Still not sure if all Mac Studios are squeaky and noisy or just deaf users (just noise from the street and you can't hear it). But the ones that are new and quieter, hmmm. The Jutubers who had them a few days before the official sale may have them from a different manufacture. I ordered mine immediately and it still arrived very late. Could have waited for the production of the fans... Joke.
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Mac studio v1 fan noise - it's going to be one of the loudest Macs at idle.
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You can see from your recording that there is a squeal at 2.2 kHz and dropouts occur - this is very audible afterwards.
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I have been using the Mini M1 for a year, using only SSDs, I have also got used to the silence. The weak pure noise does not bother me, but the whistling in silence does. When I move my head, the intensity changes as there are other sound reflections against the wall, etc. It's like an insect jammer.
Again though, I would encourage @JippaLippa to base their decision on usage. I fully support people returning the Mac Studio if they're displeased, but I know threads like this can encourage paranoia.
However, I also want to comment on your "move my head" comment because I know that a lot of people scoff at that in the respect that "if it's so subtle the tilt of your head impacts it then you're just looking for faults" or other similar comments. Like, no that is how sound works. It reverbs and bounces. My Mac Studio was on the corner of my desk near (not up against) a wall. When I first started hearing the sound I thought it was just my ears. It took me a while to realize where it was coming from. It's just at the point of me noticing.
As it relates to the "whistle" it very well could have been they received better units. Also, the frequency we're talking could very easily not be perceivable to people depending on age and biology. However I agree with you about the fans. Not to say the fans are bad per se, but the fact that so many reviewers said it was silent is very disappointing. Only Jason Snell on Six Colors commented on it. I'm not saying they should have made a big deal about it, but Jason Snell art least commented that it generated a low, but ever-present white noise.
Not a single person on this forum has a "dead silent" Studio because it's not designed to be silent. However, some people just notice it more than others.
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Unrelated, but to rant on this again - I've seen discussions (not necessarily only here) about the Mac mini comparisons saying things along the lines of "If you were fine on a mini and care so much about fan noise then you didn't need the Studio." First, just because someone can "get by" on the mini doesn't mean their workflow wouldn't be benefited by the Studio. Second, I don't think most users are upset that fans exist - if they were they'd get the MacBook Air. They're upset because the fans are noticeable while the machine is practically doing nothing. Not everyone works in a shared office, or with headphones, or with loud ambient sound. Third, many people buy computers way more powerful than they need because it makes them happy. A valid observation about a product doesn't mean the answer is "you didn't need it anyway."
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Also, something I find interesting is that based on measurements posted by both @dunanos and @PianoPro of various recording, the "whine" seems to be the same frequency on different units which leads me to believe this is either a manufacturing defect or a hardware issue on a specific batch of components. I'm not convinced yet that it's design flaw in the system itself since only some units have them.
While I cannot verify those measurements myself, I have no reason to doubt the above posters and I find it interesting that two independent users are arriving at similar results.
While I cannot verify those measurements myself, I have no reason to doubt the above posters and I find it interesting that two independent users are arriving at similar results.
No chance Apple is going to acknowledge this issue. Just consider all the problems people have reported for years about poor bluetooth connectivity on the Mac Mini. That has neither been acknowledged nor fixed.
The whistling starts after warming up, in other recordings you can see that the sound is intermittent, changing its intensity and slightly even pitch. In some places it can be heard more or less. It's probably not a mechanical problem with the sound flow. I'm guessing faulty motors in the fan or electronics that are included.
Since it's around 2.2 kHz, which any healthy person should hear, the difference may just be the intensity.
Since it's around 2.2 kHz, which any healthy person should hear, the difference may just be the intensity.
Flexgate is also another example of slow response. Time and again I get excited and buy new Apple hardware immediately only to become a frustrated hardware beta tester. Tip of the cap to you wait and see people.
