Audio problem via HDMI monitor

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Hi All.

I have a MacBook Air running OSX 10.8.4. At work I hook it up to an external Dell Monitor via an HDMI cable (with audio) through a Neet thunderbolt adapter. I have some external speakers plugged into the monitor's audio socket. All hunky dory (apart from the fact I can only control volume on the speaker's buttons and not from the keyboard - but I can live with that).

Anyway, all fine for a couple of months. But suddenly I'm only getting sound through one channel. I thought it was a problem with the speakers and took them back only to be shown in the store that they worked perfectly plugged into an iPod.

I went back to the office to find I get perfect stereo when the speakers are connected directly into the headphone socket of my MBA or iPod or iPhone, but only one channel when connected via the monitor. So it works but I'd rather have it work as it was - each day I just had to plug in the monitor for decent sound. Now I have to plug in the monitor and the speakers. It's not much to complain about, but it used to work.

Any ideas?
 

bobtomay

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Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
You have gone into the Sound Preferences on the MBA and made sure the slider is not all the way to the L or R channel while using the HDMI?

Check the Dell for the same.

Still no workie:

No way to know whether the fault is the signal coming out of the MBA or the signal coming out of the Dell Monitor without experimenting.

Suggest carrying the HDMI cable home with you and plugging your MBA into an AVR or TV to find out if you get both channels there. If not, then try another HDMI cable to find out if it's the cable. If you are, the problem lies with the monitor.
 
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Thanks B. Sliders fine on the MBA. Dell Monitor doesn't have a balance control (oddly). Will have a play with the HDMI cables and see if that helps. Will let you know either way.
 
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Sorry for delay B. Have been away since last post. Haven't yet checked HDMI cables. Just using the audio jack as at least it works!
 

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