Distorted headphone jack sound

When I connect to external speakers which work fine on other computers, I get this sound which sometimes disappears during the day (not sure why). You can listen to it here:
http://homepage.mac.com/kiwifilms/MacBook/iMovieTheater56.html
I have tried to move and joggle the jack but it is not loose as there is no difference if I press hard or try to slightlu move it up or down. I have reset PRAM and the sound stuff before so I was hoping to hear if there is a diagnostic program which I can use to solve this.

Also, I have tried restarting my computer, messing with the audio settings, and various other settings that I thought might help.

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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?

IMac headphone jack sound drop

Hi everyone,
My 27 iMac 3.06 GHz is dropping the sound from the headphone jack after a few minutes of playing audio. If I adjust the volume with the keyboard the sound comes back...for a few minutes again. If I use the on-board speakers for sound output the sound never drops.
Is anyone else experiencing sound from the headphone jack dropping on the new 27" iMacs? Any suggestions on what might be causing it?
I plan to take it to the apple store as I am multiple other problems at the moment with the machine, but I figured I would find out if this is an isolated incident or if others are having the same issues (a search of the forums did not reveal similar problems)

I have a whole lab (30) of new imacs and the headphone jacks need a lot to be desired. My headphones all worked on the emacs I had last year; they work on my laptops, but most are crackling and also in some cases causes Type to Learn to actually pause. When I pay $1000 dollars per machine I would think the headphone jack would work. After all how many years now have people been putting headphone jacks in computers? You would think they would have it down perfect by now. But each time I get a new set of macs I have problems: ibooks - the wire to the LCD was being pinched by the hinge - 15 out of 30 now don't work; macbooks- hard drive failures. It is interesting that I have imacs purchased in 2000 that are still functioning as they should - just can't update them past panther in most cases. Will Apple admit this problem with headphone jacks?

Headphone Jack sound quality

When I plug my headphones into the jack, the sound becomes distorted and full of wavering bass. I adjusted the EQ, but the problem remains. What can I do?

Try another pair of earphones.

Headphone jack dead on Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro front pa

I have the Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro running on a 2.4 GHz, Gb PC?with XP Pro. Everything was running perfectly yesterday evening. I went away for about one hour, came back to listen to some music and couldn't hear anything in my headphones. I hadn't made any hardware or software changes since I last used them. The headphones are plugged into the large (6.5mm) jack on the external front panel. The system is recognising them because the speakers mute?when they are plugged in, but no sound comes out. (If I plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack on the little volume control handset coming from the woofer, they work fine). I've tried two sets of headphones and I know that they are OK. In summary:- No sound from front panel 6.5mm headphone jack.- Sound connections and volumes seem to be OK, because speakers and woofer volume control headphone jack work fine.- Headphones are not the problem.- Speakers are muted when headphones are plugged in, but still no sound from 6.5mm jack.- No hardware or software changes since they were last working. HELP PLEASE!

OK problem solved. The flat connector on the card at the back of the computer was very slightly loose on one side only. I could only tell when I actually tried to move it myself - it certainly looked OK. Strange that the audio made it to the speakers OK but not to the headphones!

All headphones give distorted, crackly sound. Sometimes no sound. Headphone jack broken? Apple expresslane support giving a "generic error" message whenever I try to send in for service...

As in the title. For a while the headphone jack is occasionally crackly when the jack moves around in the port. It finally died today when I plugged it in and all the audio is heavily distorted and sometimes cuts out completely. Whenever I try to set up a service with Apple I keep getting this error message:
We're sorry, but we are unable to complete your request at this time.
Please try again in a few minutes or start over now.
I can't get through to the Irish support phone number either, it keeps saying number not recognised. Is there any other way I can send my iphone in for service (closest genius bar is 500km away...)

http://ww2.cs.fsu.edu/~rosentha/linux/2.6.26.5/docs/DocBook/libata/ch07.html#excatATAbusErr wrote:
ATA bus error means that data corruption occurred during transmission over ATA bus (SATA or PATA). This type of errors can be indicated by
ICRC or ABRT error as described in the section called “ATA/ATAPI device error (non-NCQ / non-CHECK CONDITION)”.
Controller-specific error completion with error information indicating transmission error.
On some controllers, command timeout. In this case, there may be a mechanism to determine that the timeout is due to transmission error.
Unknown/random errors, timeouts and all sorts of weirdities.
As described above, transmission errors can cause wide variety of symptoms ranging from device ICRC error to random device lockup, and, for many cases, there is no way to tell if an error condition is due to transmission error or not; therefore, it's necessary to employ some kind of heuristic when dealing with errors and timeouts. For example, encountering repetitive ABRT errors for known supported command is likely to indicate ATA bus error.
Once it's determined that ATA bus errors have possibly occurred, lowering ATA bus transmission speed is one of actions which may alleviate the problem.
I'd also add; make sure you have good backups when ATA errors are frequent

Sound coming from headphone jack becomes heavily distorted at the slightest movement of the headphone cable.

