FCE 2: No output from external speakers

I just purchased Final Cut Express 2 (I know it's out of date...but it's compatible with my OS). Slowly learning how to use the program, but can't for the life of me get the audio to route through my external speakers, only through my iMac's headphone output. I have no trouble playing any other audio source through my external speakers (my Edirol speakers are currently designated in system preferences/audio).

Please note that I am not using an external source for the video clips I'm experimenting with, but rather .dv and .mov clips I have stored on my hard drive.

I have an iMac 1.8 GHz Power PC G5 and OS 10.3.9

Please help! I've spent hours looking at various online tutorials, and none seem to address this problem.

Thanks, Martin...but that's what has me pulling my hair out. When I go to User Preferences there is no references to audio output. I've searched "external speakers" and similar terms in the manual, and everything there is in reference to using a firewire/camera, which I am not.

And why Final Express preempts the System Preferences I've set on my iMac makes no sense to me.

-Billy