OUTPUT volume resets to high after reboot

It appears to be an issue with 10.6.2 on certain folk's Macs, but there is no understandable rhyme or reason because it is not consistent across the range of a particular model. Hopefully it will be settled down in 10.6.3.

Dah•veed

I think you could lower the volume if you put it all the way down, in the settings area, then reboot

Are you using external speakers connected to the headphones port? Mac OS X stores the sound volume for each output device separately. The startup sound uses the sound volume setting for the internal speakers, so changing the sound volume setting for external speakers (headphones) has no effect on the startup sound volume.

What you need to do (if the above is true) is disconnect the external speakers; you are now using the internal speakers. Set the sound volume lower, as desired. Reconnect the external speakers. The sound volume will automatically go back to the previous level for headphones, but the lower setting for the internal speakers is retained. When you start up the next time, it will use the lower setting for the internal speakers.

I think that you misread his post. He is not speaking about the startup sound. He is saying that a (re)startup does not retain the audio setting he was using prior to shutdown. And that if he purposely sets the audio output low it still does not retain that setting.

This is a bug that was reported during trials of 10.6.2 and it has not yet been addressed.

Dah•veed

You never know... Why would someone turn down the sound volume at shutdown (when they are no longer using the computer), unless it was to lower the startup sound volume?

Because he is trying to get the audio level not to be so loud the next time he starts up his Mac. It is a bit unnerving when it happens. Kenichi, I have know of which I speak, I have the same issue myself. I also have spoken alerts when I receive mail from certain sources or people. I sometimes forget that the audio level resets after a restart so I forget to turn it back down and then I jump out of my skin sometimes when my Mac blares at me, "Dah•veed, you have a new Apple Discussions notice!"

Dah•veed

In your case, since you have a Mac mini, you probably have external speakers. If you disconnect the external speakers, are you able to set and retain the volume setting on the small built-in speakers between startups?

You will have to just believe that it is an issue that covers more Macs than just my Mac mini and is not a matter of internal vs external speakers. Plus, I have used Arcana's startup sound preference pane since it first came out so that is no issue for me.

BTW, Mac minis have 1 tiny internal speaker.

Dah•veed

Peace guys!

Hey Ken, David also has an iMac.

Machine3, try leaving the volume one or two notches up from the bottom to see if the setting is saved. Then again if you never shut it down and only let it sleep, it won't forget the setting.



Dennis

Just wondering if the problem is retaining the volume setting +in general+ for any currently selected output device, or just for the external speakers (the headphones setting). THAT may actually be relevant to the original poster's issue.

If you disconnect the external speakers and mute the volume, is it still at the high setting when the Mac mini is restarted. Or is the volume muted after restart.

It may be a bug, but it obviously does not affect everyone. It does not happen on my older Intel iMac. And there is a +Early 2009+ Mac mini in the house, 2.0 GHz (same as and in Dah•veed's profile); it does not happen on it either.

When you did the test of setting volume low (or muted) with external speakers disconnected, and restarting with the external speakers disconnected, was the startup sound from the built-in speakers low (or muted), or was it already reset and loud. This will better determine when the volume reset takes place. If it's already loud, then it takes place during the previous logoff and actions that take place before restarting (or shutting down), or during the initial few seconds of startup (before the startup sound). If it's still low (or muted), then the sound volume reset takes place at some point after the startup sound, but before startup completes.

As another test, if you set the volume low, then log out and log back in (instead of restarting), does the volume stay low or does it get reset to the higher volume.

And as one more test, create a new admin user account in System Preferences Accounts pane

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8235.html

Log out and log in to the new account. Go to System Preferences Accounts pane and set it for +Automatic login+ (If you don't use automatic login normally, then you don't need to set it). Now try doing the same test, except from this account instead of your normal account. Is there any difference in the volume setting being retained?