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I must have a totally FUBAR amp then - because my Performa 550 had richer sound than this. Seriously, these sound inferior - from bass to treble and everything in between - compared to my 20" CD imac. (to reiterate - the bad sounding iMac is a 2006 24" C2D imac)

I use digital output 99% of the time, but on the occasions I have to run off the internal speakers I kick myself for not pestering apple about it when I had the warranty. :(

Either that or I have low expectations from my computer speakers:D
 
Can confirm that! Used to have som distinct background noise when playing movies and music with headphones. Irritating since I´m usually on headphones. Got the Creative X-mod externals sound card. Good looking little thing too, and it enhances the soundquality of mp3, works really good! :)

Very interesting... I think I'll pick one of these up, cheap enough. I run Audioengine A2's which are stunning little speakers but I do get popping from the iMac now and then and would love to have an increase in SQ!

Seamless operation with the iMac I presume?
 
I had this same problem with an iMac I used to have... No way to solve it. :(
 
I had this problem with my mid-2007 24" iMac... The weird sounds would come up once in a while like from stereo to mono sound !!!

So I got my speakers changed but it didnt help I didnt the problem is with the logic board as long as the Apple Australian told me...

Anyway I returned it and got a new one which was perfect :)
 
Ok Question...My 24" has been doing this for a while. When I get a quick sound comes on a goes off it leaves a loud very high pitched almost television noise until i hit mute twice. So I've had my Imac since last September. Can I still call in to Apple or how do I go about getting this serviced?
 
Ok Question...My 24" has been doing this for a while. When I get a quick sound comes on a goes off it leaves a loud very high pitched almost television noise until i hit mute twice. So I've had my Imac since last September. Can I still call in to Apple or how do I go about getting this serviced?

If it has been less then a year since purchased new you can call Apple for warranty service or make an Appt to talk to a Genius at an Apple store.

If you have AppleCare you have 3 years from time of purchase.

By any chance have you tried muting the built-in mic? It will make a loud squeal from speaker feedback.
 
iMac sound issues

have just acquired 24" iMac 3.06....its 5 days old and when playing itunes I get an intermittent sound problem on the internal speakers alone.
Its sounds as if somebody is playing with the bass and treble controls.....don't worry, I'm gonna kick up a stink with Apple Care when they open.
 
Still there, but not in Windows

I bought my 24" iMac 1 month ago. When i imported my mp3 music collection it began the sound issue: when i listened music, randomly i could hear a stange sound for a few seconds. I brought the computer to the official Apple technical service and the guy said that there wasn't any hardware problem. He tested the computer for hours and i don't know how but the problem was solved.

Now, 2 weeks later the problem appeared again, but i have noticed that when i play music on Windows (BootCamp) there's not any problem, so i think it's a Mac audio driver or OS X bug. Can anyone confirm that?
 
Help !!!!

Hey, does anyone who has the 24in iMac have any problem with the sound from the speakers? Sometimes when I listen to music on iTunes I will then get a screeching sound for a few seconds then it will go off. Anyone that can help I would appreciate it. I bought it refurb about 3 weeks ago, so its newer.
Thanks

I am not having a sound issue, but lines go randomly through my screen, and the computer is freezing up non-stop. No idea what is going on.
:mad:
 
I am not having a sound issue, but lines go randomly through my screen, and the computer is freezing up non-stop. No idea what is going on.
:mad:

That sounds like a video-driver problem. (even a loose connector can cause that - but with the unit freezing up - leaning towards driver issue)
 
Hey Twotrucks, did you get any solution? I think we have the same problem. It seems to be a software issue.
 
Just bought a new 24" 3 gHz model and have the same problem. Really annoying. I'm running the latest 10.5.5 installed as a comprehensive update.

anyone know what the prob is, or do I get a new mac?
 
sound issues

get a new mac........
They know about the problem and it seems hardware related.
I did during the 14 day return policy and am v happy with result
 
Called the Apple Store from which I bought the iMac and explained the situation. Since I am still within the 14 day period, they swapped the computer for a new one, no questions asked. This one doesn't seem to screech.:eek:

A small victory, but it is kind of a letdown for me that Apple would have a flaw like this which has obviously not been figured out yet.

And btw I was successfully subscribed.
 
"Tinny" iMac audio

have just acquired 24" iMac 3.06....its 5 days old and when playing itunes I get an intermittent sound problem on the internal speakers alone.
Its sounds as if somebody is playing with the bass and treble controls.....don't worry, I'm gonna kick up a stink with Apple Care when they open.

I have this exact same problem, and it seems like it just started today. Sounds like an amplifier issue to me, like certain tones make the sound go all "tinny" for about 3-5 seconds, then it goes back to normal. By "tinny", I mean it sounds like the speakers are coming through a tin can.

My iMac is a refurb - 24in, 2.4GHz - I got it about 2 months ago. Other than this issue, it has been perfect. I'm going to wait a day or two to monitor the possible causes, then I'm going to give AppleCare a call.

Sounds like alot of people have this issue, is there anyone out there who's found a solution other than taking it in to Apple?
 
iMac Sound Connection to Bose Companion 2 Mulmedia Speaker System

Have brand new iMac 20" --- just bought the Bose speakers and have them connected to mini jack on back of computer (per Bose instructions). No sound coming from the speakers at all--- and when I go to Preferences, Sound --- the new speakers don't show up as an option to select -- just the internal speaker option is there.

Weird--- I've tried re-booting the Mac, reconnected everything four times. When I take the mini jack out partway from receptacle on back of the iMac, I hear some noise from speakers (like a humming) but they still won't play or won't be recognized by the iMac.

Any thoughts?
 
Are you plugging them into the "headphone" jack on the back of your imac? Because the other jack is a line input - not an output.

Next - are you using the standard 1/8" stereo jack - or do these bose have an optical input?

Try turning the volume up on your mac to at least 1/2 way before plugging the bose in - perhaps they need more oomph to get them going.

What model bose are they?
 
I think that the 4-5 seconds random distortion is software related. I have noticed that some programs like for example Audacity change the system's audio configuration. If you open Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup > Properties For "Built-in Line Output > Audio Output "Format" must be "44100 Hz 2ch-16 bit", while somehow it was 32 bit. In addition I reseted the SMC, PRAM and NVRAM by:

SMC:
-Shut down the computer.
-Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord and any display cables.
-Wait at least 15 seconds.
-Plug the power cord back in, making sure the power button is not being pressed at the time. Then reconnect your keyboard and mouse to the computer.
-Press the power button on the back to start up your computer.

Resetting PRAM and NVRAM:
-Shut down the computer.
-Turn on the computer.
-Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
-Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
-Release the keys.

It seems to work for me. Tell me your experiences
 
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