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

[Martyimac]

I think it's time for me to unwatch this thread. The horse has died, many times.

 

[Jrshelby]

I think it's time for me to unwatch this thread. The horse has died, many times.

If people are not effected maybe they should not watch. At this point there are people who are and the beating of the dead horse will continue until there is a fix or statement By apple. But yes there is a bunch of rehashing when people have apparently not followed from the get go

 

[dogface1956]

I've just had a dispatch notification for my replacement Studio. Place your bets on whether it sounds:

a) Identical
b) Still noticeably loud at idle compared to other Macs, but without the whistle
c) So quiet you have to put your head next to it to know it's on

I'm 50/50 between A and B. I suspect people saying C have got other stuff like AC obscuring the sound of their machines, or don't have great hearing in the first place, but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

Either way, I'll keep the replacement, as it's the only Mac in the lineup that works for me at the moment. Ironically if it does continue to annoy me I'll probably end up selling it for something else far sooner than I otherwise would've.

Mine is silent in the room that I have it in at night the background noise is no louder then 16dB. I can place my ear within 1 inch of the vents on the back and feel a slight breeze but no sound (I'm 65 and just had my hearing checked at the end of last year and it was good to 14 kHz where it dropped off rapidly after that) had my 35 year old daughter and 34 year son listen and they could not hear anything. I can hear the fans when I stress the machine with RX 9 and my standard modules, for S&G I ripped a DVD using Handbrake same thing the fans speed up a bit but nothing unusual and certainly a lot quieter than my 2012 Mac Pro or 14" MBP Max which when I run my RX modules the fans start running at very high speeds and it gets pretty noisy.

 

[studionow1111]

Just set up my max studio max 64gb ram , 512 ssd.
Its absolutely too loud to be in recording environment.
I’ll need to build an iso box (just like the old days)
As far as people trying to demand that it is “quiet enough”, please stop. If it doesn’t effect you then go away.
There is no question that on some machines the fan alone , the whirring air , and the high pitch whine IS ABSOLUTELY AN ISSUE for some users who need to record soft vocals, instruments, desired room tone. Also, for critical listening the noise is unacceptable if it’s not sealed away or far away.
This is not an “perception” issue. The noise is picked up on mics 10 feet away. If this doesn’t sound real to you , you never do high end recording in an quiet control room.
Like I said earlier , the solution is to isolate the mac. The reason this is such bad news is because for a couple years the Mac’s were getting quieter and quieter. My Mac m1 mini is SILENT , it has never made a noise since I purchased it a year ago.

 

[Jrshelby]

Just set up my max studio max 64gb ram , 512 ssd.
Its absolutely too loud to be in recording environment.
I’ll need to build an iso box (just like the old days)
As far as people trying to demand that it is “quiet enough”, please stop. If it doesn’t effect you then go away.
There is no question that on some machines the fan alone , the whirring air , and the high pitch whine IS ABSOLUTELY AN ISSUE for some users who need to record soft vocals, instruments, desired room tone. Also, for critical listening the noise is unacceptable if it’s not sealed away or far away.
This is not an “perception” issue. The noise is picked up on mics 10 feet away. If this doesn’t sound real to you , you never do high end recording in an quiet control room.
Like I said earlier , the solution is to isolate the mac. The reason this is such bad news is because for a couple years the Mac’s were getting quieter and quieter. My Mac m1 mini is SILENT , it has never made a noise since I purchased it a year ago.

I wish I could like this more then once. +1

 

[PianoPro]

My liquid-cooled G5 Mac Pro is much, much quieter than my QuickSilver Power Mac Dual G4.
My 2010 Mac Pro is much quieter than my liquid-cooled G5 Mac Pro.

My Ultra Mac Studio is much quieter than either of them.

Here's a simple comparison of my Mac Studio and 2010 Mac Pro -

Measurement Setup

2010 Mac Pro and Mac Studio Ultra sitting 8" apart on desk, front of each Mac aligned horizontally. Microphone placed on desk in middle between Mac Pro and Mac Studio, aligned horizontally with the front of each.

