95% the PSU is always the problem. My replacement is also 1 million times better.I just received my third unit and this one it’s a keeper !
It’s as close as it gets to a “dead silent” one.
It’s quieter than previous ones. The “metallic” sound signature it’s still there but waaay way more quiet.
i don’t have any intermittent high pitch noise from fans and any “crickets” coming from PSU.
i will keep this one. It’s almost … “dead silent” 👍
In conclusion:
yes apple did screw up with quality control on some units (and not just a few) maybe even some design flaw , supply chain issues etc. … but it’s still a fantastic piece of gear.
Until Studio V3 or V4 comes along … this will do fine for now . It’s just the way things are.
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Mac studio v1 fan noise - it's going to be one of the loudest Macs at idle.
- Thread starter AdamSeen
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There is an occasional whistle from the fan changing rpm. Or if you have a more permanent buzz, then that will be coil whine, is the sound coming from the top or bottom?
i dont have the Studio yet, just following this thread because im scared. im thinking that maybe since my daily home ambient sound level is really high since i live in a loud city and maybe if i get it and have whistle, i wont notice. one building next to me has a very loud HVAC system and and gives a very loud tonal pitch ringing/whistle that i can hear even with my windows closed. and the other building across from me has a low rumble from their air system. and then i live on a busy street so there are cars nonstop going by and ambulances and school buses. maybe if i get the whistle it will just blend under all this stuff lmao
Just turn the stereo on and forget about it.
i do music production so i cant turn on stereo. but probably my work would drown out the tiny whistle anyway
In environments that are slightly louder than dead silent, the whine disappears into the ambient sound.
It will blend in for sure
My previous units were annoying for me only late at night with close to zero background noise.
During daytime sometimes i could barely hear even the fans …
PS: My latest unit it’s for sure a HUGE improvement.
I’m on my second quiet night with it and i’m really satisfied
👍Maybe Apple did fix some things behind the scene meanwhile.
95% of my work day is definitely much louder than dead silent, and then late night when it is dead silent im using headphones for the sake of my neighbors anyway. this is encouraging, maybe i wont notice it
yeah like i mentioned in previous message ive been realizing that my overall ambient sound noise floor is really bad where i live already. i have two buildings next to mine that both have their own hum/whine/whistle from air systems that i hear even with closed windows, and then also i remembered (knew but got used to it) my studio monitor speakers also have a super high frequency whine anyway from "dirty power source" that i got used to and that i never hear while actually listening to anything. ive gotten so used to this stuff (which is definitely louder than any mac studio whistle) to the point where i dont even hear it anymore while working, only if i sit quietly and just sit and listen to the silence which isnt a real work scenario lol. so im feeling more confident now that i probably wont notice a whine.It will blend in for sure
My previous units were annoying for me only late at night with close to zero background noise.
During daytime sometimes i could barely hear even the fans …
PS: My latest unit it’s for sure a HUGE improvement.
I’m on my second quiet night with it and i’m really satisfied
Maybe Apple did fix some things behind the scene meanwhile.
...where, in my experience, "noisy" means "not dead silent". Something like a hard drive, or anything else with a fan will drown it out... and I've never heard it getting any louder even when doing something like running Cinebench or when Handbrake is maxing out every core - which would have had the fans on my 2017 iMac roaring. And it's a "neutral" pink-noisy sound - not a hum/buzz/whistle (and I've checked with a spectrum analyser on my iPad which can detect the 'whistle' from me breathing through clenched teeth).
I don't doubt everybody who says they are hearing hums or whistles - but that's a fault and the response should be to get a replacement - but a properly functioning unit should only disappoint if you were expecting dead silence at idle.
Switch to vegetarian progressive grindcore, no noise will disturb the listeners.
We or I actually expect the hum of the device. Not the whine and not a dead silent machine. So in my dead silent environment, the whine stands out. The hum of the fans, not so much. I get used to it in a few minutes, whereas I cannot stand the whine. The whine really gets drowned out in a slightly louder environment though. Unfortunately in my case, the ambient noise was not enough, so I had to return it.
I can’t belive this isn’t something that Apple has acknowledged and has communicated about to its customers… there is no doubt in my mind they know what is causing this problem and are just being silent about it. I was going to buy one of these machines and now have decided not to… all because Apple has not properly addressed what is clearly a problem, with manufacturing, design, or assembly and its affecting a large amount of a particular product… Apple has really taken a huge step backwards in their product quality and its going to impact their reputation… and it ready has in my mind…
Its a shame… and only takes a few bad attitudes and misguided executives at the top levels of the company to severely damage a company’s standing with its customer base… and it seems Apple now has a few of those…
Its a shame… and only takes a few bad attitudes and misguided executives at the top levels of the company to severely damage a company’s standing with its customer base… and it seems Apple now has a few of those…
What do you want Apple to own up to and what do you want them to communicate?
