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

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.

All works well when the plug is fully inserted?

Your best solution is to cut the external speaker volume as you insert the plug.

Neville

{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.

Neville is correct. This is the nature of powered speakers and has nothing to do with what they are being plugged into. Unplug them and then tap your finger against the bare connector of the cord, you will get similar pops and noises.

Regards,

-Doc

If you are experiencing this with just powered speakers, then this is completely normal indeed. I have a different problem, as described above (which is much, MUCH more serious 🙂

Huh, you got me on that one.

I just unplugged mine from my laptop and plugged it into my nano, and then moved it back to the laptop. Loud pops for all. <shrug>

-Doc

Gloom, I agree with you if you are getting the humming noise when playing, for example, iTunes tracks.

This sounds to me like electrical interference from some source that is being picked up by some component in the MBP. This would most commonly be a result of inadequate shielding or of a very strong signal from some nearby device. Finding the solution might be a difficult problem.

I get interference from my cordless phone base station which is near the main powered speaker. I've moved the speaker about 12" further away & it's solved the problem. This is not a problem with the MBP though in my case.

Things I would do would be to check cable paths in & around your computer and see whether repositioning helps at all. Check whether Airport/Bluetooth switched off stops the interference - and whatever else you can think of. It's also possible that the Magsafe adaptor is faulty.

Neville

Neville, thank you very much for the post. I purchased three pieces of the Cambridge Soundworks Newton Surround System for exceptional 2.1. The issue was the Bluetooth, which is kind of a bummer since I wanted to use external keyboard and mouse. Prior to the pulling the audio out i had enabled bluetooth. When plugging and unplugging things on the back of the iMac 24, i accidentally pulled the audio out to an audible pop. When plugging back in, (again to very loud pop/crackle) the hum began and I thought i had shorted and sent such a jolt through the port that it was blown. I called Cambridge Soundworks and they said "it aint us try another source". I sit here very relieved that i can sleep tonight not wondering what is wrong with the audio config.

Did you ever find the solution to your issue? My computer, likely the same model and config as yoursm has recently started doing the exact same thing as you describe.

Snapperguy, welcome to Apple Discussions.

Gloom has apparently not replied. This thread is fairly old by Discussion standards so most people probably won't be checking it.

I'm not sure whether you read right through to the end of this thread. I noticed that one person has found that having Bluetooth active was causing his problem. If you are using bluetooth you could try disabling this to see whether your hum disappears.

As mentioned elsewhere there are many possible causes of hum. It's a process of trial and hopefully elimination of most potential problems until the culprit is found.

With every component functioning as it should we should have good listening experiences.

Neville