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External Speakers not Working

Since upgrading to OS X El Capitan on my iMac, my external speakers are not working. I have checked the power source, they are plugged in correctly in the back of my iMac, all speaker volume controls are on high.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 12, 2015 3:38 PM

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7 replies

Oct 12, 2015 7:17 PM in response to DebinSA

As far as your Mac is concerned, audio is being directed to that port.


Return to the Sound preference pane. Change "Play sound effects through" > Headphones if it is not already selected. Then, make sure that "Play feedback when volume is changed" is selected, and that the Output Volume is not all the way down or muted.


Change the volume using your Mac's volume up/down keys. The resulting sound effect should be heard through your speakers.


If not, substitute an earphone or headset and repeat.


If you don't hear the sound effects through the earphones, restart the Mac and repeat the above.


If the problem persists a hardware problem seems likely. Perform a NVRAM reset (see below) though I doubt it will help.


NVRAM reset:

Shut down your Mac.

  1. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
  2. Turn on the computer.
  3. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
  4. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
  5. 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. If issues persist, your Mac's logic board battery (not a portable Mac's rechargeable battery) may need to be replaced. The logic board battery helps retain NVRAM/PRAM settings when your computer is shut down. You can take your Mac to a Mac Genius or Apple Authorized Service Provider to replace the battery on the logic board.

External Speakers not Working

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