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Level 1

33 points

MacBook Air no audio output device found ???????? please help

Dear all,

since yesterday my Mac Book Air can not find audio output device anymore, so no sound.

Its actually strange because i was running the Hardware Test (Boot + D and so on) but it does not show any failure or problem.

Could you please help me? Anybody has any idea?

Thank you
Carsten

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.5), Macbook AIr

Posted on Oct 2, 2008 4:29 AM

Best reply

Philip Bendall

Level 1

0 points

Posted on Oct 4, 2008 4:17 PM

From about 2 October my MacBook Air developed the same problems as described above: no sound output and (flash) video playback issues.

Pressing the volume buttons on the keyboard flashes up the level indicator on the screen but it does not change, and also a little "O" with a line through it appears underneath. The Sound Preference panel says "No Input Devices Found" and "No Output Devices Found", and the volume slider is grayed out, set a max, with a grayed Mute box ticked.

Flash video on various sites plays only for a second or two before stopping, although the file continues to load in.

The only software I've installed around the same time this problem first occurred was CoolIris. I have since removed it using its Remove option in one of the menus.

I have also had system crashes when trying to wake from sleep. The machine gives the blue screen and either locks up, or freshly reboots to the Login Screen (with previously logged in users now logged out, ie a restart).

I think, but am not 100% certain, that I updated iTunes after the problem first appeared.

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411 replies

Aug 30, 2009 8:16 PM in response to Carsten.Roth

Hi all,
Today my sound cut out:( No videos or anything which is reall sad because I had a three hour drive home and I would have loved to watch a movie or two. Just wondering if fixing the cable is a permanet fix. I've had my laptop for about 14 months and i'va had to have the screen replaced twice and I'm out of my warranty for about a month because last month or 2 months ago I had to have my screen fixed and then I was a week out of my warranty but I got it all good. So i wa just wondering if it's the cable thats the problem for everyone or if it's possible it's a software issue because my friend kees telling me it's a software issue so I am going to upgrade to Snow Leopard in a few minutes when I finish backing up and we'll see but from what I've read I think it's the cable

blue13

Level 1

0 points

Sep 1, 2009 11:46 PM in response to Carsten.Roth

I have the same problem with my mba. My MBA is still in warranty. I sent it to genius bar and they kept it for 4 days. Then they told me that I still need to wait for another week to get it back because they need to change the logic board and they have no part on the site. So it needs to be shipped to company and then ship back.
I can't wait for so long time. So I take it back, but without sound is too much inconvenient.
I tried every methods mentioned in this thread except opening back. Nothing works.
Any other advice is appreciated.

Sep 7, 2009 7:28 AM in response to Carsten.Roth

I had the same issue before. Before, I installed a program called SoundFlower, because I am a DJ. It hijacks your computer's audio, and plays it in an output. What I did, was System Preferences -> Sound -> Output. Then I made sure that the output was highlighted on built in internal speakers.

It worked for me!

Hammas

Level 1

8 points

Sep 12, 2009 3:11 AM in response to amazingmiki

I have first gen MBA, 17 months old and sound just disappeared. However I can alter sound preferences so the sound card seems to be connected but there is no sound in either headphones or speakers.

I have upgraded to snow leopard and the other day I installed rosetta in order to be able to play sim city 4. After a few hrs of gaming the game crashed and since then the sound has come and gone. Rebooting helped in the beginning but now it's totally gone. Could rosetta cause this or is it the opposite? That the application crashed because of failing sound device?

Hammas

Level 1

8 points

Sep 18, 2009 9:37 AM in response to Carsten.Roth

Had this problem as well. Changed the flex-cable 922-8380 and now it works again. Very useful thread here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1529839&start=15&tstart=0

Why is it archived? I understand that this thread is a duplicate but still, the photos are very helpful.

Also: This is a clear case of manufacture error. This low quality of components is not what I associate with Apple. My MBA is only 18 months old. Really crappy!

Sep 23, 2009 1:00 AM in response to Hammas

Same pb here: no audio on macbook air after 11 month. At the beginning it was an intermittent problem, so I suspected a software bug. It turned out that it was hardware: audio cable have been replaced and it works fine now.

Hammas

Level 1

8 points

Sep 23, 2009 1:33 AM in response to gabriel.corp

Since you still have warranty I'd recommend you to take it to an apple repair partner.

The way you describe the problem sounds very much like it's the HW and I'm 95% sure that it's the flex-cable that has given up.

To be extra sure about the HW failing you can always make a backup with time machine and clean install your MBA. If turns out not to be the SW just restore the backup and everything is back to normal again.

Good Luck!

Sep 25, 2009 7:47 PM in response to Carsten.Roth

i sent my laptop to the place i bought it a apple reseller and I don't know what needed to be fixed but the total it would have costed was like $970! So now I have no sound 😟

Hammas

Level 1

8 points

Sep 26, 2009 1:43 AM in response to MBair++ipod touch

By that price it sounds like your computer was wreck when you handed it in. 970 $ is a new Macbook ffs.
On my MBA a flex cable was the thing that caused my sound to vanish. The flex-cable had broken in one folding. Check this link for images: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1529839&start=15&tstart=0. It's the cable marked 1 that broke.
I bought one for 27€ and changed it my self. Works like a charm now.

Doesn't your repair shop leave some sort of warranty on their work. In Sweden standard on these kind of jobs is 3 months.

Sep 26, 2009 10:19 AM in response to Carsten.Roth

Just happened to me after I upgraded to Snow Leopard. I bit of a coincidence if it's down to hardware. Got an appointment with a Genius on Tuesday - but I'm not hopeful!

Hammas

Level 1

8 points

Sep 26, 2009 12:51 PM in response to Daniel Smith9

Yap,

Was the same for me. Had SL installed for about a week when it broke down. But I believe it's more about the quality of the flex-cable. My MBA is about 18 months old and I'm guessing your is about the same.

Please get back to this thread when you've talked to the Genius. Would be interesting to get their opinion on this problem.

Sep 26, 2009 11:37 PM in response to Daniel Smith9

Woke up this morning, switched my computer on and the sound has come back! Very curious...

Sep 28, 2009 8:18 AM in response to Daniel Smith9

Sound has gone again!
Zapped PRAM and cleared audio caches. It definitely smells like a hardware problem.
Will report again after my visit to the Genius folk in a couple of days. Got my Air on the week of release some 18 months or so back.

Oct 2, 2009 1:28 PM in response to Carsten.Roth

Apple are going to replace audio board/audio flex cable and maybe the port hatch assembly too.

namikun

Level 1

15 points

Oct 5, 2009 10:36 PM in response to Carsten.Roth

My MBA just lost its audio...it came back after a restart. I wonder how long I have until it totally fails... To all of you who had it repaired out of warranty: keep the receipt. If Apple acknowledges this problem as being related to a manufacturing defect, you might get reimbursed. Hopefully, enough of us will report the issue.

MacBook Air no audio output device found ???????? *please help*