Why are my headphones and external speakers cutting out?

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gor @gor72974

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Posted: Apr 19, 2012

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Why are my headphones and external speakers cutting out?

I have a Mac Intel Core 2 duo, Headphones and external speakers cut out after approx 50 seconds. If I remove and then replace the jack they will work for another 50 seconds and cut out again.

The internal speakers work fine.

Is there a repair for this problem or should I consider purchasing an external usb sound card

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2 Answers

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Dan @danj

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Posted: Apr 20, 2012

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Gor -

I don't know of any USB sound cards for Mac's. Frankly, you really don't need one as most Macs have Bluetooth, so you could just add an external Bluetooth speaker or even a headset.

Sounds like your jack is broken. Inside is a small switch which can break or get dirty.

Do you still have AppleCare on your system? If so I would bring it in to Apple to be repaired. Otherwise, getting an external Bluetooth speaker and/or headset would be cheaper than getting the system repaired.

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3 Comments:

Hi Dan,

Thanks again for your comments, I think I will take your advice and go for the Bluetooth speaker option.

I will post back when its all set up to let you know how its turned out.

Kind regards,

Gor

Apr 21, 2012 by gor

Very odd -

Does the internal speakers pickup after your headphones/ext speaker is kicked off?

I would compare the plugs against a original Apple headset. Some plugs are not the correct size.

If you don't have any sound from the internal speakers when the headphones get kicked off you may have a short in the cord. Try getting a new patch cord for your external speakers did that fix it? If so the cords are damaged.

Apr 19, 2012 by Dan

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your quick response.

The internal speakers only kick in when the headphone/external speakers jack is unplugged from the audio out socket.

I have tried different headsets and external speakers and the result is the same.

The headsets and external speakers worked fine until recently when this problem started.

Do you think an external usb sound card would work?

Kind regards

Gor

Apr 20, 2012 by gor

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Hi Dan,

Thanks again for your comments, I think I will take your advice and go for the Bluetooth speaker option.

I will post back when its all set up to let you know how its turned out.

Kind regards,

Gor — gor
Very odd -

Does the internal speakers pickup after your headphones/ext speaker is kicked off?

I would compare the plugs against a original Apple headset. Some plugs are not the correct size.

If you don't have any sound from the internal speakers when the headphones get kicked off you may have a short in the cord. Try getting a new patch cord for your external speakers did that fix it? If so the cords are damaged. — Dan
Hi Dan,

Thanks for your quick response.

The internal speakers only kick in when the headphone/external speakers jack is unplugged from the audio out socket.

I have tried different headsets and external speakers and the result is the same.

The headsets and external speakers worked fine until recently when this problem started.

Do you think an external usb sound card would work?

Kind regards

Gor — gor

Roger Bird @rogerbird Rep: 1 · Answer 1 · 2012-05-23T11:59:51-07:00

Roger Bird @rogerbird

Rep: 1

Posted: May 23, 2012

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Go to Audio Mix application and change the setting of the output to any apart from what is there by default. Hey presto, external sound

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