Headphones jack preventing Airplay

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Level 1

19 points

Headphones jack preventing Airplay

Hi! So in this mini studio setup we use a M2 Mac mini. High impedance headphones are connected to the high impedance headphone jack. The monitor speakers are connected with airplay, which is great because anyone can connect their laptop or iPhone to showcase work. Now the Mac mini can't out put to airplay without first unplugging the headphones. No matter what the audio output settings say.

This is a bit of a bummer as the headphones are connected on the back below the usb-A connectors and it is annoying to dig for that connector all the time. Is this standard, that a connection to the headphone jack overrides all other audio settings or is there a workaround (besides getting an exterior sound card box thing).

Cheers!

Mac mini (M2, 2023)

Posted on Nov 13, 2024 6:33 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

152,428 points

Nov 13, 2024 1:14 PM in response to Firemarble

Unfortunately, this behavior is largely standard, as macOS doesn’t typically allow simultaneous output to both wired and AirPlay devices.

Here are a couple of possible workarounds:

You could try using macOS’s Audio MIDI Setup tool (found in Applications > Utilities) to create an “Aggregate Device” or a “Multi-Output Device.” This setup might allow you to route audio to both the headphone jack and AirPlay simultaneously, although it’s somewhat experimental with AirPlay.
To make accessing the headphone port easier, you could try using a small headphone extension cable that stays easily accessible, making it simpler to plug in and unplug your headphones without reaching behind the mini.

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