Buzzing with powered speakers

I have powered speakers plugged in to my iMac Intel. When I open up Safari the buzzing gets very loud. The frequency and intensity of the buzz changes with different web pages. When I unplug the speakers the buzz goes away...obviously. Now here's the clincher. I reset the PRAM some time ago and the buzzing sound went away. When I powered down the computer a few days ago, then powered back up, the buzz returned. I have subsequently reset the PRAM a number of times, but this time the buzz doesn't go away.
Any ideas?

Have you done the following;
1. Software Update 10.4.6
2. Firmware Update 1.0.1
There is nothing specific from Apple, but folks in the Discussions occasionally report resolution to software/hardware issues after the updates.

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Buzzing with extrnal speakers

Hi everyone,
I have the following problem with my brand-new macbook (with leopard on it).
I connected 2 pairs of external speakers to the headphone jack via a Y-adapter. Everything seemed to work fine when I suddenly started to hear a buzz from all of my speakers. As soon as I turn on any sound (itunes or even the "click" sound when changing the volume) the buzz disappears. After no sound being played for about 5 seconds, the buzz reappears. It seems to me like the macbook "turns off" the sound output a few seconds after no sound is played, as the buzz sounds the same as the buzz you have when you plug the jack out of the source.
Strangely, when I plug in just one pair of speakers (without the Y-adapter) the speakers are silent without a buzz.
Does anyone have an idea where I can change an option for automatically turning off the sound output?

Having the same problem here. Seems to be that when the sound output is idle, the buzzing starts. I have to unplug my speakers from my MacBook every night.
It seems as though this problem has come and gone with different updates. Definitely seems like a software issue.

Airplay: cables/connection with powered speakers

My M-Audio DSM1 powered monitors have analog inputs (balanced XLR or quarter-inch TRS jack connectors) and digital inputs (AES-EBU and S/PDIF).
If I want to connect an Airport Express (or Apple TV) to make an Airplay-based music/radio streaming setup which of the inputs would give me the best sound quality (or doesn't it matter?), and what cables or do I need to buy to connect the monitors to Apple's analog/digital audio minijack?

Hi jdiala,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
For your situation I think there is an easier way to get AirPlay. There was a new feature added in iOS 8 where your iOS device and Apple TV don't have to be on the same Wi-Fi network. As long as your iPad mini is running iOS 8, and your Apple TV is the newest 3rd generation, just follow the information outlined below to get AirPlay working between your devices.
Peer-to-peer AirPlay
With peer-to-peer AirPlay, your iOS device and Apple TV don't need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. If you have one of these products, you can use peer-to-peer AirPlay:
* iPhone 5 or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, or iPod touch (5th generation) using iOS 8 or later.
* Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later. Find out which Apple TV model you have.
To use peer-to-peer AirPlay, your iOS device needs to have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
Use AirPlay to wirelessly stream content from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
Take care,
Alex H.

Can anyone recommend powered speakers to use with Airtunes ?

Can anyone recommend powered speakers to use with Airtunes ? I live in Toronto and I cant seem to find any too easily.
Thanks

John Galt wrote:
Apple used to sell the Apple Hi-Fi which I thought complimented the Express nicely.
They're both white -- I'll give you that.
What I was thinking of more when I said similar in design was the way that the AirPort Express simply hangs on a wall, no desk or shelf shape required, with the bare minimum of cables. By the same token, I'd like to have a small amp and/or speakers that could hang/be mounted on the wall and deliver music into the room via AirTunes -- without an octopus of cables and without having to dedicate an entire tabletop to it (audio should be heard and not seen.)
Well, that would be great, but there are way too many variations of audio equipment for people with all kinds of tastes to make for a worthwhile market. Whereas I might think it's silly to have more than a 100W stereo amp others would consider that pathetic.
If Apple could pack a 100W+ amp into something that hangs off a power outlet, more power to them. I was thinking more along the lines of 5-10W, or just enough to power some wall mounted speakers. That said, [these speakers|http://store.apple.com/us/product/TU902VC/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1NA&mco=Mjc4M jI1MQ] look somewhat promising. It looks like they could be powered off the USB on the AEX, so at least no power brick. Unfortunately, they don't look geared to wall mounting, and who knows what the audio cable connections look like (because the ad deceptively photoshopped them out of the picture.)
The Express's low power analog output, plus optical, not to mention an Ethernet port, router, bridge, a/b/g/n wireless access point and USB printer port in such a tiny package with a self-contained power supply is a such a generalist's piece of connectivity I can't imagine asking for anything more.
It is a pretty impressive package. But, I'm still asking for GigE in the next rev.

