Audio quality bad unless Preferences is open

Go to Preferences>Sound>Input and change input device from Headphones to Internal Mic. This should resolve the sound problem. There are two issues with this hack:

1. Your mic is now your computers, not your headphones.
2. It's not sticky. Every time you connect your headphones you will need to change your input mic back to the computers internal mic.

Hello Filipesmedeiros,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Based on your post, you have had some microphone issues with your Sony headphones and Monterey. We'll do our best to assist.

Have you tried to remove the Sony headphones and add them back to your Mac? If not, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth and tap the 'X' next to your Sony headphones to remove them. Then try pairing them again: Pairing and connecting with a computer (Mac)

Does this occur with other headphones when you test connecting them to your Mac?

Hoping to hear back, take care.

Hey Filipesmedeiros,

Checking for firmware updates would be an excellent next step.

Were you able to do this? If so, were there any updates for the Sony headphones?

Did it solve the issues with your Mac?

Hoping that did the trick, cheers.

I have the same issue with a pair of AirPods and a pair of BeatsX earphones. They both sound great when I use them with my phone but they sound horrible on my MacBook since I updated to Monterey. If I use wired headphones with my MacBook the sound is normal.

Thank you. I tried this with AirPods and got no sound at all. I switched to a pair of BeatsX earphones and it worked. I had to set the volume control in the menu bar to zero. Anything higher than that was painfully loud. It looks like there are a few issues that need to be fixed.

This helped me, thank You!