Q: Noise during Airplay music playback

Hi Rishi,

Did you try firmware 7.6.4 ? This solved the problem (at last!) for me, as well as for others.

Hi,

I did actually try updating the firmware of my Airport Express. It didn't help.

FYI here's my setup:

Macbook Pro (retina) connected via Wireless-N to Linksys E3200 Router.

Yamaha RX-V473 Receiver connected via ethernet (as is my PS3 - there are 2 RJ45 jacks available on the Airport Express) to the Airport Express (latest) router, which is set up to 'Join a Wireless Network'; that is, the 5.4GHz Wireless-N network the Linksys E3200 router is broadcasting.

The E3200 also happens to be broadcasting a 2.4GHz signal for my iPhone 4. Eventually, I'd probably get rid of the 2.4GHz band altogether, since my iPhone is the only device using it.

But, of course, oddly enough, the drop outs cease when my Macbook Pro is connected to that 2.4GHz band... which is not even the band the Airport Express is on.

Extremely strange.

Update: Between 2010 and 2013, either one of the firmware updates of the Airport Express, or my hardware upgrade to the latest Airport Express, fixed the static/popping problem in the digital line out of the Airport Express.

Now both AirPlay and AirFoil can send sound static free to my Yamaha receiver connected via an optical TOSLINK cable to the Airport Express.

However, when I use AirPlay to directly communicate with my Yamaha RX-V473 (which is updated to the latest firmware), which is connected via an ethernet cable to my Airport Express, the static returns.

This makes me feel as though the problem is in the software/firmware, and perhaps the AirPlay version/code is outdated on the Yamaha receiver?

The drop-outs, btw, continue to persist when the sending device (MacBook Pro for me) is on the 5GHz band.

At least the static problem is solved in the line out of the Airport Express. That was driving me nuts.

P.S. So when I said the firmware update didn't help, above, I hadn't tested the line-out of the Airport Express yet, and was only commenting on static persisting using the Yamaha receiver connected via ethernet to the Airport Express.

All, I recently enabled airplay in my 2009 Macbook Pro running OS 10.9.1 and itunes 11.1.3 with my Sony STR-DN840 receiver and have the same issue with static and popping that is not present when the laptop is hard lined to the receiver.

Any help is much appreciated.

Hi all,

I am also noticing static/clicking when streaming music over AirPlay. However, unlike the others, I'm not using an apple router or an apple TV.  I am streaming from either a Macbook Pro or an Iphone 5 to a Klipsch G17 Air using an Asus RT N56U Router.  I notice the exact staticy-noises and clicks others are describing, especially when listening to loud piano music.  There is no static when the speaker's line-in is connected to the computer; it only occurs over AirPlay.  Was anything learned about this issue that doesn't relate to the Apple TV firmware?

Thanks,

Gabriel

I have the same problem with an Airport Express using Airplay. I have this plugged into an amp via the 3.5 mm audio jack.  Even with no audio playing there are random pops. Sometimes there's so much noise I have to turn it off.  Sometimes it helps if I launch Airport utility - it cuts the noise for a moment though it sometimes restarts. (I'll stop saying somtimes now since that doesn't help.)  But for me that means the problem is with Airplay and nothing else.

The Airport Express (with 7.6.4) is connected to a Netgear Rangemax router - the problem occurs whether wireless or wired, and whether the source is iPhone, iPad, or iTunes on my iMac.

Please Apple fix this - Airplay is almost unusable.  I'll be asking for a refund on my Express.

Just updated to 7.6.4 a few weeks back on all 3 of our AEs. Now the popping static is happening only on one of the AEs using an optical connection to our Marantz amp. This is definetely related to how the digital signal from the AE is being decoded by the DAC in the Marantz. Another AE with an optical connection to a NuForce DIA mini-amp works fine with no static or popping so the DAC in the NuForce seems to be more compatible with the digital optical signal coming from the AE. No static/popping playing to speakers connected directly to the Mac Mini (which is used to stream the audio throughout the house) or to the 3rd AE connected via analog cable to an analog amp.

Apple please fix this, this is clearly an Airplay issue! My $5.000 speaker setup is useless with Airplay.

And this is not an airport issue, I use a different moden/router.

This is driving me nuts. A´ve had this problem many years now, although I´ve never used an AT earlier(I have one now, AT3). Just the integrated Airplay in my recievers. Same issue as you are having.

I´ve had a couple receivers/speakers in the past 4 years, all with the same problems:

Libratone Lounge - soundbar

Denon avr-2113

Marantz sr7008

And now I have a Nad D7050 digital amp.

None of these are very cheap, and I cannot understand why this is still a issue after so many years.

The results are always the same:

With cable from mac(tried both analoge and digital): Perfect sound

Airplay from mac/ipad/iphone to AT3 then amp: Perfect sound

Streaming to amp via bluetooth: Not as good quality, but not any clicking sounds.

Airplay directly to amp/receiver: Clicking sounds. Dosn´t matter if I use ethernet/wifi, spotify/iTunes, Apple lossless/mp3, 16bit/24bit sampling rate, Airport Extreme/other routers... ALWAYS the same results. Especially noticeable when playing piano songs or classical music at higher volumes.

BTW. I have the latest firmware update on airport extreme, AT, Nad amp, plus the latest updates on iphone/ipad.

Please fix this Apple. Airplay is useless to me this way.

Well, the issue vanished for me.

A few weeks back I decided to give it another try. I have an Airplay-compatible Marantz m-CR603 amp.

I used to have the same clicking and popping as most of you, from my mac or from an iPad.

Not any more.

Can't say I know what solved it.

- new OS ? (Maverick)

- new router ? (different ISP)

I doubt it was a firmware update for the amp. I havent had one for years.

I'm leaning toward the router. It can't be a bandwidth issue since I'm always plugged through ethernet.

But in my experience, some devices (wireless printers, smartphones) will not always be 100% compatible to a given router.

Yeah, could be the router. I´v used apple routers for quite som time now. First AE then time capsule. Ironic though:p I have all the pieces in my hifi from Apple(router, mac, iphone, airplay reciever), and that could be the problem:p I dont think its the OS because the problem still remains if I use iOS 6, iOs 7, mountain lion or Mavericks.

Its not a huge problem for me(i can use AT when I want to sit down and listen to music), just very irritating. I paid 1000$ for my amp and 800% for the speakers(b&w cm1), guess I didn´t expect this to be a problem at this price range.

Anyway, thanks for your insight! Guess I have to try another router(another time, pretty low on cash now:p)

The problem has gone away for me too! Just listened to music via the optical out to my Marantz and no popping noise. No idea what has changed, but I know there was no update to the AEs, Marantz or router. There could have been an update to iTunes or the Mac OS running iTunes as it seems there are always updates being downloaded (not as much as Windows, but still...).

Or could have been sunspots...

Lucky *******!

But seriously, good to hear that the problem is gone;) Lets hope it happens for the rest of us in the near future;) In the meantime, i´ll go oldscool and use a cable!

Consistently staticky, noisy, awful playback.

iTunes 11.2.2 playing a home shared library (also 11.2.2) over wifi

Air Playing to an ATV2.

DAC to a cheap old stereo receiver that has never popped, glitched, or ticked in all its nearly 20 yrs.

The only thing I've tried that resolves the issue is rebooting the AppleTV2.  But it DOES resolve the issue.