IMac (Intel) :: Internal Speakers Have Disappeared Following RAM / SSD Upgrade
Sep 11, 2014
I have a 27" mid-2011 iMac - today I upgraded it to 16GB RAM and added an SSD (in addition to the existing hard drive). The memory upgrade I performed myself but the SSD upgrade was done by a qualified tech.Now my internal speakers no longer appear as an audio output device, instead I have a "digital out / optical digital-out port".
I cannot adjust the volume (my menu bar volume icon is greyed out) and no sound plays either through the speakers or connected headphones once I login, however I hear the startup chime when I first turn it on, so this doesn't appear to be a hardware problem - it is perhaps a driver issue?
Is there any way I can rectify this without reinstalling OS X? I plan to install Yosemite on the SSD once it's out but would prefer to wait rather than installing Mavericks on it first.I have already tried resetting my SMC, resetting my PRAM a few times and also reinstalled the 10.9.4 combo update, but neither have resulted in any changes.
I have my stereo plugged into the headphone jack but would like the sound to also come from the internal speakers when the stereo is off without unplugging the jack in back.I tried going to the sound control panel but it only lists the headphone jack. Is there a way to do this?
I bought a new iMac a couple of weeks ago, it's my first alu one but I've had two of the white plastic ones before. The sound from the internal speakers in my old iMacs is pretty acceptable for day to day usage (not playing music of course), but the new one sounds horrible... extremely tinny. So is this just what they're all like these days? If not I guess it's got some issues:-/
Is there a way to tell if/how my speakers are damaged? I have 24" aluminum imac (bought December 2007, whichever model that is), and I was using the internal speakers (I don't normally do this). I was playing an avi file (xvid / mp3 encoding) on VLC.app, and i struck the space bar to pause it. Instead of stopping, my comp emitted an extremely loud "beep" sound at around 400 Hz, and ever since the audio has been weird. At first it was sorta/really scratchy and broken and a little diminished in loudness, but now it is very quiet, playing sounds at around 1/4 the normal volume. What the hell happened to it?
the ONLY output device listed in my system preferences is Digital Output with Optical Digital-Out Port. I NEVER used headphones or any external speakers. I don't know what turned the Internal Speakers OFF But I would like to turn them back on. I can't find any thing any where in the OS that would do that. Any one has ANY Clue to why this would happen?
My iMac 27" 2.7 GHz Inter Core i5 has just stopped producing sound. The speakers seem to work fine, because I can hear the startup sound, but nothing comes out of iTunes, Youtube, Quicktime, DVDs or any other medium.
just wanted to ask you guys if you've played music on your new macs and moved the sound from left to right? I was just fiddling with mine while playing some music in itunes and discovered the speakers sound quite different with the left well rounded and solid and the right sounding less deep and more hollow. Neither speaker distorts or sounds bad in isolation but they do sound different to each other. Has anyone else noticed this?
I'm still in love with my iMac, now entering the phase where I have to fight with SWMBO* to get access to my main machine. I have plugged a pair of headphones in the iMac but I would like to be able to find a software solution that would let me switch between headphones and the internal speakers of the iMac (which are quite good actually!) Plugging / Unplugging is not really ideal and I swear I thought I could do this on my powerbook...
I usually listen to any output from my iMac (Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz, 27", early 2010) through an external amp and speakers, via the analog output (headphone socket). However - I recently disconnected the jack plug to listen through the machine's internal speakers but was greeted with silence. I checked the volume via the kb controls - the mini display appeared on screen suggesting that the volume was set on full, though I could not adjust it at all. I reconnected the jack plug and sound came out from my external speakers as usual. On disconnection, no volume. I searched the forums for ideas, and came across this support article: [url],,, which I followed to the letter.
When I open 'Sounds' in System Preferences, the only output option available to me is 'Digital Out' - there is no option for internal speakers or headphones. However, if I plug in the line-out jack, the options change - only 'Headphones' is available (no 'Digital Out' any more). Following the article, I checked to see if there was a red light in the digital output socket, which there is not.
I have checked all sound levels including Audio Midi in utilities. In system preference the output is Digital Optical and nothing else is available to select. It also says this sound output has no controls - is this correct? The sound icon in the menu top right is greyed out and I can't adjust the level. I have an Apple TV and have turned off airplay on that? Also have checked computer speakers (not Apple TV) in iTunes. I had this problem before but rebooting fixed it. My son plays Minecraft on this computer and watches millions of uTube stuff. He may have used his earphones then. Could this be the problem? Nothing is muted in sys pref or utilities audio midi. The chimes work when starting up. The mic sound levels are moving.
Info: iMac2.16 Ghz intel core 2 duo, Mac OS X (10.5.6), Memory 1 GB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM
I have plugged a toslink cable between my 5.1 amplifier and my iMac, but I would like to be able to find a software that would let me switch between digital out and the internal iMac speakers (which are quite good actually!)
