Strange! I updated the driver for my Jabra 75 headset recently. But I hadn’t tried to use it since. Today, when I went off to listen to some tunes, the headset was MIA. All the Windows-side audio device settings looked good. Given the circumstances and the recent driver update, I knew it had to be that final stage in the audio chain. And alas, when my Jabra 75 headset goes on strike, the silence is deafening. Sigh.

If Jabra 75 Headset Goes On Strike, Check Usual Subjects

Ultimately, I ended up crawling the Jabra 75 UI, once I determined that the driver and firmware were indeed current. There I discovered the device was locked into Softphone-only mode, with MS Teams as the default app. Guess what? That means Spotify couldn’t talk to the device any more.

The fix turned out to be absurdly easy. Since I don’t use the headset as a softphone anyway, I just turned that functionality off. Immediately, Spotify chimed in and was able to listen to Mark Knopfler and the gang wailing away on the original “Dire Straits” album.

Dire Straits, indeed. Funny how a drive reset can turn a finely tuned device into a whole lotta nothing. Here in Windows-World, one must sometimes roll up one’s sleeves and start flipping toggles to see what’s getting in the way. But hey! I’m not back in the groove, listening to “The Sultans of Swing.” Good enough for me!