Just purchased the new late 2012 27" iMac. Have tried 3 pairs of headphones, all work with my iPhone but when plugged into back of iMac, they do not show up in Sound>Output as an option. Only internal speakers and Apple TV.
I have pushed...hard. Not the issue.
Tired changing Audio Midi settings to 32-bit floating. Didn't do anything...
Any thoughts?
Thx
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
Try To Reset PRAM http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405
Try To Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Thanks, did both but did not fix the problem.
Is there also a weird red light coming from the jack?
No light at all. It is a brand new late 2012 27" iMac. Jack in back.
Update: Called Apple Care and after running through multiple fix attempts, they deemed the computer qualified for capture and are replacing the computer and will reportedly dissect mine to figure out why the head phones won't work.
A dissappointed Apple neophyte...
Glad I'm not the only one having this issue, I will try and contact Apple tomorrow to see what my situation is. Not a good start to an awesome machine.
Good luck. You are right, not a good start...I am just glad I tried them out, as I don't usually use headphones and don't know when I would have figured this out later on...still waiting for my replacement.
Did you return yours to the Apple store? With the waiting time on the 27" I won't be happy waiting another month for a replacement as I upgraded most of the options. Fingers crossed I can drop it off and they'll sort it quickly.
What you did at last?
This is happening to me and I'm very disappointed and frustrated!
Is the first time I tried to use a headphones and the stupid machine doesn't work!
I already reseted PRAM and SMC also updated OS to 10.8.4
Is a HW problem?
Do I have to go to the store and lost ALL the time I already invested in SW install and file moving from my old laptop?
By the way I can see the light when I unplug the heardphones.
Before some help desk robot asks, YES, I tried 3 pair of phones ALL of them work well in my Vostro 3550, Samsung S3 and in my Nexus 7.
Some light here please!
This problem seems fairly widespread and ongoing. I found a version of this very discussion from 2010/2011. It offered the same fixes (PRAM/SMC/MIDI settings) and the same results. In those cases, the problem seemed to crop up after installing Lion. Mountain Lion suffers as well.
If this is really a hardware problem - and that's what they'll tell you at the Genius Bar - it seems weird that it affects lots of different machines from different eras. My machine is an iMac 24-in from mid-2007 and it is behaving identically to Kreeger's brand new one.
I actually need to produce music again on this machine and the lack of external audio output is a serious problem for me. Apple's response to this issue over some years' time might be the last straw for a 25-year user.
Oh, yay! My machine is now "vintage", so I can't even get factory repairs. I'd make the obligatory "you've lost a customer (and his wife and 5 kids)" statement, but I'm sure this global monstrosity couldn't care less.
A quarter century and through your darkest days...longer than most of your 'geniuses' have been alive.
Apple, you are the new Microsoft.
I was having this same problem. Then I hit the mute button on the keyboard. A bit deceiving as the computer speakers are not muted but the port is/was. Hope this helps.
Mark9007 you are hereby promoted to Mark9008 flashing the mute button worked immediately, I cannot believe all the threads and the various fixes, you sir are the winner.
I am deeply indebted to you, it is important that you get the word out as there appears to be a lot of sufferers out there, I was convinced it was not hardware and sure enough it wasn't just a simple tap on the mute button and I am now back in headphone heaven.
Thanks Mike. It appears the computer speaker and headphone jack are independent of one another. One could be muted while the other is not.
I have a late model 2012 27" iMac. I am now running OS X 10.10, no problems. Then same problem; the headphone jack stopped working. Sound "always" comes from speakers. "Headphones" does not appear as an option in the sound control panel.
Here's a fix that worked for me, consistently:
1) Unplug headphones.
2) Put the iMac to "sleep".
3) Plug in your headphones.
4) Wake the iMac up.
Now you'll see "headphones" REPLACE "internal speakers" as an option in the sound control panel. And the headphones work. Enjoy!
Headphone jack not working on brand new late 2012 27" iMac
