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Mac studio v1 fan noise - it's going to be one of the loudest Macs at idle.

rraven said:
Odd. On my phone (13 Pro) the NIOSH app goes down to around 27 at night in my office. It does jump up half a dB or so when my iMac Pro is running, even when I can't hear it myself. The accuracy study that I saw abstracted (The Accuracy of iPhone Applications to Monitor Environmental Noise Levels) rated the NIOSH app as the best across a wide spectrum of noise levels. Perhaps some issues at low noise levels are buried there (I didn't have access to the original paper) or it may depend on the phone.
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I had access last week but not anymore. The issue is that at low levels it’s inaccurate. Eg they expose it to 25 dB and it measures 30 dB. I cannot get mine to go below 29.5 dB. These apps are all mainly designed to tell you if you’re exposed to too high noise levels.

Second - as you mention - it is very likely that each phone will have different mics or just different amounts of dirt from your pocket on them.
They can at best be used relatively. Measure noise before/after turning on the Mac. I did and there’s around 0-0.5 dB difference on my 2020 iMac, which I cannot hear at idle.

Another proof of how useless these apps are: my audio monitors are making a distinct hiss. The noise measurement apps will not register that even though it’s clearly audible.
 
SmallDane said:
Well it has certainly paused my decision on whether to buy the Mac Studio or not. I'm very noise sensitive so I would not call that paranoia.
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Me too. But I've determined that the only way to find out if it will bother me is to order one. That's what Apple's return policy is for. There's just too much variation in the reports to be able to know any other way.
 
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badlydrawnboy said:
Me too. But I've determined that the only way to find out if it will bother me is to order one. That's what Apple's return policy is for. There's just too much variation in the reports to be able to know any other way.
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I might do that as well. But it seems pretty clear that the Mac Studio is not a silent machine at idle which is what I was hoping for with Apple silicon.
 
Jrshelby said:
Fans are always at least running at 1300 rpm’s. I moved mine under the desk and used it all day yesterday and acoustically it’s slightly worse. This is while no apps are open w screen saver on only. The studio display cable is way to short to move it away any further. I imagine this will be a problem a year from now when dust builds up I such a tight space unserviceable by the user. I just don’t know what to do.
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Not very Apple like clean. When I called apple about this the rep said Apple should not be responsible for my preference of my computer placement. My response is I need to move further away because of the fans running non stop and after a while making high pitched noises. They suggest it needs to be under the display which makes it intolerable. I was shamed by this particular rep., which is unusual for Apple. I tried to make a legit compromise by not returning and mounting under my desk. Either way the cable is way to short.
 

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Jrshelby said:
Not very Apple like clean. When I called apple about this the rep said Apple should not be responsible for my preference of my computer placement. My response is I need to move further away because of the fans running non stop and after a while making high pitched noises. They suggest it needs to be under the display which makes it intolerable. I was shamed by this particular rep., which is unusual for Apple. I tried to make a legit compromise by not returning and mounting under my desk. Either way the cable is way to short.
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A new cable seems to be a cheap and effective way to calm YOUR neurosis.
 
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that hole in the display stand is so bad - very distracting :(

Jrshelby said:
Not very Apple like clean. When I called apple about this the rep said Apple should not be responsible for my preference of my computer placement. My response is I need to move further away because of the fans running non stop and after a while making high pitched noises. They suggest it needs to be under the display which makes it intolerable. I was shamed by this particular rep., which is unusual for Apple. I tried to make a legit compromise by not returning and mounting under my desk. Either way the cable is way to short.
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I have an Ultra. Is it the Maxs that are making all the noise? Decibel X has 45 db in my studio, entirely due to landscaping down the street. There may be a barely audible sound from the Mac Studio when I put my ear against it, no more. Every rear Thunderbolt port is occupied and I am driving an external display and powering an iPad that is a secondary display/universal control device.

I am sensitive to sound and was in therapy for years over the gas powered leaf blowers in our town and eventually realized the problem is them not me and badgered the town to get a ban passed. That helped a lot. This thing is much, much quieter than my old 16" Intel Macbook Pro.
 
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smoghat said:
I have an Ultra. Is it the Maxs that are making all the noise? Decibel X has 45 db in my studio, entirely due to landscaping down the street. There may be a barely audible sound from the Mac Studio when I put my ear against it, no more. Every rear Thunderbolt port is occupied and I am driving an external display and powering an iPad that is a secondary display/universal control device.

I am sensitive to sound and was in therapy for years over the gas powered leaf blowers in our town and eventually realized the problem is them not me and badgered the town to get a ban passed. That helped a lot. This thing is much, much quieter than my old 16" Intel Macbook Pro.
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What does therapy for leaf blowers entail? Non sarcastic!
 
Chevron said:
I wonder if this thread contributed to the general paranoia about the Apple Studio
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Isn’t that the purpose? If it wasn’t for the fan, they’d be complaining about the polishing cloth or — something. Everybody wants to claim victim status today. Whatever minor little annoyance they have in their lives becomes exaggerated into the equivalent of a war crime.
 
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LonestarOne said:
Isn’t that the purpose? If it wasn’t for the fan, they’d be complaining about the polishing cloth or — something. Everybody wants to claim victim status today. Whatever minor little annoyance they have in their lives becomes exaggerated into the equivalent of a war crime.
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This is an extremely patronising comment.
Yes, there will always be someone complaining about something, probably because something is always important to someone.
But what’s with the “victim status” and “equivalent to a war crime” comments?

I have not made a single comment in this thread until now, but I am here reading it because background noise is important to me.
I could explain to you exactly why this is the case, but why should I?

How about you stop complaining instead?
 
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Jrshelby said:
Yes I just feel I should not have to pay 128 usd for a 1.8 m cable after spending 5800 with apple over the last 10 days. Keyboard trackpad display with height adjustments Mac studio iPad Air and most with apple car
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But it was all written in the tech specs wasn't it ?

Just accept the aesthetics or buy the damn cable and get a grip on your buyer's remorse ?

P.S. And at that price, you're getting ripped off ... but then again, you bought the lesser mounting option considering you keep modularity pretty high up your list ?
 
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Wando64 said:
This is an extremely patronising comment.
Yes, there will always be someone complaining about something, probably because something is always important to someone.
But what’s with the “victim status” and “equivalent to a war crime” comments?

I have not made a single comment in this thread until now, but I am here reading it because background noise is important to me.
I could explain to you exactly why this is the case, but why should I?

How about you stop complaining instead?
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Oh, so you or the folks complaining are okay but somebody who disagrees shouldn't say anything. Pretty sure that's the best example of Cancel Culture I have seen today.
 
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