I use headphones almost exclusively of my Macbook Pro (Early 2011, way out of warranty) so this has really been annoying me. For about 1-2 weeks now whenever the wire from the headphones I have plugged in to the jack moves, even slightly, the sound coming from the left side disappears almost entirely while the sound from the right side becomes quiet and filled with static. Strangely, it doesn't appear to happen with everything that I'm doing on my computer. For example when playing games the sound seems to work just fine for the most part, but playing music or watching Netflix causes issues whenever the cord moves, which is really annoying.
To get it to stop, I have to move wiggle the plug around in the jack and slowly move the cord into a place where it will not be affected by movement very easily. I read that some people have been able to get around this by buying an external sound card and using the headphone jack on there, but I'd rather not do that if possible as there isn't really anywhere that I can put it without most likely picking up some interference. Plus I only have two USB ports, so I have to use a powered USB hub thats about 2-3 feet away from my computer for most things. Anyone know if this is a viable solution or how much it would cost to fix at the Apple Store?

Also, I have tried restarting my computer, messing with the audio settings, and various other settings that I thought might help.

The headphone jack on my Mac Mini is putting our distorted audio

Currently, I'm running the audio from my Mac Mini to our brand new digital sound board but we are getting a lot of distorted signal.
It's not a constant distortion and it seems to develop after a few minutes of use.
We run the computer volume no higher than half....so that's not the issue.
We also have changed out the cables several times...so that's not it.
Like I said, the sound board is brand new and so are the powered speakers it's running to.....that's not it.
We also run the signal to a set of wireless speakers from an aux output on the board and get the same issue....
So, it seems that the issue is the audio jack (headphone jack) on the Mac Mini.
Anyone else had this issue?
Any solutions?
Can it be replace?
Should I try an USB interface?

Something you haven't mentioned, have you plugged just
a set of headphones directly into the Mini and get the same
result?
I ask this as it could be some interconnect issue between the
Mini and other devices (ground loops, loading, etc.). It still
may not mean that the Mini is not the issue, just trying to
isolate what the issue is. The fact that the issue is not
immediate, kind of sounds like it may be one of these issues.
As a side note, I have found that ground loops can cause all
manor of strange issues, especially with audio.

Distorted music and sound from headphone socket

I've just started having an issue with my iPod touch, which is just over one year old. Whenever playing sound (music, videos etc.) the sound is distorted and "echoey" from the headphone socket, unless I apply some pressure to the connection. When I let go of the connection, the distortion returns. I have tried different headphones, but this makes no difference to the problem. Playing music on speakers via the dock connection is problem-free.
Is this an issue I can do something about myself or will I have to go to an Apple store to have the iPod fixed? If it needs to be fixed, does anyone know how much this is likely to cost me?
Thanks for any suggestions or advice!

Hi Paul,
Make sure there is no debris in the headphone jack by connecting and disconnecting the headphones a few times, as described here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1575#faq7
If you iPod is still in warranty the repair may be free. This article: http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/faq/ provides more information about the iPod touch service options.
-Jason

How do i use the headphone jack as an input on a macbook pro 9,2.... the option just isn't in the sound app.

how do i use the headphone jack as an input on a macbook pro 9,2.... the option just isn't in the sound app.
all i have is the internal mic option, can anyone help?
thanks

You should also ask this in the MacBook Pro forum. This is the forum for the white and black plastic MacBooks that were discontinued in 2010. You should also post this question there to increase your chances of getting an answer.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro

I've upgraded to OS 10.8.2 and my Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 Speakers were working fine until today, and now they won't play any sound at all, even though iTunes shows the audio is playing. I've tried both the headphone jack and the USB port. Please help!

I've upgraded to OS 10.8.2 and my Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 Speakers were working fine until today, and now they won't play any sound at all, even though iTunes shows the audio is playing. I've tried both the headphone jack and the USB port. Please help! I don't want to have to be stuck using my internal speakers!
Thank you,
Chris

Michael,
Thanks. I haven't mixed down the audio or checked the number of tracks in Prefs. Good points.
As far as a mixdown goes, I'll definitely give it a try, though I wonder whether or not the tracks will be recognized during mix down recording - given that you can't hear either of those segments in playback. Just have to try.
Re the preferred number of allowed tracks - I'll go check as soon as I send this off, but I'm not sure that applies in this case, since the two Channels containing the segments that are pinked out are not in additional tracks. I should have mentioned that other audio clips and segments on the same Channels in the SAME tracks ARE heard in playback. As are two additional track in the 2nd Sequence. It's only when the two sequences are joined that the pink tinted segments can't be heard. Within the sequence the same audio cuts playback as they should. Thanks again &
Best regards,
David

TS4113 Is there a terminal or other type of workaround to allow sound to come from the HDMI and headphone jack at the same time?

