iMac 27 inch audio line in issues in OSX, bootcamp and virtual machine
I am looking for any help that anyone can offer with an iMac line-in audio issue. I just purchased a new iMac 27” with the 3.6 processor (not quad core). The unit has an audio line-in input and a line out / headphone port. I am trying to use an XM PCR unit with the iMac but I am not having any luck. The XM PCR is a usb based XM radio unit that uses the usb port to control the unit. The unit also has a headphone jack size cable that carries the audio to the iMac.
I installed all of the OSX updates (snow leopard) and I installed all of the drivers for the XM PCR. The unit is working through the usb and the iMac controls the unit with no issues. I plugged the unit directly into a pair of speakers and verified that audio is being carried over the headphone cable properly.
When I plug the headphone cable into the line-in port on the iMac, the sound is not audible over the built in speakers or through the external speakers that are connected to the iMac. I was able to finally get the audio to carry over on the iMac with a program from Rogue Ameba called Linein. I am unable to hear the audio though if the Linein program is not running in the background. I checked all of the input / output settings on the iMac and adjusted the line-in levels and still no audio without the program.
Now, the main problem that I am having is using the line-in on the boot camp side. I installed XP on the boot camp side and I am unable to use the line-in input whatsoever (no sound) and I can not find a program similar to Linein. I then tried to install XP on a virtual machine with Parallels 5.0 and still unable to hear the audio over the line-in input.
I contacted Apple support and they told me that they do not support the boot camp side or the virtual machine side, so no luck there. I asked them about the OSX side of the machine and the fact that I need to run the Linein program and they politely told me that the Line-in input is not “for that purpose”. They could not tell me what the line-in port can be used with or how to fix the port. (I had the same results with trying to plug in an ipod with a headphone cable). The Apple support specialist told me to continue using the Linein program but could not provide any other support.
I contacted Parallels support and the only advice that I was provided was to reinstall “Parallel tools”. That did not work either.
If anyone can provide a solution for the XP (boot camp or virtual machine) side, I would really appreciate it. Additionally, if there is a workaround for the XP side, like the Linein program for Mac, I would really appreciate that too.
This is so frustrating after spending so much on a machine and Apple can not provide a solution. I have checked the web and the forums and have had yet to find any solution.
Thanks for any help.
I installed all of the OSX updates (snow leopard) and I installed all of the drivers for the XM PCR. The unit is working through the usb and the iMac controls the unit with no issues. I plugged the unit directly into a pair of speakers and verified that audio is being carried over the headphone cable properly.
When I plug the headphone cable into the line-in port on the iMac, the sound is not audible over the built in speakers or through the external speakers that are connected to the iMac. I was able to finally get the audio to carry over on the iMac with a program from Rogue Ameba called Linein. I am unable to hear the audio though if the Linein program is not running in the background. I checked all of the input / output settings on the iMac and adjusted the line-in levels and still no audio without the program.
Now, the main problem that I am having is using the line-in on the boot camp side. I installed XP on the boot camp side and I am unable to use the line-in input whatsoever (no sound) and I can not find a program similar to Linein. I then tried to install XP on a virtual machine with Parallels 5.0 and still unable to hear the audio over the line-in input.
I contacted Apple support and they told me that they do not support the boot camp side or the virtual machine side, so no luck there. I asked them about the OSX side of the machine and the fact that I need to run the Linein program and they politely told me that the Line-in input is not “for that purpose”. They could not tell me what the line-in port can be used with or how to fix the port. (I had the same results with trying to plug in an ipod with a headphone cable). The Apple support specialist told me to continue using the Linein program but could not provide any other support.
I contacted Parallels support and the only advice that I was provided was to reinstall “Parallel tools”. That did not work either.
If anyone can provide a solution for the XP (boot camp or virtual machine) side, I would really appreciate it. Additionally, if there is a workaround for the XP side, like the Linein program for Mac, I would really appreciate that too.
This is so frustrating after spending so much on a machine and Apple can not provide a solution. I have checked the web and the forums and have had yet to find any solution.
Thanks for any help.
iMac 27", MacBook Pro, Iphone 3gs, Mac OS X (10.6.2)
