Broken cable in phono jack - override to internal speakers?

I recently broke my headphones cable off in the phono jack on my Powerbook G4, and now my computer perpetually thinks that I have headphones plugged in because of the little piece of cable that is lodged in the jack. I use a USB peripheral for headphone use now (I've given up on the Sisyphean task of trying to dislodge the piece), but I'd still like to be able to use my internal speakers. Headphones appears as the only output option in the Sound control panel, and I'm curious if there's a way to trick my computer into switching back to internal speakers.

Hey TR,
21Jan...
Can you stick a powered speaker on that jack and fix it so it doesn't wiggle much until you can get it fixed?
22 Jan...
The only fixes I have found for this are for Linux.
One can risk a registry fix, though I've not found a sure way to do it. The fix depends on knowing your sound card (I do not), and knowing the exact entry fix (I might, but I won't risk your system).
My sage advice is to get it fixed and be done with it.
It is my pleasure to assist.
Say “Thanks!” by clicking the Kudos Star to show your appreciation for the help.
Fixed? Mark this Post “Accept as Solution” to help others find the answers.
Note: You can find “Accept as Solution” only on threads started by you.
Kind Regards,
Dragon-Fur

Similar Messages

Headphone jack distorted, but internal speakers fine?

I haven't even had it a day and I've already run into problems on my Macbook 2.2GHz C2D. It seems the internal speakers work just fine for music, but when I plug in headphones or earbuds into the output jack the vocals and anything that's not panned hard left/right basically goes away. And when I plug in a stereo system to the output jack it gives me a loud low frequency hum. This happens both in Leopard and in XP (I have both installed on the macbook). No red light in the output jack, and everything else works just fine (although I recently noticed I no longer get an XP boot screen... Kind of odd, but it may have to do with the fact that I have so much RAM installed).
What's weird is, if I go into the system sound preferences either in XP or Leopard and mess with the left/center/right balance, all the way left or right the vocals come back in (although it's still in both ears, which it shouldn't be), but when you center the balance you lose everything that is centered in the mix (mainly, the vocals and any main instrument that's not panned hard left/right).
I tried updating my drivers, using different headphones/earbuds, wiggling the jack around, different songs and players, even went so far as to reformat and reinstall Leopard. Still messed up :-[
The only aftermarket modifications I've made has been an upgrade from 1GB to 4GB RAM and a boot camp install of XP. Unfortunately, as I'm going to be using this computer mainly for Pro Tools music production and editing, I really need the headphone jack to be at 100%!
Any suggestions? I'm thinking it's hardware related, as it happens both in XP and Leopard with all the latest drivers installed.

Try switching back to your previous ram and see if there is any difference. It may be hardware as you say, and a quick trip to your Apple tech should verify that. I work with audio too ...I like to use the Griffin iMic for both sound in and out - it's a USB devise that'll give you a better signal and keep your line in/out ports free so you're not jarring them when you have the small 1/8th adapters/cables plugged in.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic

Headphone Jack Glowing Red, Internal Speakers Not Working...

Hey, I have a 2.0GHz White MacBook (almost a week old), and I just recently came across this problem (this morning, actually). I usually have my MacBook connected to some external speakers through the headphone jack, the internal speakers are pretty terrible. Anyway, last night I left the computer on playing music as I fell asleep, this morning I woke up and the computer must have some how come unplugged from the AC power, as it was dead. I plugged it back in and everything was fine (I mean, it had to charge up, and the battery 'health' in iStat Pro was down to 93%, also not sure what this means... But everything else was fine). Then, I unplugged my external speakers and the jack was glowing red, I believe there's an LED inside. The internal speakers would then not work.
I did a quick Google search and discovered that this problem had been experienced on MacBook Pros. Someone recommended plugging in a set of headphones, I did so and then unplugged them and the internal speakers worked for a moment. I plugged in the external speakers again, and they worked (and work) fine. The problem is with the internals, they don't work, and plugging in my headphones again has not solved the problem, and the light is still on when the jack is not occupied.
Any ideas?
[edit] As of this writing, they are currently working, after plugging in the headphones again and unplugging them, however, the light still blinks when I do this, and there is a bit of a hesitation between the headphone being unplugged and the internal speakers kicking in... (longer than normal, I know there was always a slight delay, but this is a few seconds of blinking light and no sound).

you can fix this by "cleaning" the audio jack. the computer thinks that a digital output is connected. if you go to sound under system preferences, and it says digital output rather than internal speakers, then this is the problem.
I used a tightly rolled up piece of toilet paper to clean the jack. I twisted it up, stuck it in the jack, and then moved it around for a while. the red light went off and my internal speakers started working. someone else used a toothpick.
also, before i fixed this, i couldn't turn the volume up or down (unless i was using headphones) and the volume level screen that shows up on the screen had a circle with a line thru it...like the no smoking signs, but small and just under the volume bars.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3700681&#3700681
good luck

Switch between headset jack and internal speakers?

