Ever since I updated my M1 MacBook Air to macOS Sonoma, any headphones I plug into it will only play sound from the left side. Initially I thought my headphones had an issue, but the same problem was there when I tried others. I've tried 3 different headphones and it's the same issue.
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.0
I had the same issue. For some reason after the update to Sonoma the system setting was updated to be 100% left audio. I found this in Settings > Sounds > Output > External Headphones, then adjusted the Balance slider at the bottom to the middle.
I use Boom 3D audio, not sure if its related but I know it has a custom driver so worth mentioning.
Hope this helps someone that was as worried as I was that I broke my headphones!
I had the same issue. For some reason after the update to Sonoma the system setting was updated to be 100% left audio. I found this in Settings > Sounds > Output > External Headphones, then adjusted the Balance slider at the bottom to the middle.
I use Boom 3D audio, not sure if its related but I know it has a custom driver so worth mentioning.
Hope this helps someone that was as worried as I was that I broke my headphones!
Did you try using an audio splitter? I faced issues with my mic after the MacOS Sonoma update, so I plugged in my mic to the audio splitter and connected it to my Mac, and the issue was solved. Also, see if you are facing this issue with wireless or wired headphones. If they are wired headphones, then probably the macOS Sonoma is causing issues with the headphone jack. You can try following this guide to fix headphone jack issues on Mac.
Clearly, there are some issues even with the public version of macOS. I suggest you to contact Apple Support for the same if the issue is not solved.
Audio only from left side of any headphones plugged into M1 MacBook Air after updating to macOS Sonoma
