Music sounds fine until a meeting app opens. In the Bluetooth behaviour documented by Apple for Mac, using the headset microphone can reduce playback quality. That makes the microphone a useful first clue, even if you are not actively speaking.
Compare the same sound
Use a familiar local audio file at a comfortable volume. Listen with the meeting app closed, then compare after opening it. Note whether the change coincides with the app starting to use the headset microphone. This is a suggested diagnostic exercise, not a claim that we tested your headphones.
Check the input selected inside the app. If an appropriate built-in or separate microphone is available, you can try it while keeping the headphones for listening. Then close the audio settings panel and compare again. Confirm that the intended microphone actually records before joining a call.
Change one thing at a time
- Keep the file and playback volume the same.
- Close other apps that may use audio input.
- Note which input and output are selected.
- Stop the comparison if the sound becomes uncomfortable.
A clear change linked to microphone use points toward the audio setup. Random dropouts that happen even without it need a different investigation. Do not buy a replacement headset based on this symptom alone; behaviour varies with the equipment and software combination.