Internal Speakers, headphones/internal speakers Options

[lemon louie]

I have an iMac G5. I have no external devices.

I'd like to configure my sound preferences so that the internal speakers are always on mute, but the headphones jack still allows for listening whenever I plug in. The Audio MIDI Setup untility seems to offer little flexibility. Any suggestions?

[nnewob]

As far as I know, internal speakers switch to Line Out only once it detects that you've plugged in. Otherwise, it simply defaults to internal speakers. I'm not sure if there is a solution, unless anyone else has some tricks up their sleeve.

[lemon louie]

I'm actually looking into doing an Applescript to set the volume to 0 if the output is 'built-in speakers' and then to become adjustable whenever 'line-in' is used. I'm new to Applescripts, so if anyone has suggestions on how to do it, please let me know.

[jnasato]

This can be done with hardware, if you really want it. You could either plug in a 1/8" to 1/8" plug (or extender) into the headphone jack, and plug in your headphones into the "converter" whenever you want to listen with headphones. Or you could just put in a dummy plug from some other cord and unplug it when you need to use headphones.

[lemon louie]

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I'm working at a university and am looking for a computer lab solution that won't require peripherals that would be easily stolen. I appreciate the input, though. My purpose is to allow students to bring in their own headphones and use the computers for any audio applications they choose, but in a way that gurantees no disturbances.

[lemon louie]

I think I can disconnect the internal speakers by opening up the back of the G5 and simply pull the plug on them. That way, they're out of commission but my line out is still operative, allowing for headphones. Has anyone done this before?

[lepetitmartien]

On the software side, the only possibilities I know of are Rogue Amoeba Detour (you set sound preferences by app), but it's not exactly that, and R A Soundsource a menu to route audio easily from the ins to outs, maybe the developer can address this.

Maybe one day paradisiac day Apple can understand we want FULL control other the audio side, it includes the start up sound or the what plays where and nothing else.

This post has been edited by lepetitmartien: Mon 31 Oct 2005, 18:58

[lemon louie]

That would be a great day. In the meantime, I pulled the plug and got the desired results. Line Out works just fine, so I can plug in and play whenever I want without having to deal with the internal speakers.