External speaker audio popping with 10.5.2

I've seen several threads about this issue with macbook computers, with some people (including myself) mentioning that they are having the same issue with their iMacs, especially with external speakers. I've got a 2.4 ghz aluminum iMac.
More or less, I'm getting a "pop" or "crackle" coming out of the speakers whenever they have been silent for a moment. I first noticed it on 10.5.1, and the 10.5.2 update didn't help at all. The only way to keep this from happening before every sound is to have iTunes or something going so that there is always sound coming out and things don't go silent. Muting doesn't help.
It almost sounds like the power to the external audio port is being cut off and then turning back on.
Anyone else going through this? Any suggestions on how to get rid of it? Or do we just get to wait and hope that Apple will fix this in their own time?

Still popping in 10.5.3 here as well. Loading the older tiger AppleHDA.kext bundle no longer works either, you don't get sound with them anymore. So now I'm basically stuck with this, despite the fact that there are at least two bug reports submitted via the apple bugtracker about this, for at least one month. (One is mine) Additionally, the problem has existed now for 6 months. With a few attempts at fixing it, but no solid fix. Enough is enough, please, fix this incredibly annoying issue. It makes having these really fancy speakers hooked up to my imac aggravating to the ears to use.
Edit: Nows the time for some reassurance from Apple, I'm looking at buying a new computer soon, a laptop, and if that ear splitting screech is going to be coming out of the headphones everytime the computer makes a sound...ugh...seriously

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External Speaker big pop/buzz when connecting or disconnecting audio cable

My external speakers make a big buzz/pop every time I connect or disconnect the stereo mini 1/8" plug into the headphone jack -- if the speakers are turned up high at the time, it's enough to blow them.
This doesn't happen with headphones - just external powered sound. If I turn the external speakers way down or off, there is no pop/buzz when connecting; muting the sound through the Macbook Pro has no effect.
This happens on all external speaker systems I've tried (including the Soundsticks currently), and regardless of whether the MB is plugged in to power or not, and with or without any other external USB or Firewire devices attached. I've also tried various cables & connectors -- always the same result. This does not happen with the same speakers on an older iMac.
I've spoken to a couple other MB owners who have the same problem.
Any way around this? It would be easy enough to turn off the external speakers next the MB every time I plug or unplug -- but with it feeding 3 stereo systems throughout the house, it's a bit much every time...
Thanks!

{quote:title=Neville Mayfield wrote:}
The problem is caused by contact made with the components of the socket as it slides into its correct position. It is a small electrical charge that bridges the plug & socket segments and not related to the current sound setting on the MBP.
I assume you like high volume from your speakers, much more than I would choose to have! I do get a slight buzz & pop myself and to my recollection always have done in 23 yrs of using computers.{quote}
With all do respect, this is not the problem here. I have the same problem as described by the thread starter, and having worked in the audio producing industry for many many years I can say with certainty that what you are describing is something else.
Sure, the traditional "high-volume-on-AMP-while-connecting-signal-source" issue is still present, as it is with any product you connect like that, but this is different: when a headphone is inserted, you can hear a clearly audible "click" followed by a very noticable humming/buzzing sound. It is almost like the machine has "fired up the audio engine" and you get to hear the idle sound.
If I play music in iTunes, stop playing, leave the headphone connected, the humming/buzzing disappears after a while, and when I press play on iTunes, the same "click/humming/buzz" is heard, even though I haven't pysically touched the connector.

External speaker audio quality

I find that the audio quality from the external speaker on my Touch is very poor.
I don't have to turn the volume up very much before the sound starts to become distorted. Anything close to half of the full volume or higher, the distortion is so bad it's not even worth listening to.
This problem is most noticeable when using the external speaker to listen to music. I don't notice it when listening to audio from a video on YouTube.
I realize that this speaker must be extremely small and that the audio won't be the greatest but, just wondering if this is a common characteristic or if it's a problem with my unit.