How can I switch from "Rear Panel 3.5 mm Jack" to the internal speakers, "ATAPI Internal ATAPI Jack" without unplugging the 3.5mm headset? Does anyone know?
I have a Windtop 2400 and it has Realtek HD audio ACL888S. I looked at the specs on Realtek's website and as far as I could see this is possible in the hardware, but can the software trigger this?

Great, you fixed it!
It looks like the msi gaming control center should be bundled with WMIHookBtnFn, but it's not. This "utility" by now it's almost useless, only the Wifi and camera switch worked.
A detailed explanation of what I did here if someone has the same issue:
-> I looked in msi support-downloads http://www.msi.com/support, selected my and went to "Exclusive downloads"
-> http://event.msi.com/aio/sw/ In there I just downloaded the msi gaming control center
-> But! when I wanted to install it, he told me that it would update WMIHookBtnFn and when he tried he'd say it's already updated.
-> Solution: Uninstall WMIHookBtnFn and re-run the installation program. Then it says to install the gaming control center.
-> Reboot the computer
-> And that's it, it should work. You can change the display's configuration, "share internet connection", change microphone/speakers volume and switch wifi, camera and supercharger on off and.. switch between speakers and headphones! *yay!*
-> I tried installing the last version of WMIHookBtnFn again, and it says that it will upgrade the Gaming Control Center. And then tries to execute a "Gaming Control Center.msi" that should be found in the extraction folder of WMIHookBtnFn but it's not.
Thank you very much again, Mog!

Internal Speakers do not work at all

My sound was working just fine a few days ago, and all of a sudden, there is no sound at all comming from my macbook pro. I have tried plugging in headphones and still there's no sound comming from there neither. I don't even hear the chime at start-up. I have looked at a couple of fourms on here and tried everything from toggling with the headphone jack to reinstalling OS X Mavericks but still no dice. There's no red light showing up in the headphone jack, and the interna speakers are not showing up at all in sound preferences. I don't know what is going on, i have tried everything! What should I do? Do I need to buy a new sound system??

I'm having the exact issue. I, too, have done everything I know to do to correct it. I've never had a moments trouble with it until I update to OS X Maverick the other day. I sometimes plug my computer to my TV via a HDMI cable, and the sound plays through the TV just fine with that. The only thing left I know to do is to take it to the Mac Store....

Line/Optical out and internal speakers?

When a line is inseted into the jack whether it be optical or RCA leads the sound will only be outputted from the jack - obvously.
Is this a software or hardware switch? Is there any way of disabling it allowing sound from both output and internal iMac speakers?

I suppose a speaker with a USB connection will not
override the internal speakers...
Ah, but they do as you must select your output source - in my case I have a 1st generation set of USB Soundsticks and you must select between internal or Soundsticks.
BTW - for those looking for speakers, I would stay away from any USB speakers still out there (although it burns me to do so I might buy a pair of Soundsticks II which use the audio jack... Garageband 3.01 hangs when using the USB Soundsticks unless they're plugged directly into the computer - losing one of the USB 2 ports which HURTS!).

Internal speakers silent

There is a red light coming out of my headphone jack. The internal speakers don't work but when I plug speakers in they work fine. Also, I don't know if my internal microphone is working. Nothing bad happend, the red light just came on and they stopped working. Help.

I think you will find that the headphone jack on the latest PB's doubles as an Optical Digital Output, this will be the red light you are seeing. Have a look at the sound control panel and there may be an option to turn the Digital Output off.
Phil

Can I disable broken headphone jack? and get sound to internal speakers?

HP G72T-200 CTO Notebook PC WINDOWS 7
My laptop has a broken headphone jack (piece of plastic fell out of it) and thinks there is something plugged into the jack and won't default to the internal speakers. I've rolled back, reloaded drivers, run audio sound fix it thing, etc. Headphones will work if you hold plug and jiggle to the side. Is there anyway to just disable the jack so I can hear sound through the internal speakers?

Hey TR,
21Jan...
Can you stick a powered speaker on that jack and fix it so it doesn't wiggle much until you can get it fixed?
22 Jan...
The only fixes I have found for this are for Linux.
One can risk a registry fix, though I've not found a sure way to do it. The fix depends on knowing your sound card (I do not), and knowing the exact entry fix (I might, but I won't risk your system).
My sage advice is to get it fixed and be done with it.
It is my pleasure to assist.
Say “Thanks!” by clicking the Kudos Star to show your appreciation for the help.
Fixed? Mark this Post “Accept as Solution” to help others find the answers.
Note: You can find “Accept as Solution” only on threads started by you.
Kind Regards,
Dragon-Fur

I connected my iPod Touch to a stereo system phono input using a cable with stereo jacks (red and white) on one end and that plugs into the iPod's headphone jack. The problem is that the sound is extremely muffled and bass-heavy, with little treble.

I connected my iPod Touch to a stereo system phono input using a cable with stereo jacks (red and white) on one end and that plugs into the iPod's headphone jack. The problem is that the sound is extremely muffled and bass-heavy, with little treble. I have to turn the bass control on the stereo receiver to pratically zero in order for the sound coming through the stereo to be acceptable. Is there a setting on either the iPod or the stereo that I need to change in order to fix this?

