Playing CD through bluetooth speakers

I can play a CD from an external drive on my MacBook Pro internal speakers, but when I try to play it on a bluetooth speaker, it does not play. Strangely enough, I can download the CD from the external drive, and play it through the bluetooth speaker, but it does not play directly from the drive to the bluetooth speaker.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Sep 22, 2023 11:00 AM

Reply
3 replies

Sep 26, 2023 3:21 PM in response to meburgo4

Hey there meburgo4,


We'd like to help by ruling out some basics, along with learning more about what's happening:


  1. We see you have macOS 11.7 installed, but the latest version for that older one is macOS 11.7.10. You can verify this by clicking on the Apple logo at the top left corner of the screen, then on ‘About This Mac’. In case you needed it, this link shows how to first back up, then update: Update macOS on Mac
  2. Sometimes unexpected behavior can be resolved with a restart. Check out the section ‘Restart ' here: Log out, sleep, wake, restart, or shut down your Mac
  3. If you were able to play audio to your Bluetooth speakers while playing directly from the external CD drive in the past, when did this start?


Cheers!

Sep 26, 2023 5:48 PM in response to bruno75

I actually have a new MacBook Pro with MacOS 13.5.2. I can play from the Mac to Bluetooth speakers after downloading a CD, but cannot simply play a CD from the external CD drive. When I disconnect the Bluetooth, the CD plays on the computer's internal speakers. Is it really not possible to play the CD on the Bluetooth speakers?

Sep 27, 2023 9:23 AM in response to meburgo4


Hey meburgo4,


Thanks for clarifying that for us.


You can play music from a CD connected to an external drive in on your Mac per the article, Play CDs in Music on Mac. However, you may need to manually select your Bluetooth speakers in the AirPlay pop-up menu at the top of the Music window, and the volume control on the speakers isn’t turned down after you start playing the CD.


Still not working? The coding and technology changes when you import or download content from a CD to Music on your Mac. Songs available from Apple Music, the iTunes Store, or imported and downloaded to your library uses an encoder to convert the song to the most compatible file format for Apple devices. You can lear more about this concept in the Apple Music User Guide article, If you have problems playing music on Mac.


This may also be why the music is playing to your Bluetooth speakers without issue when you download it.


Kindest Regards.



Playing CD through bluetooth speakers

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.