product (in Mic mode) would do the trick: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic That Griffin product has a line in (which the PowerBook G4 already has), but it also has a "mic in", which makes me wonder if that mic in would work with an "unpowered" mic since "line in" pretty much requires a powered source of signal (else just the splitter cable alone would potentially be the answer for the PowerBook).

I've basically floated the above concept (that cable plus the iMic product) to Griffin to see if they think it would work. Hopefully, they will respond soon. If anyone already knows, please reply. And if anyone knows a way to make this work, I'd love to hear from you.

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Answer 9

Dec 1, 2009 12:55 PM in response to HobeSoundDarryl

In case anyone is interested, I bit the bullet and tried that combination solution previously referenced:
-The Showme splitter cable: http://www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=8183
-The Griffin imic: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic
and it works great! Basically, anyone who would want to use iphone earbuds (headphone plus microphone) or compatibles (like my Bose QC2 with communications kit), that combination gives you a great solution for using Skype and similar with a Powerbook. Sound quality is very good.

One more thing: if you also have the Bose headset, one small irritation is that it doesn't play your own voice when you are speaking, meaning you hear the person to whom you are talking just fine, but you can't hear yourself (like you can when using a regular phone). A great (free) solution is to enable passthrough using Linein: http://www.rogueamoeba.com/freebies/ That way your voice joins the conversation, which is helpful when using noise canceling headphones like those from Bose.

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