Maybe why I hear the noise and whistling more is also due to the location of the Mac. My desk is right next to the wall, so the sound comes back to my ears.
In 3 years, there will be a new Mac Studio 2 with one big slow-running fan, as a better solution...
LOL I'm sticking to this mostly because I can't afford to wait 12 weeks for a replacement unit; I have lots of work planned for these weeks.
Anyway I always listen to music or some other audio when working and, in the worst case scenario, I can relocate the computer.
However I can't hide the fact I'm severly disappointed with Apple.
I'd understand these issues on a cheaper, more consumer oriented device...but not on something I spent 5600Euros on...
I had a similar issue with a MBPRO 16" I ended up sending back; it was all scuffed on the sides.
Hey Traverse I'm really digging the MacBook Pro 14 M1 Max so far. I bought the 64 GB 2 TB version I believe same as you. Thanks again for the tip. Still waiting for a pluggable USB4 hub that Amazon will supposedly deliver on Sunday before I can be completely sure.
Glad to hear it! I won't derail this thread too much since I'm sure they've discussed this at length in the MacBook Pro forums since launch, but this is such a nice computer. The last laptop I used was a 9 year old MacBook Pro and it was a good laptop, but a subpar desktop. When connected to displays it got hot and noisy, clamshell mode was flaky, and I had constant battery anxiety. Now macOS optimizes battery or docked use, this computer is utterly silent and barely warm, and external display support is so vastly improved. In fact the only display issue I've had is one instance of the Studio saying it had to restart because of problem - which happens when your MONITOR runs iOS.
As for storage, luckily the Studio Display makes the setup really clean. Unfortunately, it doesn't support more than one Thunderbolt port (which is disappointing) so I have to plug in two things to my MacBook Pro: (1) the Studio Display which provides power and a monitor and (2) my OWC ThunderBay mini which houses two Samsung 8TB SSDs and a WD 4TB SSD. I was initially disappointed that I couldn't plug in the OWC into the display and literally have a single cable setup to the computer, but that is the most first world of first world problems.
However, I do still like the idea of a desktop Mac, especially if you like to keep and always on server. Alas, the Studio didn't work for me, but I really liked that system (and it's abundance of ports). Right now I'm using the MacBook Pro as I would a desktop and I don't allow it sleep (though the display turns off) to be an always-on server, but I have enjoyed occasionally taking it around the house. I will say, as the laptops have improved, the case for a desktop system does shrink outside of a server or most highest-end workflows.
Yes it is very nice! I probably will only use my M1 Max laptop as a desktop. Other than hearing it in a bad way, the Mac Studio was pretty great and more of what I really wanted/needed. For me the M1 Max will be fantastic, in the Studio or the MacBook Pro. You're right, the M1 Max is desktop grade for sure.
I use Thunderbolt SSD storage on my Mac mini but for this system I will use network storage mostly which is fast enough for me. Although I will miss the Mac Studio 10 gigabit port somewhat - but not enough to buy one of those batcrap insane 10 gigabit Thunderbolt dongles. The Mac Studio particularly the M1 Ultra does still make me jealous for all of that Thunderbolt 4! For your single cable maybe you'd like the goshen ridge chipset docks/hubs.
Ah I see. My always on server is Linux, although I did use MacOS Server for a VPN during some of my crazier days. Business applications are in a Windows 11 VM. Client devices are all Macs. Actually I think the M1 Air base model is the perfect laptop for me, I bought a few especially to hoard them before the white bezels come. I was really looking forward to the Mac Studio to retire my 2019 Mac Pro.
Let's not forget that people who have no problem with their Mac Studio are not on this forum.
For my part, I decided to keep it and wait a while for models of exchanges under warranty to be available. I have an Apple Care and I will change until I get the silence promised by Apple!
For my part, I decided to keep it and wait a while for models of exchanges under warranty to be available. I have an Apple Care and I will change until I get the silence promised by Apple!
Let's see - the silence promised by Apple?