Rear of Mac Studio 2.5" in front of monitor (i.e. some sound reflecting back from monitor toward Mic).
Rear of Mac Pro well behind monitor (i.e. sound from rear of Mac Pro partially blocked by monitor).

Relative SPL

Room with both Macs off - 26.6 dBA
Mac Studio Ultra only on at idle (and otherwise because fans don't ramp up) - 28.0 dBA
2010 Mac Pro only on at idle - 34.1 dBA

No high pitched (2 kHz - 3 kHz) whine detectable by ear an inch from rear of Mac Studio

It's easy to hear the Mac Pro fans at idle sitting 1 foot in front of me, but I don't hear the Mac Studio from the same distance.

Ultra Mac Studio Spectrum

2010 Mac Pro Spectrum

 

[Jrshelby]

What’s the best SPL app for iPhone I’d like to do my own testing

 

[lcubed]

What’s the best SPL app for iPhone I’d like to do my own testing

someone in either this thread or the other noise thread was touting NIOSH Sound Level Meter or dBX, but if you read the paper over on research gate on how accurate the iPhone apps were, they all are incredibly inaccurate below 30 dB at all frequency ranges.

here's the direct link: https://www.researchgate.net/public...cations_to_Monitor_Environmental_Noise_Levels

you'll need a research gate login. pay attention to Table III

 

[m1maverick]

Given that some people have gone through 2 or 3 of these in a return cycle I think the likelihood is 'somewhat' that Apple will try to address this issue so if I had an order pending for July or something I'd keep it and track how new arrivals are performing. But then again, we all thought the 16" MBP Radeon 5300M/5500M would receive driver or firmware updates to correct the power draw problems but it never did even after 3 new OS versions. I can't go through that again. Putting a $7,000+ desktop (as in, literally intended to sit on the desk given the SD card reader etc.) machine in a drawer to shut it up is ridiculous, but if you need the power and M1 Architecture there's no alternative at the moment.

I would disagree with this. There was a lot of discussion about noisy 2018 Mac Mini's and I don't recall Apple having done anything to address it.

 

[studionow1111]

It's easy to hear the Mac Pro fans at idle sitting 1 foot in front of me, but I don't hear the Mac Studio from the same distance.

Ultra Mac Studio Spectrum

View attachment 1998554

Very cool research. Thanks for that.
Yes, the Mac Pro is quite a bit louder. That would never be anywhere near a mic.
The noise issue becomes a bigger issue when you record multiple tracks with the noise adding up with each take.
It simply needs to be baffled or moved far away.
I’m curious what the range is between different units. Mine sounds louder than some example videos but quieter than the ridiculous whiny ones.

 

[Peloche]

someone in either this thread or the other noise thread was touting NIOSH Sound Level Meter or dBX, but if you read the paper over on research gate on how accurate the iPhone apps were, they all are incredibly inaccurate below 30 dB at all frequency ranges.

here's the direct link: https://www.researchgate.net/public...cations_to_Monitor_Environmental_Noise_Levels

you'll need a research gate login. pay attention to Table III

Thanks Icubed for your help.

I've used NIOSH SLM, as recommended within your link, installed on iPhone 13 Pro Max, with the inside mic located at 25 cm from the rear of Mac Studio Max basic, and I get the approximately following results:

1 - Mac Studio off : 28,5 dB
2 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1100 rpm : 31,1 dB
3 - Mac Studio idle fans running auto at 1330 rpm : 35,7 dB

I don't know what to think about these results.

 

[AlphaCentauri]

Thanks Icubed for your help.

I've used NIOSH SLM, as recommended within your link, installed on iPhone 13 Pro Max, with the inside mic located at 25 cm from the rear of Mac Studio Max basic, and I get the approximately following results:

1 - Mac Studio off : 28,5 dB
2 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1100 rpm : 31,1 dB
3 - Mac Studio idle fans running auto at 1330 rpm : 35,7 dB

I don't know what to think about these results.

Take the same measurements from where you sit usually (operator’s position) and report back, please. Apple’s 25dB is from operator’s position.

BTW, I’ve just checked Apple’s spec sheets again and 2019 Mac Pro is 27dB at idle, which is even louder than Mac Studio.

