First off, I love all you guys n gals who are willing to TRY and assist people with annoying problems, many of whom are nowhere near as well-versed in the technical aspects of Mac life as many of YOU! Regarding the faulty headphone jack thread, I have a somewhat unique dilemma that I found mentioned only once, via google, but saw no real advice for fixing. If you'll bare with my 'story' (whining)...I use an iMac desktop (21.5"/2011), with Sierra (recently updated). I routinely use my system to record music, using my trusty old Garage Band 6.0.5. AND, still using the now ancient Griffin iMic (USB interface; a silver, round disc for inputting guitars and a microphone. It's old, but is still getting the job done!). Now, the key to successful recording/production using this set-up, is that I MUST use HEADPHONES, in order to achieve the highest quality results. I'm a headphone freak anyway, and when mixing my tracks, to truly BE "INSIDE" THE SONG MIX, with my $40 Walmart headphones, I've been served well for a decade. I have always plugged them into the headphone jack in the back of the computer. No problems, ever. Up-front, the trouble is NOT the headphones. They're fine. The problem, like 95% of all the headphone jack dilemmas I've read about, is NOT that I get no sound from the phones, but that the right earphone works fine, but the left phone, which does put out sound, does so at a vastly decreased volume. This aberration obviously defeats the purpose of using headphones, and the ability to render a best-quality mix. I can still mix this way, but it is beyond annoying. Other forums claim that troubles with the iMac hp jack are not uncommon, but after years, this is a first for me. I've jiggled and jaggled and higgled and haggled, with no improvement. So, like an idiot with almost no patience; rather than call apple, or pop over to the apple store, and query experts about possible fixes, or cheap devices that would allow me to bypass the compromised jack, I went to the apple store for what i was told was a "DAC," which would likely solve my dilemma. Of COURSE, the Apple store carried NOTHING like that, or ANY device to help me. They send me to Guitar Center, where I'm talked into purchasing their cheapest fix for my problem, a FOCUSRITE Scarlett Solo interface (including a headphone jack), for $118. I'm dying to get home and resume recording my masterpiece, so instead of researching further, I bring home this little red unit, because, as the sleepy-eyed salesman convinced me, not only would i have a headphone jack (it works, btw), but it's a perfect interface for Garage Band, and will come in sooper-handy, should my iMic ever crap out. So I set the thing up, and find out that I cannot use it JUST for the headphones, and still use my iMic simultaneously. In fact, to use the Solo, I have to register it with their site, and download software, and, that it may not even work with my current system!!!! PLUS, it will not take the microphone I've been using all along. The mic input requires a special kind of mic (which only comes with the Solo's $200 package. So....as we now stand, I'm using the only-one-side-works-properly headphones, plugged into the computer's faulty jack, to record and mix, and then switching to the Solo's hp jack to continue from there.
Back and forth, jury-rigging like a moron. Although Guitar Center gives you 14 lousy days to return items, I'm QUITE pissed at the expert sales associate, who, I feel, left out a whole big bunch of info regarding the Solo, and it's ease of use, and compatibility with Garage Band!!!! I'm going to bring it back, and raise hell, as I'm beginning to think I could have eliminated this glitch for most likely less than 118 smackaroos!!!!
If any of you nice people had the wherewithal to read through this rambling non-sense from start to end, is there anyone who might know where I should go from here? I should add: when i remove the phones, the crap iMac speakers work properly on both the left and right, but cannot be used to record and mix music, for obvious reasons....
Thanks fellas.....even just for reading this slop!~E
*******Not one to give in, or up, I checked my AUDIO settings. I had my BALANCE off-kilter......a tad late on an unbelievably obvious possibility for eliminating the problem......$118......NEVERRRR MIIIIND, FELLAS....Your's Truly~N U M B N U T S
. when i plug it into exterior speakers, or headphones, via the headphone jack, there seems to be no signal coming through. i cannot remember any instance where the plug may have been hit or broken, seeing as it's only been sitting on my desk. 