Here at 38:53:
"And due to the efficiency of M1 Max and M1 Ultra, the sound is so minimal, for most workloads, you'll barely even hear it. With this remarkably compact and quiet system within arm's reach ..."
The sound levels in the technical specifications are as follows:
Mac Studio:
25 db(A) Idle
15 db(A) Idle at operator position
Compared to some other machines:
Mac Pro (2019):
27 db(A) Idle
11 db(A) Idle at operator position
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021):
13 db(A) Idle
3 db(A) Idle at operator position
Mac mini (2018):
13 db(A) Idle
5 db(A) Idle at operator position
Mac mini (Late 2012):
26 db(A) Idle
14 db(A) Idle at operator position
The numbers of the Mac mini 2012 are nearly the same as the Mac Studio's.
I still have my Mac mini 2012 i7 Quad Core with an 1 TB hard disc(!). If I turn this on, it's a difference like night and day compared to the Mac Studio I have. The Mac mini 2012 feels so much quieter to me than the Mac Studio. The sound of the hard disc is causing most of the noise and it's much nicer, lower and somehow more "peaceful" to me than the noise of the Mac Studio. The Mac mini 2012 is for me much more like "you'll bearly even hear it".
Taking in fact that a plus of 10 db(A) doubles the sound intensity, the Mac Studio is by design at least as double as loud as a Mac mini 2018, according to the technical specifications.
I am currently using the Mac mini 2018 and it is silent to me at my position when idle or browsing the web. I would call it "remarkably quite", if I take that quote from the keynote above.
The MacBook Pro mentioned above was tested with the M1 Max. Sound levels are nearly the same as for the Mac mini 2018. So, I don't understand why the Mac Studio with the same processor as in the MacBook Pro is as loud or louder than a Mac Pro or a ten year old machine with a hard disc.
What is so bizarre is that they are clearly stating that the system is barely audible unless the workload is really demanding. So why are the fans spinning at idle at an RPM that is sufficient to cool the system under significant load? (And why can’t we adjust it?)
It’s just very strange.
Does anyone in the music recorded field know where I pick up the sound insulation they put on there walls some times. I don’t know if it’s a specific type of foam but I know it’s right angled absorption of sound helps to queit a room. I’m not being facetious. I really want to give one last ditch effort to keep the studio. I’ve already mounted under my desk and can place the material anywhere between 3-6” behind the studio.
Hi (again), I’ve just hear it in an apple store. So, ok it’s a noisy room, but even sticking my ear on the rear exhaust i definively not hear anything.
I tried also to measure db at 2 cm of rear exhaust. It shows me a 2/3db difference.
So i think I’ll give mac studio a try, and return it if it is too noisy in my quiet living room.
I also wonder why so many people say it is noisy/annoying.
I’ll give a feedback in 2 monthes, as the apple studio display delay are very longs in europe ?
I tried also to measure db at 2 cm of rear exhaust. It shows me a 2/3db difference.
So i think I’ll give mac studio a try, and return it if it is too noisy in my quiet living room.
I also wonder why so many people say it is noisy/annoying.
I’ll give a feedback in 2 monthes, as the apple studio display delay are very longs in europe ?
My exchange unit was fine before I update to 12.3.1. Then it went high pitched off the rails with an audible chirp here and there. If I cover a small potion and block airflow with jus my pinky finger it changes to acoustics just enough to make it tolerable. I bet there is going to be a firmware update at some point to lower the floor of the fans at idle. No need for them to run at 1300 rpm for most task.
I think it would be impossible to distinguish anywhere but in a office occupied by one individual at work. And again no one is complaining about the fans running loud. They are complaining about the high pitched frequency the fans and/or power supply emit.
Absolutely no audible noise whatsoever here. I'm in my (home) office by myself with nothing but two monitors and some external speakers connected. I also updated to 12.3.1. I count myself lucky after reading through this thread.