 

[Peloche]

Take the same measurements from where you sit usually (operator’s position) and report back, please. Apple’s 25dB is from operator’s position.

BTW, I’ve just checked Apple’s spec sheets again and 2019 Mac Pro is 27dB at idle, which is even louder than Mac Studio.

Hi AlphaCentauri,


Ok.

First I’ve changed the software from NIOSH to dB Noisee (should be more accurate) from the same company EA LAB used on the same iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Distance is 60 cm from Mac Studio Front side, new results :

1 - Mac Studio Off : 16,4 dB

2 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1100 rpm : 17,2 dB

3 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1330 rpm : 18,4 dB

Please don’t forget that these measurements have been taken 30th of April 2022 day time 12:15 in my office not in a lab.

 

[Dom.S]

Mine is silent in the room that I have it in at night the background noise is no louder then 16dB. I can place my ear within 1 inch of the vents on the back and feel a slight breeze but no sound (I'm 65 and just had my hearing checked at the end of last year and it was good to 14 kHz where it dropped off rapidly after that) had my 35 year old daughter and 34 year son listen and they could not hear anything. I can hear the fans when I stress the machine with RX 9 and my standard modules, for S&G I ripped a DVD using Handbrake same thing the fans speed up a bit but nothing unusual and certainly a lot quieter than my 2012 Mac Pro or 14" MBP Max which when I run my RX modules the fans start running at very high speeds and it gets pretty noisy.

I just hope my replacement comes from the same batch as yours! I would've thought that the Studio would be audible up close in a room that quiet regardless, but who knows what's going on. There's no mistaking the high pitched noise or the general fan noise from mine. The latter I can live with and get used to, but the high pitched noise is too much of a distraction and I can't see it ever blending in, as it really cuts through.

 

[AlphaCentauri]

Hi AlphaCentauri,


Ok.

First I’ve changed the software from NIOSH to dB Noisee (should be more accurate) from the same company EA LAB used on the same iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Distance is 60 cm from Mac Studio Front side, new results :

1 - Mac Studio Off : 16,4 dB

2 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1100 rpm : 17,2 dB

3 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1330 rpm : 18,4 dB

Please don’t forget that these measurements have been taken 30th of April 2022 day time 12:15 in my office not in a lab.

Thank you. Of course all the measurements are an approximation, after all, nobody knows where is operator’s position in relation to the Studio, according to Apple.

I would dare to say that your Mac Studio is well within specs in regards of fan noise.

Now, whereas this is acceptable to you or others - it’s entirely different question.

 

[Peloche]

Yes for myself I do not have any complain for noise, when fans running in auto mode (around 1330 rpm) I can hear something, but running at 1100 rpm I can’t (from operator's position for both).

My Mac Studio is located on the left side of my desk, I should add that Mac Studio rear is not facing the wall, I turned it 90° counterclockwise to avoid any noise reflection on the wall, so rear side has no obstacle for at least 50 cm.

 

[SebCohen]

Hi AlphaCentauri,


Ok.

First I’ve changed the software from NIOSH to dB Noisee (should be more accurate) from the same company EA LAB used on the same iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Distance is 60 cm from Mac Studio Front side, new results :

1 - Mac Studio Off : 16,4 dB

2 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1100 rpm : 17,2 dB

3 - Mac Studio idle with fans running at 1330 rpm : 18,4 dB

Please don’t forget that these measurements have been taken 30th of April 2022 day time 12:15 in my office not in a lab.

I would say the specific frequency of the “noise” is more important than what dB level the Studio produces in total.

 

[Peloche]

I would say the specific frequency of the “noise” is more important than what dB level the Studio produces in total.

You’re right but which frequencies are not welcome ?
I’ve made another measurement at 20cm from Mac Studio rear side, fans running automatic at 1334 rpm and I got the following screen capture, when a moped or a car are passing in the street low frequencies are showing up. Without moped, cars etc... airplanes and doves that coos at 500 Hz, Mac Studio spectrum starts at approximately 200 Hz up to 8 KHz at 60 cm from Mac Studio front face. With iPhone analyzing between the desk and the edge of Mac Studio, frequencies starts at 40 Hz up to 8 KHz.

