Combo Audio Jack Isn't Receiving Audio Input - MacOS

Thunderbolt TBT4-UD5
1

Hi plugable community!

I just received my TBT4-UD5 docking station from Amazon after doing extensive research about how this works with M1/M3 Pro chips. Everything works as intended except for the audio jack (3.5mm).

I have these basic Sony earbuds that I’ve used for years to connect to USB docks, laptops, etc. to be able to do Zoom meetings with my laptop closed in clamshell mode.

With this new dock, I’m able to get audio output to my earbuds but not input. It’s not even recognized by MacOS in the Sound Settings. In the output section I can see Realtek USB 2.0 audio. But nothing in the input section.

I’m waiting for some new earbuds to arrive that use USB-C hoping this will fix the issue. That being said, has anyone else ran into this issue? I restarted my Macbook, tested it on my work Macbook (M3 Max chip), and even installed SoundSource to try and manually get the input selection to work and nothing. I am using everything included from the box.

It could be my earbuds but they work fine connected directly to the audio jack of my laptops and other devices. I don’t want to use bluetooth earbuds since I prefer wired ones. Any suggestions?

2

Hi Julien,

Thank you for posting! We are sorry things are not working fully as expected while using your TBT4-UD5 docking station, and we would be happy to assist.

Thank you as well for the excellent detail you have provided and the troubleshooting that you have already performed, it is all much appreciated.

Despite the excellent information, we are afraid that we cannot be sure of the cause of the behavior you describe. As a result, our next step is to get some additional information.

Can you please send an email to our direct support email address → support@plugable.com with ‘For ticket #- 468957’ in the subject line that contains the following information?:

  1. If possible, the specific model number of (or a direct web link to) the Sony earbuds you are using

  2. The Amazon Order ID number for your TBT4-UD5 purchase

  3. While the TBT4-UD5 is connected to your Mac and the earbuds are connected to the TBT4-UD5 (even if the audio input is not working as expected), the output of our diagnostic utility PlugDebug → https://plugable.com/pages/plugdebug

That information will help us to determine the next steps.

*** IMPORTANT NOTE - Please do NOT post the information we requested above here in our public forum (it contains personally identifiable information) ***

Apologies for the frustration, and thank you for giving us the chance to help!

Bob
Plugable Technologies