Loose Connection Headphone Jack MacBook

I was having difficulty with 3 pairs of headphones that I own. Upon insertion into the MacBook aluminum headphone jack, I would only get a very loose connection. A slight wiggle would disconnect headphone sound and revert to internal speakers.
I went to the Apple store today in Toronto, and tested a few of their units on display. Same thing I even tested using the headphones sold at the store (BOSE noise canceling - $249.00). Same problem. Just pulling out ever so slightly, ruined the connection...
Anyone else had this problem?? I'm totally surprised there's not more about this out there...

I reported the problem within two weeks of receiving the first macbook and then within a week of receiving the second - apple has a period of "remorse" whereby if you decide you are not happy with your purchase you can return it less a restocking fee - in my case, since it was a clear failing of the machine, they waived the restocking fee and gave me a full refund
I should add that I bought mine from the online apple store - the support and sales staff were very helpful - the video that I put online made it crystal clear what the problem was
before deciding whether to take a third macbook or the full refund I asked them to check with the technical department whether this was a known issue (it wasn't) and I also made a trip to a local reseller to see if I'd just had bad luck or it was a widespread problem (all the unibody macbooks and macbook pros exhibited the same behaviour)
I had been waiting to upgrade to a smaller form macbook that I had long hoped for. The release of the unibody macbook seemed initially to be the answer to these hopes - albeit with no firewire and a poorer quality screen than I expected. I decided I could live with these shortcomings but the macbook as it stands is unusable for me due to this headphone socket issue. Rather than wait for a fix to this unrecognised issue I decided to buy a previous revision macbook pro. Better a last revision mac product than a first revision - pity because otherwise the new macbook was great.

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You describe a part being pulled out and sits loosely, the headphone jack, like the one pictured here.
No to all of your questions and wishful thinking, even if it could e done, would you trust yourself with a screwdriver and an L-Series ? Y
You know that L Series are sought because of their premium brushed finish, heavier weight and sturdiness just like people who want metal Glocks instead of the plastic version used by commoners.
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http://www7.pcmag.com/media/images/262780-toshiba-satellite-l745-s4210-top.jpg
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iPod Touch Repair - iFixit
- Apple will only exchange your iPod for a refurbished one for this price, You get a new battery. However, it may not be worth it for a 2G iPod.
Apple - Support - iPod - Repair pricing- A third-party place like this one is less expensive. Google from more places.
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Hi, and thanks for your reply. I didn't have a red light emitting from the jack. I had already checked in the sound preferences to make sure the settings were correct. The headphones were not being recognized. This was not working with several differing sets of headphones. I made a phone appt. with Applecare. The laptop PRAM was reset and it works. There is still a bit of a delay when I plug in the headphones before they are recognized and I do feel the port is just a bit "off" as the no headphones plug all the way in. They seem to just sit almost flush but, not quite. However, resetting it resolved the issue to a satifactory level. Applecare said the issue was that not enough power was getting to that function on my laptop. They gave me the case number and I can use it if I have any further problem when I take the laptop in with me to any Apple service center. I was quite satisfied with how this was handled by Apple and if I have anymore issues will follow up.
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Looking for help with this problem, that seems like a lot of people had in the past and still have, but I see that a couple of discussions on it here have been archived. Too bad, as the problem continues.
I seem to be having the same problem with my late 2008 white 2.1Ghz Macbook.
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P.S. re. advice not to use metal object. This was the only way I was finally able to solve the problem (i.e., using the small screwdriver). I didn't see where using a metal object would be a problem, seeing as the headphone plug itself is metal. Anyway, it worked.

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I keep a matchstick handy because the wood end is just the right size and works well to move around til you can trigger that red light to go off in the jack.
Just a thought, although sometimes I get tired of doing it...
Thanks. For the time being, I can still get the speaker back by jiggling the headphones plug. But, like you, "sometimes I get tired of doing it". And the number of jiggles required is unpredictable and seems to be growing.
I had also seen the following remedy, which unfortunately has not worked for me. Maybe you'll have better luck. Then you can retire your matchsticks.
Is there a red light coming out of your headphone jack? If so the Mac is stuck in optical audio mode.
Try plugging in/unplugging headphones or the following longer steps:
Plug your headphones back in.
Play a bit of sound through them (e.g., a song), then stop the sound.
Make sure Preferences is quit.
Launch Preferences and open the Sound pane.
While the Sound pane is open and set to Headphones, pull out the headphone plug from the jack.
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URL . . . https://josephhall.org/nqb2/index.php/stuckonmute

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meh!
Excuse my lack of tech knowledge- but all I was using the headphone jack for, was for headphones and for connecting my macbook to external speakers. So, I didn't know the port was used for anything....else?
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Hello JohnBoarkman,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
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I too suffer from the same issue....
i have had the phone replaced.... 2 times in 2 weeks and still its the same...
i get the usual support questions from my mobile provider, one guy sent me new headphones which means he clearly didnt understand.
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I have owned my Zen Micro for about 8 months now and have had no problems. However, recently the connection between the headphones and the player has become loose and movement of the player results in sound distortion.
I emailed the support team about sending it to them and getting it fixed - I know it's out of warranty but I would be prepared to pay for it to be fixed - but got no reply. It is frustrating that there is no phone number to call either. Dreadful service.
Is there an address I can send the product to to get a quote and get it repaired? Or would it be best to take it to an independent electrician and get it fixed?
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I found 2 websites for fixing the broken headphone jack problem yourself. Proceed with caution, as it requires you to do your own soldering.
For the Xtra:
http://www.pcpages.com/thebishop/nomadfix/
For the Micro:
Go here for your fix: http://www.noboundrees.net/Micro_Fix/Mirror: http://home.comcast.net/~mercx/
I recommend this as your FINAL option. At least it's an option to throwing it away!
Cheers!
Socorro

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I have had three macbook pros 13'. My most recent one has a sort of loose headphone jack. I was wondering if its normal? It take minimal pressure for it to engage inside the headphone socket. And comes our without much effort.
While in the other notebooks I owned, they were really tightly secured. And it would take a considerable amount of pull/push to en/disengage the headphones. as compared to my current laptop.
Just wanted to know how your headphones jacks are.

Owning a MBPro 13" myself: It just requires the amount of force to plug/unplug the headphone like on my iPods/iPhone. - feels just o.k.

Loose Connection Headphone Jack MacBook

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