Headset plays on one side only

[Tamiele]

I just plugged my headset in for the first time. It is playing on one side but not the other. Is there an internal setting or something that I haven't yet come across yet?? I am a new Blackberry user, actually new to all of this kind of technology. I have managed to get most of it organized the way I like it - and then I come across this seemingly juvenile problem. Do you think it is a bad headset or, like I said above, an internal setting I can acces that says Play Both Sides, or something like that?? Thanks for any advice you can offer. BTW - it is the headset that came with the BB and it plugs directly into the BB.

[powderbanks]

make sure it's plugged in the whole way. you shouldn't see any metal of the plug. it's a tad bit longer than your usual headphone jack, because there's an extra contact for the microphone. so make sure it's in the whole way. have you tried another set of headphones? if they work fine, then it's obviously your headset. if for some reason it's the same problem, it could be hardware. and if you were trying to listen to an mp3 or other media, there is the very small chance that for some reason it was only encoded with one channel, left or right.

[calicocat2010]

Originally Posted by Tamiele

I just plugged my headset in for the first time. It is playing on one side but not the other. Is there an internal setting or something that I haven't yet come across yet?? I am a new Blackberry user, actually new to all of this kind of technology. I have managed to get most of it organized the way I like it - and then I come across this seemingly juvenile problem. Do you think it is a bad headset or, like I said above, an internal setting I can acces that says Play Both Sides, or something like that?? Thanks for any advice you can offer. BTW - it is the headset that came with the BB and it plugs directly into the BB.

It's the headset. Trust me I have gone through about 4 pairs of headsets with the ear buds and 2-3 months later only one side starts to play music. When that happens it means it's time for a new set. Sometimes if you use the headset for a long time, the inside wire can come loose and can be exposed.

[osubass1]

there are several things that can cause this.

first, and most importantly, make sure the audio source you are listening to is in stereo, otherwise, all the hardware troubleshooting suggested by the others in this thread won't make any difference.

try listening to multiple different audio sources to ensure that it is the hardware and less likely to be the ausio source.

[varja]

I think its a software issue. I actually had a similar problem on my 9700.

Anyway the issue happened to me today, used the headset in the morning several times. Later in the afternoon when it didn't play any sound at all and was coming out of the speakers headset or speaker. A little bit of playing made it work on the right channel only.

Tried switching the settings around (headset on/off, speaker on/off, handset on/off), software restart, battery pull, deleting some apps (with restarts). All to no avail.

Battery pulled left out for >5mins, put it back in. Voila! Worked.

But I am fairly sceptical to whether it was the time out of the battery or just a coincidental battery pull (hopefully I won't have to test it again!).

(oops sorry only just noticed this was a 9800 forum. This was on my 9900 but I guess all the same should apply).

[rawllw]

If it's the first time you've used the headset it seems unlikely its bad. Try another headset. One from any MP3 player will do. I dont think the the Torch has any balance controls so there's no adjustment you can make. Also, as the first reply said, make sure they're plugged all the way in. Just a small amount out will knock one channel out.

If you plan on listening to a lot of music you may want to shop for another headset anyway. I found the supplied set uncomfortable and since I fly a lot they dont seal outside noise off at all. I use the earbud type.

[Uglyindian]

The same thing happened with my headset that came with the phone. Brand new and only one side worked. The shape of the ear thingys is terrible too. The don't stay in the ears. Got a new set and worked perfectly. Way back in the day of walkmans we always had to replace headsets when the went bad. I think they are just delicate and the wires inside get disconnected. Maybe when they were packaged the wire broke.