12-18-2010, 08:25 PM

I have one 24" iMac (18 months old) and two mac minis (brand new). Upon purchasing the two mac mini's for my kids I also I purchased external speakers for all 3 macs. All 3 sets of speakers were the regular one line (non USB) style of plug in line, and all gave me the same non-recognition problems, meaning, when I went to the sound settings on all 3 macs, it only was recognizing the internal speakers. However, when I bought my USB line speakers home from work, all 3 macs will recognize the USB line speakers. This is soooo weird. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

12-18-2010, 10:34 PM

Are you sure the speaker input plugs are of the right type to match the input on the iMac and the Mini machines? And, are you plugging the speakers into the correct port? The new Mini machine has both an audio out and audio in port which are next to each other.

12-20-2010, 06:48 PM

chscag ... yes .... Ive tried all ports - trust me. And as for the speakers they are the clear harmon kardon speakers, I purchased them at the Apple Store. heeeelp

12-20-2010, 07:33 PM

Need a bit more info... Are these the speakers you purchased from the Apple store? (they're the only clear HK speakers listed)

12-20-2010, 07:45 PM

No. THese are them ...
Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System
Exceptional sound quality and stunning style on your desktop.
A 6-inch, 20-watt downward-firing powered subwoofer. Eight 1-inch full-range transducers. Plug-and-play compatibility with virtually any multimedia device. And stunning industrial design that perfectly matches the clarity of the sound.

Odyssey transducers with computer-optimized equalization
Outstanding bass performance
Touch volume and mute controls
Subwoofer volume control
Angle-adjustable satellites

12-20-2010, 07:48 PM

So when i have them plugged in and look at the output options it only shows "headphones" and the headphone port option

12-20-2010, 07:58 PM

Thanks for posting back. I just looked them up on the HK site and as far as I can tell, they should work with your iMac and Mini machines. When plugged in the speakers should show up in System Preferences, Sounds.

Do you have the power on for the HKs when you plug them in? Powered systems will not show up unless they're fired up first. (I assume you did but need to ask anyway.)

12-20-2010, 08:09 PM

yes powered up. tried unplugging, rebooting, the works - at a total loss

12-20-2010, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by gsibley

So when i have them plugged in and look at the output options it only shows "headphones" and the headphone port option

If you Have them unplugged, what does it show in System Preferences? On My iMac, if I have no speakers plugged in, it shows Internal Speakers Built-in. If I plug my speakers in, it shows Headphones Built-in. I am also able to adjust the volume or mute of the headphones when they are plugged in, and it is independent of the settings when no speakers are plugged in.

The only suggestion I can offer is to make sure nothing is muted when the speakers are plugged in. Other than that, I have no clue.

12-20-2010, 08:44 PM

My question would be, you have selected the headphone port while they're plugged in?

12-20-2010, 10:07 PM

Guys ... problem solved. Albeit embarrassing but i will reveal the truth. These "stick" speakers have a volume control thats almost totally blended into the clear plastic and chrome look. I mean its sexy looking but sure aint lump out and scream Im a volume control!!! Duh! So yup I never noticed this and , well, errr, the volume was all the way down. So sorry guys!!!

12-20-2010, 10:08 PM

In addition to what bobtomay posted... I have a set of speakers plugged into my headphone audio output jack (2008 MacBook) and the sound preferences show "headphones" but the speakers play fine.

Even though it doesn't show the HK speakers as output, do they play OK?

Edit: I just saw your post. Missed by a minute.

Glad to hear problem solved. Have fun and return often.

12-20-2010, 10:37 PM

Heh, no worry. We all do it. Seems like every time I have a problem, I figure it out about 2 minutes after posting the question.