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

I had this issue last Thursday, i.e. no audio output device found. I was right in the middle of working and poof no audio at all. Audio icon disappeared as well. Since then, restarting no longer works.

Before that, I've been having some issues with the audio which were usually remedied by restarting. When I was playing songs/podcasts/audiobooks on iTunes, the audio suddenly disappeared but it came back after a few seconds/minutes. Before Thursday, I would get no audio at all but the icon was still present.

Tried the following:
1) Stick the earphones in before shutting down. Took them out and powered up. -> didn't work
2) Repaired disk permissions (Disk Utility) -> didn't work
3) Cleared audio cache (Onyx) -> worked ONCE
4) Zapped the PRAM -> didn't work
5) Did a software update (iTunes 8 included) -> didn't work

I'm not sure if it is a hardware problem. I did an Extended Hardware Test (took 4.5 hours by the way) but didn't find anything. Also, it's concerning that this is happening to a considerable amount of MBAs at the same time.

Unless there will be a universal fix to this issue which will be released in the (hopefully) near future, the only option left: go to the Apple Store. I'm quite reluctant because I looked at other threads and though the MBAs were brought to the Apple Store for repair, it didn't fix this issue.

I've tried everything to no avail. I am growing more frustrated and I'm honestly considering buying a new laptop!

Yep, I'm at the same point of looking around. I see the core i7 laptops are out now on the other side of the fence. I reckon if Apple don't sort this with 10.6.2 it's time for me to demo one - but its a pity, the Air is a pretty loveable machine...

36,850 views to this thread say its a systemic problem with first generation Air's though...

Message was edited by: peter.ryan

I wonder if an upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard would solve this?

I'm sure this whole thing with the audio is doing people's heads in! I hope the folks at Apple are aware of this issue (not just trying to wait for the next service repair) and are working on it. I've read some articles and threads about this and it looks like some MBAs were having the same audio problems back in 2008.

I'm waiting for the next Snow upgrade.... don't know when/if it will come out.

It seems that some hardware tweaking fixes this problem for a lot of people, ie. replacing the audio chip/card, replacing the cable that is attached to it. Some have done it on their own and others by Mac repair.

I have also seen some mention of software fixes, and it does seem a possibility with the numbers of people interested in this thread. Who knows though, maybe it's a statistical cluster and not really software.

You mention some 2008 threads, did they just get their fixes through updates or were there procedures they did on their MBAs. So far it looks like people on this thread have already tried downgrading to 10.5, pram-resets, etc, etc.

I called up the Apple Tech Support line (800-275-2273) and I described the audio issues I'm having with my MBA, tech guy said it seems like a hardware issue and I should bring it to a service provider or the genius bar. I made sure to emphasize that based on some discussion threads, a lot of MBAs are having this problem. Didn't really get a reply but the guy insisted that I get the machine checked.

Not that I refuse to believe that this is a hardware issue, but why is this a problem all of a sudden and why to a considerable amount of users? If it is a hardware issue then it seems like it's affecting first-generation MBAs.

There was a thread started sometime in the summer/fall of 2008, the solution posted which apparently worked for most people was Onyx (clear audio cache).

Some users suggested replacing the Audio Cable, that also worked for some folks.

This happened to my MacBook Air Rev A recently too.

Symptoms: No sound, no mike. No audio device in Prefs. No sound in connected headphones.

Initially the sound started coming back after waking from sleep, but would disappear again after a period of time.

Then it came back after doing a PRAM zap. But the audio device (and sound) would disappear after putting the MBA to sleep and waking. Then even the PRAM zap would not work and an Onyx cache clean together with PRAM zapping worked once.

Called Apple Tech Support and they suggested an SMC reset. Did that and the sound returned, but disappeared again with the next sleep/wake cycle. At this point no amount of zapping, cache cleaning or SMC resets would revive the audio device.

Like everyone, I thought that an Apple system update could have been the cause. I backed up the MBA and rolled it back (by using a restore with Time Machine) to a few months back. This is not for the faint hearted - it took over 14 hours (55GB SSD). Still no sound.

At this point I had nothing to lose, so I re-installed OSX from the original disk, in essence rolling the MBA back to its factory settings. Still no sound. It had to be hardware.

This time I booked a Genius. Guess what, the only question he asked me was whether there was any sound from the headphone jack, and immediately began writing out a job-order which included: 1 Flex Cable.

The MBA is now back with its sound, and boy, you really do not realize how much of the basic experience on a Mac is based on sound (such as cues) until you do not have it.

From my experience it seemed like it was a gradual failure of the hardware. Why PRAM zapping and SMC resetting worked for a while is perhaps something for an electrical engineer to fathom.

My theory about why we initially think the cause could be due to an Apple update is that the relatively high frequency of updates would mean a high probability that one's MBA would lose it's sound just after such an update.

Hope this helps - if you have these symptoms, you need a Flex Cable replacing!