The phono input is for a phonograph. The iPod does headphne output is not that same as a phongraph output. Does th stero have an AUX input? That should be compatible.

Headphone Jack Light + Internal Speakers Gone?

When I took out the cable to my speakers from my PowerBook's headphone jack I noticed a red light inside the socket. I plugged the cable back in and the light turned off but came back on about half a second after I took it out again. There is a small LED inside the hole and I have never seen it before. The computer also stopped playing sound out of it's internal speakers completely and in the System Preferences sound menu there is only a line-out option, no internal speaker one. It seems like the light is telling me that I have to plug in speakers to hear sound, but why? The laptop has always worked fine until now so what has made it suddenly do this and how can I get the internal speakers working again?

The light is a fiber optic fiber. Your jack has a dual use. You can use a fober optical cable to get a digital line-out. Your problem may be related, but that's what the light is so don't go sticking anything in there (such as a paper clip) as so many people tend to do for some reason.

No Sound From Headphone Jack, Only Internal Speakers working in Macbook Pro A1278

Hello, the internal speakers of Macbook Pro A1278 OSX 10.7.5 are working perfectly, but no sound from headphones or external speakers when plugged in. Headphones/speakers recognized when plugged in, shown by System Preferences/Sound, and since the sound stops from internal speakers when headphones/speakers are plugged in. No red light seen coming from headphone jack, as I read in other posts. The problem began after a cable was connected between computer and stereo system. Maybe overloaded the sound card and burned out a connection? Wondering if you think that the sound card needs to be replaced or is there another solution possible? Thank you.

Hello JohnBoarkman,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
I understand that you hear no sound from your accessory when you connect to your headphone jack. My first troubleshooting suggestion for this situation would be resetting the NVRAM on your Mac. Please use the instructions in the attached article to complete this process and let me know if the issue continues.
How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support
Have a great day,
Joe

When external speakers are plugged in to headphone jack, sound randomly goes back to internal speakers or digital audio setting, then back again

I have an essentially new MacBook Pro with Lion and all updates applied, and am wondering if this is a hardware or software problem. Essentially with something plugged into the headphone jack, things work as they are supposed to for a while, then the sound will switch back to internal speakers, or sometimes 'digital out' (I can watch it change in the system settings), and then often switch back. It doesn't seem to follow any sort of pattern or be related to any specific application that could be open, and happens with different sources of audio (iTunes, streaming from the web), and different external speakers or headphones plugged in.

Sounds hardware related. If it's brand new, and you're still under warranty I would have it checked out.
I have not experienced this on my computer.
As I understand it, you have analog RCA outputs from an 1/8" to left and right RCA outputs. when you're randomly using the computer, it'll switch to internal speakers, then to digital audio, back to your stereo analog external speakers.
This should not be happening and if it's happening with streaming content (I am unaware of anything that streams in 5.1 digital audio) then this must be something that an apple specialist should look at and consider.
Does this happen with the headphone jack out? when you hold your finger over the headphone jack area does a red beam come out of it *blinking* or just on? This will be a good indicator that your audio hardware is faulty. are you running HDMI out?

Digital audio input via mini jack/toslink from ADA, monitored via USB audio output... is this do-able? I know digital audio input should be okay but how do I monitor it, apart from using the internal speakers?

Digital audio input via mini jack/toslink from ADA converter, monitored via USB audio output to amplifier... is this do-able? I know digital audio input should be okay but how do I monitor it, apart from using the internal speakers?

You can output audio thru HDMI, with appropriate adapter.
You can use additional cheap external usb audio for monitoring.

Headphone Jack doesn't work and internal speakers are stuck in mute.

So I have an 18' macbook pro with a 2GHz Intel Core i7 and running version Mac OS X (10.7.5). I recently dropped my computer off my lap while my headphones were still in. The headphone jack smashed into the computers headphone output jack I took out the headphones and they still work but now no matter what pair of headphones I use I cannot hear anything when plugged in. As well when I take out the headphones the sound output does not switch back to internal speakers but says Digital Out. I know the speakers work because when I was messing the out jack because I read when a red light is on inside the jack (which it goes on and off) means it is stuck in mute. That however has not worked so far and neither has putting in and taking out the headphone jack.

Use OnyX to clean your system and User cache files. It's free to download. Just click on the "Automation" tab, check the boxes and run it.
Dave M.
MacOSG Founder/Ambassador  An Apple User Group  iTunes: MacOSG Podcast
Creator of 'Mac611 - Mobile Mac Support' (designed exclusively for an iPhone/iPod touch)

No sound from internal speakers or headphone jack

HP 15 notebook PC
windows 8.1 64-bit
not getting any sound from internal speakers at all. no sound from headphone jack. was working fine yesterday. updates to drivers are good. i can see sound signal in the speaker bar. please help.

Hi,
Can you post back with the full Model No. and Product No. of your Hp 15 series notebook - see Here for a guide on locating this information.
Regards,
DP-K
****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
****I don't work for HP****
Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Broken cable in phono jack - override to internal speakers?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for