AirPods Pro: Bad Sound Quality on MacBook Pro

DivideByZeroException Said"

"AirPods Pro: Bad Sound Quality on MacBook Pro: Hi there! I'm using the newest AirPods Pro with my MacBook Pro. When I use my AirPods for calls (e.g. Teams, Skype, ...) the sound quality is horrible (really noisy = like the headphones sounded 20 years ago) and my colleagues tell me that my microphone quality is really bad. What can I do? Thank you!"

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Please Provide your Model:

What's the model of your Mac? There are few ways you can troubleshoot this. Some are restricted to certain Mac Processors and to certain macOS.

To find out...

1. Go to: Apple menu
2. Click: About this Mac
3. View: Second Line-Down

What to Try:

A. Reset the Cache:

Applies to Intel-Based Macs Only: Sometimes audio are made that require the system caches to be reset. So, attempt the following by using your keyboard:

• Reset your NVRAM
• Reset your SMC

The intent of the SMC reset (and NVRAM), in this case, is to refresh Bluetoothcaches. With these caches now having being made anew, see if this works as intended. In all, the Touch Bar will now be back its default settings.

B. Try Reseting the Core Audio:

Type the following command in Terminal:

sudo killall coreaudiod

C. Reset the Bluetooth Module:

Applies to Intel-Based Macs Only:

Use my User Tip: Use "Reset the Bluetooth module" to Fix Constant Bluetooth Disconnections - User Tip

DivideByZeroException Said"

"AirPods Pro: Bad Sound Quality on MacBook Pro: My Model: macOS Big Sur (11.6.3) MacBook pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) 2.2 Ghz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 16GB 1600 Mhz DDR3 Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB"

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Troubleshooting the Microphone:

Thank you for the info. All looks top-end (quad-core CPU, and 16GB RAM). Being a 2014 MBP, this, however, would be now 8 years old of a device. So, I would first try reinstalling the macOS*. If no difference, then take this in to a AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider) to get this serviced**.

*Reinstalling the macOS:

Nothing would be lost. It's just that misplaced items would be placed back to where they should be and corrupt system files would be replaced by clean files. Go Here: Reinstall macOS - Apple Support. Use the third bulleted method: [command + r]. As mentioned above, prior to the reinstallation, to prevent data loss, be sure to Back up your Mac with Time Machine, prior to the reinstall. The goal is to reinstall to reinstall the microphone drivers.

**Contacting an AASP: 

Also, take this to an AASP (Apple Authorized Service provider), asking for assistance.

1. Go Here: Find Locations - Apple Authorized Reseller
2. Click: Service & Support
3. Enter: your location information
4. See: if there is an AASP nearby
5. Contact: an AASP that shows up, and find out more about the services that they offer to fix the Mac's microphone hardware.

I had the exact same issue and struggled for months and even replaced the entire laptop along with 3 pairs of aripods. Tried all the tricks in the suggestions .. nothing worked. Come to find out it was the Logitech MX Mouse and Keyboard I was using. If you are using any other non-apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse try unpairing them and restarting your Mac. It worked for me... Hope it works for you as well!! I haven't had any issues since.

Bottom line is: there's a fundamental problem with all of them and Ap[ple needs to sort it out! It's no good asking customers to fix it by hashing up a temporary fix at their end. These should be Plug n Play for the eye-watering price.

YES FINALLY! the SOLUTION for me was to turn off the Logitech MX mouse. It was the culprit. As soon as you remove the mouse from bluetooth devices on your mac (check other Logitech or other third party bluetooth devices) - the airpods started working just fine, same as on iphone.

so please guys report this to Apple cause its still their responsibility - even though the culprit is a third party mouse it should not happen!

Hello,

I always have problems with the microphone quality of the Airpods Pro when using video conferencing programs like Zoom or Teams. The attendees say that I get a choppy sound.

I have tried everything and there is no solution. The problem first appeared with macOS Monterey, as with the previous operating system I never had any problems using these headsets. I thought it was a Monterey bug but we have had three updates and none of them have solved this issue.

It is true that by overriding the headset microphone and activating the computer microphone all the problems disappear, but I do not think it is the optimal solution for a high-end equipment as it is supposed to be.

For the moment I still use my wired headphones, with which I have no sound quality problems.

Best regards,

Diego

OMG, I was seriously bummed about how rubbish the mic was when connected to my mac.

I've swapped from bluetooth to using the Logitech Unifying Receiver for my MX mouse and now calls on my laptop work perfectly. 🙌🏽

Hello everyone,

I think I have found the source of the problem. It all has to do with the noise suppression algorithms that third-party video conferencing programs have, and which seem to be incompatible with the AirPods Pro.

I have tried disabling both options in both Teams and Zoom, and I no longer have problems holding teleconferences using those headsets.

Concerning Zoom, the total disabling has the problem that it also removes the gain control. But setting the suppression level to "Low" is enough for the AirPods Pro not to be a problem.

Regards,

Diego

I can second this, my airpods pro works normal with iphone (not the best audio quality for calls, but still) and everybody says I'ms sounding downright awful when I make a Facetime call from my macbook Pro (16" Intel core i9) all updated Monterey. Apple please fix this!

I had a similar issue with my AirPods Pro paired to MBP 16" M1 Pro. After switching the Sound Input from AirPods Pro to MBP Microphone, quality improved slightly. When a system's microphone is in use, the sound quality usually takes a hit. Found that Shazam Application on my system was constantly utilising microphone, and quitting that fixed the quality issue.

Check if any applications are using microphone, then modify the preferences accordingly and give it another shot.

Hope this helps :)

I have exactly the same problem. Pretty shocking considering the cost of these. It sounds like the compression goes down to 8 Bit.

Thank you for this!! I've tried everything else conceivable.

Unfortunately, it's not just 3rd party software. When I answer a call both the audio and the mic crushes the bitrate and it sounds terrible.