Thanks Hard Light, that's a pretty compelling argument for it being a hardware issue.
So... if its a gradual hardware failure affecting large numbers of only Rev A MBAs, does that mean Apple might extend the warranty? I guess most Rev A owners who don't have Applecare are out of warranty now. Anyone had any experience of negotiating with repair centres / Apple stores about these kind of issues? Or anyone remember how much they paid outside warranty?

Hi Hardlight. You rock, full re-install of original OS huh. Too bad it didn't work, admire your effort though.

I tried the latest Onyx, need the beta to work on Snow, and cleared audio cache, audio equip pref., nothing returned.

It could be that we're all just hitting the end-of-life cycle of that flex cable.

I'm not close to a Mac repair store, so I'll be waiting a while. Definitely is a different experience without sound.

My audio also went out after the MBA had gone to sleep/screensaver. I recall I was running my iTunes and streaming a radio station at the time.

One point -- it might be that the software update "caused" this likely "hardware" failure. My MBA runs way hot now, and who knows, maybe the heat fried my flex cable.

I took mine to the Apple Store the other night. As I'm six months out of warranty, I had to shell out $310 to have it fixed! It might have been cheaper to go to a service provider, but I suspect that this is a design defect and the issue might arise again. If I have Apple take care of it, I might have a stronger case, if I lose audio out again.
Does anybody want to bet how long it will take until someone will file a class action?

I haven't received it back, yet, but the report they give you when you pick up the computer usually contains a list of all components that were exchanged. The Apple Genius didn't act surprised at all and seemed very familiar with the issue. He said that the internal audio cable had to be replaced and that it was definitely a hardware issue. He didn't even run a hardware test or troubleshoot.

Maybe when you pick it up you could do some "detective" work for us.

(1) Inquire if it's "end-of-life" for these cables?
(2) Are they failing due to heat against it?
(3) Is it that they get pulled loose/fray/break?
(4) Or.....I wonder if just re-seating it, resets stuff that the laptop sees and it's "new" again?
(5) Is this just "normal wear and tear"?

What is the Apple policy on "normal wear and tear" anyway, certainly we all are not listening to our "iTunes" so much that we "wear" out that cable.....are we?

One pretty compelling argument against it being a hardware / ribbon cable fault - the exact same fault just happened this evening on my Mac Mini (1.83 Core Duo, 10.6.1) aswell.... Have the Air booked into Apple store next week (appalling customer service by store even trying to get it booked in, but that's another story) so they will get to look at two for the price of one.

In owning eleven macs in the last 5 years, and having been something of a Mac evangelist, I've never, ever, been this disappointed in Apple. Flashy new iMacs and Mac Mini servers look great and all, but if I can't trust the machines anymore, to me they're worth precisely nothing at all...

I had this problem and fixed it by re-seating the connectors and readjusting the routing of the audio cable inside the machine. I'm certain this was the cause of the problem in my cause.

After I opened the Mac and moved the battery aside, I could see that the audio board is attached to the motherboard via a flat cable that's routed under the battery, with two serious right angle folds in it. I wiggled and re-seated the connectors and fiddled with the routing of the cable until the audio was consistently working. I tested with the Mac apart by powering the Mac on just long enough to get the screen lit, listening for the tone, and then powering it off by pressing and holding the power button. This took a few tries -- I'd screw down the audio board and test it, then screw down the battery and test it, then reattach the back and test it.

Eventually I'll get around to replacing the cable, as this sort of flakiness is definitely due to either a broken wire within the cable or a loose connector on the cable ends. While I was in there I also tightened the screws on the hinges, they were definitely loose and making my screen flop around like a newborn's head.


I removed the battery (nine screws) and the audio board on the left (two screws). The screws are different sizes so I saved myself future sorrow by laying them out on a piece of paper, map-like, as I removed them.


The bad boy. I pulled the cable away from the case and temporarily straightened it out, relaxing the bends in the folds and giving it a healing massage (candles, Enya). After I did this my audio came back to me.


For good measure I re-seated the connectors on the cable ends. I wasn't able to take the top connector all the way off because there's a plastic tab from the hard drive mounting above it. I wiggled the connector as much as I could, then I made sure it was firmly seated.


I flipped the audio board over and re-seated the connector there, too. Initially I thought the problem was with the audio board components touching the bare metal of the case, so I shoved a piece of iPod Shuffle packaging in there before I screwed it back down (how it got there will be a mystery to future generations).

I hope this helps.

Guys,

Like yourself, one day I noticed that my audio disappeared out of the blue. When trying to increase or decrease the volume, there are no filled in sounds bars and the no-sound symbol shows up. I panicked.

Today, I fixed the problem by replacing the audio cable that I ordered from iFixit. Just search for Macbook Air Audio Cable at their site.

After the installation of the new audio cable, my sound is back.

My theory:

If you're like me, you sometimes hold the MacBook Air by the bottom right corner (where your right hand rests while typing) while the screen is open. It's tempting to do this because the computer is so thin and light. The problem is, the audio cable gets squished between the aluminum and the battery. The pressure from your thumb plus maybe the battery heat kills the audio cable over time. The audio cable is right underneath the right hand rest part so I suggest never holding the MacBook Air by that corner ever again!