Thinkpads Forum

How does the microphone-in port work now?
do I need a separate splitter to use Dragon with an external microphone?

I too have a similar quandry. I need to feed the sound output from an amateur radio to the input of my W520. I don't want to use USB. I am already using my USB ports (& that's with a 4 port USB 3.0 hub!) and would rather use the mic in method.

Hope someone can recommend a good splitter.

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No info?

Most, if not all, laptops shipping for the past 5+ years have no "line in" ports, only a microphone level input. This is supposedly done intentionally to placate the recording industry's fears of easy digital duping.

Bottom line, you have only "speaker level" source audio, and no matter how you split or reduce or balance that, it will make for lousy feed into a "microphone" audio input. Either you need a dock/base with more options, or you need to play with a USB audio device that WILL have the active circuitry to take a LINE IN. And then reduce the speaker level audio to LINE levels, unless some rare bird out there takes speaker level inputs too.

Unless you buy an old laptop with genuine LINE IN, and use that for audio. Might be a good alternative, then just network the two.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. Happy holidays.

Bert

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