Audio Jack adapter for Dell Pro Plus Wired ANC Headset - WH5024

You're running into a common issue when trying to connect USB headsets to analog audio jacks! Here's why your current setup isn't working and what you need:

The Problem: Digital to Analog Conversion

Your Dell Pro Wired ANC Headset - WH5024 is a USB headset. This means it has a built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and often its own sound card. When you plug it into your laptop's USB port (via USB-A adapter), the digital audio signal from the computer is converted to analog by the headset's internal components, and then sent to the speakers in the headset.

When you tried a "USB-C Female to Audio Jack male adapter," you essentially created a passive connection that expects an analog audio signal from the USB-C side. However, your Dell headset is outputting a digital USB signal. The adapter you bought likely doesn't have the necessary DAC to convert that digital signal to analog audio that your speakers can understand.

Why "for car stereo usage" is common for those adapters:

Many USB-C to 3.5mm adapters are designed for smartphones that do output analog audio over their USB-C port (often via a "DisplayPort Alternate Mode" for audio). Car stereos typically have analog 3.5mm inputs. So, these adapters are for devices that can output analog audio over USB-C, not for converting a digital USB headset signal.

Your Proposed Solution (USB-A Female to Audio Jack Male Adapter):

Trying a USB-A Female to Audio Jack Male adapter would face the exact same problem. Your headset outputs a digital USB signal (whether it's USB-C directly or via the USB-A adapter). You need something that can take that digital USB signal and convert it to analog audio for your speakers.

What You Need: A USB Audio Adapter (External Sound Card)

What you're looking for is essentially a USB audio adapter or an external USB sound card. This device plugs into a standard USB-A port on your external computers and provides a 3.5mm audio output (and often a microphone input as well).

Here's how it would work:

1. Plug the Dell Headset (with its USB-A adapter) into the USB-A Female port of the USB Audio Adapter.
2. Plug the USB-A Male end of the USB Audio Adapter into a USB-A port on your external speaker device/computer.
3. The USB Audio Adapter acts as an external sound card, processing the digital audio from the Dell headset and converting it to analog for your speakers.

Key things to look for when buying a USB Audio Adapter/External Sound Card:

• USB-A Male to 3.5mm Female (Output): You need the adapter to plug into a USB-A port on your external computer/speaker system, and then provide a 3.5mm jack for your speakers.
• "External Sound Card" or "USB Audio Adapter": These terms indicate that the device performs the necessary digital-to-analog conversion.
• Compatibility: While most are plug-and-play with Windows and macOS, quickly check for compatibility with your external computers (though this is rarely an issue for basic audio output).
• No "for car stereo" or passive adapters: Avoid anything that simply says "USB to 3.5mm" without explicitly stating it's an "audio adapter" or "sound card" that handles conversion.

Example Search Terms for Amazon:

• "USB to 3.5mm audio adapter"
• "External USB sound card"
• "USB-A to 3.5mm jack audio converter"

Many of these will show up with separate jacks for headphones and microphones, which is fine, you'd just use the headphone/speaker out jack.

By using a proper USB audio adapter, you'll be able to get sound from your Dell headset (via its USB connection) to your external speakers.