Audio Output Distorted MBP 13"

[FillemWithLead]

Today I was listening to some music with my speakers hooked up to my mbp. I accidentally bumped it (not very hard...enough to slide it an inch on my desk) and it immediately shut off on its own. When I restarted it, all the audio coming from the output was (and still is) distorted with a crackling noise and bass also gets cut out. Is it possible I damaged the physical input/output and need to replace it? The wires didn't snag or put any tension on it so I can't see how it could break.

Also the built in speakers had audio distortion but it just went away after a few minutes.
I reinstalled OS X Lion with the recovery partition and it didn't fix the issue.

 

[rattler]

I would assume it would be a hard drive issue, but most Macs have a sudden motion sensor to automatically park the hard drive head. Did you turn off this feature by any chance?

 

[Prodo123]

I would assume it would be a hard drive issue, but most Macs have a sudden motion sensor to automatically park the hard drive head. Did you turn off this feature by any chance?

It would have been a ridiculous "bump" for it to be a hard drive issue.

Most likely the ground connection for your speakers are busted. This means audio will play, but it will sound distorted and at half volume. This is a relatively quick fix, only requiring the TRS plug to be replaced.
A more serious issue is also possible. The bump could have damaged the contacts inside the computer itself. This would require going to the Genius Bar for repairs, since we don't know the exact workings of the MacBook Pro audio contacts (whether it's the ball-contact on the iPhone 4 or the normal pronged contact).
Worst case scenario is that the audio out jack has been damaged in such a way that the logic board was damaged. This would require a full logic board replacement and would cost around $700, but this is extremely improbable.

Test your speakers with any other audio device and make sure it's not a speaker issue. If it is, and you're good with a soldering iron, head to RadioShack for replacement components. If not, ask someone who can. It'll only cost $6 to replace a speaker plug.

 

[FillemWithLead]

most Macs have a sudden motion sensor to automatically park the hard drive head. Did you turn off this feature by any chance?

^^^is it even possible to turn that off?

Is there a way to deactivate the input/output jack and then set it up manually in the settings?

 

[Prodo123]

^^^is it even possible to turn that off?

Is there a way to deactivate the input/output jack and then set it up manually in the settings?

If you turn that off, then the read head will start carving into the platter like a potter into a potter's wheel.

The input/output jacks are hardware, not software. It is possible, but it is not necessary because it is NOT a software issue and therefore does not need manual configuration.

 

[FillemWithLead]

My speakers work fine, I plugged it into my TV. I doubt the logic board is damaged but how much would it cost to get the jack replaced?

The bump wasn't even that hard and I didn't even hit it near the jack. What happened was i had a textbook slide into my mbp and hit it on the front edge.

 

[Prodo123]

My speakers work fine, I plugged it into my TV. I doubt the logic board is damaged but how much would it cost to get the jack replaced?

The bump wasn't even that hard and I didn't even hit it near the jack. What happened was i had a textbook slide into my mbp and hit it on the front edge.

Do other speakers have the same distorted sound when plugged into the MBP?

 

[FillemWithLead]

Can the in/out jack be plugged in or is is soldered in place?

 

[FillemWithLead]

Yeah tried plugging in my headphones I get almost no audio with max volume and some crackling.

 

[Prodo123]

Can the in/out jack be plugged in or is is soldered in place?

The jack is the hole. The part inside the computer itself.
The plug is the metal thing that you stick in the computer.

The plug is soldered to the speaker wire, and the jack is soldered to the logic board. Neither are removable without damaging the thing they're soldered to.

So you knocked speaker damage off the list. Follow this guide to see if it's any other hard drive issue.

Also do a disk verification with Disk Utility to make sure no HDD damage was done.

 

[FillemWithLead]

The plug is soldered to the speaker wire, and the jack is soldered to the logic board.

Bummer I was hoping i could buy a replacement jack that i could plug into the logic board and have it be an easy DIY. I'm not nearly good enough at soldering to fix it myself. I guess I'll have to take it to the genius bar...