Imac audio out to hi-fi amp

hi,
i just got my second iMac a couple of days ago & decided to connect it to my stereo amp . for my previous iMac i made a stereo 3.5mm ''headphone'' jack to two rca plug cable which worked fine even though the 3.5mm mini jack didn't fully seat in the headphone out at the back.
on my new iMac it doesn't even go in deep enough to stay in place : it's like it gets ''sprung back out'' & obviously i didn't try to force it in . has anyone had this sort of problem & successfully solved it ? is there a better way to connect the iMac to the hi-fi in terms of sound quality ? my hi-fi is of quite good quality even if a little old & has no optical ins at the amp, what do you suggest ? thanks in advance & a good week-end to all
Nuno

hi den.thed
& sorry to be so rude & not acknowledge your answer immediately !!...shame on me !
it turns out you were right , i got myself a better quality stereo mini jack - bought a Neutrik... - & problem solved !! now i can ''see'' the sound flow very happily to my amp & everything sounds fine & dandy !
thanks & my apologies once again
Nuno

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Laast month I bought an iFi speaker kit from Klipsch to connect to my iMac G5 20" (rev B). During the night after a few days I heard loud thumping from the subwoofer. I got up, realized it was coming from there, turned the speaker kit off. In the morning when I tried, a woofer on a satellite was out of commission. They replaced it, I installed it, and 15 minutes later it did the same thing. Loud thumping, loud buzzing, and this time, no more sound, and a test of the speakers on another kit on the PC reveled that again on the same side, the satellite was bust. I just sent back the whole kit today for repair/replacement, but seeing your post now makes me fear that the problem is with the machine. I have also wondered if it was the stereo jack cable that I used (bought brand new, but cheap one).
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If I plug headphones into my iMac's audio-out jack, a high pitched electric buzzing noise can be heard.
It starts to give me a headache after a while, so I've been avoiding using headphones.
I don't have AppleCare anymore, so taking it to Apple would cost $$.
I'd like to do anything I can to fix it before having to take it to Apple - any ideas?

Hi Colin
Here are a few things to try:
1. If you open and then close GarageBand it will reset your iMac's Audio MIDI setup to default.
2. Test that set headphones with another device like an iPod or portable radio/CD player.
3. Push a little harder to make sure that the headphone jack is fully seated.
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Try running a
SMC RESET
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
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Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
Wait 15 seconds.
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Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
It is the 5 second timing that initiates the reset.

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Hello,
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Hi Dennis,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I plugged the system in, and it works great.
I don't know about the Creative Inspire, but this one is definitely better than two small unpowered speakers that I have used for years. Now, the iMac replaced the old PC, and clearly the old speakers had to go.
I appreciate the tips on volume and boot sequence. The only other item that I wish I could resolve is how to switch between external and internal speakers without unplugging the system from the audio jack. I am not sure that I want to keep the audio system on all the time. However, browsing the forum, I came across the explanation that the jack has a hard-wired sensor, so it seems that software would not be able to override it. Please let me know if I misunderstood the post, and such functionality does exist.
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Bel Canto power amplifier
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Hi there....on my iMac, suddenly I'm only getting audio out from the headphone jack at the back (which goes into my JBL Creature II's) on the RIGHT hand side. it does seem that suddenly the output jack socket has become defective....anyone else had this kind of thing?

Try it with something else, such as iPod earbuds, to make sure the problem is not on the speaker side.
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http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
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Just curious if anyone has done this yet? The iMac says it has optical audio out through the headphone jack but without an adapter I can't see how that's possible. My speakrs accept optical audio in and I really want to connect them to my future iMac. If not, how's the optical from the headphone jack? Is it possible to get 5.1 surround from that port?

firefighterpilot1 wrote:
The iMac says it has optical audio out through the headphone jack but without an adapter
I can't see how that's possible.
There are two "standard" optical-digital-audio connectors -- the original "square" one is
still used in most larger audio/video components. The newer/smaller one, used mainly in
portable gear, is exactly the same size as a mini headphone plug. The iMac's audio jacks
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reputation for quality/service among the HDTV-fanatics on avsforum.com.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042301&pid=2671&seq=1&format=2
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http://www.thismuchiknow.co.uk/?p=24
Looby

HT2844 iMac 27"(late 2009), Audio in/Optical digital audio out port, stopped recognizing my new Bose speaker system, previously working...

Hello,
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HBWYQ6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
depending on which model of Bose speaker you have, you might try doing a product reset
turn off speakers...unplug power cord from outlet...wait 1 minute..plug cord into outlet..turn on speakers..
\\turning off automatic standby||
press and hold top of control pod for 6 seconds until you hear 2 tones that go from high to low
other than that ,I don't know
John B

IMac Internal Speakers WITH Audio Out

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Reset PRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18761
Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the appropriate method.
Best.

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I have tested your utiity, but it does not work with my booklet. Do you have a gudline how to include ?
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Is it possible to play iTunes audio out through USB to receiver to power speakers?

I thought you should be able to.Play iTunes audio out through USB to a receiver equipt with USB mode as I can with my iPad Air, but I can,t find in preferences on my 2013 iMac any out put and I get no signal to the receiver/amp. Is it possible? What am I doing wrong?

Yes
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> http://www.amazon.com/RiteAV-3-5mm-Stereo-Female-Cable/dp/B0018MI5F6
> http://www.amazon.com/C2G-Cables-40645-Stereo-Adapter/dp/B000J1H4VI/
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example
> http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/CBLAOPTMT/

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Yes.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/

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Check the following:
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Just fettled it with my imac USB device.

Imac audio out to hi-fi amp

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