Directing sound through iMac

Hello I'm thinking about buying a monitor that I can connect to my iMac. I was wondering if I was using dual monitors will I be able to direct all sound through my original iMac monitor or if I was doing stuff on the other monitor will it only come out of those speakers even if I'm on computer. I'm guessing if I'm on other signals on the monitor I.e not using the computer, like tv or on a console, it will come out the monitor speakers or is it even possible to make that go through the iMac?
Thanks

If you connect anything to the sound output port (the mini-stereo jack with the headphones symbol) of the iMac, the sound output will be directed to whatever is connected. So if that second display has speakers and it has an audio cable, connect that cable to the audio output port of the iMac and it will have the sound. If you just connect the display to the video output port, then the sound will continue to come out the iMac's built-in speakers.
There are some devices that output sound over the USB (or even FireWire) connection. In that case, the USB option will appear in System Preferences Sound pane Output tab. Select it on the list, and the sound output will be direct to that device connected over USB.

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Hi Andy,
Long shot, but...
Open Audio Midi Setup in Applications>Utilities, see the input & output options & KHz setting there, some things will change it for their own use, then not set it back.

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Hello All,
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vickyfromla quinta wrote:
i have the usb selected as the input device
and the output?
vickyfromla quinta wrote:
but it won't allow me to set the input level. when i try to move the slider, it automatically moves itself back to the far left side.
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After step six? Seven?
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!http://blog.brothersoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/howto_copy_files_to_or_from_your_iphone02.jpg!

No Sound through HDMI - Mac Mini

Hello Forum, New user to this forum, I have a problem, I have bought Mac Mini ( August,2010) for home use and recently bought LG -32LD450 - 32". I have connected my TV directly to Mac Mini using a 1.3X HDMI cable. I have video/ display - however no sound. All i can hear is sound from the Mac Mini's internal speaker. I tried to change the setting through - System preference/sound/output. It displays - LG / HDMI - however i cannot select, the setting is active with internal speakers only. Please advise how i can obtain audio from the TV.
I forgot to mention the message seen in System Preference/Sound/Output - LG TV HDMI - Settings for the Selected Device : The Selected Device has no output controls.
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Help in this regards is highly appreciated...thanks
Please help

Krusdublin: I am experiencing similar issues with no real solution yet:
I have a Mac Mini 2010 connected to a Sony Bravia HD TV via an HDMI cable
sound output via TV speakers was not working when I first connected the two (about 4 mos ago)
couldn't figure it out- and just used an headphone cable to connect the mac mini to a stereo
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then about a month ago I was back in the Sound preferences and found that I was able to get audio output via the TV speakers.
about a week or so ago I disconnected all incl. power, and reconnected as I had to re-setup my tv (all reconnected in the same outlets via HDMI)
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when I say it is not an option, I have two lines under name and types as follows:
"Internal Speakers" > "Built-In Output"
"SONY TV" > "HDMI"
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the speaker icon in the top right of the screen is also greyed-out and not changeable...
I notice that when I switch input on my TV aerial to the MacMini (HDMI 1) I get a little yellow triangle with exclamation mark in it, and the text: "AUDIO only" at the bottom right of the tv screen. (In not sure if I had this before or not - dont completely remember seeing it, but vaguely do...)
I've also updated my macmini whenever an update is released (within a few days)...
I've spoken with an Apple tech over the phone and went through a number of reboot (while holding down certain keys, etc.) to no avail. She then recommended that I go into the Apple store and have the mini checked out....
At the apple store, the apple tech took the machine to the back, out of sight, and returned about 20 mins later to say that it was working fine. I asked to have it hooked up to one on display - so I could see for myself. We hooked it up to an HDTV via HDMI and booted up. Went to System Preferences > Sound and selected: "Panasonic TV" as the output device. I still could not adjust the volume bar (it went greyed out) - but I could crank up the tv volume directly and get sound. Great! Sort of... While now I could get sound - it was not the same as before where I could control the sound through the mac - only directly through the TV. The Apple guy said that he didn't know what I was talking about - and said that they way the machine was now working was the proper way. He unhooked my mac mini, and gave it to me, and walked away.
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Thats where Im at so far....
Aarrgh.
THOUGHTS?
Thanks in advance,
MAJM

"Popping" sound through external speakers

I'm using the Apple Pro speakers through an iFire on my G5 iSight and have been getting a popping sound through the external speakers. This does not happen with the internal ones. This topic is mentioned over on the intel iMac discussions board and seems to be a widespread problem. It appears that many different brands of speakers are making the popping sounds. My external speakers work perfectly with my iBook. The external speakers sound much better than the internal ones. I hope there is a fix for this. Anyone else have this problem?
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.3) 20' iSight

Hi, on the older white intel iMacs we use to open&close Midi. Sometimes it worked sometimes not.
My intel iMac popped until I changed my older Logitech 2 speakers + Bass unit for a set of Bose..L

Mac OS 10.7.5 No sound through external speakers

I have had this iMac for about two years with the Bose Companion 20 external speakers hooked up. All of a sudden there is no sound through youtube. iTunes, speakers work fine. BTW
I also have a MacBook Pro that is about three months old and after a software update yesterday it also has no sound through the internal speakers on youtube only (that I have discovered).
But I am more concerned about the iMac, where these Bose speakers deliver excellent sound, and I am a classical music fan.
Any help? And please don't speak in code (I have no idea what "reset the SMC" means). Thank you!

Click on the YouTube speaker and turn up the Volume.

New headset, but certain programs are transmitting sound through speakers and not headphones.