I know it is a Mac OS driver limitation since Windows 7 (via Bootcamp) let me choose the output. In Mac OS once I plugg something, "Internal speakers" output option disappear from sound preferences, audio midi setup, HalLAB, .... This causes unnecessary wear and tear on the audio port from constantly inserting and removing the cable to switch from built in speakers to external audio system.
i just installed vista home premium. everything seems to work fine except for my internal speakers it says that they are installed but they don't work. the name that shows up is high definition audio device.
A year ago next month I bought the best iMac on the market at the time, as souped up as it could possibly be. I have not had any problems with it until now. Last night, my computer began suffering an incredibly strange problem with the internal speakers (I don't own any external ones). It all began when I opened GarageBand: noise was suddenly 10x louder, I tried to turn the volume down and the clicks that usually sound off when I work the volume were not only louder, but different clicks. The only way I could stop the jarringly loud noises was to mute the computer entirely. When I exited out of GarageBand, everything returned to normal.
I thought that was the end of the problem until today. I was on Youtube watching a music video, and in the midst of changing my status on Yahoo messenger, I heard another extremely loud click noises. These clicks don't sound like they're coming from some kind of malfunction in the computer. They sound like the computer actually means to make this sound, like it's stored in the computer's library of sounds. That went away, but the volume was again messed up. It was way too loud and in between turning it down, the volume suddenly disappeared altogether! Without being muted, my computer was not making any noise, although the music video should have still been playing. Only time seemed to solve the problem, as the sound later returned (I exited messenger and re-opened it as I had exited GarageBand--but I wasn't sure if this is what caused the sound to return).
Apple's default audio drivers (for Windows) for the built-in speakers on the iMac make them sound horrible, they have way too much bass, whereas in OS X they sound great. Why is this?
After I pulled out the jack for my speakers the volume icon was greyed out [URL]and soon I realized that internal speakers as such have been disabled from the system [URL]When I restart the startup chime is played as usual.Is it a hardware or software thing?
Situation: no sound out from speakers in admin and user account and newly created account. Headphones work, startup chimes work on speakers.
Go to Sound in Preferences and only shows Digital Out for output. Should show Internal Speakers. Ran Diskwarrior and Applejack and zapped pram. Took mac apart and confirmed speakers wired correctly which is verified by the start up chimes being audible on the internal speakers. tested all accounts and created new account all with the same results. Did search of Google and MacRumor. Found one unaswered post indicating same problem. Had same problem with another macbook pro, ran same steps, take apart, confirm wiring setup, Diskwarriored, applejacked and zapped pram and it fixed the problem. I'm not sure what else to try. Did check Audio Midi Setup util and it also did not see the internal speakers.
I got an idea from wanting to upgrade my iMac hard drive from 1TB to 2TB. So I thought shouldn't the iMac optical drive be upgradable as well? I looked on eBay and there were a few Bluray internal drives for sale like this one [URL:...] The only thing I'm sceptical from buying one is that (1) will the iMac require a driver or will it recognise the drive, and (2) will a standard programme like VLC be able to play BD media? Looks like a good idea to put the iMac's screen to good use. Sorry Apple I'm not going to be downloading HD movies. My internet is not uncapped.
I just plugged headphones into the headphone port on my iMac(dual core 2.4) I went to system preferences, sound, then output and only the internal speakers show up. I rebooted the machine and still, same thing.
I tried the same headphones on the eMac sitting next to it, and it worked just fine. Still confused about the iMac
The first time I opened my Safari browser after installing Maverick, I clicked on the wrong thing & closed my browser window where you search & the web addresses show up & where you can refresh the page. How do I reopen it so i don't have to go to the menu bar everytime I need to search for a new page or refresh the existing one?
I woke my Mac Pro up from sleep mode and I got an error message saying something along the lines of a disk not being ejected properly. I dismissed the message at the time but soon realized that my fourth hard drive in the computer has disappeared!
the external speakers (and the earphones) I use for my i-mac suddenly stopped playing sound from my imac. They do work though when I plug them to the i-pod. My imac speakers work perfectly. Any ideas what's happening?
Since two days ago, Wed Sept 9, my iMac's internal speakers aren't working.Checking the Sound Preferences, under Output, there is only Headphone. Internal Spkrs is missing.
Sound isn't coming out of my internal speakers. When I hook up headphones everything is fine, but when I'm on the computer itself, no sound comes out, a red light is coming from my headphone jack, and the volume controls don't do anything (volume stays at max and there's a white circle with diagonal sign thru it, like a no smoking sign) and I don't get sound.
So... for reasons unknown, my macbook pro is not recognizing it's internal speakers, in the sound options for output it only shows the digital out option.I searched trough the apple support site and the mac's help and all they say is to select the speakers, but that's kinda hard when they play hide and seek. Anyone knows what's up with that? Cause the weirdest thing is that they will make that mac sound when you first press the "on" button.
I have a new aluminium 2.53 MBP and have installed vista 64 ultimate on it via bootcamp.
I have noticed that I am having problems with the audio, there is no audio from the internal speakers at all and when ever I boot up in vista the audio jack has a red light coming out of it...This only occurs in bootcamp and if i go back to OSX the problem disappears
I have installed the latest driver from realtek and have tried to fiddle with the audio jack using cotton buds etc, but nothing seem to work... are there any other ways from rectifying this?
