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Default audio source never the CalDigit TS3 Plus (MBP 16" 2019 w/ macOS 11.4)

Hi folks, got an interesting one. I have a Late 2019 MacBook Pro 16" and I'm using a CalDigit TS3 Plus with powered speakers plugged in to the audio port (not the optical one). I also am using a Dell U2719DC monitor via DisplayPort.


The issue I have is that I can no longer set the CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Audio: Speaker as the default audio source for Output or "Play sound effects through". In the past I was able to plug the speakers in to the monitor (and with Loopback from Rogue Amoeba) I was able to use that as an audio source. For some reason I can't do that anymore so I decided to have the speakers plugged in to the TS3 Plus instead. However the default audio source always was set to the Dell monitor.


I have tried rebooting, repairing permissions, zapping the NVRAM, PRAM, SMC all of that. I even went as far as to delete the following files from /Library/Preferences/Audio:


com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist

com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist


Following the instructions from the CalDigit site I then selected what I wanted to use as default right after which is the CalDigit dock, but prior to rebooting I selected the MacBook Pro Speakers for both Output and Play sound effects through. When I rebooted, it no longer defaults to the monitor thankfully, but it does default to the MacBook Pro speakers, but I wanted to default to the TS3 Plus.


It just won't. I have to manually set it to that every time I log in to my Mac. Would love any help or advice on this before I consider deleting my profile and starting fresh which will be painstaking to do but if it's to be it's to be.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.4

Posted on Jun 25, 2021 12:10 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 23, 2021 7:43 PM

After finding time to reformat my Mac and even test with a bootable drive running Big Sur, I found that it's a problem with the dock. I decided to try Rogue Amoeba's Loopback 2.2.4 with the latest ACE drivers that allowed me to finally set up my speakers to be plugged in to the monitor and allow for volume adjustment. Rebooted multiple times, and it's kept the default audio source. 

There you are, if you have this problem, I'm happy to take you through how to get it done, albeit that LoopBack is a paid app, it's a solid and clean solution. 

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 23, 2021 7:43 PM in response to David Kudrev

After finding time to reformat my Mac and even test with a bootable drive running Big Sur, I found that it's a problem with the dock. I decided to try Rogue Amoeba's Loopback 2.2.4 with the latest ACE drivers that allowed me to finally set up my speakers to be plugged in to the monitor and allow for volume adjustment. Rebooted multiple times, and it's kept the default audio source. 

There you are, if you have this problem, I'm happy to take you through how to get it done, albeit that LoopBack is a paid app, it's a solid and clean solution. 

Default audio source never the CalDigit TS3 Plus (MBP 16" 2019 w/ macOS 11.4)

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