The sound on my MacBook Pro is suddenly different

Question

Level 1

22 points

The sound on my MacBook Pro is suddenly different

Well, I think this is a weird one. I'll describe it the best way that I can. All of a sudden yesterday, the sounds coming out of my MacBook Pro sound like they are in "AM Radio" quality (tinny, canny) instead of the usual "FM Radio" (or CD quality) audio. This applies both to the speakers in the laptop itself, as well as the external Soundsticks.

I've tried a few things with no luck:

1) Restarting the computer
2) Looking in System Preferences---Sounds to see if anything looks different (it looks the same as far as I can tell)
3) Checking to make sure the iTunes equalizer is still on and set to my preferred sound setting

I'm not sure what else to check. Everything is securely plugged in. This weird "AM Radio" quality of sound is coming from both the external and built-in speakers, so I doubt it's an external speaker problem. All of the sounds are now this way, including system sounds (emptying the trash, moving a folder, etc), iTunes, Internet sounds (such as YouTube)---every sound. I am stumped.

Any suggestions?

MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.4 GHz, iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.5.2), Airport Express

Posted on Jul 8, 2008 8:49 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 9, 2008 2:49 AM in response to smitty195

Go to Applications > Utilities > Audio Midi Setup, Set the Properties For: pop-up to Built-In Output, and make sure the Format is set to 44100.0 Hz and 2ch-24bit.

Hope this helps...

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Answer 2

Jul 9, 2008 7:42 AM in response to smitty195

It might or might not be "one of those problems" - sound issues are one of those things that are notoriously difficult to diagnose via visual-only communication (despite your good description of the problem).

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Answer 3

smitty195 Author

Level 1

22 points

Jul 19, 2008 2:09 PM in response to James Coyle1

And just as an update to my issue.....I did go over to the Apple Store to have the Genius Bar take a look at my MacBook Pro. When I left the house, the problem was occurring exactly as I originally described. However, when I got to the store, everything was working perfectly. (Figures!)

In the last week, the problem has appeared and disappeared on it's own, and it seems to be completely random. It sounds like "AM radio" both through the laptop speakers AND the Soundsticks. Then out of the blue, it will suddenly start sounding normal again.

The Apple Store checked all of my sound settings, and they were correct.

By chance, does anyone have any other suggestions on what to do?

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Answer 4

Jul 9, 2008 6:00 AM in response to smitty195

Try dropping in to a nearby Apple Store (there's one in the Stoneridge Mall), make a reservation first. If you can, get in there before Friday, else you may be overwhelmed by the 3G iPhone-seekers...

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Answer 5

smitty195 Author

Level 1

22 points

Jul 9, 2008 5:44 AM in response to neuroanatomist

Thank you for the suggestion. I just checked, and it is set-up exactly as you describe.

This sure seems to be a strange problem. The sound coming out of this computer is very odd.

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Answer 6

smitty195 Author

Level 1

22 points

Jul 9, 2008 7:23 AM in response to neuroanatomist

Uh-oh, it's one of those types of problems huh? Okay, I'll set up an appointment with Apple. I've never done this before, so this will be a new experience for me. 🙂

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Answer 7

smitty195 Author

Level 1

22 points

Jul 9, 2008 7:58 AM in response to neuroanatomist

I just made an appointment for 12:30 this afternoon at the Stoneridge store. Thanks for the assistance!

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Answer 8

Jul 19, 2008 1:53 PM in response to neuroanatomist

Just for the record, your suggestion completely cleared up the loss of dynamic range in my SoundSticks. Actually, made a drastic difference. Thanks.

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Answer 9

smitty195 Author

Level 1

22 points

Nov 17, 2008 12:37 PM in response to smitty195

I found out that the problem was not with my MacBook Pro, but instead it was the Soundsticks speakers I was using. I replaced them with new Bose speakers, and everything works great now. Thanks!

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