Extreme audio output noise

This new MBP is extremely noisy in the external speakers. The noise I would call "Processor hash", with lots of squeals, chirps and hisses depending on what the computer is thinking about. Is this normal?
I do not hear the noise from the little built-in speakers. The noise is so intolerable I must turn off my sound system while not listening. It is impossible to listen to quiet ambient music. The noise stops while the computer is sleeping. Also, the noise is not responsive to volume settings. It is the same regardless of the volume from the computer.

This is a problem with all current Macbook Pros, as far as I know. It bothers some people, and not so much others.
A topic discussing the issue (mostly while using headphones) is here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5687014&#5687014
The quick answer is that higher impedance headphones or speakers can help, and Radio Shack sells a cheap little thingy that should fix the noise problem.
Hope that helps!

Similar Messages

On Board Audio Output Noise...

After reading several posts, and making adjustments throughout Win2K, I have yet to get rid of the continual static noise which fluctuates in intensity depending on hard drive and general system activity.
I have no IRQ or resource conflicts to do with the sound card. I have the reproduction properties set to Full and Best.
Could the on board sound hardware be defective?
I haven't tried swapping in a PCI-style sound card to see if the problem goes away.
Any other ideas appreciated.

If you are using a cable from the cd player for audo, enable digital input instead.
http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/Other_Articles/Win2K_Tips/CD_Audio_Quality/CD_Audio_Quality.htm

I recently downloaded the latest OS update and now I have a constant "humming" noise from my MBP and my audio output is no longer working. Any suggestions?

I recently downloaded the lastest OS update (Lion X 10.7.4) on my MBP that I purchased in November of 2011, and since downloading it my MBP has been making a constant "humming" noise from the right speaker/disc drive area. I also don't have any audio output for FaceTime or Skype. I attempted to use Photo Booth to record a video and it doesn't record any audio. I attempted to reset SMC and reinstall Lion with no resolution of the problems.

Click the Finder icon on the Dock.
Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup
Built-in-Output
Output tab
Move the Master volume slider to the right a bit.
Best.

Noise on audio output when using the power adapter

I'm a musician and use my mid-2007 MBP 15" in my live rig. When I use the power adapter, I hear a buzz, sometimes accompanied by a slightly louder buzz that cycles on & off about 1x/second. There are a few weird things going on here:
1. The buzz does not happen all the time. That leads me to think it may be noise in the AC line that the adapter is plugged into.
2. The noise is heard when I use both the built-in audio output AND an external USB audio interface.
In any case, when I disconnect the power adapter and run my MBP on battery, the noise goes away completely. I can probably do this on most gigs, but I'm a little nervous since I run a FW drive, an external USB audio interface, and my midi keyboard (powered by USB) so I am putting a little heavier than usual load on the MBP's battery.
As I said, this may be a noisy AC line. Another guess is that it's the PMU inducing noise into the audio circuitry. I'm hoping a simple AC line filter can help me but I thought I would ask here first in case anyone else has dealt with this. TIA for any help!

I had a similar problem and fixed it with a $5 universal travel adapter. Yours might be different but here's my situation. Try it for little cost and see if it works.
I'm also a muso with an iMac running external KRK speakers via USB Mbox2. Previously I had a Macbook Pro and the same audio problem. I've been putting up with a very low volume, high pitch noise until now. I simply plugged the Mac power cord into a universal travel adapter which then goes into the wall. For Aussie users there is an adapter on ebay that will allow a 3 pin Aussie plug to go into female side and has a two pin Aussie male on the other. For US users you can probably get the same although there is a 59c product that will do the trick called a ground lift adapter. Applecare actually agreed this was the best fix and confirmed there would be no problems with power supply or Mac performance. What a gem ! God knows I've looked into all kinds of alternatives that could have cost hundreds instead of $5.

Firewire drive noise appearing in audio output

Hi:
When I have a firewire drive plugged in, a lot of digital noise appears at the audio output jack. If I turn the drive off, I hear a whining-down noise in the audio output. I've tried two different drives, 3 different cables, same thing. Anyone have any ideas? It's a huge bummer; I bought my MacBook Pro to do music on...

