macbook speakers no longer working after battery replacement

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macbook speakers no longer working after battery replacement

Hi everyone - looking for advice. I just replaced my battery on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) 11,2 with a NewerTech one. I followed the install video to the T and (almost) everything works great (I even cleaned out my fans.) But when I went to use Zoom today, my internal speakers wouldn't work.

The install video has you take out all the guts of the machine, then reinstall. I just checked and everything seems seated fine. Bluetooth audio works as does the analog port. I tried throwing out "coreaud" in the Activity Monitor and trying again. I ran a hardware test (startup with D held down) and that was fine.

Thank you for any help!

I feel like it must be a system issue since both speakers aren't working, but I'm looking for advice. Still using High Sierra. Sending a photo of the guts in case there's a connection missing somewhere? My machine didn't 100% look like the one in the Newer Tech video, but it was close enough.

PS: I did the battery swap myself because Apple wanted $1200 to fix it - I have an OWC hard drive and they wouldn't give me a new battery without replacing the "non-Apple" hardware. So annoying.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Dec 1, 2020 12:58 PM

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Answer 1

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HWTech

Community+ 2026

Level 9

70,304 points

Dec 1, 2020 6:28 PM in response to jhw1

If the left speaker doesn't work it may prevent the right one from working as well.

From your picture it looks like the left speaker (the one on the right in your picture) cable may not be fully seated. Also it is very easy to break the speaker connector on the Logic Board on these models when disconnecting the speaker (especially the left speaker) as they fit tightly and the connector is only attached by very thin and fragile pins.

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Answer 2

Dec 1, 2020 8:20 PM in response to jhw1

That break in the wire looks pretty severe so it is likely the cause of the problem especially if you have reseated the cable to the Logic Board again.

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Answer 3

mdhurst

Level 5

6,629 points

Dec 1, 2020 6:42 PM in response to jhw1

Perhaps you have a local Apple Authorized Shop and they can assist? I recently had my local shop here in Anchorage replace my battery in my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) and the price was only $350.00 which included a new top cover (keyboard, track pad)

Guessing they might be able to assist you - Alaska MacStore - Ray Long is the owner and they are beyond awesome - 907.272.7697

The MacBook is running like a brand new machine and the battery life is awesome.

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Answer 4

jhw1 Author

Level 2

249 points

Dec 1, 2020 7:03 PM in response to mdhurst

Hi mdhurst,

Thanks. A third party shop is an option, yes. It was either that or do it myself, and after watching the video, it seemed like it wasn't that hard, you just needed time.

The new battery is already in and it's working great, just the speaker is not working. If I can't get it going on my own I'll look for a shop.

I'm in New York, but thanks for your local shop's #!

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Answer 5

jhw1 Author

Level 2

249 points

Dec 1, 2020 7:08 PM in response to HWTech

Thank you HWTech! Looking at that cable, I think I smooshed it somewhat when I reinstalled everything, as I had it under the battery cover at first. So now, the cable to that speaker is fraying. Would that be enough to mess things up? If so, I'll look into getting a new speaker. I looked at all the pins under a loupe and they seem to be not bent or smooshed (but I understand teh logic board is fragile and pressure might mess up connections.)

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Answer 6

jhw1 Author

Level 2

249 points

Dec 2, 2020 2:26 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks! I did reseat it and there was still no sound. it does look worse than I thought it was while looking at it enlarged. Just ordered an OEM new set of speakers so hopefully once I replace it, all will be good. Thank you for your help!

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macbook speakers no longer working after battery replacement

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