Bose USB Link / NC 700 problems with audio/mic stuck in call mode

[C G Barnes]

NC 700 Firmware: v1.8.2

USB Link Firmware v0074

Macbook Pro 15-inch, 2016

Mac OS X 10.14.6

When NC 700 is connected to my Macbook Pro via USB Link, they headphones enter call mode when I play media or when various notifications occur.

When I load a web page with streaming media, such as SoundCloud, the headphones play the same sound as when a phone call connects, and Self-Voice also activates.  Each time I click to start a song, the call connection sound also plays.

Navigating to another site without audio / video turns off Self-Voice.

Self-Voice activates and call connect sound occurs when Slack notifications arrive.

Self-Voice activates and call connect sound occurs when I click play on a track in iTunes.  Same on YouTube, etc.

During audio play, sound quality is terrible and music is mono, not stereo.

The problem persists even if I change the microphone setting in Chrome web browser to the default internal mic of the laptop rather than the headphones. Also persists when I change the default mic to laptop’s internal mic in the Macbook’s Sound preferences panel.

On USB Link, I have updated Firmware, reset Bose USB Link by unplugging for 30 seconds, and cleared the dongle’s pairing link. 

On the NC 700, I have reset headphones and cleared all pairings.   

I am on a Macbook Pro which has only USB-C ports, and have tried all the ports and three different USB-C to USB-A adapters, and the issue persists.

[Jessie_O]

Hey there C G Barnes, 

Thank you for reaching out to us and welcome! 

These are some really great troubleshooting steps you have tried. I'm sorry to hear that this has not yet been resolved. 

I can see from your original post that you have cleared the pairing on your headphones. Did you also do this on your Mac? If not, I would recommend doing this and connecting like a new connection. 

Let me know! 

[C G Barnes]

Yes, I cleared the Bluetooth pairing of the Mac with the NC 700.

But no pairing exists, to my knowledge, in the Bluetooth preferences for the Bose USB Link itself.  Is this what you would expect?

[Charlotte_G]

@C G Barnes Thanks for clarifying. Yes, that is what we would expect. 

So you mentioned that you've checked the mic output and ensured it was set to your Mac internal mic. If you haven't already, could you please ensure that the sound output is set correctly. Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen, and select System Preferences, click Sound, and then click Output. Select Bose USB Link in the list of devices. 

Let me know if this was something that was already set, and if the issue persists.

[C G Barnes]

Yes, sound output was set to Bose USB Link while experiencing the problem. 

[Hector_B]

Thanks for confirming! 

So next, we'd love to be able to pinpoint if the issue is specifically with the headphones, or whether it's a compatibility or connection issue as such. It may be a long shot, but do you by any chance have access to another Mac and/or Windows computer that you could test the headphones with?

I look forward to hearing back from you.