“We know the Mac Studio has fan noise when pushed and the fans spin faster than default” - as do all other computers…
“The Mac Studio is well within documented noise limits” - but we will replace them anyway if you complain…
“There are a number of buyers (<30%) who notice a whine, which is still within the specs of the documented noise, but only when turning all other noise sources off” - and that the majority of users will never hear and/or even notice…
You don’t want to buy the Mac Studio, fine, wait for something better, but do not blame Apple for delivering a fast computer which performs well within spec for the vast majority of buyers.
“We know the Mac Studio has fan noise when pushed and the fans spin faster than default” - as do all other computers…
“The Mac Studio is well within documented noise limits” - but we will replace them anyway if you complain…
“There are a number of buyers (<30%) who notice a whine, which is still within the specs of the documented noise, but only when turning all other noise sources off” - and that the majority of users will never hear and/or even notice…
You don’t want to buy the Mac Studio, fine, wait for something better, but do not blame Apple for delivering a fast computer which performs well within spec for the vast majority of buyers.
I think most of us would expect some kind of honesty and companies doing the right thing but ... we are naive.
No company will do that, shoot their own foot, out of generosity and "principles" (not even Apple, even when they play the "we are superior / different" song).
Everybody is doing the same out there : see WD with SMR hdd's, Samsung with 870 Evo's ssd failures ... and so on.
GPU manufacturers in the PC world are pushing the "whine it's normal" song for years , basically trying to "condition" the market to accept their lower quality manufacturing / components as "normal" and "within specs".
Why some GPU's don't whine at all ? Why "old" ones didn't ?
Because they have better quality manufacturing, better "batches" of components and so on ...
So a "zero whine" product can be achieved and delivered.
In the past , "whining" electronics were the exceptions not the rule. Nowadays, with the push for higher profits, cutting corners and supply chain issues ... it's becoming the norm.
Back to the issue with Apple's Mac Studio.
In my personal experience: the issue it's much more widespread than 30% (more than macrumors poll) ...
It's more like 66% (2 units out of 3) had the "no doubt" , distinct whine and/or PSU "crickets" ... with the last 33% (last unit) have a clear distinct high pitch metallic sound (although, quieter and way way better than previous ones).
You can see an abundance of reports, left and right.
Another users tested like 10 of them at work, all with the same whinny "feature".
Pretty much the majority of us have experienced Apple products before and we have a pretty good point of reference.
So when a 2022 product it's worse in term of sound signature / noise compared with a 2015 product that you kept for 7 years ... you will notice right away
I am being kind of triggered when we try to "downplay" this.
Apple is doing the same within their stores and their support network.
That is creating frustration in customers. I know it frustrated me a lot ...
I was almost like: "Guys, I'm not an idiot ... I just tried 3 of your freaking units, stop the gaslighting tactics"
PS: Also, the butterfly keyboards were "within specs", until they weren't anymore
Let's define "properly functioning" .
All the whinny units are properly functioning ... they are just super annoying and barely tolerable while properly functioning
No company will do that, shoot their own foot, out of generosity and "principles" (not even Apple, even when they play the "we are superior / different" song).
Everybody is doing the same out there : see WD with SMR hdd's, Samsung with 870 Evo's ssd failures ... and so on.
GPU manufacturers in the PC world are pushing the "whine it's normal" song for years , basically trying to "condition" the market to accept their lower quality manufacturing / components as "normal" and "within specs".
Why some GPU's don't whine at all ? Why "old" ones didn't ?
Because they have better quality manufacturing, better "batches" of components and so on ...
So a "zero whine" product can be achieved and delivered.
In the past , "whining" electronics were the exceptions not the rule. Nowadays, with the push for higher profits, cutting corners and supply chain issues ... it's becoming the norm.
Back to the issue with Apple's Mac Studio.
In my personal experience: the issue it's much more widespread than 30% (more than macrumors poll) ...
It's more like 66% (2 units out of 3) had the "no doubt" , distinct whine and/or PSU "crickets" ... with the last 33% (last unit) have a clear distinct high pitch metallic sound (although, quieter and way way better than previous ones).
You can see an abundance of reports, left and right.
Another users tested like 10 of them at work, all with the same whinny "feature".
Pretty much the majority of us have experienced Apple products before and we have a pretty good point of reference.