P Fleming wrote:Anything close to half of the full volume or higher, the distortion is so bad it's not even worth listening to.
It's still better than nothing. It beats having to dig out the headphones or speakers when you don't have it plugged in.

While on speakerphone, the external speaker became fuzzy with static. The phone is updated, and I've turned it on and off several times. It is still full of static. Please help.

While on speakerphone, the external speaker became full of static, and the phone cannot play music either to the external speaker. When the headphones are plugged in, you can then listen to music and old voice mail messages. It's updated with the current version. I've turned it off and on several times, but the external speaker is still full of static. It has not gotten wet at all. Please help!

try an other phone on the extern speaker , probably the speaker is not working as it should .

External Speaker Static: Problem with audio jack?

I don't believe that anyone on the forums had the same question.
I am having trouble with my macbook pro. Whenever I plug in external speakers, I get bad static (very loud, about as loud as the speaker's audio itself). I have tested this on multiple speakers and get the same results on all of them. When used on another computer, the speakers work fine. This suggests that it is something wrong with my audio jack for my mac.
I noticed that the 3.5 mm plug doesn't go all the way into the jack. There is about a millimeter millimeter or two of space This isn't much, but may be resulting in the static. I have tried forcing the plug all the way in, but it still does not go in. Any ideas?
I am trying to avoid having to get a bluetooth speaker or anything wireless.

Headphones don't induce grounding problems like external speakers. I am guessing the external speakers were all amplified speakers, with built-in amps and some sort of mains power supply. Perhaps you also have some peripherals such as a display connected to the Macbook Pro.
Try this: disconnect all peripherals from the MBP (including the Magsafe power plug) except the external speakers and see if you get static. I will also guess that the static is more of a whine/buzz that changes whenever the computer does something different.
If this works, then you have a common ground problem. The cheapest way to solve this is a Radio Shack ground loop isolator on the speaker cable,
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062214
High fidelity versions are also available, more like $300USD.

