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Macbook Pro sound doesn't work when headphones plugged in, gray icon

A

abhefo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 4, 2013
6
0
Hey, guys.

I've got a problem with my sound. When I plug in my headphones, the sound icon in the menu bar goes gray and I can't alter the volume in any way. There is NO red light in the jack (I've read where this can be a problem).

When I look at System Preferences > Sound under Output it says "Settings for the selected device: The selected device has no output controls." The name is "Digital Out" and the type is "Optical digital-out port." I can't alter the sound at all in this section, and mute is not checked. The Input section looks fine.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm freaking out a little.
 
Does the sound work when the headphones aren't plugged in? If so, it's possible that the plug on the headphones is slightly longer than normal and is triggering the "Optical digital-out" function of the port. Do you have another set of headphones or earbuds that you could try to see if it behaves the same way?
 
I tried both of your options and they didn't work.

I just looked at the jack itself and noticed it is dented around the outside, there is a simliar dent on my headphones. I think I left them in when the computer in my backback and it jammed in somehow. Every heard of this?
 
abhefo said:
I tried both of your options and they didn't work.

I just looked at the jack itself and noticed it is dented around the outside, there is a simliar dent on my headphones. I think I left them in when the computer in my backback and it jammed in somehow. Every heard of this?
Click to expand...

Haven't myself, but it's certainly possible to damage the jack. If that did happen, it could mean a new logic board, depending on which MBP you have. If it's a Unibody, then it's new logic board. The "aluminum" chassis that preceded it had a separate I/O board.

An option (especially if you don't want to replace the logic board) is to get a USB audio dongle. They're very small, and give you analog audio input and output through a USB port. It's been a long time since I priced one, but they should be under $10 (check Amazon or geeks.com, for instance).
 
Thanks for the information. It's so frustrating for me that such a small problem would be such an expensive fix--I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro and I've already sunk a lot of repair money into it.

I think I'll take your advice as Bluetooth headphones are a little out of my price range at the moment.
 
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