New 16" Speakers Popping

[aevan]

[Citation needed]

Just something I read online. I literally searched "can Boom3D damage your MacBook Speakers". No idea if it's true.

Here's the first result that DuckDuckGo displayed:

Can volume booster software (like Boom) damage MacBook Pro's internal speakers?

As you know, the sound volume of Mac laptops isn't too loud. I bought Boom, a volume-booster software for Macs, and after some months of using it for listening to music or viewing videos at loud v...

apple.stackexchange.com

Quite a few people claim it damaged their speakers. Again - no idea if it's true or not. It got me a bit worried though.


As for the bugginess - I've had freezes (beachball), and I was unable to enter settings at one point on my M1 Pro MBP.

How was your experience?

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Just something I read online. I literally searched "can Boom3D damage your MacBook Speakers". No idea if it's true.

Here's the first result that DuckDuckGo displayed:

Can volume booster software (like Boom) damage MacBook Pro's internal speakers?

As you know, the sound volume of Mac laptops isn't too loud. I bought Boom, a volume-booster software for Macs, and after some months of using it for listening to music or viewing videos at loud v...

apple.stackexchange.com

Quite a few people claim it damaged their speakers. Again - no idea if it's true or not. It got me a bit worried though.


As for the bugginess - I've had freezes (beachball), and I was unable to enter settings at one point on my M1 Pro MBP.

How was your experience?

Bro this is from 9 years ago. The speakers in Macs and Boom3D are vastly different now, especially the Macbook Pro's as those speakers are lossless. (which is one of the reasons the popping issue came back)

 

[ipedro]

I've upgraded to 12.5 and have already heard the popping. Even if they end up fixing it at some time in the future, it's inexcusable that we've lost at least a year of enjoyment of such a critical feature as the speakers on a computer that people spent up to $5,000 on. We'll never get that time and frustration back, before having to buy a new laptop.

This needs to be a class action suit: Apple owes M1 MBP buyers a rebate.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

The newest seed of the Ventura beta brought popping back, however it only happens when you start a Youtube video sometimes. It doesn't happen during. So right now it's not an issue. When it happened constantly and randomly, then it was an issue

 

[bakoven]

I am running Boom3D for some months now and it effectively cured the popping and crackling (just the occasional one).
However today the crackling has come back again some what more regularly. I have just done the security update to 12.5.1. Could that be the cause? Has anybody else experienced this?

 

[mac.ross]

Good luck!

I had the same issue with my 2019 Intel 16" and after several Genius Bar visits, several times shipping it away and having parts replaced and endless calls with Apple Support they ended up refusing to fix it or look at it in store, I was forced to escalate it with Apple Support and ended up sending all the info to engineering and they said it was working as expected and refused to fix it too.

Luckily my M1 Max 16" doesn't have the issue, it's been flawless since I got it on launch although it just **** the bed last week and wouldn't turn on/charge.

 

[hellogareth]

I've noticed some improvement by changing some settings in audio devices. Dropping the sample rate and creating an aggregate device. Then, right-click it and set it to 'Play Alerts and Sound Effects through this device'.

Music seems to still be cracking and popping, but at least now less dynamic frequency audio such as tutorials and podcasts seem to be playing ok.

 

[Kola91]

Anyone tried out the Ventura beta? I heard of popping with the new macOS, but can't imagine it after they just fixed it with 12.5. I had like one pop for weeks after I updated.

Update: Its been a few more pops, also during one hour. Still not as bad as before, but still there.

 

[hellogareth]

I've noticed some improvement by changing some settings in audio devices. Dropping the sample rate and creating an aggregate device. Then, right-click it and set it to 'Play Alerts and Sound Effects through this device'.

Music seems to still be cracking and popping, but at least now less dynamic frequency audio such as tutorials and podcasts seem to be playing ok.

I've had Monterey 12.6 installed for a few hours now and haven't heard a pop. Using the same audio aggregate device settings as I've used here, but with the 48khz bit-rate. Hopefully, it will stay this way.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I've had Monterey 12.6 installed for a few hours now and haven't heard a pop. Using the same audio aggregate device settings as I've used here, but with the 48khz bit-rate. Hopefully, it will stay this way.

I'm on the latest Ventura beta seed and still no popping. There was one seed where it came back but they quickly fixed it.

Looks like this nightmare is finally over, just in time for the M2 14/16 inch MBPs. It's baffling it happened at all and took so long to fix but at least it got fixed.

 

[skardvin]

I am on macOS 12.6. No popping yet. I installed Boom3D, though, because it makes my speakers sound so much better!

 

[addmaths07]

I've had Monterey 12.6 installed for a few hours now and haven't heard a pop. Using the same audio aggregate device settings as I've used here, but with the 48khz bit-rate. Hopefully, it will stay this way.

I can confirm it aswell, haven't heard the popping sound after I have updated to 12.6.

