Some 2018 MacBook Pro Owners Experiencing Crackling Speakers

[0924487]

I didn't know that MacBook Pro fart haha

 

[notabadname]

The price has to do with it because when you’re purchasing a expensive product you think they’d spend more than 5 seconds to make sure it works properly

Yes, I am sure it was 5 seconds and not a 6.

 

[Bacillus]

There's not 1 single product without "issues", nothing is 100%...NOTHING.

That’s the mindset you wouldn’t want from your employees.
Self fulfilling prophecy.

 

[justperry]

Just a few? As in "just a few" have been affected with the faulty keyboards in 2016/2017?

Why this question, nobody knows as I said before.
"few" could be 100's or 1000's.

That’s the mindset you wouldn’t want from your employees.
Self fulfilling prophecy.

Yet it is the truth.

 

[volfreak]

Will check it out, thanks.

You're welcome. He's the first electric violinist that really brought it into the mainstream a few decades ago. Cosmic Messenger is an excellent album. Enjoy!

 

[justperry]

It is the same as about $1500 a decade ago. It is not a huge price increase. Besides the 13” base model got a huge performance boost this year so the price is well worth it. My first PC with a Pentium 75 cost that much in 1996. $1799 back then is about $2900 today.

When you factor in yearly OS updates and Apple’s bundled software in the price it is very competitive with Windows notebooks retailing for $500 less unless people are pirating MS Office and Windows upgrades. Even then there is no quality iMovie/GarageBand equivalent bundled with Windows. There is no built in FaceTime and Messages either. Mainstream consumers are ready to go as soon as they first boot up a new Mac. Windows users have to clean a bunch of bloatware and purchase a bunch of software before they can really do anything.

Last few years there's a huge markup on MBP's, in most countries in Europe they are €500-600 more than about 4 years ago, so yes, they got a substantial price increase.

And it doesn't stop there, for instance, iPhone got a substantial price increase as well amongst other products.

 

[ericthered926]

My 15" is doing it, I was playing Obduction with the volume up and it was pretty startling, like terrifying to the point where I almost threw my computer. Hopefully they do something about it.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Got my replacement today, transferred the time machine, and will ride it hard for 2 weeks. If nothing goes on, I’m fine....I hope.

 

[WalterEon]

I'm really shocked you guys don't enjoy the nice vinyl emulation build into the new MacBook Pro's sound. It really gives it that warm vintage sound with some occasional vinyl crackles.
Really brings back those 80's feels. Such a nice feature!

 

[Mimiron]

Okay, just found out about this and need to try it out! How can I replicate the behavior? Any specific music sources that need to be used? iTunes? YouTube?

 

[brt356]

I was playing a YouTube video a few days ago and again last night and experienced the sporadic crackling sound. The first time I thought it was the video recording itself but when it happened again last night while viewing a different video I thought something was amiss. Thank you for the information.

 

[madKIR]

I'm really shocked you guys don't enjoy the nice vinyl emulation build into the new MacBook Pro's sound. It really gives it that warm vintage sound with some occasional vinyl crackles.
Really brings back those 80's feels. Such a nice feature!

Yeah, the whole point of paying an extra grand for the feature. I don't understand why people don't get it LOL

 

[CreeptoLoser]

I’ve set the sound to 48hz and am stress testing now. No crackling anywhere yet. I’ll keep pushing it.

 

[potatis]

Breadcrumbs witheld by the keyboard latex seats may have entered the speaker compartiment

Right, they didn't think of that. So for 2019: latex around speaker parts, for 2020: a CrumbID camera that shoots laser beams at breadcrumbs before they enter the machine.

 

[Markoth]

The price has to do with it because when you’re purchasing a expensive product you think they’d spend more than 5 seconds to make sure it works properly

If you knew a thing about software development, or the herculean effort required to develop and maintain a fast-moving operating system like macOS, you'd know how impossible it is to make it bug-free.

 

[Mimiron]

Update #3: No crackling from Youtube audio.

Update #2: While holding shift and turning the volume slider up and down, I did hear something, but it was barely noticeable. I'll do more testing tomorrow and report back with results.

Update #1: Used this method, but no crackling; I didn't hold Shift thought.

Just had my new 2018 15" MBP replaced after experiencing severe regular crackling/popping audio, but the new one shows the same initial symptoms.

Wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same problem.

How to test:
- Open a youtube video in safari
- Hold shift and press the volume up/down buttons repeatedly
- Does the volume change sound play consistently for you? Or does it skip, and the audio crackles and pops occasionally?

Video demonstration using an Audacity tone:

If you run into this, you may want to get your machine checked, as this was the most obvious initial symptom, and it got worse to the point where the crackling was constant on both input and output and made calls impossible after just one week.

Other notes:
- It happens on both speakers and through the headphone jack
- Happened for me on both 10.13.5 and 10.13.6
- Resetting SMC and NVRAM do not help the issue
- The crackling and distortion occurs even with nothing playing and volume low, it's just much more difficult to make out

 

[mikethemartian]

Right, they didn't think of that. So for 2019: latex around speaker parts, for 2020: a CrumbID camera that shoots laser beams at breadcrumbs before they enter the machine.