Spoiler (Highlight to read)
Hello,
Hello,
I just recently purchased a new headset for gaming but have been having some issues with it and the system sound. One major issue is when I call someone on skype, the sound from Skype or the call will go through the headphones, but any other audio comes out of the speakers. I have also notices that iTunes also does not function when I am in a call as well. Some examples would be if I were to want to watch a YouTube video while in a call, the sound would come through the speakers and not the headphones. However, I did find a fix for it. All I had to do was disable the main speakers and the audio was transmitted to the headphones. Another example would be if I wanted to run games via Steam (Garry's Mod, TF2, ect.), I wouldn't get any sound whatsoever from the game. Not through my speakers or headphones. With one exception, Garry's Mod volume I can hear through the speakers while in a Skype call, but I want the sound to come through the headphones. But with TF2, I get no sound whatsoever. If you need any more information about my issue, please feel free to ask. Thank you.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hello @LayneStaley,
Welcome to the HP Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
I have read your post on how certain programs are transmitting sound through speakers and not the headphones, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!
To ensure that your headphones are utilized when plugged into your notebook, I recommend following the steps below:
1. Click the Start button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click on Hardware and Sound (sorting the control panel icons by "category"), and then click on Sound
4. Under Playback, you should see one or two speaker icons. One of them should already have a green checkmark next to it (which will be your notebook's main speakers). If the second Speakers icon is not visible, right-click in the list of devices and select Show Disabled Devices
5. A second, disabled icon of "speakers" should appear. Right-click this icon and click Enable
6. Select the newly enabled speaker device, right-click it, and select "Set as Default Device".
7. Click Apply.
Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!
Regards
MechPilot
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Play Sound Through Display AND Connected Computer.

I bought and connected my new 27" LED Display to my 27" iMac today and would like to know if its possible to play sound through both the display AND the computer at the same time. I know to go into the sound settings in system preferences, however only the option is given to chose the sound output to come from either one or the other.
Is it possible to play the audio through both?
Thanks in advance!

I downloaded this program with the provided link - after changing the settings as advised I began to get that loud static white noise like sound out of the iMac speakers (which apparently is a problem many people have experienced with their 27" i7 iMacs). As soon as I deleted the Audio Hijack program the speakers went back to normal. (Thank God!)
If anyone else has any suggestions as to how I can play sound through both the iMac and the display at the same time this would be great appreciated.
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Surround sound through HDMI?

All the new Mac models released in the past 12 months are supposed to be able to output multichannel audio through an HDMI connector. I have recently purchased a new MiniMac with an HDMI connector and was really looking forward to playing multichannel sound through one of my two Onkyo home theatre amplifiers. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. For one of the amplifiers (Onkyo TR SX576), the Audio Midi Setup application found an 8-channel device and named it TR SX576, but I was unable to get any sound played through the system.
For the other one, a slightly older model (TR SX506), which has a Samsung LCD attached, the Audio Midi Setup just reports HMDI (0in/2out) with "SAMSUNG" as the name. I can't output via the amplifier... it seems to just pass the audio though.
So, here's a simple question. Is there anyone who has succeeding in outputting multichannel sound via an HDMI cable to a home theatre amplifier? If so, what Mac, what amplifier? What is missing to allow Macs to talk with all home theatre amps via HDMI??

Hi levelg
levelg wrote:
Great. The only problem is that when I define 8channel sound, the amplifier doesn't do any surround sound processing, and so virtually everything that I can play on the Mac only comes out of two speakers . To get surround sound effects (Pro Dolby etc), I have to revert to 2ch-24bit and allow the amp to do the surround effects.
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I think the answer to your question is that using the HDMI would require the Mac to have an AC3 codec, which would take up to 6 channels of audio and then compress them into a Pro Dolby data stream which your amp could then decode. (This is actually the reverse of the "AC3 Codecs" that you might find available for download on the web). I believe that this software component would require a separate licence fee, and also might not work sufficiently fast in real time to avoid lip sync problems. It could also result in severe quality degradation in certain channels due to the amount of compression. You can't squeeze 6 channels into 2 and then back again without losing some quality along the way.
The result of this is that HDMI and TOSLINK connections from the Mac can play prerecorded surround sound from a DVD, etc, since this can be passed to the external decoder unchanged, but can't play audio generated on the fly by applications. (At least, that's what I've found - someone else might know differently)
I know from personal experience that it IS possible to buy an external USB 5.1 sound card to connect to a 5.1 audio system, and this will enable on the fly audio generation from applications. The same setup will also play surround sound DVDs, provided you use the alternative VLC DVD player.
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Bob

Lost sound on iMac after plugging in and removing headphones

Hello, I have a 2006 24 inch Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. It generally works just fine. I run the latest version of Lion.
However a new problem has started.
Let's say I am listening to music through the iMac's speaker. That works fine. I then plug my iPhone earphone in or Boss headphones in to the iMac and I get no sound through the headphones.
I then pull the 1/8th plug out and I now no longer get sound through the speakers.
The volume is up, it isn't on mute, etc but I get no sound through the speakers or devices plugged into the headphones.
In the sound syste preferences, the output is set to Internal Speakers, the output volume is set at half and it isn't muted.
The only way to get the sound back is to restart the machine.
HELP!
Thanks
Andrew

I don't know if this answers your question at all but I use a program called SoundSource to manager my inputs for the speakers and mic volume when I'm using Skype. This might be something you can use if you're having issues with the volume controls. It stays in the menu bar of the OS and I don't know what I'd do without it.

Directing sound through iMac

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