So when a 2022 product it's worse in term of sound signature / noise compared with a 2015 product that you kept for 7 years ... you will notice right away
I am being kind of triggered when we try to "downplay" this.
Apple is doing the same within their stores and their support network.
That is creating frustration in customers. I know it frustrated me a lot ...
I was almost like: "Guys, I'm not an idiot ... I just tried 3 of your freaking units, stop the gaslighting tactics"
PS: Also, the butterfly keyboards were "within specs", until they weren't anymore
Let's define "properly functioning" .
All the whinny units are properly functioning ... they are just super annoying and barely tolerable while properly functioning
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You cannot claim that. I have been following this thread since its inception, and even here, it is NOT a big group of users who can hear the whine or any excessive noise for that matter. We know for sure that 30% of respondents said they could...
I am not trying to gaslight anyone; I just get triggered when people try to make something worse than it is.
Apple says the Mac Studio emits 15dB of noise when idle and browsing the web, which is what most people experience
I am sitting in my relatively quiet office right now, and the background noise (A/C, NAS, Sonnet Echo Express Box) means the noise level here is around 30-35dB, and I do not hear the Mac Studio at all. When I turn everything off, I do not hear the Mac Studio. Even when I put my iPhone right next to the Mac Studio, nothing registers bar the faint hum of the fans - which is precisely as Apple says. No whine, no crickets, no excessive noise. So no, it is not everyone...
By the same logic, you can't claim otherwise. No offense !👍
How do you know that your experience is the norm ?
See ... ? This rhetoric goes both ways.
It's not only about this thread and not even this forum.
That poll it's irrelevant because the sample size it's waaay to small. Only 100 people voted for 1 week or so, at beginning of May when there was big delays in deliveries. (... and even then was 30%)
For example, I couldn't vote ... same applies to others that received units during the whole summer.
1. I personally tested 3 units at home so far - all of them with almost identical behaviors.
2. Another user said he personally recorded 10 of them at work (m1 max) + 2 ultras at home.
3. There were also users with multiple orders and re-orders, same thing.
4. Some users said theirs were quiet and later on started to whine.
5. Others complained only about PSU "crickets" (same as my first unit)
6. Check YouTube videos from various corners of the world, different languages
7. Check Youtube comments
8. Dig into Reddit / other forums
9. And .... so on
Isn't this enough to conclude that this is a pattern ?
Then you start to order your own unit and you basically experience the same behavior as others said ...
Three times in a row ...
Come on ! Let's be reasonable ✌️
How many units should I return to get the "dead-silent" one (meaning "no whine") that is the "norm" out there ?
Also, I am not saying that it's everyone .
I am saying that, in a reasonable way, based on my personal experience and research around the web, could be .... an important majority
Anyway, don't take it personally ... 🤝
I am also kind of tired of this whole thing. For months I was following the subject trying to get my own "dead silent" one.
How do you know that your experience is the norm ?
See ... ? This rhetoric goes both ways.
It's not only about this thread and not even this forum.
That poll it's irrelevant because the sample size it's waaay to small. Only 100 people voted for 1 week or so, at beginning of May when there was big delays in deliveries. (... and even then was 30%)
For example, I couldn't vote ... same applies to others that received units during the whole summer.
1. I personally tested 3 units at home so far - all of them with almost identical behaviors.
2. Another user said he personally recorded 10 of them at work (m1 max) + 2 ultras at home.
3. There were also users with multiple orders and re-orders, same thing.
4. Some users said theirs were quiet and later on started to whine.
5. Others complained only about PSU "crickets" (same as my first unit)
6. Check YouTube videos from various corners of the world, different languages
7. Check Youtube comments
8. Dig into Reddit / other forums
9. And .... so on
Isn't this enough to conclude that this is a pattern ?
Then you start to order your own unit and you basically experience the same behavior as others said ...
Three times in a row ...
Come on ! Let's be reasonable ✌️
How many units should I return to get the "dead-silent" one (meaning "no whine") that is the "norm" out there ?
Also, I am not saying that it's everyone .
I am saying that, in a reasonable way, based on my personal experience and research around the web, could be .... an important majority
Anyway, don't take it personally ... 🤝
I am also kind of tired of this whole thing. For months I was following the subject trying to get my own "dead silent" one.
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We'll just have to agree to disagree...
The loudest are usually the complainers, and not the silent majority; https://www.entrepreneur.com/growin...ers-dont-always-represent-the-majority/252318
What I mean is; if you are happy with your purchase and have no noise complaints, you do not go to a forum and raise your happiness. Whereas, if you experience issues, you seek out a platform where you can get your problems confirmed, and commiserate with others.
