Low audio after cable reconnect

[BillG66]

@Edhawk @UtterDisbelief

I may have screwed up, but I'm hoping the damage isn't irreparable. When I was reconnecting my video card, I realized I had crossed cables with the audio cables. Rather than unplugging the video card again, which is what I should have done, I unplugged the audio cables, and apparently hooked them back up incorrectly. On restart, I had no audio, but realized what I had done. So, I looked carefully at the photo I had taken when I was photographing the USB Header, and hooked them back up the same way. But now the audio is low. I've turned everything up to max, but it's still only at a moderate listening level. Hopefully I haven't damaged the board, and there's just some kind of reset I have to do? I tried plugging the speakers into the monitor jack to use HDMI audio, but it didn't improve the sound levels at all.

 

[Edhawk]

Assuming the audio cable is connected correctly and the board is not damaged.

1. Have you checked that the correct speakers/audio device is being used for Output by macOS?
2. Do you have 2 x speaker/line out options in the list of audio devices, have you tried using the other Line Out device?
   • example of Sound options from my CFL Hack.
3. Did you change the Audio device Output to HDMI when connecting the speakers directly to the display?

 

[BillG66]

Assuming the audio cable is connected correctly and the board is not damaged.

1. Have you checked that the correct speakers/audio device is being used for Output by macOS?
2. Do you have 2 x speaker/line out options in the list of audio devices, have you tried using the other Line Out device?
   • View attachment 559847 example of Sound options from my CFL Hack.
3. Did you change the Audio device Output to HDMI when connecting the speakers directly to the display?

1. I'm reasonably certain it's connected properly now, because I had this photo of the USB header which shows which one was supposed to be facing the header. Originally I had put them in sideways instead of stacked. Then I got confused looking at the photo and put the POWER SW in front and the other one in the rear (closest to the USB Header). When I still didn't have sound, I realized I had reversed it. But now I know I have the POWER SW connection in the right position, and am reasonably certain I have the other one in the right position.

2. Yes, but my hack has always worked on Internal Speakers, not Line Out (even though that's where the speaker cable is plugged in).

3. Yes, I selected the appropriate monitor when I plugged the sound cable directly into the monitor.

Also, to double check, I booted into Windows, and the sound was only moderate, even at 100% Is it sounding like I damaged the board?

 

[BillG66]

@Edhawk @UtterDisbelief

Looks like the culprit was my Harman Kardon Sound Sticks. Went to YouTube and searched low volume on Harman Kardon Sound sticks and found a reset trick. I don't know if when the audio was incorrectly connected it triggered something in the speakers, but I reset them and now I have full volume again. *Whew* Man. Going to listen to some Christmas music now. What a week. Thanks!!!!

 

[UtterDisbelief]

1. I'm reasonably certain it's connected properly now, because I had this photo of the USB header which shows which one was supposed to be facing the header. Originally I had put them in sideways instead of stacked. Then I got confused looking at the photo and put the POWER SW in front and the other one in the rear (closest to the USB Header). When I still didn't have sound, I realized I had reversed it. But now I know I have the POWER SW connection in the right position, and am reasonably certain I have the other one in the right position.

View attachment 559848
2. Yes, but my hack has always worked on Internal Speakers, not Line Out (even though that's where the speaker cable is plugged in).

View attachment 559849

3. Yes, I selected the appropriate monitor when I plugged the sound cable directly into the monitor.

Also, to double check, I booted into Windows, and the sound was only moderate, even at 100% Is it sounding like I damaged the board?

Hi there.

Okay for this problem you are looking in the wrong place ...

That header is the Front Panel one. There is no speaker out on it. And even if there was, as there used to be in the "old days", it was for the case "beeper" and nothing else. Useful for POST error beeps and not much else. Getting any of the wires crossed is very unlikely to do any harm except stop LEDs and Case Switches working.

As for actual audio output, if you are using AppleALC then you will more than likely need to use "Internal Speakers" This is not a digital output but an analogue one. The "Line Out" ports can also work but at fixed levels - Line Level etc.

Here's a screengrab of the audio section of my motherboard - identical to yours:



Incidentally the ALC-ID you use can change how this looks - more or less ports. And R241Y is just my RX560 GPU's output through HDMI to my monitor. All works fine for me like this though.

 

[BillG66]

Hi there.

Okay for this problem you are looking in the wrong place ...

That header is the Front Panel one. There is no speaker out on it. And even if there was, as there used to be in the "old days", it was for the case "beeper" and nothing else. Useful for POST error beeps and not much else. Getting any of the wires crossed is very unlikely to do any harm except stop LEDs and Case Switches working.

As for actual audio output, if you are using AppleALC then you will more than likely need to use "Internal Speakers" This is not a digital output but an analogue one. The "Line Out" ports can also work but at fixed levels - Line Level etc.

Here's a screengrab of the audio section of my motherboard - identical to yours:

View attachment 559852

Incidentally the ALC-ID you use can change how this looks - more or less ports. And R241Y is just my RX560 GPU's output through HDMI to my monitor. All works fine for me like this though.

Well, what can I say... when it was hooked up wrong, I couldn't get any sound. So, something was wonky. I figured out the levels were due to the speakers. For whatever reason, they needed a reset. I reset, and I am back to full volume. Life is good. Should have the cable from the other thread day after tomorrow, and then I'll do that Frankenstein's Mod... fingers crossed!

One note, I don't have that "Show volume in menu bar" option anymore. Is that a quirk for me, or did Ventura change that?

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Well, what can I say... when it was hooked up wrong, I couldn't get any sound. So, something was wonky. I figured out the levels were due to the speakers. For whatever reason, they needed a reset. I reset, and I am back to full volume. Life is good. Should have the cable from the other thread day after tomorrow, and then I'll do that Frankenstein's Mod... fingers crossed!

One note, I don't have that "Show volume in menu bar" option anymore. Is that a quirk for me, or did Ventura change that?

Well good news.

I'm not writing from Ventura at the moment (Big Sur) but they moved the check-boxes to the ... got it: Control Centre!

 

[Edhawk]

Screenshot of Control Centre in Ventura 13.1 with sound icon options highlighted.



Select the Up/Down arrows to select how and when you want the Sound icon to show on the Menu bar.

 

[BillG66]

@Edhawk @UtterDisbelief

LOL, Got it! Found it! Thanks... geez... the more they overtake the plumbing...