I always wanted a similar system to shoot down lovebugs before they crash into my car’s paint.
[doublepost=1533765514][/doublepost]MacBook Pro Rice Krispies Edition

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

It's not just crackling in the speakers, it's crackling in any output device. I notice the same in my AirPods. Happens any time I'm playing music and then another app plays sound.

It's a Core-Something issue with Interrupts. They just need to Re-nice that Framework to give it some more CPU-love.
[doublepost=1533766192][/doublepost]

I have had two 13" MBPro's in the last four weeks and my sound goes out intermittently. I'm not surprised.

Maybe you need new headphones/earbuds, eh?
[doublepost=1533766316][/doublepost]

But I am sure someone will explain us how this is the user's fault

Obviously it's not the User's fault; but it is literally IMPOSSIBLE for Apple to test EVERY Application-load.

Sheesh.
[doublepost=1533766400][/doublepost]

Horrible? Will this MBP fiasco ever end?

Or is it just gonna keep getting worse and worse?

Right. Because NO ONE ELSE has issues with new products.

Right.
[doublepost=1533766466][/doublepost]

Yes, this can probably be fixed with a software update, but why should there have to be 1000x patches for a $6000 computer to perform like it should?

———

You think people would be a little confused or upset about new issues arising, but I guess not

Aren't you exaggerating JUST a little bit?
[doublepost=1533766528][/doublepost]

For those who experience this, should wait, not to hard use the speakers until the firmware fix will come.
Its a deja vu from 2016 MBP audio drivers in bootcamp, where some used them until they broke the hardware until the fix came

And did Apple "make good" on any busted hardware?

Thought so.
[doublepost=1533766636][/doublepost]

The price has to do with it because when you’re purchasing a expensive product you think they’d spend more than 5 seconds to make sure it works properly

And they do.

 

[dilbert99]

Haven't people been saying that the 2018 macbook-pro is not all it's cracked up to be.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

>What’s the price have to do with anything?

Price should be somewhat related to quality and effort put into putting out a quality product.

Relative to the rest of the industry, they do.

 

[citysnaps]

I remember having this issue when I bought a MBP 2017 13" model. I returned it.

Maybe you should have asked for a replacement?

Mine continues to work perfectly and is a joy to use. 4-6 hours a day, every day for almost a year.

 

[dilbert99]

It's a Core-Something issue with Interrupts. They just need to Re-nice that Framework to give it some more CPU-love.
[doublepost=1533766192][/doublepost]
Maybe you need new headphones/earbuds, eh?
[doublepost=1533766316][/doublepost]
Obviously it's not the User's fault; but it is literally IMPOSSIBLE for Apple to test EVERY Application-load.

Sheesh.
[doublepost=1533766400][/doublepost]
Right. Because NO ONE ELSE has issues with new products.

Right.
[doublepost=1533766466][/doublepost]
Aren't you exaggerating JUST a little bit?
[doublepost=1533766528][/doublepost]
And did Apple "make good" on any busted hardware?

Thought so.
[doublepost=1533766636][/doublepost]
And they do.

People getting under your skin? Calm down and take a break.
Apple are the richest company in the world and can afford to do more testing that most.
They also have only one small line of products to test so no excuse not to be better than all the other companies out there.
Also they control the hardware and software tightly, they should be better at this.
I have more Apple products that get replaced than from any other company.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

that's not crackling, as you would hear with a blown speaker, that's some sort of electrical interference. I don't think a software patch is going to fix this problem. I predict a recall sometime in the future.

Well, your prediction would be wrong.

 

[jhudgins]

Why are there so many issues with these MacBook Pros under Tim Cook? I just had to have my 2016 MBP serviced for a battery replacement recall (they did a great job and I got a new keyboard out of it, but I digress)
Keyboard issues, battery issues, throttling issues, speaker issues... do they even test these b4 sending them out into the wild? Thank god for youtubers.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Exactly. $500 Inspiron? No one would probably care. If I'm paying what Apple is charging for the Touch Bar models? I expect damn near perfection. That's the whole point of paying the price premium.

MANY more than that:

https://www.dell.com/community/Insp...7000-Crackling-Speaker-headphone/td-p/6054691

https://www.dell.com/community/Insp...sound-on-inspiron-15-7000-gaming/td-p/6049886

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Noteb...ker-on-Brand-New-HP-Spectre-x360/td-p/6228991

http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3646212/audio-crackling-popping.html

https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/laptop-speakers-crackling-on-windows-10-solved/

https://www.dell.com/community/Alie...dio-Crackling-and-Chirping-Issue/td-p/6075980

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/899808-lenovo-t480-weirdest-sound-problem/

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/537001/audio-crackling


And of course there are (MANY!!!) more; but I hope you get the point.

BTW, I restricted the results to 2018.