MBP 2021: Crackling speakers at low volume?

[bolandross]

Hey folks,

I just noticed that when listening to audio at lower levels, there is a crackling sound audible in the silent passages. It sounds like a low-frequency dithering noise. While googling for this problem I stumbled upon this: MBP 2021: Crackling at low volume?

I have a MacBook Pro 16", can you guys maybe check if it's the same for you? I had the same problem on a 14" that I returned.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Hey folks,

I just noticed that when listening to audio at lower levels, there is a crackling sound audible in the silent passages. It sounds like a low-frequency dithering noise. While googling for this problem I stumbled upon this: MBP 2021: Crackling at low volume?

I have a MacBook Pro 16", can you guys maybe check if it's the same for you? I had the same problem on a 14" that I returned.

Thanks in advance!

14 ,same

 

[weltraum]

Same issue on my 16. Doesn’t happen with either wired or wireless headphones, just the internal speakers.

 

[kentzh]

On the day I received my 16-inch, there was audio cracking, including scratches on the fuselage. I chose to exchange it, and it showed that it was about number 1.

 

[MayaUser]

https://imgur.com/a/c1dDfNo

i think all do it...its the return of the 2018 mbp crackling speakers

 

[bolandross]

https://imgur.com/a/c1dDfNo

i think all do it...its the return of the 2018 mbp crackling speakers

Thanks for the good recording, it shows the problem very well.

 

[throAU]

I suspect its electrical noise. I can't say I've noticed it in my 14, and you typically see WAY, WAY worse in PC notebooks, including via the headphone jack.

 

[weltraum]

It’s definitely coming from the speakers (not coil whine). If you listen closely, the crackling happens to the beat of the music. I had the feeling its only coming from the subwoofers, so I removed all frequencies below 200Hz with an EQ and the problem completely disappeared. Of course, this is not a permanent solution, because the speakers sound terrible now, but it shows where the problem is.

 

[throAU]

Yeah I didn't mean to imply it was direct coil whine ; more than the audio circuit is picking it up and amplifying it.

See it all the time in DELLs and HPs, and WAY louder than that. Their audio is total garbage.

 

[bolandross]

I suspect its electrical noise. I can't say I've noticed it in my 14, and you typically see WAY, WAY worse in PC notebooks, including via the headphone jack.

I have the feeling that it has something to do with the speaker system, which involves a lot of audio preprocessing before feeding the speakers with the processed signal. Meaning that this might be software/DSP related and not interference. To me the crackling sounds like low frequency dithering noise, which would explain why it only happens at low volume levels. From my years working in an audio recording studio, this reminds me of feeding a low signal to a 16 bit audio track, and then applying dynamic compression/gain to it to make up for the missing volume. This will then increase the dithering noise.

 

[Chevysales]

On the day I received my 16-inch, there was audio cracking, including scratches on the fuselage. I chose to exchange it, and it showed that it was about number 1.

What are you calling "fuselage"? The aluminum case? Or do you have airplane components on it?

 

[kentzh]

What are you calling "fuselage"? The aluminum case? Or do you have airplane components on it?

Sorry, my native language is not English, so I used Google Translate, which may have caused a misunderstanding to you. There are scratches on both sides of the right back of my computer, the replacement computer will arrive tomorrow

 

[aevan]

I have this problem too…. Do you think it’s something Apple can address in an update?

 

[aevan]

On the day I received my 16-inch, there was audio cracking, including scratches on the fuselage. I chose to exchange it, and it showed that it was about number 1.

Did the replacement have this issue?

 

[kentzh]

Did the replacement have this issue?

The replacement computer is on the way and

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Did the replacement have this issue?

It does ,i mean speaking for me ,same thing on the 2 macs i had

 

[aevan]

It does ,i mean speaking for me ,same thing on the 2 macs i had

So I guess you’re not replacing anymore?

The process where I live is more complex, and I’d be out of my computer for a long time if I returned it for a new one, I think I’ll just learn to deal with this. Hopefully, it gets fixed.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

So I guess you’re not replacing anymore?

The process where I live is more complex, and I’d be out of my computer for a long time if I returned it for a new one, I think I’ll just learn to deal with this. Hopefully, it gets fixed.

I am actually replacing it once again ,but for another reason .

In fact i never replaced it for the speakers.send me a pm or sth in 3 weeks so I'll tell u whether the new unit has this problem as well.dont expect much though,I'm almost certain it will .

Yep if your unit is otherwise perfect i don't see the point in replacing , especially since u have 99% chances to get the same on the new.unit ... hopefully it gets fixed but we should send a big report to.apple.if i do -or you do- report what case issue number u have got so i can send my own report with your number ,the more people to report this,the more chances to get it fixed .and my syntax kinda sucks i just noticed

 

[bolandross]

Both the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro (2021) that I bought had this speaker problem, so I highly doubt that this is due to a fluctuation in quality and therefore don't believe this can be solved with a replacement.

I deeply hope that this (and the Tap-To-Touch problem on the 14") can and will be solved via a firmware/macOS update.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I tried to duplicate this issue on my 16". Not getting this problem. I tried plugged in with magsafe, usb-c, and on battery. Not noticing anything.

 

[weltraum]

I just checked a colleague's MacBook and it has it too. He said he didn't even notice until I told him. My hypothesis is that this is a very common problem but it's just too quiet for most people to hear or care about.

 

[aevan]

I just checked a colleague's MacBook and it has it too. He said he didn't even notice until I told him. My hypothesis is that this is a very common problem but it's just too quiet for most people to hear or care about.

Yeah, I literally stopped caring about it - and stopped hearing it.

Though, to be honest, it might have rectified itself because now I tried to hear it and I can't, even at minimum volume.

 

[MayaUser]

again this speaker thing was on the butterfly era...and wasnt fixed with small updates but with a next macOS update
So expect this to be an issue until beta next June, or fall for the public

 

[bono whorls]

I'm experiencing the same issue on my 14" M1 MBP. However I get it regardless of volume, not only at low volume.

For other reasons, I had changed the output format in Audio Midi Setup to 96,000Hz, but changing it back to 44,100Hz seems to work better for me, at least for the moment. Has anyone else experimented with changing the audio output settings to try and workaround this issue?

 

[Buzzin speaka]

Same issue here, guys. Is it even worth replacing it at this point? Notice it a lot during voiceover videos on youtube that have some static noise in the background.

I have also found a way to replicate the buzzing: use the tone generator ( https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ ), set the system volume to 1 bar. The frequency has to be set to 17-19hz for prominent results.

MBP 16 2021