Hi — welcome to the forum. Nice, inexpensive headset; annoying when the mic decides to ghost you. A few things to know up front: Windows often shows a Bluetooth headset’s “Hands‑Free” device in Sound, but that alone doesn’t mean the HFP mic is actually active or using the right codec. That makes this a pretty common Windows/Bluetooth edge case — there are several OS/driver layers that can block the mic even though the device appears. op:
- Which Windows version are you running (Windows 10 or 11, and the build if possible)?
- Do the headphones’ mic work with a phone or another PC?
- Do you use the PC’s built‑in Bluetooth or a USB dongle that came with the headset?
Quick checklist (do these in order — they’re the fastest to try)
1) Verify the headset mic works on another device
- Pair the WH‑CH520 to your phone and make a quick recording or call. If the mic fails on the phone too, it’s a headset hardware issue. If it works on the phone, it’s likely a Windows/PC problem.
2) Sound control panel: show disabled/disconnected devices
- Right‑click the speaker icon → Sounds → Recording tab → Right‑click area and enable “Show Disabled Devices” and “Show Disconnected Devices.” If WH‑CH520 Hands‑Free appears, enable it and set it as Default Device. Check the Levels tab and make sure it isn’t muted.
3) Microphone privacy & app access
- Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone: confirm “Microphone access” is ON and apps you test (Teams/Discord) are allowed.
4) Re-pair correctly (clean re-install)
- Settings → Bluetooth & devices: Remove the headset.
- Reboot Windows.
- Pair the headset again from scratch. (Sometimes Windows keeps a bad profile; a clean pair often helps.)
5) Device Manager checks & driver actions
- Open Device Manager:
- Under Bluetooth: update the adapter driver (Intel/Broadcom/Qualcomm — use vendor site if possible).
- Under Audio inputs and outputs and under Sound, video and game controllers: look for headset entries. Right‑click the WH‑CH520 entries and choose Uninstall device (tick “remove driver” if offered), then re-pair the headset.
- Restart the Bluetooth Support Service (services.msc → Bluetooth Support Service → Restart).
6) Handsfree Telephony service toggle
- Control Panel → Devices and Printers → right‑click the headset → Properties → Services.
- Ensure Handsfree Telephony is checked to allow the mic to function. (Disabling it will remove the mic but sometimes used to troubleshoot output-only problems.) Many Windows BT issues relate to HFP being misconfigured; toggling this is a quick diagnostic.
7) Try a different Bluetooth adapter (ifilt‑in Bluetooth is older or has poor HFP support, Windows will either refuse or give a “telephone quality” mic. Trying an inexpensive USB Bluetooth dongle (one that advertises wideband speech / mSBC / HFP 1.7+) often resolves mic connectivity/quality problems. If you don’t want to buy hardware, trying the headset on another Windows PC that has a different adapter can confirm this.
When to consider Windows update/driver rollback
- If the mic stopped working after a specific Windows update, that update could be the culprit (some updates have broken Bluetooth audio stacks). Check Update history and, if you suspect a recent update, you can uninstall it temporarily to test. (If you tell me your Windows build I can point to likely updates.)
If nothing above fixes it — short-term workarounds
- Use the headset for audio output (select “use a separate cheap USB mic or webcam mic for input — avoids HFP limitations entirely.
- Try the headset’s official USB dongle (if Sony supplies one) or a recommended wideband Bluetooth dongle as a longer‑term fix.
If you want, paste the following info and I’ll give the next exact steps:
- Windows version and build (winver output make/model (Device Manager → Bluetooth → adapter → Properties → Details → Hardware Ids)
- A screenshot of your Recording tab in the Sound control panel (if comfortable sharing)
Tell me those details and I’ll walk you through the targeted fixes (driver installs, Device Manager cleanups, or whether you should get a dongle). If you prefer, I can also post the exact Device Manager / Services steps with screenshots.
