Does sound work through your headphones during this?
If so, your mac may think they are still plugged in, and will disable the external speakers. In this case, you may see a red light eminating from your headphone jack. I had this issue, and it had to do with the optical sensor in the headphone jack. I simply used a paperclip and adjusted the sensor until it was able to sense when my headphones were disconnected. Be careful in making these adjustments. Hope this helps..