Powered Speakers with Digital Optical Input

Looking for a stereo pair of powered speakers with optical input for use with the MBP. I am not interested in a sub/satellite or 5.1 set-up, just a stereo pair for now. Anyone find any ?

Well, Google found I think what you were mentioning:
http://www.roland.com/products/en/DM-2100/index.html
Thank you for letting me know about these! Pretty cool looking!

HT4628 Intermittent reception when streaming music via Airport Extreme and Airport Express to powered speakers. Is this a problem with the Extreme?

i get intermittent reception when I stream music from I Tunes via Airport Extreme and Airport Express to powered speakers. I Tunes continues to play uninterupted on the Mac. The problem does not lie with the Express as it occurs on both of my 2 Express at the same time. is this a problem with the Extreme?

Well, repying to my own post... Might have found the solution: I tried to do the same with a Macbook Pro 2010 using the very same setup. And it worked perfectly! No freeze, no nothing.
One explanation I see:
my iMac is dating back to May 2007, a Core 2 Duo 2,16Ghz with 2 Go of RAM.
So the computer's characteristics (or the Wifi component or the combination of all of this) might be not robust enough to allow streaming to those 2 devices...
Anyone's got anything to add?

Buzzing out of speakers from iMac

Ive set up my iMac to output through a pair of studio speakers. I have a Saffire Pro 24 interface which has a 400 to 800 connection to the iMac, and then jack audio out to speakers. Im getting a lot of noise out of the speakers which disappears as soon as i disconnect the iMac from the interface. I also get extra buzzing sounds when i move the mouse or scroll etc. Is this standard?

Definitely NOT standard, and it's not your particular brand of interface... it's anything powered. Same thing happened with my Pro Tools Mbox, but the hash was still there when I disconnected the Mbox and uninstalled Pro Tools. My 27" iMac i7 does exactly the same thing. It's some sort of system noise out of the ANALOG headphone jack, and only when hooked up to external powered speakers or mixing board. I thought it might be be some sort of grounding issue, since it's only when it's hooked into some other POWERED piece of gear, but I've tried everything I can think of to isolate the source and I can't.
These system noises occur only when using the analog headphone jack, and only when hooked up to anything that uses AC power. They are not heard when using headphones directly plugged in the back of the iMac. The only way around the hash is to use the OPTICAL out of the headphone jack (which is clean as a whistle). The noises vary, depending on the activity on the monitor: scrolling anything, selecting an area, moving windows, web pages loading (especially noisy with a lot of Flash content), etc... all have distinct noises. They are the same in both channels and are not affected by the System volume control, even when the System volume is muted. One interesting thing I noticed - when the Sound panel of System Prefs is open, switching back and forth between Output and Input causes the noise to be significantly quieter on Input, then loud again on Output. In a studio environment, it's impossible to edit with these noise constantly in the background. The noises do not affect recording, only playback.
See what I'm talking about here http://tinyurl.com/y9ctk29

ITunes 10.6.3 problem with multiple speakers

Running iTunes 10.6.3 on new MacBook Air.
When I click on the Choose Speaker icon on the bottom of the window, I get a complete list of all available Airport Express stations that have speakers powered speakers plugged into them.
When I choose Multiple Speakers, I only get a choice of this computer and Apple TV. None of the Airport Express Stations appear in the list for Multiple Speakers..
Running same version of iTunes, and same OS on MacPro, and it works as expected.
Do I need to do some type of network configuration on the air to get this to work?
Thanks
MtD

I just tried this also on my iPad and it doesn't work there either. Although I can get into the account settings, when I try and change a subscription I get a big black rectangle in the middle of the screen and the iPad hangs until the screen login thing kicks in and I have to enter my pincode again.
Maybe this is something to do with my AppleId, I can't actually believe this is a fundamental problem, although maybe I am optimistic.

