Volume drops when listening to Apple Music

So I am not sure if this will help your situation or not but try going to your Preferences > Playback and click on Audio Quality.

I selected Lossless (24-bit/48khz) and the volume is back to normal.

Hope this helps

I found both Sound Check and Dolby Atmos interfered with the volume and had to disable both.

My Macbook Pro is currently connected with Airplay to a BluSound device. I'll have to check with my DAC later.

Hi, I had the same issue today, volume drops automatically while listening in apple music but doesn’t reflect in volume bar. I checked it probably the problem is because I turned automatic dolby for music I turned it off it’s not happening now. Try it, worked for me.

This has been consistent with my experience.

Changing Sound Check status did nothing. My preamp was off, EQ flat—that system was inactive.

I changed streaming to 24/48 lossless (already DLing at 24/192 due to being casual audiophile) and the volume jumped up and hasn't faltered since. This was/is while streaming from Apple Radio mix.

For reference, I'm using a 12" MacBook (2017) running Monterey 12.2.

One of the most annoying problems with Apple Music, and actually one of the main reasons why I am still not cancelling Spotify. I listen to music for hours on end during work, using Airpods Pro and running Apple Music on a 12.1 Monterey 2017 27" 5K iMac. Sound control and Dolby Atmos (which I think is no improvement at all by the way) are off.

What I have noticed is that:

1) I have NO issues when playing the low-end AAC 256 Kbps versions, regardless of whether I have the equalizer turned on or off, BUT

2) when playing either of the lossless formats, I have volume drops when the equalizer is ON, but NOT when the equalizer is off.

So it would seem the equalizer is causing problems. As it stands now, I am forced to play the AAC versions and tweak them with the equalizer, because the "raw" AAC versions frankly suck. Please please please get this fixed. It is annoying as ****.

Sounds like sound check is enabled in the "Riproduction" section of the preferences. Once removed the "verify volume" flag, I don't have the problem anymore.

This still exists and is still very annoying.

I've reported it via Apple feedback but it's been ignored.

Can someone from Apple please acknowledge they're aware and will fix?

For clarity, and this is for the 'sound check' brigade too:

• The problem is that the pre-amp volume level in equaliser kicks in after 5 seconds of playback
• If I disable equaliser then there is no volume drop
• If I change from track to track there is no volume change, only when starting a track from silence
• Sound check is NOT enabled
• This is for locally stored music

Same problem. Annoying. Spent months chatting with support trying things until I gave up. Since, I've found seems connected to EQ function. Affects fullness, not just volume. EQ pre-amp was on and turning off improved. Turning it up/down could exaggerate by lowering pre-amp and reverse by raising the pre-amp. Good luck.

In my case, it was Sound Check.

Actually it wasn't Sound Check. Turning on Lossless fixed it for now. Which Lossless option (that works to fix this issue) consumes the least data?

I agree about the point farmers but you're not accurate about the EQ issue.

In my circumstance, disabling EQ/pre-amp reduction fixes the issue. With my usual -9db pre-amp reduction, this only kicks in after a few seconds on first play and after a pause. Back to back songs stick with the correct pre-amp reduction.

I had the same problem on my M1 and started looking into it when my music suddenly become very low quality, almost like it was mono, especially through my earphones!

I had a look in Music 'Preference' and under 'Playback' . Under Audio Quality I notived that 'Lossless audio' was not ticked.

While playing music I 'ticked' this box and hey presto! Full sound quality in Stereo!

This maybe the problem with the sound drop also. Time will tell. I only went through this step while listening to music through my earphones today while coding.

Hope it helps!

(maybe the answer is below somewhere? I've not checked all answers, but here is what worked for me.)

I was experiencing the same reduced audio on playback in Apple Music with only media I had on my physical Mac. First I restarted, the machine - no change. Then shutdown, restart - no change. Spotify worked fine. Though the, I selected some prior iTunes purchased music and received a dialog stating I needed to reauthorize the machine. Though I was already signed into my account in Apple Music.

After authorizing the computer, the proper volume was restored. Seems There's resistance to playing one's own music without going through hoops. I had properly migrated my machine prior, so do not know when it was deauthorized. Or why.

Exactly, this is the only way I have found to work around the bug - in fact, all that is needed is to uncheck the "On" checkbox in the Equalizer window and check it back on again. But if you stop the track and restart it, the volume returns to its original low level. There appears to be no way to start a track and have it play at the desired volume from the get-go, and after applying the fix you have to wait for several seconds before it takes effect. IMO this is totally unacceptable - why isn't Apple able to fix this bug? iTunes didn't have it, it is specific to Music. Why? I find this infuriating...

I have the same issue. Only along with a pretty drastic volume drop, it also loses quality and sounds muffled.

It is also random, which I can't figure out. Including my own personal music that I created on THIS Mac (M1 MacBook Pro) and uploaded to my distributer.

I have spent HOURS with customer service and was even ghosted on by a specialist that was supposed to call me on a scheduled call, which I'm still not too happy about.

There are things that I have discovered trying to figure it out...

It has to do with the user account somehow. If I create a NEW user account and log into all my Apple ID, it plays ALL the music fine.

But this was NOT a viable solution.

I tried it, but since I have had the same user account that I have migrated from Mac to Mac over the years, it was too frustrating when every time I tried to do something I was having to redo settings and preferences, etc.

Back in my normal user account, the affected songs will drop quality whether streaming or downloaded playing in the Music app.

However... If the affected song is downloaded and is NOT an Apple Music song, but something I actually physically owned and uploaded/synced to Apple Music, then I can go into the Music folder and play that downloaded song in a different player, like Preview for instance, and it plays fine.

So it has something to do with the settings of the Music app on my particular User account.

It also doesn't seam to matter whether bluetooth to my AirPods Pro or Max, or my AirPods Max or external computer speakers wired direct to the headphone out, or using the internal MBP speakers.

If Music could be reinstalled, I'm sure that could be a solution. But it can NOT and I have gone as far as reinstalling MacOS (currently Big Sur 11.5.2) and the Music app on that particular User account is still having issues.

I have given up on the problem but I was just curious as it's been a moth or two since I last looked into it and I just found this thread.

Hopefully this info is helpful to someone and this can get figured out.

I'm also hopeful that Monterey will fix this issue. But it has not been fixed with updates to Big Sur so who knows?