Hey george,
i know this is not going to be any help, (i need some too!!!) but i have exactly the same problem. I first noticed it when using my ICY BOX external harddrive and thought it was just the noise from the external drive but the same thing happens when i attach my Motu traveler firewire soundcard to it. Its so annoying. the sound dissapears when i take out the mini jack from the output.
I am also having a problem of sound distortion over the output and recording input when i attach my Motu firewire unit
(this is seperate from the minijack problem i think as this happens when the minijack is plugged into the output AND when it is not).
This didnt happen to my powerbook 1.6 and never happens to my friends one either????
I am going to make a seperate thread about this problem now but if you could tell me if you have the same problem with your soundcard i would be grateful.
All the best and if you find out what the problem is please post your solutio up, vice versa.
Will.
MBP 1.8 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Processor noise with audio output?

I attached my Mac book pro to my 40" LCD TV along with an audio output from the headphones out to the input on the TV.
What I noticed is that the "processor whine" that we all complain about that seems to cease when we are running things like photo booth, and intensify when we disconnect the AC adapter, is projected through the audio of my TV!!!!! When I mute the TV, away goes the whine. Strange huh?
I don't know if this is a new revelation, or a known reproduction of the problem.
So my question is, do you think there is a relationship between the poor output on the speakers (very little sound on bars 1 through 7) and this processor whine we complain about?
I was generally happy with my MBP and would ignore the whine until my TV set amplified it.
Do any of you also think that Apple would replace my MBP for this and the many other complaints? (Screen inverter defect, generally hot, and this noise output via cable)
Thanks for your input on my future with this computer, like I said, I've always been happy with it until this output problem.

My guess as to what causes the whine is this:
There are many small copper traces on the motherboard carrying signals. There are two traces in question. One carries the power for the processor in low power mode. One carries the power to the sound card (or from the card to the speakers). Those two traces are too close together. So when power flows through the proc trace it induces electric current in the other trace, which causes the sound we hear from the speaker.
It is a problem of the design of the MLB. So the fix would be to isolate the two traces.
Just my idea.

NOISE ON MY AUDIO OUTPUT

I have a 50 foot shielded audio output from my imac and I cannot even listen to the output because there is so much electronic noise. I thought it might be the long run but if I hook my IPOD up it works perfect. has anyone else had grounding issues with the imacs sound card or imac in general because even when I run video out there is video noise also in my second display. I can't decide whether or not I need to take this computer in to be serviced.

Do you have the same noise problem with a set of headphones pluged into the iMac? Some here have noticed audio noise issues related to there optical mouse, is yours wired or wireless? A wired mouse should be pluged into the back of the keyboard! Also it seems that some have had to return the mouse for a replacement because of this issue. To test setup the audio as you had earlier and unplug your mouse! And lastly it couldn't hurt to reset your SMC follow the instructions in this link: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446
Dennis
17" iMac Intel Core Duo 1.5GB Ram Mac OS X (10.4.9) maxtor 300GB FireWire Creative Inspire 2.1 2G Nano

W500 audio noise while using audio output

Hello,
Few months ago I've bought Lenovo W500. After some time realized that when I'm using an audio output in sometimes I can hear annoying noise. I've checked it with different headphones (also professional ones) and other audi equipment. Always the same.
In the beginning I've thought there are some problems with my Alsa configuration (I'm using mainly Linux) but havent time to check.
Now I've spent more time for that. I've couldn't find solution, decided to check on Windows also - there is the same problem (with exactly the same audio files/youtube videos etc.)
Checked with different quality audio files - mp3, flac, audio cd etc. Always the same.
I can hear it very good in this moovie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaUL_7H7r40
first time noise appears at 00:02 - 00:03 and then I can hear it in almost whole time.
If I turn off all audio players etc. I can still hear annoing, quiet noise from headphones (on both OSes - Linux/Windows).
Has anyone simmilar problem?
Any solution? My W500 is ofcourse under warranty but I need it at the moment very hard, so I hope there is some solution different than sending it to service :/
Thanks a lot,
Regards.

If you discard any software related problem, your problem is over hardware.
The only solution is sending to service and the will repair it for free. Maybe the will change the entire motherboard.
Best regards.
IPnaSh
First Spanish Community Guru - Colaborador ad honorem

Noise floor of audio output

I noticed that the noise floor of the audio output in my 15" MacBook Pro is quite noticable when using external speakers. Is it just the way the sounds cards in these machines are or is there a problem with my specific unit?

connecting an external display or anything on the firewire bus raises the noise floor of the audio interface significantly. if that is your case, you're in the same camp as all macbook users ever since the intel transition. hope this helps.