Connecting non-powered speakers to iMac Intel

Is there a product that will connect non-powered speakers (that normally connect to a receiver), directly to the iMac Intel (mid 2006)? Either by a cable connector to the headphone port or USB?
I bought 2 Harman Kardon speakers super cheap last year, but have no receiver to power them. I guess I could buy a receiver but I don't really have the space for it. Today, I just bought the Griffin ProSpeaker Cable which connects non-power speakers to the iMac but found out it's for the older iMacs with 2.5mm port. The iMac Intels have a 3.5mm port.
Any suggestions?
iMac 20" Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.6) Powerbook G4 Titanium

Hi L.
Tried looking at the page your link directed me to but it was introducing a USB speaker. I know about the multimedia speakers for Apple computers but I'm looking at a way to use the speakers I already have.
I guess if there isn't a cable out there to help hook them up, I will have to purchase either a receiver and go through Airport Xpress or buy the multimedia speakers. (A bit more money than I was hoping to spend.)
Thanks anyways.

Can I connect n iPod Touch to powered speakers?

I have an old pair of computer powered speakers. Can I connect an iPod Touch or Shuffle directly to the powered speakers? I would like to use the speakers in a garage with the iPod.

The speakers just have the 3.5mm plug.
If this is to plug into the back of a computer to get sound, then yes, just plug it into your touch headphone jack.

How To Plug In Powered Speakers To MacBook

How would you plug in powered speakers to a macbook; say.... for djaying?

Kappy wrote:
Depends on what input impedance and level the mixer requires. Output from the headphone jack is at low impedance and high levels that may overwhelm a mixer's input.
It's been a while since my basic EE and analog design classes where we went over this stuff, and I don't remember all the technical terms, but....
Really - I've never heard of any kind of line-level input having a problem being connected to a headphone jack. Even one with a fairly low output impedance. Any kind of line-level input should be relatively high impedance to maximize voltage transfer and prevent overloading of the output driver. I thought headphone outputs were typically regulated for a fairly low maximum voltage. Of course the ideal case for an ideal voltage buffer is a near zero output impedance and a near infinite input impedance. I seem to recall that my old receiver with preamp outputs had line-level input impedance of maybe 10K-ohm and output impedance of about 300 ohm.
I saw an Apple developer note and apparently the MacBook output jack has an impedance less than 24 ohms. I've checked out a few specs for mixer inputs, and line input impedance seems to vary from anywhere from 1K-ohm to up to 20K-ohm. I wouldn't see a problem. The incoming current will be regulated by the higher input impedance.
I always thought the biggest problem was with too low a device input impedance from headphones or speakers overloading the driver. In that case I've heard either the output device or the amp clip.
Message was edited by: ypw

