Teams audio complaints resolve to three causes in almost every case: the wrong device selected, another app holding the microphone in exclusive mode, or network jitter. Work through them in that order.
1. Device selection
In Teams: Settings → Devices. Confirm both the speaker and microphone show the headset, not "Default". Docking stations re-enumerate audio devices on every connect, which silently flips Teams back to the monitor speakers — selecting the device explicitly survives redocking.
2. Exclusive mode conflicts
If others hear you robotic or not at all while the mic level meter moves: some app (usually voice software or a browser tab) holds the device exclusively. Close other conferencing apps and browser tabs with mic permission, then rejoin. Persistent cases: disable "Allow applications to take exclusive control" on the mic’s Advanced properties tab.
3. Network quality
Choppy audio for everyone in one direction is jitter on that side’s uplink. Have the affected user run the built-in test call (Settings → Devices → Make a test call) — it reports round-trip time and packet loss at the end. Loss above 2% or RTT above 200ms is a network conversation, not a Teams one; on home networks the usual culprits are WiFi at the edge of range and an upload saturated by cloud backup.
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