Lot of noise from laptop audio output

I'm getting a lot of noise from the audio output of my Macbook Pro (early 2008) OS 10.8.5 when I connect an external firewire 800 drive that uses a power cord. I get more of the same noise when I connect an external video monitor. The noise is a digital hashy and whiney sound that modulates sometimes as what on the screen changes. If I use my Focusrite Scarlett interface the noise is amplified to the point that I can't work. The noise starts when the drive's power cord is plugged in. If I work off a pocket USB drive there is no noise. This is my work around for now. I'm using a power strip that has noise filtering. I have 2 different studios and I get the same noise in both. I've done a lot of trouble shooting and have narrowed the problem down to connecting a drive with a power cord to the computer. I have tried different drives too with the same result. Is there any hope of fixing this?

Can't say I've ever had any noise when starting the unit up over optical - if your DAC is designed for stereo only then it may be causing noise by attempting to play the 5.1 startup video's audio bitstream which is dolby digital encoded not stereo.

No audio output on Airport Extreme?

Hey.
Its been a long time since wireless internet become a necessity for me. But after becoming addicted to my iTunes library instead of CD's I now have another cable connected to my mac. But hey - here we have Airport Express! But but, I am also a very frequent user of my external Lacie harddrive - another cable here. And Express can only connect with printers - am I right? But hey again I though - I'll just buy the Extreme - it's better, cooler and more expensive...... But There is no audio output!?! Why can it be - such a small extra cost. Do I really need to buy both Express and Extreme if I need to listen to my iTunes library and use my harddisk wireless? Thats stupid, expensive and indeed overkill in my small one room dormitory.
Help to get a solution! Can it really be right?
Any updates on the two product soon?

Can you attach a wireless hub to the AX and run both the printer and your Lacie? I honestly don't know, but you might research on here a bit and find out.
Beyond that, yes, you need to have both a full-fledged base station AND an AX to play music wirelessly. It's a bummer until Apple puts this output on their AE and TC, but that's the way it is for now.

HP DM1Z Netbook audio output issues.

I never really used this netbook for anything with audio, so this could be a pre existing problem, but since I have started frequently watching movies I encounter a strange and extremely annoying problem. The input indication will rapidly switch, every 2 or 3 seconds between the two states below;
The result? Audio output switches between the headphones and the laptop speakers, and in a shared house with uni students the noise is unacceptable.
I don't even know how this is supposed to work, the DM1Z only has one 3.5mm jack! I've tried updating drivers, using older versions too. No matter what, it will eventually start screwing up. I might boot and it will do it right away, or in couple hours time; completely random.
This is driving me up the wall, I'm especially frustrated at why the control panel says there are two inputs which seems to me to be a design fault and not a simple error.

Hey,
What BIOS version are you using? Press FN+ESC for System Information (Ex. F.12)
What version of IDT HD Sound are you using? Press the ? at the top right then check version (Ex: 1.0.6302.0)
I also find it a little odd that your showing the recording tab but the issue is with playback.
I am an HP employee.
Make it easier for other people to find solutions, by marking my answer “Accept as Solution” if it solves your problem.

No Audio Output after Upgrading to windows 7; Soundblaster Card is installed

After upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit), I found that my speakers (which are built into my HP w2207 monitor) are not recognized. In the notification area I have the speaker with a red x in it, and it says “No Audio Output Device is installed”.
I have a HP Pavilion D4890Y with the Sound Blaster Audigy X-FI 24-Bit Xtreme sound card. I tried looking in Device Manager, and found “Multimedia Audio Controller” under Other, which states no drivers could be found.
I tried following some of the advice online, and downloaded the latest Realtek High Definition Audio drivers, but and the download seems to run successfully, but I don’t notice any differences. When I reboot as prompted, I’ve still got the same error.
I then tried forcing the Audio Device to use a Realtek driver, but Windows protests (saying it’s not sure it’s compatable with my device, and I end up with “Realtek High Definition Audio” under “Sound, video and game controllers”, but it has a yellow exclamation point. If I click properties, the device status says “This device cannot start (Code 10).” If I try to update the driver I get the message that it cannot find the driver software.   If I uninstall the driver I’m back to the original problem (multimedia audio controller under original devices, with no known drivers).
I also tried downloading various files from the Creative site, but it’s not clear which one to use, and the 4 or 5 different ones I tried (including their recommended beta version for Windows 7), when each of them opens it says it can’t find any supported devices.
Suggestions? Thanks!
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
"If the driver is a previous revision install it using the TROUBLESHOOT COMPATIBILITY tool that is part of the Windows 7 OS.
To use the tool, uninstall any drivers for the sound card you show listed in Control Panel/Programs/Uninstall Programs  list.  Delete the Device from Device Manager.
Download the revision of the driver from www.creative.com  website to a folder you've created and placed on your desktop.
After the driver is downloaded, navigate to the "setup.exe" of the driver and Right Click - select Troubleshoot Compatibility  ----
Let the compatibility tool select a possible solution then use its suggestion of TRY RECOMMENDED WINDOWS SETTINGS, if it does not find a solution it will submit only CUSTOMIZE SETTINGS and let you install it as you designate."
The preceding information comes from a Microsoft Windows 7 forum regarding an issue similar to yours.
the information you provided did verify that it is a sound blaster XiFi Extreme card as checked against the Vendor / Device list.
regards,
erico
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