10.4.10 Audio Popping Issues: Information Check with Internal Speakers

For people with internal speakers, or those without subwoofers: Please read all the way to the bottom to find a test that will determine whether you are also having audio problems, even if you can't hear pops.
We've had a lot of discussion about audio popping due to 10.4.10, and the evidence indicates that the audio circuitry is going to sleep to conserve power, even on AC-only computers like the iMac, Mac Mini, and (at least one) Mac Pro. Some people claim to not have this problem, but I'm wondering if they just aren't noticing it.
Having external speakers with a subwoofer, set to high amplification, are key to obvious detection of the problem. Let the sound subsystem go idle for 30+ seconds (wait a minute with no audio, just to be safe), turn up your external speakers really loud, and cause the computer to make a sound. You should hear a burst before the sound plays. If you repeat the sound, you won't hear the burst. This is the sound of the audio circuitry powering on, and the speakers are amplifying it.
About 30 seconds after the sound finishes playing, if you leave the volume of your speakers turned way up, you should hear a "pop" as the circuitry is powered off. Then, playing another sound will recreate the burst.
I haven't been able to hear these sounds with internal speakers, either on the Mini or iMac. But the problem still exists, and it is detectable... if you know what you are looking for.
The burst of the audio circuitry turning on also causes a delay in the audio. The delay is a noticeable fraction of a second, an it can easily be detected if you have a repeatable source of sound. I like Terminal.app, because I use that application all day, every day. Here is how you can check to see if you are also subject to the audio problems:
1. Start Terminal.app (in the /Applications/Utilities directory).
2. Wait one minute for the audio circuitry to shut down.
3. Without typing anything else, very quickly strike and release the Backspace key.
4. If you pressed the key all the way, the program should have caused a beep. However, if the audio circuitry goes to sleep, the beep should occur after you have moved your hand off the key. This is because the circuitry takes time to power itself on before playing the sound.
5. Now, quickly strike the Backspace key again. You should notice that the sound is produced immediately as you hit the key, without the delay you just witnessed.
6. Strike the Backspace key repeatedly, to confirm that there is no audio delay. Do this about once every second or two. If you press the key too rapidly, not all of the presses will produce sounds... this behavior is not related to the issue we are testing.
7. Wait another minute for the audio circuitry to shut down, and strike the Backspace key once more. You should again observe a delay between your strike and the sound production.
If you witness delays like this, your audio circuitry is also going to sleep, and you are having the same audio problems as the rest of us. However, either because you are using internal speakers, or because your external speakers don't have the appropriate response, you aren't hearing the same bursts and pops as the rest of us.
Please try this test, and report here. I want to build a list of people who previously couldn't hear the sounds, but still have the delay. This might give us a better picture of the scope of the problem.

Re: 10.4.10 Audio Popping Issues: Information Check with Internal Speakers
Your analysis of what is happening is right on.
The problem on my Intel Mac mini with external Klipsch speakers (two mid-range/high and a subwoofer) is REAL obvious as the system emits a hum like a Spinal Tap amplifier turned up to #11 when 10.4.10 powers down the audio circuitry
Then, if I play a song in iTunes, it first pops and the hum disappears right before playing.
Quite annoying.
Here's what I sent to Apple tech support:
Guys/Gals (OS X Engineers):
Concerning the Snap, Crackle Pop Audio problem in the 10.4.10 update:
Please. Just do the right thing and fix the audio.
There is no need to power cycle the audio subsystem to save .0005 amps on your laptops.
And then to make your Mac mini/iMac/other desktop users have to put up with it when using AC power is ridiculous.
Put the audio subsystem back like it was in 10.4.9 and let the laptop battery freaks looking for mini-amp savings get a "work-a-round".
Crikey!
Mac Mini 1.83 Ghz Intel Core Duo 1GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.9) 20 Years of Microsoft-Induced Grey Hair

USB-powered Speakers and Sound Preferences

I have two Mac mini's (one intel, one powerPC) both running the latest version of OS 10.4 and both have USB speakers which I allow the computer to power (rather than a separate external power). On both computers I have the same problem; when I reboot, the sound preferences in System Preferences changes back to the output volume being exactly in the middle, if I adjust the output volume and then reboot, I'm back to the output volume being in the middle, rather than as I set it before the reboot. How can I change the output volume of these USB speakers so that it stays even after a reboot?
I've never had this problem with externally powered speakers.
MacMini Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Did this just start with the 10.4.10 update?

MacIntel: Startup chime stuck with internal speakers?

MacPro, Intel chips, 10.4.10, self-powered speakers plugged at the back.
The boot chime ALWAYS comes from internal speakers, no matter what settings are used in Sound preferences panel. (The chime can be muted, but' that's it)
Previous Macs (at least G4s) with the exact same OS version allowed getting a beautiful, deep and soothing sound at startup time, from externals. Why would this feature have disappeared?
People at the store and at Apple that I've talked to only said :it's normal".
Anyone can help me with this? I find it strange that this would be "normal". Even Windows can have its boot chime presented through externals.
Thanks!

Yes, it is normal. You might want to try using the front headphone port instead. I believe it'll come out via that port though I'm not entirely sure.

Connectin IPOD Nano to Creature 2 self powered speakers

I just purchased a IPOD Nano for my grandson along with Creature 2 self powered speakers. My question is - Can the Nano be hooked up directly to the JBL Creatuer 2 self powered speakers? If so How?
Thanks for any help on this subject.

You should be able to hook them up via the headphone jack of the nano.

Buzzing with powered speakers

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