External Usb Audio Card Popping and Cracking sound with Satellite L500

Greetings,
My name is Boyan and I am from Bulgaria and about an year ago I've bought a satellite laptop from the l500 series ( i can not state which exactly is the model at the moment because my computer is not currently with me and on my user manual the only thing which is stated is that it is for L500/L505/ L500D / L505D . But by memory I think it was the Satellite L500D-ST5506 which is currently not at my dispossal because I gave it for repair for the same problem which I will state down below)
The problem with my laptop is that when I plug a Usb Audio card in my laptop I have a cracking sound when live sound is played trough the speakers/headphones from the external card. I've tried numerous audio cards and speakers/headpohnes which work perfectly fine with other computer, including laptops but the same problem keeps on showing up in the headphones/speakers of my laptop when I am using an external audio card to connect them to the laptop.
The problem is prominent only when the sound signal passes trough an external audio card and it is very annyoing since I use my laptop to create music and i've bought an expenssive audio card and speakers which can not be used with the laptop. I've tried 3 models of audio cards:
M-Audio Fast Track Pro
Behringer uca 222
and a simple external 3d sound usb audio card and the problem still appears.
At first I thought that the problem should be software and I should install new drivers although windows 7 automaticaly recognizes and intalls the drivers for the devices and I have sound in them (but with cracks and popps) so i tried using the official drivers sold to me with the audio cards but with no luck: The problem was still there. I tried finding new drivers of the audio cards on the official distributors websited and i've downloaded them but the problem was still there. Then i tried to delete every audio driver on my computer and just use the external audio card for sound but this dint help eighter. I've updated my drivers for my build-in audio card as well but again - no luck.
After that.the frist thing I did when (2 weeks after i bought the laptop) was to contact the store from which i bought my audio card and they stated that the problem may be eighter latency or high voltage from the laptop so they adviced me to try to lower the latency from the settings or to try and see if the problem remains if my laptop is only running on battery. I've tried both things and they didn't help. The audio cards worked without a problem on every other computer I've tried them on except mine. So they said to me that the problem couldnt possibly be from the audio cards .
What I did next was I gave my laptop to the official distributor of toshiba in my country so they can fix my problem. What they said to me was that the problem is caused from the version of windows which was pre-installed on my laptop and that it wasnt compitable with the audio cards (which was bizzar sounding because I've tried them on the same windows and they've worked, just on other computers). So I got back my laptop and changed my operating sistem from Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit to Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 64bit to Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 32bit and on all of those versions the problem was there: whenever I activate a Usb Audio Card and audio signal passes trough it I heard cracks and popps. I even tried isntalling Windows XP but the laptop wants spesific SATA drivers for the installation of Windows XP which although i did find - they didnt help me install XP and I didn't want to go in to the BIOS of the computer to try to put a new one and so on because I am not so sure about that and I could lose my warranty so I said to the official repair store for Toshiba in my town to put XP on my computer to fix the problem but they can't because they are not liscened to operate with software which doesn't have a recipt for its purchase ( which i didnt because i bought my windows xp long ago and i've lost the recipt)
I gave it for repair for the second time telling them that the change of my operating system did not solve my problem and what they did was they changed the whole motherboard on my computer, stating that the build in realtek audio device on my computer is not good enough to support an usb audio card or it maybe broken and they have to change the whole motherboard because the build in card is glued to it, so they did that but my problem wasn't solved. They told me that although I am using and external usb audio card the signal still passes trough my internal one and I have to disable it so i tried disabling it trough the control panel but this did not solve the problem and i do not have an option from BIOS to disable my build-in audio card. Another thing which I thought maybe causing the problem is that the two audio cards aren't working on the same bit rate and Hertz so I set both cards to 16 bit 48000hz DVD Quality (Also tried other options on the 3 cards i have) but...the same thing happend.
They told me that this is just my luck and that the build in audio card doesn't support this external audio cards and I should had been more careful when choosing my laptop at first.
I couldn't accept this awnser for several reasons:
1) This audio cards work on lower version of windows and are supported by much older models of Realtek and much older computers (one of them was bought 2000!!!!! and my laptop is from 2010!!)
2) The guys who were fixing the problem apperantley didn't go in so deep in to my problem because they didn't know what actually the problem was they just knew that there is a problem with the audio card and the computer interacting with eachother, they didnt know that there is cracking during live play from the external audio card.
3) I can not accept the fact that Toshiba is manufacturing models with chipset audio cards which can not support a simple external Usb Audio Card. This is totally unacceptable for me and I truly hope this is not the case!
4)They didn't try my audiocards on an other laptop from the same series stating that they do not have one at their dispossal at the moment so I will go tomorrow to a local store and try the audio cards by my self on the same computer in the store.
What I did now was I gave back my laptop for repair asking for a statement of the problem in wrtting with all details of the problem so I can go to court or ask for a new laptop but I will be charged with some money because according to them there is no problem in the laptop and the problem is that my external audio cards arent compitable with the build in internal chipset audio card. If I give my laptop for repair and there is no hardware problem I will have to pay some money. I will do this but I am now mad, since this will not solve my problem and I am loosing time and money.
What I am asking here is, if you can not help me solve my problem and advice me what to do to fix it, please provide me the details of the chipset build in audiocard on my motherboard, so i can investigate if it is compitable with my external audio cards and contact the audio card dealers to ask them for their opinion. Or if you can tell me with what it is compitable with and with what not, it would be great. I personally think that this laptop should have no problems at all with running a simple external usb audio card but I am asking you, if you know something more about that.
If the problem is from the build in chipset then Toshiba is manufacturing (or at least selling) audiocards which aren't at a normal standart but sadly I cant do nothing about it except complain to Toshiba and never deal whith such productgs anymore. In the other case if this is not true, then my laptop has a problem which is different and I will have to go to court with the repair mans for not fixing my laptop or not giving a new one when I have warranty which will not be Toshiba's fault and It will in a way solve my problem.
I hope you understand how Important this is for me and I hope I resolve the problem as soon as possible.
P.S
I would like to state that I am well aware of the grammar mistakes I have made in the text below and I would like to ask for your apologies as I am not a native English language speaker.

hi i just like to say i had a similar fault though i would be surprised if it causing yours,but you never know,my fault was my laptop lid, [9 months old] it contains the mic ,and when the lid was in a certain angle crackles could be heard worse when i had my external sound card in, it was a faulty membrane [ lid to body] easily missed by engineer because it was the same angle all the time it happened,good luck, PS you English is very good
Message was edited by: sido1

Embedding an imovie video (with audio) in Keynote on Ipad, audio only comes out on headphones not external speaker?