Mac mini audio output problems

This is similar to a problem that appeared before, but with a different twist.
On 4 July all was well. On 5 July I switched on and there was no "chord" from the Mac. When I collected my mail - no sound from my speakers (which are part of my screen). Logged on to a couple of sites - no sound.
The System Profiler, under the "Audio (Built In)" category, says: "No Built-in Audio." I know that's wrong because it's always worked before and when I plug my headset in it works fine.
When I go to the Sound preferences panel in System Preferences, it finds the headset but if I unplug that it finds nothing.
I tried running the hardware test (by putting in the OS X install disc and holding D during startup.) It couldn't find a problem.
So, as far as I can see, audio output is fine for the USB headset output but not for the others. Is there a simple fix? The nearest Apple store is about 200 miles away and I don't fancy the idea of posting the Mac off.
(And I think it's still under warranty for a couple more weeks.)
Mac mini Mac OS X (10.4.10)

hello mini users with the "no audio output" problem
it seems that there are faulty output jacks in the macbook and the mac mini
there are two things you can try:
i tried everything and began thinking about what new software i had installed. it was "macam" which enables you to use older webcams on OSX. i needed that to use my webcam on skype.
macam installs a file called "macam.component"
if you have the same, do this - take that file out of:
(your hard drive)/library/quicktime - macam.component
and just put it on your desktop
restart, then in your sound pref's choose your audio output (if doesn't work restart again)
the first time i took it out, i had my sound back instantly, another time i had to choose audio output in sound prefs. you kind of have to try different things. after you get your sound back, you can put back "macam.component" to use your webcam.
it seems macam causes the problem, the two can not work at the same time.
the second thing: if you dont have "maccam" try plugging and unplugging output jack a few times and restarting until you have sound.
the problem still could be with the OSX 10.4.10 update / quicktime...or maybe even a hardware problem like others with macbooks were saying (with the red light), not sure.
people with macbooks and who have the red light on, say to use a paperclip to turn off the switch inside.
my mini does not have a red light on. i tried using a paperclip but it doesnt work.
hope this helps, beleive me i feel your pain!!!!
what good is a computer without sound?
extremely annoying problem that i hope apple looks into and fixes
-andrew

Mac mini audio output

Hi, i've seen this interesting program http://www.algoriddim.net/index.html
for djs.
These djs program usually use to way to work:
- dual sound card
- mutiple output on a single sound card
This program use the second approach.... but mac mini has only an output.
I remember that my last pc was able, using a tune program, to convert an audio input to an audio output to get 5.1 system.
I wonder to know if it is possible to convert the input to output with some kinda program, or is there any way to get working the pre-cue with a mini.

hello mini users with the "no audio output" problem
it seems that there are faulty output jacks in the macbook and the mac mini
there are two things you can try:
i tried everything and began thinking about what new software i had installed. it was "macam" which enables you to use older webcams on OSX. i needed that to use my webcam on skype.
macam installs a file called "macam.component"
if you have the same, do this - take that file out of:
(your hard drive)/library/quicktime - macam.component
and just put it on your desktop
restart, then in your sound pref's choose your audio output (if doesn't work restart again)
the first time i took it out, i had my sound back instantly, another time i had to choose audio output in sound prefs. you kind of have to try different things. after you get your sound back, you can put back "macam.component" to use your webcam.
it seems macam causes the problem, the two can not work at the same time.
the second thing: if you dont have "maccam" try plugging and unplugging output jack a few times and restarting until you have sound.
the problem still could be with the OSX 10.4.10 update / quicktime...or maybe even a hardware problem like others with macbooks were saying (with the red light), not sure.
people with macbooks and who have the red light on, say to use a paperclip to turn off the switch inside.
my mini does not have a red light on. i tried using a paperclip but it doesnt work.
hope this helps, beleive me i feel your pain!!!!
what good is a computer without sound?
extremely annoying problem that i hope apple looks into and fixes
-andrew

Extreme audio output noise

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