Hi!
I have a PowerMac G5 1.8 DP, running Leopard and suddenly, I am having sound come out of my external speakers even when I have headphones plugged in. It has never done that before. Has this happened to anyone else? If so, any ideas on how to get it to stop and act normal again?
Thanks!
Dual 1.8 G5, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
Headphone jacks have a ground terminal that is normally closed, when a plug isn't inserted. When you insert the headphone's plug, its tip pushes that terminal aside and opens that ground connection. This silences the other audio output jack, while sending the audio signal to the headphones. When you remove the plug, the ground terminal moves over and closes the circuit, restoring sound. If your speakers aren't silenced when a plug is inserted in the headphone jack, that ground shunt terminal isn't opening properly. It could be metal fatigue that has caused the terminal to become bent or cracked, affecting its movement. If a small piece of metal has broken off and is positioned so that the circuit is permanently closed, the connected speakers will always be ON. The opposite can also occur, when the ground shunt breaks and there is no sound being conveyed to the speaker. In either case, the practical solution is to replace the jack. It's a nuisance repair, but worth the effort — unless you want to have to turn OFF the other speakers manually.
Headphone jacks have a ground terminal that is normally closed, when a plug isn't inserted. When you insert the headphone's plug, its tip pushes that terminal aside and opens that ground connection. This silences the other audio output jack, while sending the audio signal to the headphones. When you remove the plug, the ground terminal moves over and closes the circuit, restoring sound. If your speakers aren't silenced when a plug is inserted in the headphone jack, that ground shunt terminal isn't opening properly. It could be metal fatigue that has caused the terminal to become bent or cracked, affecting its movement. If a small piece of metal has broken off and is positioned so that the circuit is permanently closed, the connected speakers will always be ON. The opposite can also occur, when the ground shunt breaks and there is no sound being conveyed to the speaker. In either case, the practical solution is to replace the jack. It's a nuisance repair, but worth the effort — unless you want to have to turn OFF the other speakers manually.
Thanks, Jeff!
I know that's how headphones work, I've just never had a headphone jack go bad on me on anything I've ever owned, so I was thinking there must have been some kind of software setting I had changed without realizing it. I'll check it out later. Hopefully, just a little gentle pressure will move the prong back in place and solve the problem.
Sound coming through speakers when headphones plugged in