I was in doubt if I was doing the right thing when I ordered my Mac Studio and was worried when I finally received it. However, all my worries were laid to rest when I started using it - faster at day-to-day tasks than my Mac Pros, and more silent as well...
The loudest are usually the complainers, and not the silent majority; https://www.entrepreneur.com/growin...ers-dont-always-represent-the-majority/252318
What I mean is; if you are happy with your purchase and have no noise complaints, you do not go to a forum and raise your happiness. Whereas, if you experience issues, you seek out a platform where you can get your problems confirmed, and commiserate with others.
I was in doubt if I was doing the right thing when I ordered my Mac Studio and was worried when I finally received it. However, all my worries were laid to rest when I started using it - faster at day-to-day tasks than my Mac Pros, and more silent as well...
By that logic, a unit that arrived with a big scratch on it would be "properly functioning". You'd still send it back.
It shouldn't whine. The way to get it fixed is, if you've got a whine, whine to Apple. I can't whine about mine because I don't have a whine on mine to whine about.
Last time I had a problem was with a Mac Pro in 2006, which had a "ticking" noise from the fan. Apart from that it worked perfectly. While I might expect that from a £300 Dell I didn't expect it from a £3000 Mac - so it went straight back to the Apple Store and was replaced without fuss.
There are free spectrum analysers for iOS... Post your whine! (with and without the Mac sleeping).
Yes and yes
For a big scratch I will send it back and I think most of us would.
For a small one I won't.
I did "whine" to Apple, 2 times already and for the third time I decided to keep it because, see, it's a "smaller" scratch
.. but still a 3400$ "scratched" Mac .I did post "my whine". Look around ! ✌️
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Bottom line is that "evidence" is not the plural of "anecdote" - people here are arguing about something that can't be proven either way. However, if you're dealing with a "self reported" problem, the expectation is that you'll get an over-estimate of the level - people who don't have a problem tend not to post about it, and there will be some who are reporting the normal non-whiney and very unobtrusive fan noise as a "whine" and/or didn't notice it until they read about it.
Returned 3 units in a row and still got whiney ones back? Tested 10 units at work? Not a random sample - they were probably all from the same batch.
There's clearly a problem but only Apple are in a position to have any sort of reliable data on its extent. If I got 2-3 badly whiney units in a row I'd ask for my money back.
I fully agree on this and I think this is basically the core of this whole debate back and forth.
Some of us are struggling to raise awareness that ... there's clearly a problem.
Yes, I agree that Apple have the reliable data and not users out here. 👍
Many forum threads go sideways on the WWW, including this one here and there. Although the quantity of the problem at large may well be a tough nut to crack, regarding the "quality" factor, we actually already have more than enough for "reasonable suspicion," and "probable cause" has a head start from videos of spectral analysis in which the "whine" is dominant...either perceptually or otherwise. The outstanding issue is variable control. Basic research test protocol use is not that hard in terms of time required, and there's little if any expense. Iso booths aren't difficult to find, nor are they all that expensive to rent for half an hour or so, if one were inclined to take it to another level.
We just returned 7 Studios (Ultras, 128GB RAM) at my lab because of the coil whine. Fan noise is no problem, even preferred to draw out noise, but the neurotic high-pitch coil whine doesn't work in our offices
We recently got them because we do research on computational fluid dynamics for which many computations rely on the memory bandwidth to feed the cores, which is unparalleled in Apple Silicon (800GB/s).
Instead we settled on 2 MacBook Pro M1 Max laptops with 64GB RAM (which do not have any coil whine whatsoever even if under maximum load for hours) and are experimenting with some Threadripper builds with more RAM (which unfortunately are way more expensive than the Studios and top out at 100GB/s memory bandwidth) from our supplier.
(We tried the solutions in this thread but at the same time were careful with adjusting fan speed or taping off vents to not void warranty - and the solutions provided no long-term benefit unfortunately as the coil whine if suppressed would return at a later stage, perhaps dust buildup?).
We recently got them because we do research on computational fluid dynamics for which many computations rely on the memory bandwidth to feed the cores, which is unparalleled in Apple Silicon (800GB/s).
Instead we settled on 2 MacBook Pro M1 Max laptops with 64GB RAM (which do not have any coil whine whatsoever even if under maximum load for hours) and are experimenting with some Threadripper builds with more RAM (which unfortunately are way more expensive than the Studios and top out at 100GB/s memory bandwidth) from our supplier.
(We tried the solutions in this thread but at the same time were careful with adjusting fan speed or taping off vents to not void warranty - and the solutions provided no long-term benefit unfortunately as the coil whine if suppressed would return at a later stage, perhaps dust buildup?).
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