MacBook Pro Speaker Issue

R

Racquelle

Registered
I have noticed that when I plug in external speakers to my (month-old) MB Pro the sound does not necessarily come out of both speakers at once. I may have to adjust the connection to get both speakers to work. I don't feel this is very good on such a new machine as I anticipate having to use the speaker port a lot in the future. Does anyone else have this problem?
One thing I have noticed is that the speaker cable doesn't "click into place" when I plug it into the port the same way it does with e.g. my iPod. I was wondering if this was unique to my machine or if all MB Pros don't allow the speaker cable to click into place in the port. Anyone else know what I'm talking about?
 
maybe the top of the speaker connection off your speakers has slightly more rubber on it than some, so it doesnt go in far enough and may be putting it in mono a bit, trying using a speaker extension cable and then plugging speakers into end of that
 
Thanks for the replies.
It doesn't seem like the cable has too much rubber on it. It actually protrudes from the socket a little bit so that you can see some of the metal part even when it is pushed in as far as it will go. I never thought this looked very good but then as the sound seemed to be fine it didn't bother me too much. Then I noticed that only the left speaker was working unless I jiggled it about. I don't want to have to jiggle it about as I feel like I may damage something permanently, but short of taking it in for repairs (when I need it for my work) for what seems like a minor problem I can't see what else I can do. :( I would expect the speaker port to be more robust than it is though, especially on a notebook where one expects to plug in / remove the speaker jack more often as the machine is moved to different locations.
They are only some cheap Dell speakers but they worked fine with my desktop computer and I don't have any problems if I plug them directly into my iPod.
 
"They are only some cheap Dell speakers but they worked fine with my desktop computer and I don't have any problems if I plug them directly into my iPod."

As an experiment, why don't you but some better speakers and try them. If nothing improves---return them. My Labtec, while not the greatest, work extremely well and sound great. They have bass & treble plus volume and use AC to amplify.
 
I suspect that the plug on your Dell speakers may not be seated properly. That would explain the need to 'jiggle' the plug to get both channels to work.
Try some headphones in your MBP to check if a different connector does seem to seat completely. That will tell you if the problem is the Dell plug, or the internal jack on your MBP
 
Thanks for the new replies.
If I try to plug in the headphones that I use with my iPod then there seems to be no problem and both channels work first time. However, it is still possible to see some of the metal part of the jack which doesn't make me feel that confident about it.
I would much rather the Dell speakers were the problem, but as I say they work fine if I plug them into my desktop or my iPod.
 
All headphone/speaker jacks are not made alike. They will be close, for standards, but some may have a little gap, or not engage the internal 'notch' securely.
You could demonstrate your problem at your local Apple service, or Apple Store. You should be able to have the I/O board replaced - that's the assembly that has the variety of plugs and connectors on the left side.
An easier option would be to get an earphone extension cable, which is available with more than one extra connector for plugging in more outputs at the same time, or just a simple extension. The plug may be more secure, and you get the bonus of more distance for plugging in headphones/speakers.
You have already verifed that the Dell's don't match too well with the jack on your MBP, so you could purchase another set of speakers just for the MBP.
 
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