Yeah, having the exact same issue. It gets worse when I receive a notification from another app that makes noise, or I stress the machine in anyway. In contrast, my 2017 machine under the same circumstances does not do the same.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MacBook Pro 2018 - Speakers Crackling
- Thread starter jaack
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yeah, having the exact same issue. It gets worse when I receive a notification from another app that makes noise, or I stress the machine in anyway. In contrast, my 2017 machine under the same circumstances does not do the same.
That solved the issue for me. (at least it is not cracking anymore since update at Aug 31).
mine glitched properly again first thing this morning. happened on unplugging headphones. required restart. itunes was skipping through tracks with horrible digital glitching and distortion, destroying my speakers and my ears. it's rare i can start this machine up without some kind of major issue requiring one or more restart.
for £5k, a huge investment for my humble business, i'm really disappointed. i felt the same way when i jumped on the first gen retina in 2012, which seemed expensive then for half that price. it took a couple of years for the software to smooth out the retina support, and the screen issues (ghosting etc) to be ironed out, but i accepted it being on the bleeding edge. i didn't realise this gen would have as many or more issues it being the third in its line and architecturally very similar to the last two
for £5k, a huge investment for my humble business, i'm really disappointed. i felt the same way when i jumped on the first gen retina in 2012, which seemed expensive then for half that price. it took a couple of years for the software to smooth out the retina support, and the screen issues (ghosting etc) to be ironed out, but i accepted it being on the bleeding edge. i didn't realise this gen would have as many or more issues it being the third in its line and architecturally very similar to the last two
Hey there,
I have noticed a very audible sound coming from my baseline 15'' 2018 MBP. Sometimes it sounds like the usual coil whine, mixed with other interferences.
The issue is very well noticeable when the MacBook boots, or if there is any load on the SSD. I can hear it from 2-3m away easily. It was slightly audible in High Sierra and bothered me, however after every install of the Mojave beta, the issue gets way worse.
I've read a few posts about it on YouTube / Reddit and the Apple Support Community with people claiming it'a known issue of the new Toshiba drives Apple uses.
Has anyone noticed such issues before? And what do you think, how comes they are so much more worse when using the Mojave beta compared to High Sierra?
Additional info: happens when plugged in or on battery, with or without external devices. It's not the fan, it's not the speaker crackling issue, and it's no normal coil whine.
I have noticed a very audible sound coming from my baseline 15'' 2018 MBP. Sometimes it sounds like the usual coil whine, mixed with other interferences.
The issue is very well noticeable when the MacBook boots, or if there is any load on the SSD. I can hear it from 2-3m away easily. It was slightly audible in High Sierra and bothered me, however after every install of the Mojave beta, the issue gets way worse.
I've read a few posts about it on YouTube / Reddit and the Apple Support Community with people claiming it'a known issue of the new Toshiba drives Apple uses.
Has anyone noticed such issues before? And what do you think, how comes they are so much more worse when using the Mojave beta compared to High Sierra?
Additional info: happens when plugged in or on battery, with or without external devices. It's not the fan, it's not the speaker crackling issue, and it's no normal coil whine.
Apple isn't using Toshiba SSDs. They use an Apple-developed SSD with Toshiba NAND devices (probably because Apple is part-owner of Tosh's NAND manufacturing, IIRC.)
What you hear is most likely coilwhine, btw. It can manifest as a range of different sounds/types of sounds, from crackling to buzzing, squealing etc..
Fair enough but any examp
Apple isn't using Toshiba SSDs. They use an Apple-developed SSD with Toshiba NAND devices (probably because Apple is part-owner of Tosh's NAND manufacturing, IIRC.)
What you hear is most likely coilwhine, btw. It can manifest as a range of different sounds/types of sounds, from crackling to buzzing, squealing etc..
fair enough but any example would help me.Apple isn't using Toshiba SSDs. They use an Apple-developed SSD with Toshiba NAND devices (probably because Apple is part-owner of Tosh's NAND manufacturing, IIRC.)
What you hear is most likely coilwhine, btw. It can manifest as a range of different sounds/types of sounds, from crackling to buzzing, squealing etc..
.
If the crackling issue happened to you, you might want to check that your speakers didn't get blown out!
I had the crackling issue with my 2018 core i9 model. The crackling noise was so loud it blew out my left speaker. Now the left speaker produces distorted sound when playing certain frequencies, it's difficult to spot at first, since the distorted sound is only noticeable with certain frequencies, I returned the laptop to the "certified" Apple dealer here in Finland (no official Apple Store here) and the only way to fix it was to replace the entire laptop, since the laptop model is new and Apple doesn't have replacement speakers in stock yet. Replacement will take 2 to 3 weeks since they have to order a new one. Sucks.
If the crackling issue happened to you, you might want to check that your speakers didn't get blown out!
I had the crackling issue with my 2018 core i9 model. The crackling noise was so loud it blew out my left speaker. Now the left speaker produces distorted sound when playing certain frequencies, it's difficult to spot at first, since the distorted sound is only noticeable with certain frequencies, I returned the laptop to the "certified" Apple dealer here in Finland (no official Apple Store here) and the only way to fix it was to replace the entire laptop, since the laptop model is new and Apple doesn't have replacement speakers in stock yet. Replacement will take 2 to 3 weeks since they have to order a new one. Sucks.
Last edited:
try black magic disk or copy some large file...and listen if you are hearing any sound
Yes, it might be coil whine. But not manifesting as a high pitched sound, but rather as this very nasty crackling / scratching. I'll have to live with it for the time being I guess, until I can order a repair / replacement, but what still bothers me: why the f is this issue so much worse on Mojave compared to High Sierra?