 

[skardvin]

I can confirm it aswell, haven't heard the popping sound after I have updated to 12.6.

Apple may have finally fixed this popping sound bug! I bet the next-gen M2 Macbook Pros will have this same audio issue and that it will take almost a year to get fixed. Looking forward to macOS 13.6!

 

[ladykati]

Hi everyone, so i have macbook pro 16" Intelcore Monterey 12.6 2019

I have this same ****ing cracking popping issue here :

Since end of june, i go and back and forth to Apple, Paris. I've gave my laptop to repair for third time. Everything insine the macbook is new. I updated Monterey, tried Catalina, changed the settings of sound (44,1) delete the apple file, anyway, i've tried everyting on internet to fix that problem. NOTHING TO DO. The sound problem still happening.

I succeed to get the responsible of the Apple Care France, and am waiting them to give me a refund or replace the amchine. But i don't know if M1 or M2 2021 is better ? So angry against Apple. The person in charge told me they knew the problem.

 

[skardvin]

Hi everyone, so i have macbook pro 16" Intelcore Monterey 12.6 2019

I have this same ****ing cracking popping issue here :

Since end of june, i go and back and forth to Apple, Paris. I've gave my laptop to repair for third time. Everything insine the macbook is new. I updated Monterey, tried Catalina, changed the settings of sound (44,1) delete the apple file, anyway, i've tried everyting on internet to fix that problem. NOTHING TO DO. The sound problem still happening.

I succeed to get the responsible of the Apple Care France, and am waiting them to give me a refund or replace the amchine. But i don't know if M1 or M2 2021 is better ? So angry against Apple. The person in charge told me they knew the problem.

I had the same computer as you MacBook Pro 16 2019 and I was having popping sounds like you. I recently bought a M1 MacBook Pro 14 2021 and no popping sounds at all on macOS Monterey 12.6 so hopefully Apple will give you refund or replacement M1/M2.

 

[ladykati]

Thats a good new i can have hope and ask for a replace for this. Was a bit afraid to change it and to have the same problem. Thanks for your feedback !!

 

[jota98]

I usually don't get the popping in everyday use, but I get it really, really bad when I play Cities: Skylines on steam. I guess the system is under reasonable load while playing that game. This is still happening on 12.6. I'm on a 16in M1 Max. It's a shame 😔

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I usually don't get the popping in everyday use, but I get it really, really bad when I play Cities: Skylines on steam. I guess the system is under reasonable load while playing that game. This is still happening on 12.6. I'm on a 16in M1 Max. It's a shame 😔

Install Boom 3D and then try it.

 

[hugojacomeandrade]

Has anyone else had this happen? The speakers sound incredible, but I'm getting a lot of popping noises. Apple support wasn't particularly helpful and told me to reset my PRAM, which doesn't apply to Apple Silicone.

Seems so familiar to me, I've experienced that twice in the left speaker, seems not an uncommon issue, and always the left speaker involved:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...macbook-pro-16-inch-2019-model-a2141.2363585/

 

[Satoorn1203]

For me it is not solved on MBP 14-2021 (MacOS 12.6), issues occurs especially on Chome in YT.
I'm sick and tired of the issue Apple has not resolved the issue

This is why I chose to report about sound issue to CGI > Apple Enterprise Support.
That is the closest contact I can come up with CGI. Apple Enterprise Support was surprised by the sound issue and Apple Enterprise Support has not heard of the sound issue on MBP 14-2021.

 

[jota98]

Install Boom 3D and then try it.

Yeah, it seems like Boom 3D fixes it, which is good to know. I've uninstalled it for now because I don't really want to use it. I'm hoping this is something Apple can fix via an update.

 

[skardvin]

Yeah, it seems like Boom 3D fixes it, which is good to know. I've uninstalled it for now because I don't really want to use it. I'm hoping this is something Apple can fix via an update.

Perhaps it is fixed in macOS Ventura?

 

[Alex W.]

my speakers just started doing this in venturas latest beta. I have not heard it before this until now.

 

[jota98]

I opened a case with apple support and they just ran through the basic stuff (resetting SMC, deleting some .plist files) and it obviously didn’t fix the issue. They asked me to escalate if it didn’t help.

I’m thinking that it’s partly app dependent. I was reading about CoreAudio and the buffer that can be configured. I think in high demand apps like games, the audio buffer is getting depleted and that’s when the audio popping/cracking is happening. The speakers in these MacBooks make a very loud pop when that happens.

Whenever I’m using headphones or Bluetooth devices, it’s a much more subtle glitching sound. Which honestly, I could totally live with as it’s barely noticeable.

I feel like apple need to handle the empty buffer better on this hardware. It can be done in software clearly as Boom 3D doesn’t have this issue.

 

[jota98]

I just spoke to support again, and it ended in them asking me to bring the MacBook in for a service. I can't do that now because I use it for work too, so I guess I'll just have to wait and pray they come out with a fix, I guess!