Apple Studio Display has "Choppy Audio" from the display speakers

I'm experiencing similar problems. I have a Mac Studio with two Mac Studio Displays. All of a sudden, the sound started cutting out on the monitors after a few seconds if I played a song in Music or played audio. If I chose the other display in the sound settings, it would play, and then it would cut out after a few seconds. Switch back, audio for a bit, then out. If I choose the audio in the Mac Studio itself, it plays fine (but that audio sucks).

I tried the unplug for an hour approach. One of the two monitors still has the problem. The other does not any more. When I restarted them (and the computer) the one that has audio now playing right, I saw three dots going through a routine when it restarted. The other monitor didn't do that and it's not playing right. I will try unplugging that one again to see if I can get it to be at least temporarily resolved.

I believe this started (for me) when I downloaded the lastest release of MacOS (12.5). There was no update to the monitor firmware and I'm on version 15.5 Build 19F77 like others.

"I saw three dots going through a routine when it restarted."

I think that's the Studio Display startup animation. If your second Studio Display didn't do that, I would assume it wasn't unplugged, so it didn't restart.

Maybe Apple could fix it so the Studio Display restarts any time the mac does, or provide another software solution.

I had exactly the same problem as many others. Choppy and intermittent sound soon after buying the new studio display. Followed the advice here and downloaded first the new mac os update and then the update for the display, which sorted the problem. However today the problem is back. This time sound plays for a few seconds, there are a couple of clicks, and it goes. If I switch to my macs speakers it is fine, then go back to the display, and again it plays fine for a few seconds before cutting out. This happens with any audio - YouTube videos, Spotify, iTunes, etc. This is really bad, considering the amount this monitor cost, and all the publicity about how good the sound is. No good having good sound if it only works half the time, and there doesn't seem to be any further software updates. Anyone any ideas? If this can't get resolved permanently, I will have to consider returning the monitor as not fit for purpose.

Have you tried to unplug the Studio Display from the electricity for a couple minutes? This is what I did to resolve the issue. It seems that the software in the Studio Display sometimes needs to be restarted, and the only way to do that is to unplug it from the electrical supply before switching it back on. Remember that you cannot just restart or unplug your Mac Studio: that only restarts the Mac not the Display.

Guess I should have read the rest of this thread before posting! Yes, turning the monitor off at the mains, waiting, and then turning back on has resolved the issue. Still a concern that these problems are happening in the first place. I assume it will happen again in a few months...

The sound and microphone are not working. If I switch between Mac studio speakers and display speakers then they would on the display for about 30 secs. Mac Studio speakers work.

I have unplugged for about 15 secs and did not fix the issue. I will try for a couple of mins.

This is very annoying as I am meant to be in a zoom meeting, Not what I expect from a £1800 monitor!!

"I have unplugged for about 15 secs and did not fix the issue. I will try for a couple of mins."

Most people reporting a monitor restart by unplugging have mentioned 10 or more minutes off. You should see the three-dot startup animation on the monitor.

Apple released Studio Display firmware 15.5 19F80 today.

Can't tell if anything's changed with the Studio Display.

I left my Mac Studio downloading the firmware in Software Update. When I returned an hour or two later, I was greeted with a message that the Mac Studio had restarted because of an error.

Hi, techies:

FWIW, Studio Display (delivered July 26th) distorted audio significantly. Applied the new firmware Version 15.5 (Build 19F80) last night to no avail. Running OS 12.5 on Studio Max. AppleCare advanced tech had me unplug the display (after shutting down Studio Max). Fix worked for about an hour, and distortion is back. The distortion seems to increase over time; after four hours, it is quite substantial. Hope there's another firmware update. Tech said hardware may need repair or replacement.

I have had the same issue since purchase and tried the latest update from a few days ago (15.5). Made no improvement at all and if anything, it’s worse. Never had it affect Apple Music playing before and now it does. Seriously, they need to fix this.

Thanks for the post. Using Studio Display Build 15.5 19F80 since release and MacOS 12.5 since release on Studio Max. Problem reported to Apple senior tech, who stated this was a known issue. More reports to Apple Support may lead to a quicker resolution.

Cheerio!

I reported the problem a week or so ago to an advanced Apple Support tech, who was to get back to me. Didn't happen yet. I don't know another way to report the problem. For me, it's distorted audio. Interestingly, not present on new Air M2, so it appears that 19F80 FW didn't work (actually seemed to make distortion worse).

I did update to 19F80 and found no improvement. However, I've tried one more power cycle in desperation (unplug display altogether and re plug-in while my Mac studio was still on) and so far the problem seems to have gone. Tried to post this a few days ago, but it seems posting via my iPad logs me out every time and have only just had time to reply on a desktop.

Interestingly, I had an unsolicited automated call purporting to be an apple technician after I used the apple.com/feedback link to report the issue. Sounded like spam, so apologies if it wasn't when I hung up rather than clicking numbers as the message requested!

I guess for those still reporting issues like me after updating, try another power cycle. I'll post again if it recurs, but fingers crossed it's fixed now.