No Sound From iMac Internal Speakers

Have you tried turning up the volume and please describe the exact process you did to reset the PRAM and SMC, please do not skip a step. Also check to see if anything is plugged into the audio connectors in the back.

There are multiple methods for resetting the SMC based on the type of Mac you have. Please describe the steps you took for your iMac, they are totally different than those of say a MacBook or MacBook Air.

Try resetting it with all the peripherals unplugged. Leave them unplugged and then retry the sound. If that doesn't work create a new user account (call it TEST ACCOUNT), log into it and see if you have the same issue. If it disappears you know it's a software issue in your normal user account and not global.

If its any use to anybody I had this exact same issue with no sound. I googled and tried everything suggested to no avail so booked a Genius appointment.

I then remembered I had been trying to get the Dictation tool to work so I could dictate into the word processor instead of typing. So I went to Dictation and Speech and simply turned off dictation and the sound came back on! I hope it helps some of you.

I had this problem a while back, but it went away before I could work it out. It happened again today and I now believe it is a transient hardware issue in the headphone jack (possibly related to temperature/humidity/dust). The system seemed to get confused and think it was using digital audio out when it wasn't, and plugging in my headphones in a few times and twisting the jack a little seemed to make it the problem go away.

Similar description: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1155397

Thanks ObiJuan2080!!!

I just ran into the same problem as you. Nothing plugged into my iMac except power, kbd and mouse and for some reason I had no sound. Pressing volume up/down keys on the keyboard wouldn't do anything but show the "not permitted" circle with slash through it like the image in your original post.

I killed coreaudiod and after it restarted (automatically from launchd I presume) the sound was working fine!

A reboot might have fixed it, but killing coreaudiod was a lot quicker...😉

Cheers,

Dean

I had this same issue...my iMac's sound just mysteriously stopped working. I went into System Preferences>Sound>Internal Speakers ....checked the mute button and then unchecked it and the sound magically came back....not sure what the deal was but it's working now. 🙂

I can't find 'coreaudiod' in the activity monitor or indeed anywhere on my Mac (21.5 inch mid 2011, OSX 10.8.2). Never had any sound problems on any revious mac until this one. Shop bought, not refurb. It worls fine with headphones but not without. The only options with the headphones out are: for output, Digital Out Digital-out port for which it says "The selcedt device has no output controls" and for input built in internal microphone and line ine audio line in port. The volume slider can be used but not input level or the mute button (unchecked) which are greyed out.

With headphones in, output changes automatically to headphones port and there are no other options. On the input tab the volume slider works for both input and output and the mute button can be accessed.

Nothinng else hooked up and iTunes works okay without headphones

This is driving me crazy

I have now sorted this after trying various things and it is simply the headphone jack socket. If you have ever used headphones then this is the cause. Put the headphones back in and you will hear the sound. Waggle them around and then pull them out and the internal speakers will start working.

Then dont put your headphones back in!

Thanks. My workaround is slightly different. I've found that if I let the headphone jack stay in but loosen it then I can often get sound (though not always) directly. I must say though that this shouldn't be happening at all. When you fork out a fair sum of money for a computer then while you might expèct the odd glitch, not being able to hear any sound without some convoluted & distorted way of doing it, just doesn't seem right. Another problem, which I'm not sure is related to this or something else, is receiving what sounds like a submarine's sonar 'beep' on YouTube but not on iTunes.

I had this problem - it seemed to have happened when I was trying to figure out how to get an Ibook to upload - I tried a few things I found on the internet. Finally I got it to upload and then the sound disappeared - it took me a while to figure it out but it seems I had inadvertently switched the output sound to airplay on a different device -

Try this - go to perference and sound and make sure that the output sound to the internal speakers

didn't work for me... I went to system preferences and clicked internal mic.. still have mute mic on facetime connection even if I keep clicking it.. I will see if the VIDEO setting.. which comes up with FACETIME and has an option for internal mic works the next try. Very frustrating. As far as I recall the PREFERENCES under Facetime is grayed out.. so you don't get the option of preferences. I have all the right requirements for facetime.. and video is fine, plus audio from the contact.. but my side is eternally mute.