[doublepost=1535985739][/doublepost]
I do, I can even hear it when using pinch to zoom to do stuff.
If I disable Turbo Boost with Volta, the issue is still there, but less audible.
Uploading a sound file / video is rather tricky, because the iPhone microphone doesn't pic it up very well, I think it has to do with the build in noise cancellation.
[doublepost=1535985739][/doublepost]
I do, I can even hear it when using pinch to zoom to do stuff.
If I disable Turbo Boost with Volta, the issue is still there, but less audible.
Uploading a sound file / video is rather tricky, because the iPhone microphone doesn't pic it up very well, I think it has to do with the build in noise cancellation.
Haven’t heard or seen evidence of coil whine as the coils are too small and low power to do so.
You might be hearing a faulty fan. Third party voltage and fan control apps can cause this or exacerbate it. Can you post a video?
I have it also. It definitely come from the SSD.
It's not exactly a coil whine, but something very similar. It's like HDD scratching. The noise is like that :
I heard it for the first time while scrolling into my LR library. The noise is very low, you really have to put your ear near to the keyboard.
I can't reproduce it, but I'll record audio if it happen again
It's not exactly a coil whine, but something very similar. It's like HDD scratching. The noise is like that :
I heard it for the first time while scrolling into my LR library. The noise is very low, you really have to put your ear near to the keyboard.
I can't reproduce it, but I'll record audio if it happen again
Last edited:
I'd be happy to have to put my ear next to the device to hear it.
It's audible from a few meters away in the Mojave beta. And it is 200% not a faulty fan. Device is a little over 6 weeks old now, will have it replaced once genius bar appointments become available. No way I'll let them keep a device of this price and switch the logic board or whatever on it.
For now, it's AirPods and some Spotify to make me not notice the sounds. But all in all: another very displeasing experience with the MacBook "Pro" line.
It's audible from a few meters away in the Mojave beta. And it is 200% not a faulty fan. Device is a little over 6 weeks old now, will have it replaced once genius bar appointments become available. No way I'll let them keep a device of this price and switch the logic board or whatever on it.
For now, it's AirPods and some Spotify to make me not notice the sounds. But all in all: another very displeasing experience with the MacBook "Pro" line.
"I heard it for the first time while scrolling into my LR library. The noise is very low"
and now its dead silent....make up your mind..
1. "Coil whine" refers to any electrical noise - attention everyone else in the thread who is confused here.
2. When talking about computers, and one mentions 'coil whine', usually that refers to GPU (or PSU) coil whine specifically. However, point#1 does not suddenly become invalid...
3. 2018 MBPs have noiser SSDs than previously, this is confirmed. It's not fan, it's related to disk activity.
4. The noise sounds like hissing and scratching, almost like old-school platter drive head seeking, just like you describe.
5. However, hearing it from 2-3 metres away is NOT normal. The normal noise is barely audible at normal arm-length, and unless you have a silent room you will need to move ear a little closer to be 100% sure you're hearing it.
******
So, happyhippo, contact Apple support, as this is excessive noise and not normal and needs replacement.
Until someone posts videos of these ‘whines’ I’m calling this rumor mongering or misinterpretation. Most people here are saying they can’t hear any whine. I push all computers hard and there is no whine.
Besides the coils are too small and too low power to make a noise.
[doublepost=1536050217][/doublepost]
When you start a Logic project you will see the sound settings for the project.
The SSD, or some device inside em, makes a noise when disk is under load.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It took me 2-3hrs to get some meaningful video evidence (shot on iPhone) of the speaker hiss problem. And I knew the exact methods to replicate, and could replicate easily. I tried with an amateur grade studio mic and Adobe Audition but I didn't have the skills to show the hiss over the background noise.
The disk noise is significantly quieter (yeah, that guy above that can hear it from 3m has faulty parts), easily masked by any fan noise, and not exactly the easiest to super quickly replicate. Seems Blackmagic 1GB tests make the noise more frequently (every time, on my short testing) than 5GB blocks. Seems to only happen on reads..?
Either you believe it or not, doesn't matter. It's a thing. Coil whine, whatever, no one cares what term is 100% correct. The disks (or something with I/O) are noisier than the last ones. I don't think they are noisy enough to warrant uproar though.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It took me 2-3hrs to get some meaningful video evidence (shot on iPhone) of the speaker hiss problem. And I knew the exact methods to replicate, and could replicate easily. I tried with an amateur grade studio mic and Adobe Audition but I didn't have the skills to show the hiss over the background noise.
The disk noise is significantly quieter (yeah, that guy above that can hear it from 3m has faulty parts), easily masked by any fan noise, and not exactly the easiest to super quickly replicate. Seems Blackmagic 1GB tests make the noise more frequently (every time, on my short testing) than 5GB blocks. Seems to only happen on reads..?
Either you believe it or not, doesn't matter. It's a thing. Coil whine, whatever, no one cares what term is 100% correct. The disks (or something with I/O) are noisier than the last ones. I don't think they are noisy enough to warrant uproar though.
Tried same benchmark and others on mine. No noise. The SSD form factor and power consumption is the same as the last two years. Only the layout changed.
That's the same noise my first 2018 MBP would make. It sounded a bit like me to the sound an AM radio will occasionally make when it isn't tuned into a channel. An occasional static hiss type sound. It didn't do it at first, at least not that I noticed. Though I had to unplug my Comcast DVR that does occasionally make an annoying high pitched whine. The replacement one hasn't done it yet....