high pitched whine from 2019 iMac

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high pitched whine from 2019 iMac

About 2 weeks ago my Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019 iMac starting emitting a high pitched whine that beings almost immediately at startup. It will quite down after a few minutes but returns whenever any audio is played (alert, music, web video, etc.) and continues for approximately 30-45 seconds after the audio is done playing. I suspect this a result of a recent OS update but can't be sure. Anyone else having this issue? Searching for it I find posts dating back to 2008, but nothing recent.

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Sep 24, 2019 5:17 AM

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Answer 1

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Dan Rosellini Author

Level 1

85 points

Sep 24, 2019 6:00 AM in response to dialabrain

Well I'll be darn! I've had these Harman Karman Sound Sticks connected to my various iMacs through the last 10 years or so and it is the culprit! Disconnecting the USB and the sound stopped. Thanks for the suggestion. I've had them for so long that it didn't occur to me that it might be them.

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