Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I've noticed a weird little bug in Mavericks. Whenever I unplug or plug in external speakers or headphones to my 13" Retina MacBook Pro, the sound Balance (System Preferences, Sound) between left and right channels instantly moves off center and become left channel dominant. It's an easy fix now that I'm aware of it, but I was curious if anyone else has been encountering this?
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)
Hello TCC427,
It sounds like when you disconnect a head set or head phones, the balance of the internal speakers is put more toward the left channel. I recommend resetting your SMC, and then your PRAM and re testing the issue after you have done both:
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
- Shut down the computer.
- Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
- On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
- Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
- Press the power button to turn on the computer.
Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.
Then:
About NVRAM and PRAM
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
- Shut down your Mac.
- Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
- Turn on the computer.
- Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
- Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
- Release the keys.
After resetting NVRAM or PRAM, you may need to reconfigure your settings for speaker volume, screen resolution, startup disk selection, and time zone information.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Sterling
Yuur instruction didn't work for me.
Macbook Pro Retina 15'' (Late 2014)
macOS Sierra 10.12.1 (16B2555)
with external DAC
Kind regards, Fabian
Is this a software bug of Sierra? Before updating to Sierra this issue has not occurred.
You might want to consider starting a new discussion. Since this one is a couple of years old, less people are likely to look at it. A new post would be much more visible. You can link to this one. Post in the Sierra community.
I am having the same problem with 12.12.2 and a FIIO E10k, I would start a new discussion but linking to this may help demonstrate that this is a bug instead of user error or a config issue.
Sound Balance Bug