I have a late 2012 Mini, running 10.8.2. I have a set of powered speakers plugged into the headphone jack. My TV is running on a direct HDMI connection. I can only stream sound through HDMI, or even select it as an output, if I unplug my headphone speaker plug. Apple's knowlege base says this is the case. I am looking for a way to have both plugged in all the time, and have the sound mirrored to both.
I use the speakers for itunes music, system sounds, skype, etc.. The HDMI sound is for steaming content to the TV. I don't want to have to reach around behind the computer and unplug/plug each time I switch, for a multitude of reasons. Any ideas out there? Google wasn't getting me very far. Maybe a terminal solution of some sort? Thanks in advance.

it seems that m1r3k found a very good workaround, at least for the Mid 2010 Mac mini models (that I'm using right now). I don't know if it works also with more recent Mac mini models.
Re: After upgrading to lion, cant select HDMI sound setting
Open Audio MIDI Setup.app in /Applications/Utility, click the + (plus) button in the bottom left corner of the window and choose "Create Multi-Output Device". In the new device settings tick the HDMI "Use" checkbox and you're done. Simply go to the usual System Preferences Audio panel and choose the newly created device, without the need to unplug the audio cable from the back of the Mac mini. You can also name the new audio device as you want.
NOTE:
This is only a workaround for a deliberate choice made by Apple on OS X Lion 10.7.2 and beyond:
Mac mini: About HDMI audio and headphones
Please let Apple know (here or here) how this has made things unnecessary awkward for users and needs to be fixed (these forums don't count, they are not read by Apple's employees)!

No sound from headphone jack -- here's what I've tried -- now Genius bar?

Hi all,
Some time ago the headphone jack on my MacBook decided to stop putting out sound. I've searched a bunch of forums looking for clues but no dice yet. I've looked into a bunch of things trying to diagnose and fix this problem, which I'll summarize below:
In System Preferences > Sound the Output toggles between Headphones and Internal Speakers when I plug in and unplug the headphones, so I know the jack is responding. The mute button is not selected and volumes are up.
In Audio MIDI Setup > Properties for Built-in Output > Source: Headphones, volume sliders for 1 and 2 are up and not muted. (M is greyed and all the way down but I understand this is for mono.)
I deleted these files and rebooted:
com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist
com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist
Now here's the crazy part -- my girlfriend has reported the headphones have worked recently with DVD Player. Earlier today it was working with DVD Player only to go out after hitting pause. I quit and relaunched DVD Player and they started working again. Hit pause and they died again; now after several relaunches nothing's happening.
So my next step is probably to visit the "Genius Bar" at the Apple Store. Is there anything else I can try that I've not thought of? I've seen a number of forum posts on this problem, so it sounds like I'm not the only one this has happened to.
Thanks for your help.

Took this in to a repair shop and they ended up having to replace the logic board. Thankfully it was still under Apple Care.

How can I remove the background sound from the headphone jack for my MacBoo

for my MacBook Air problem adding music intensifier (Panasonic ST-HT1000) to give it an unpleasant sound background that sounds like a whiz, it's not so loud, but it is an unpleasant .. after a short time can get used to, but the fizz does not pass, however, believe that it is a big problem.
Further I notice that when MacBookAir disconnected from the charger, it remains quieter sound.
At first thought that the headphone jack (3.5 mm Headphone:
Connection: 1/8-Inch Jack) or wiere have problem, but tried 3 different cables, but that does change enything, the problem remains.
When I added iPhonu3GS playing - the background sound were not, then everything is OK!
How can I remove the background sound from the headphone jack for my MacBook Air 13?

There is no way to bring that up unless you have it typed in a document. You can use My Support Profile to find a list of serial numbers that have been purchased or registered with your Apple ID.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2526?viewlocale=en_US
17" 2.2GHz i7 Quad-Core MacBook Pro  8G RAM  750G HD  240G Vertex 3 SSD Boot HD 

The headphone jack on my iPod Touch Gen 2 is intermittent. I get sound sometimes out of one channel and sometimes both depending on how I hold the headphone jack. Is this a costly repair?

The headphone jack on my iPod Touch is intermittent. I gat sound out of one channel or both depending on how I hold the jack. It is making intermittent contact. Is this a costly repair by Apple? Can I do this repair myself?
Thanks

Here is a third-pary place. Google for more.
iPhone Repair, Service & Parts: iPod Touch, iPad, MacBook Pro Screens
Apple will only exchange your iPod for a refurbished one for:
Apple - Support - iPod - Repair pricing
Here are instructions for doing it yourself
iPod Touch Repair - iFixit

Distorted headphone jack sound

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