macOS 14.6.1 update and speaker balance

Software
1

I am curious if anyone else had this happen, or maybe it is a word of warning for others to check?

I updated my Studio to Sonoma 14.6.1 this morning. Later in the day I was listening to music and my USB C attached speakers were almost entirely shifted to the left speaker. After 10 minutes of troubleshooting I went into macOS sound settings. The balance was shifted almost fully to the left speaker.

Unless there is some strange hotkey I accidentally hit, I did not do this. Did this update mess up your speaker balance, or was it just some freak thing that happened to me? I am guessing the latter.

2

Use this and you’re welcome :slight_smile: ‎Balance Lock on the Mac App Store

The last time my audio was re-balanced was ~3 months ago so it’s definitely not 14.6.1. My Mac Mini M2 server runs 24/7
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1 Like
3

Wait, this is a thing? Well obviously it is since someone made an app to prevent it.

So thanks…

4

Several factors contribute to this issue:

  • Touch Bar Interaction: Adjusting the volume using the Touch Bar on MacBooks can cause the audio balance to change unexpectedly

  • Bluetooth Connectivity: The problem is frequently reported with Bluetooth headphones, where the balance

  • System Bug: This is a longstanding bug in macOS that Apple has not yet resolved, despite multiple updates to the operating system (unconfirmed, just my opinion)

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5

I guess I will have to attribute it to a system bug since neither of the first two apply. It was fine last night, and today it was drastically off.

Anyway, thanks again for the app recommedation.

6

Yes it’s a thing. A couple of years ago it happened on my home laptop with my AirPods, they were balanced to one side, always. I had to install one of those apps, and went to forget about it. With the new computer it hasn’t happened again, so it’s kind of mysterious, a total nuisance.

7

It was happening about once a week, but it has not happened again since updating to macOS 15.