Alert sounds default to Internal Speaker though Line Out is selected

I have a very similar problem that occurs to my computer where I will return to my computer after it has gone to sleep, and sound controls do not work. All systems tones come from the internal speaker, as well. After doing a Google search, I came up with an AppleScript to make it change to the internal speaker, then go back to the line out. The script works with the default listings in the sound preferences panel, but you should be able to change it to whatever is listed in your Sound preferences pretty easily. To do it, go to Applications, Utilities, AppleScript Editor. Once there, paste in the code below into the top box. Then do a file, save as. I would change the File Format to Application and save it on your desktop. You could create then a shortcut in your dock to launch it whenever sound is not working right. The script follows this (copy it all from the first tell to the quit):


tell application "System Preferences" to activate
tell application "System Events"
get properties
tell process "System Preferences"
click menu item "Sound" of menu "View" of menu bar 1
delay 2
set theRows to every row of table 1 of scroll area 1 of ¬
tab group 1 of window "sound"
set theOutputs to {} as list
repeat with aRow in theRows
if (value of text field 1 of aRow as text) ¬
is equal to "Internal Speakers" then
set selected of aRow to true
exit repeat
end if
end repeat
end tell
end tell
tell application "System Events"
get properties
tell process "System Preferences"
click menu item "Sound" of menu "View" of menu bar 1
delay 2
set theRows to every row of table 1 of scroll area 1 of ¬
tab group 1 of window "sound"
set theOutputs to {} as list
repeat with aRow in theRows
if (value of text field 1 of aRow as text) ¬
is equal to "Line Out" then
set selected of aRow to true
exit repeat
end if
end repeat
end tell
end tell
tell application "System Preferences" to quit

Have the same issue here with no solution to offer. However, instead of going with the Open-Sys.-Pref. dance, here's a short-cut:
First make sure the Volume icon is present in your menubar (toggle it from the Sound Pref pane)
Then, Option-click on it: you'll be presented with a list of available Output/Input devices instead of the volume slide-bar.
Here's the odd thing: even though Line Out is checked, simply selecting it restores the sound to piping from my HK SS2 speakers.

Message was edited by: FrankMtl

I am having a similar issue but it seems slightly different.

Often--but not every time--when I wake up the computer (after a long sleep, like overnight; not usually if it's sleeping for less than an hour)--or when it boots up, the volume controls on my keyboard (mute, volume up, volume down) control the internal speaker volume and not the line out volume. However, the line out is still working. I can hear iTunes through the line out (my external speakers).

I have found a similar (gum and paper clips) solution, which is to open the "Sound" System Preferences pane and switch the output to internal and back to line out. This fixes the problem: I can control the volume of the line out with the keyboard audio controls.

The good news is that I stumbled upon an even easier way to open that "Sound" System Preferences pane: hold down the option key and then hit any of the three audio control keys on the keyboard. This opens the exact pane I need so it's quick and easy.

This is still a pain in the butt though, in general and there definitely needs to be a fix for this.

Dan

I have the same problem on re-booting. It does not seem to occur when waking from sleep, and never happened on my old Power Mac G5.

I have the same issue. Even deleting the audio plist files from /library/preferences/audio didn't help. It is certainly a bug but thank god it doesn't bother me that much, since I seldom reboot my Mac Pro.

Are you talking about the BONG sound at start up going through external speakers? Forget it, its in the firmware and can not be heard through external speakers.. Sad, but true.

No, I am talking about the normal sound of the system in Mac OS X.

If I connect my speakers to the headphone jack, is there any quality differences compared to the Line Out?

I'm seeing the same problem (mid 2010 mac pro 8 core)

I have line out selected as my audio out. Sometimes after it wakes from sleep (not positive this is the trigger since I never notice it right away, but it seems to be) system sounds come from the internal speaker. Music etc. still plays out the line out. The volume controls on the keyboard affect the internal speaker volume, not the line out.

I notice it when I start playing music and try to turn the volume up and my system just clicks from the case rather than changing the volume.

To fix I open the sound prefs pane and change to internal then back to line out and everything goes back to normal until next time.

I'm sure it's software triggered. I generally always have mail, ichat and itunes open. I usually have XCode and safari open as well. I often have an iPhone and iPad connected. I'm thinking it could be if the system wakes from sleep and plays a sound (perhaps mail beeps) or perhaps it's the USB power draw causing the line out plug not to init properly... quite confusing, a lot of variables and it's not consistent so I can't narrow it down. Sometimes it's twice a day, sometimes it's once a week.

My external speakers are a powered 3 jack 5.1 surround desktop set that I'm just feeding the stereo out from the line out.

I wanted to chime in as the owner of another mid-2010 Mac Pro octo-core (OS 10.6.4). I have tried all the suggestions about deleting plist preference files, clearing PRAM, repairing permissions, and so on, but without avail.

This Mac Pro came this way out of the box, and no subsequent software adjustment has made any difference. My machine unswervingly defaults to internal speakers after a restart.

The problem isn't so much crippling as annoying, but it certainly is annoying.

Same here. And I thought all the time I was too stupid to set it straight...

Got to settings, click on the sound option
Look under the "Sound Effects" pane
Notice the option "Play sound effects through _________"