MacBook Pro Special Report: Loss of speaker capabilities

We've received scattered reports of users losing use of the MacBook Pro's built-in speakers, with the "Internal Speakers" option disappearing from the sound output device list in the Sound pane of System preferences.

When this occurs, output can only be heard through headphones or other externally connected speakers.

This issue can sometimes be resolved by opening the Audio MIDI Setup application (located in Applications/Utilities) and changing the output setting to 44 KHz (44100.0 Hz).

In other cases, internal speakers can be made functional again by temporarily plugging in external speakers then unplugging them. Apparently the system becomes confused about whether or not an external audio device is attached. Sometimes the external speakers need to be connected/disconnected several times before the internal speakers are again functional.

A similar fix involves inserting a thin object -- like a toothpick or metal pin -- into the sound jack, and gently pressing in order to de-activate the external output switch. We cannot recommend this procedure, however, because it may cause irreparable damage and void your Apple warranty.

In still other cases, repairs from Apple are necessary to resolve the issue.

Index:

• 30" Cinema Display distortion
• Airline, auto power adapter problems
• Audio distortion/poor sound quality
• Apple addressing issues with new revisions?
• Battery Exchange Program
• Battery problems: Shuts off when not connected to power, more
• Built-in Display distortion
• Clock speed of ATI X1600 card -- some units apparently underclocked
• Cooling solutions
• Dead-on-arrival units
• Display slightly bent, not latching properly -- solutions
• Downgraded SuperDrive relative to PowerBook G4
• ExpressCard issues
• FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way
• High-pitched whining noises: Eliminating; Apple acknowledges
• iSight not functioning properly -- fix
• Kernel panics caused by AirPort drivers; Not sleeping properly, still "on" with lid closed
• Kernel panics upon waking up (Inability to wake from sleep)
• Lack of alternative power adapters
• LEAP Networks; cannot connect to
• Loss of speaker capabilities
• Missing components
• Not sleeping properly, still "on" with lid closed
• Notes from service manual
• Poor general network performance
• Printer issues: Not recognized, more
• Problems sharing the Internet connection
• Release notes
• Repeated system freezes or sudden restarts -- checking for bad RAM
• Replaced logic boards have no software serial numbers
• Slow networking performance with VLANs; VOIP phones
• Wireless connectivity issues

Resources