 

[aiyaaabatt]

Has anyone in this thread returned a Mac Studio that made the high pitch fan noise for a Mac Studio that did not make this noise?

I'm trying to figure out if ALL Mac Studios make this noise and some people just can't hear it (maybe because of hearing, room acoustics, positioning of Mac Studio, etc)... or if some Mac Studios make this noise and some do not make it.

I have 2 Mac Studios right now, a base M1 Max and base M1 Ultra. Both exhibit the high pitch fan noise at idle heard from about a meters distance where I sit. Both will be returned. This is unacceptable.

 

[Jrshelby]

everytime I call apple support it always ends with the rep sending me instructions on how to reset the SMC. Only problem is, and it even states at the top, that this does not apply to Apple silicon. Kinda frustrating as you think they would know or realize this.

Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

The SMC is responsible for managing power on your Mac. Resetting it can resolve certain uncommon issues related to power or thermal management.

support.apple.com

 

[dogface1956]

I just hope my replacement comes from the same batch as yours! I would've thought that the Studio would be audible up close in a room that quiet regardless, but who knows what's going on. There's no mistaking the high pitched noise or the general fan noise from mine. The latter I can live with and get used to, but the high pitched noise is too much of a distraction and I can't see it ever blending in, as it really cuts through.

I received mine on 3/18 it was shipped from China on 3/15. I keep refreshing the Apple Store right after the announcement until I could place my order so I think I may have gotten one of the first ones. Mine is a BTO Ultra with 128MB RAM 4TB SSD with 48 GPU Cores.

 

[Jrshelby]

I received mine on 3/18 it was shipped from China on 3/15. I keep refreshing the Apple Store right after the announcement until I could place my order so I think I may have gotten one of the first ones. Mine is a BTO Ultra with 128MB RAM 4TB SSD with 48 GPU Cores.

I did not back and read your previous post was yours effected by the high pitch noise.

 

[lcubed]

You’re right but which frequencies are not welcome ?
I’ve made another measurement at 20cm from Mac Studio rear side, fans running automatic at 1334 rpm and I got the following screen capture, when a moped or a car are passing in the street low frequencies are showing up. Without moped, cars etc... and airplanes Mac Studio spectrum starts at approximately 200 Hz up to 8 KHz at 60 cm from Mac Studio front face. With iPhone analyzing between the desk and the edge of Mac Studio, frequencies starts at 40 Hz up to 8 KHz.

View attachment 1998907

yup, no prominent peak in the 2 kHz band. it's all broadband fan noise

 

[dogface1956]

I did not back and read your previous post was yours effected by the high pitch noise.

Nope, it has been very quiet, it is positioned on my desk about with the front sticking out about 3 inches under my Studio display, the front is about 16 inches from my working position, that would place the back about 25 inches from my head when I am working. The vents are facing a wall about 18 inches that is made of sheet rock. I have an 18GB G-Tech HDD on the other end of my desk that is about 3 feet from my head that is a lot louder than my Ultra this is were a store my music library.

All my other drives are SSD, have three 4TB SanDisk Professional drives that I use for my working and in progress Music files and three more that I use for backups. I also have 2 G-Raid 2 36TB drives that I have all my historical/business/pictures/personal/scans of tax returns and important papers like my DD214, parents death certificates, kids birth certificates etc. stuff that dates back from my Apple // days to today, literally thousands of fires from 1981 to 2022. Those drives are mounted on a shelf in a closet that is about 15 feet from my desk and the closet door is closed.

 

[StudioMacs]

Has anyone in this thread returned a Mac Studio that made the high pitch fan noise for a Mac Studio that did not make this noise?

I'm trying to figure out if ALL Mac Studios make this noise and some people just can't hear it (maybe because of hearing, room acoustics, positioning of Mac Studio, etc)... or if some Mac Studios make this noise and some do not make it.

I have 2 Mac Studios right now, a base M1 Max and base M1 Ultra. Both exhibit the high pitch fan noise at idle heard from about a meters distance where I sit. Both will be returned. This is unacceptable.

Although mine doesn’t whine, I can clearly hear it on recordings that have been posted, and see it in spectral graphs posted by people with the issue.