When using imovie on ipad to embed music onto ipad keynote slide, sound does not come out external speaker, only through the earbud jack? Is there a setting that will allow for sound through the external speaker?

Two possibilities I can think of. MAke sure that the side button on your ipad is set to screen lock & not mute. If it is set to mute, you'll need to slide it to unmute it before the speaker will work. Otherwise, it sounds like some kind of software glitch. I'd do a reset (I think you hold down the power button & the button on the top for like 10 seconds, until you get the screen asking if you want to turn your ipad off. Follow through, give it a few seconds, then restart it.

Audio Pop to External Speakers

Hi,
When I have my MacBook plugged into external speakers I get a random "pop". Its usually when I have had iTunes playing for a while and close iTunes to go to something else. Sometimes it pops, sometimes it doesn't. I've tried it on different speaker, and have heard it on other speakers.
I've read that their was an audio update for 10.4 with regards to an audio pop when going into sleep or shutdown, is their any patch for 10.5? Has anyone else had my described problem? Is it normal?
Respectfully,
AJ

This issue is discussed at length in this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1394839&tstart=90
Note that one of the contributors has produced some freeware which (apparently) solves this problem.
Bob

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

My MacBook Pro with Lion 10.7.2, only audio on the headset, and speaker mute. With Windows, the audio works in speaker and headphone jack. What is the problem? What's the solution?

My MacBook Pro with Lion 10.7.2, only audio on the headset, and speaker mute. With Windows, the audio works in speaker and headphone jack. What is the problem? What's the solution?

There is probably a red light on inside your headphone port, indicating that the analog/digital switch in there is stuck in the digital position. Insert a headphone plug and wigle it around, especially in the horizontal plane, as you insert and remove it several times. This will usually unstick the switch and restore normal operation. If it doesn't, the machine will need to be repaired.
This has been a fairly common problem, but in most cases it is easily cured as described above.

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Hi there,
I got an issue with strong noises (kind of distortion) while playing all kind of music/sounds ( itunes/Reason/Cubase) via an external USB audio device (Yamaha MW12 mixer).
Some important facts:
+ This had not been from the very first beginning of changing to snow leopard
+ but never appeared on "leopard"
+ Yamaha mixer is still working fine with my MS-windows computer
+ latest Asio driver by Yamaha is not helping.
+ internal audio of my Mac Book Pro is working fine.
As this issue just appears 2 days before, without any change or installation on my system, I really wonder, what could be happen. As Yamaha mixer is still working fine with other computer, I expect some driver in MacOS to be the problem (as internal audio HW is working fine).
Does anybody else, know, what to do? (before I change back to MacOS 10.5)
Has anybody else have seen a similar issue?
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Merry christmas,
Mat
Message was edited by: d-trich

Hi,
just one addon.
+ Changed USB ports on MacBook and it was fine on the second used.
+ Nevertheless, noise remains on the originaly used port
+ all other connected devices as mouse and midi interface are fully functional on both ports
It still looks like a driver issue. Nevertheless, could it be a hardware issue with the USB port in my MacBook then? Even if all other tried devices are functional?
cheers, Mat

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The speakers work fine with other digital equipment I have and there is a red light comming through the cable. The speakers instructions do specify that they are compatable with the SPDIF signal. Any ideas???

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Can you please send me the URL that you are using to access the Adobe sample video - sample2_1000kbps.f4v ?
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http://www.adobe.com/support/flashmediaserver/downloads_updaters.html
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External speaker audio popping with 10.5.2

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