Use Internal Speakers While Headphones Plugged In

Hey Philfsimon,

I have this very problem and have been searching for a fix. I've even had my macbook (in this case) dismantled trying to find a way to fix the switch.

Having read your post, I'm intrigued by this approach that requires detaching the diode. I'm more than happy to take on some soldering and would happily lose the headphone jack/optical out, in order to get the internal speakers working. I just want to turn the **** switch off that keeps telling the OS that there is an optical adapter in the hole.

I spoke to a guy at a Genius Bar, but they weren't able to detail this approach to me. Any chance you can pass on the details of what needs removing/shorting or whatever it is?

Also, any chance you have remember this software you refer to. Again, would be perfect and I'd happily lose the headphone jack permanently, just to get the speakers back.

Thanks for any help you can provide on this one!

John

I have an iMac which I dual boot with windows 7 - and when running windows I am able to choose between HDMI, headphone and internal speaker output on the fly (just set required device as default). In OSX this is not possible, as everyone has been saying when the headphones are plugged in it is not apparently possible to switch between headphone / speaker output. As I have wireless headphones it would be useful to leave the plugged in all the time and use a software select.

Because this is possible within windows it suggests that a software fix must be feasible, and this is probably down to the drivers. Also, as someone else pointed out - the system bootup sound still plays regardless of headphone plug-in.

Apple need to fix this obvious defect, something that is actually very annoying seeing as the headphones have to be plugged in around the back!!!

It is a software issue - OS X simply will not allow the internal speakers to work when anything is plugged in to the headphone jack.

Apple is aware of this issue but does not consider it to be a problem and will not be fixing it.

The only workaround is a hardware patch - a USB or FireWire audio interface to provide the audio and/or headphone out, while you continue to use the internal speakers. It's a bummer, I know. But them's the breaks.

I use this.

Griffin iMic.

http://www.jr.com/product/productListing.jsp?Ntt=griffin+imic

I leave the headphones always plugged in to the iMic and switch between the internal speakers and headphones by option clicking the sound icon on the menubar.

I was about to have a USB headset plugged in, a set of headphone jacks plugged in as well. and get the internal speakers playing my audio feed.
sound preferences > output tab

click internal speakers and on the drop down menu at the bottom, select "sound input"

if this doesn't work, play around with switching your line in to "output" then back to "input" (play around until the sounds comes from your speakers. it's simple!

i'm running macbook pro - OSX-lion

Still no one solution software to switch audio output when headphones (jack connector, not USB) is plugged in?

Sorry for my English.

The free app Soundsource puts audio input/output switching on your menu bar.

@ Fancytricks, already tried, does not work with "jack connector, not USB, is plugged in"

It's true that the switching is done in software, but it might also be true that switching is not possible by some hardware.

On my Mac Pro I can switch between headphones and speakers (both separate, external 3.5mm jack devices which is probably an important point) by holding down [alt], clicking the menubar speaker icon and choosing which to use.

Equally, some applications can choose which output to use independant of this setting (After Effects and Logic for example), which can be useful. This creates a situation whre it is possible that both devices are being used at the same time.

However on my 2006 iMac and 2009 MacBook I cannot select my headphones independently of the speakers or vice versa. Presumably the jack is effectively a switch, like a set of points on a railway: you can only use one at a time. There is probably some reason to do with impedance (not an audio expert) that you can't run both speakers and the headphone output at the same time from the same line. But if I attach a USB output device then I can, on all machines, use that as an output at the same time as the main speakers.

The issue then is finding a way to route the same audio out all devices. Either use some third party solution or try creating an aggregate device in OSX's own Audio/MIDI setup (in utilities, which I suspect is all any 3rd party app will do).

pie, you are exactly right. i took apart an imac 2011 and found that there is indeed a hardware switch, which you can bypass using a bit of soldering. but the question is of impedence. the new macs were designed to keep the integrity of the sound card alive, as well as the amplifier that powers the internal speakers, which is the same as the amplifier that powers the headphones, only when the headphones are plugged in, it amplifies at a much lower level.

Technical explanation:

the new macbooks and imacs were made that the same amplifier powers both. it is built with a hardware switch which prevents both from running at the same time because when you have vastly different impedences (the impedence of the built-in speakers and the impedence of the earphones), and they both run at the same time, you risk burning out the amplifier. yes, there are software controls involved in the sound card that can switch from one to the other, but the hardware switch prevents you from using both. when i bypassed the switch and put headphones in as well as running the external speakers, the amplifier had a slightly higher temperature, not really causing any harm, but if the wrong speakers or headphones with too little or too much impedence were plugged in the headphone port, and this overloading is done over extended periods of time, can shorten the lifespan of the amplifier, which probably didn't sit too well with apple's quality control.

This is why you might be fooled by the software control in the system by thinking you can run both at once, and that they advertise separate feeds, but trust me. it's just one sound card with one amplifier that runs both the internal speakers and the headphones. That's why you need a separate sound card to run both simultaneously.

Specific that I must not simultaneously use the output jack and the speakers of the iMac, but rather the one or the other, and for convenience I do not want every time having to remove the jack (access uncomfortable in my case).
I also tried to install Windows XP (dual boot without Boot Camp), and by doing so you can switch the output to cross the driver, it follows that the limitation is not hardware.
I also tried various utilities, such as Soundflower, but without the desired result.
If anyone has tested something working it please tell me.
I apologize for my GooglEnglish.

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Nella mia lingua (In my language)

Specifico che io non devo usare contemporaneamente l'uscita jack e le casse dell'iMac, ma bensì o l'una o l'altra; e per praticità non voglio ogni volta dover staccare il jack (di scomodo accesso nel mio caso).

Ho anche provato ad installare Windows XP (in dual boot senza Boot Camp), e così facendo è possibile commutare l'uscita attraversi il driver, ne consegue che la limitazione non è hardware.

Ho anche provato varie utility, tipo Soundflower, ma senza il risultato sperato.

Se qualcuno ha testato qualcosa di funzionante lo prego di dirmelo.

Oddly I am able to choose my HDMI output with a headphone plugged into the headphone jack while tweaking the configuration of my Google Chat in-Chrome.

Still I'm getting a USB-based headphone jack and microphone so I can use some WineSkin-wrapped Windows executables with the system setting for sound output and still use the headset for chatting.

no need to spend $40! search for a USB audio adapter and you will see many choices <$10 incl s&h. not sure about fidelity of one of those things. maybe someone can comment on that but this is probably be the easiest solution.

cheers.

Complaint/Enhancement Request Submitted

Has anyone tried using an Aggrigate Device? That works just fine on my machine. I have an enormous amount of audio outputs in my home, it's wired to play music throughout the entire house using firewire audio interfaces, the internal jack, speakers, and USB audio devices.