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Level 1

31 points

MacBook Pro 2019 Speakers are making pop sounds

Hello everyone,

I know this problem has been reported before but i have a brand new (two months old) BTO 2019 machine and i find it impossible to work like this.

I have a random click - pop sound coming from the right speaker almost every 30 seconds. I have done all the troubleshooting, reset SMC, NVRAM, logged in as a new user, even a disk reset and fresh install. Nothing worked.

This is very easy to replicate. Every time a video starts playing in Vimeo, You Tube or any other platform, a pop is coming through the right speaker. If i place the cursor at any moment of the video, there is always a click sound after loading and just before playback begins.

It happens even if i open a video from my desktop at the time the playback begins.

The problem goes away if i plug in an external audio device or headphones. So it may be related to the internal audio interface, although i can't hear the pop while using the headphones.

I took the machine to an authorised reseller, the tests showed that everything is ok and i just got it back. Apparently it's not ok as i can replicate this at any time (i did this in front of the technicians) and it's really frustrating. My work has to do with audio and i can't deal with this on such an expensive device.

MacBook Pro 2019, i9 2.3, Vega 20, 32GB Ram, MacOs 10.14.6

Any Ideas?

Thanks for your time

MacBook Pro 15”, macOS 10.14

Posted on Oct 18, 2019 3:51 AM

Best reply

dimitrios212 Author

Level 1

31 points

Posted on Oct 21, 2019 12:16 AM

Hi again guys and thanks for your feedback here.

This issue (if it's a software and not a hardware issue) is not strictly related to Catalina. I am running Mojave 10.14.6.

Also i have seen this on the web with older machines and OS versions.

Apple has to give us an official response on this. It may be a minor issue for some users out there but it's definitely a deal breaker for someone who is working with audio.

Waiting for a software update is not a solution. What if this turns out to be a hardware issue and my machine gets out of warranty? Not cool for a 4500€ laptop.

I am talking with Apple representatives the past two weeks and as you can see in my first post, i have done some serious troubleshooting all by my self.

After having such a negative experience on a machine that costed me a fortune, i am sure i (we) deserve some explanation on what is causing this.

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70 replies

imacproX

Level 1

8 points

Nov 14, 2019 7:21 AM in response to dimitrios212

Hi dimitrios212!

I understand how you are feeling right now. Luckily, I haven't found any issue with my machine since I got an exchange. The only thing I feel sad is a new macbook pro 16 inch was just released and I want to buy it. The new one is even faster than my top speed machine. I think I can wait a couple years to upgrade to MBPr 16 to see if Apple really fixes some issues (software/hardware) that still exist on previous 15 inch model.

Nov 16, 2019 5:29 PM in response to imacproX

imacproX,

Don’t feel bad. I just bought the new 16 inch and it has the same popping issue.

I’m going to return it.

So just a confirmation, for anyone who’s wondering this problem persists on the 16 inch

dimitrios212 Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 17, 2019 12:53 AM in response to jwilliams_490

Hi jwilliams, i am sorry to hear that.

I was expecting that with the new speaker design of the 16 inch model the issue would have been addressed.

So we can conclude that many 2018 and 2019 models are affected. As someone suggested in the commends of my YT video this may have to do with the Cirrus Logic codec - interface in conjunction with the audio drivers.

My question now is why the popping noise has variances in volume from one laptop to another. Many 2019 stock laptops i tested in the stores do this but it's barely noticeable, while in my case it is loud enough to distract me.

So Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro line 2 times this year and didn't even try to solve this. Fingers crossed...

Take care and please inform us about the outcome of your case.

dimitrios212 Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 18, 2019 5:53 AM in response to dimitrios212

Here is a second video i made, where you can see this issue in action while working with a video editing program, in this case Final Cut Pro X:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptiAy9z7xrI

This is where it gets really bad...

Nov 19, 2019 11:19 AM in response to imacproX

I have the new 16" MacBook Pro and the issue is still there. The speaker pops on closing Youtube videos and on pressing an arrow key while one is playing. I went to the Apple store today where they have 3 of the new computers on display. I played with Youtube on all 3 and at least one of the three had popping. Can't rule out the other two as it was so noisy in the store I could have missed a soft pop.

mshaw

Level 1

8 points

Nov 21, 2019 5:49 AM in response to dimitrios212

Brand new MacBook 16 inch has the same issue. 35 minutes on the phone with apple support for them to determine it is a "hardware issue" and I need to bring in the laptop to be "repaired or more likely replaced." So $3,000 later you can have a macbook with a keyboard that works but the speakers won't be reliable....

dimitrios212 Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 22, 2019 5:20 AM in response to gymnast79

Hi Gymnast79. Yes it can be really annoying inside FCPX. As i can hear the 16 inch model's speakers produce a pop with some extra low frequencies compared to the sound i am hearing on my 15 inch unit, maybe due to the new speaker design. The symptoms are exactly the same.

ROMMGM

Level 1

4 points

Nov 23, 2019 2:20 AM in response to dimitrios212

Just bought the brand new 16" MacBook pro. Loud click when searching through any audio, but only on the laptop speakers. No issue when headphones used, so clearly a speaker issue. Impossible to work with as a sound professional. Real shame as everything else seems great.

Nov 26, 2019 12:14 AM in response to dimitrios212

A workaround for this issue on Catalina (works on the 16 inch too) is to launch QuickTime, then select file, new audio recording.

No need to start it recording, but just leave it open in the background. It will eliminate the popping on all apps using audio. It does tie up your recording input, though.

dimitrios212 Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 26, 2019 3:46 AM in response to Christopher_AppleJacks

Hi guys. I can confirm that this trick works in both Mojave and Catalina. Although as Christopher said, the recording input is tied up and i am sure that this workaround will affect battery life also. So it's safe to use it for now but don't settle down, keep pushing Apple to fix this.

Nov 27, 2019 3:24 PM in response to dimitrios212

I have the same issue on my 16 inch macbook pro, just talked to support and was contacted to the senior advisor, currently sending him audio files and he said he might send that to the engineering team, i think it is important to contact them and show them that this isnt an isolated case and should be fixed

JanD000

Level 1

8 points

Nov 28, 2019 12:03 AM in response to dimitrios212

My Macbook Pro 16" made clicking sounds (like an old fashioned hdd) on the first boot sequence. Since then the sounds became quieter, now they are (almost) gone. When I stop/start video playback I have the popping sound though.

mshaw

Level 1

8 points

Dec 2, 2019 10:37 AM in response to david_b75

When I spoke to them it was a hardware issue requiring replacement. I have an in person support appointment Friday to do just that. Did they give you any idea of when this fix would be rolled out or point to any public statement about a software solution?

Dec 4, 2019 7:58 AM in response to fernando-pacheco

If you can afford waiting to see what happens, I'd suggest you return it. You don't know how long they'll take to release the fix, or if it will truly fix the problem. If it didn't, you'd have to take it to have the hardware fixed, etc.

dovydask

Level 1

13 points

Dec 5, 2019 10:32 AM in response to mcindefinido

It seems that a lot of laptops are affected. I have returned my 16" one as it had this issue just to get a new one with the same issue... There are people on 3rd replacement and still experiencing speakers popping. I tried latest Catalina 10.15.2 beta and it's still not fixed there, disappointing.

MacBook Pro 2019 Speakers are making pop sounds