Mac Studio making high-pitched whine

<< I thought it was a defect of mine >>

it may well be a sample defect in your sample (or in yours and comparatively few others).

You may want to ask the Genius Bar your Apple store to listen to it and see. (be sure to make an appointment, they are always busy.)

You also have a 14-day full-value return or exchange, provided you bought direct from Apple.

M1 Max. The whine/whistle is a real thing, is directly related to the rpm of the fan, and is documented here. This video shows exactly what I am experiencing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO07_k3mors

Unfortunately I am out of the return window but I bought AppleCare+. Using a third-party software to lower the rpm to the 1200-1250 range makes the whine mostly imperceptible to me. This is acceptable solution which will give Apple time to investigate, acknowledge, and repair the issue on existing Studios.

Just chiming in that My M1 Max Mac Studio also has this issue, I think it's 'normal', just that some may hear it more than others depending on their hearing and proximity of the unit to their ears.

I tried using the Macs Fan Control app to lower the RPM to ~ 1200 RPM and for me that totally got ride of the slight whistling sound. Note, that at the default fan speeds, I cannot hear the whistling at all when my window is open, it's certainly lower than the ambient room noise in that case. I can only hear it with the window closed and the room totally silent.

I am now on my second Studio Ultra M1. The squeal is still present on the new machine but maybe worse than my original. At 1100rpms it is barely audible and sounds the best at 1588rpms except for a low level fan noise. There is a video by Linus Tech Tips on you tube with a tear down which reveals that apple has at least two different power supply manufactures. The computer is great but the frequency of the squeal is so irritating. I have 14 days to decide.....ugh

I sent my first Mac Studio M1 Max back in April as I couldn't bear the whine. I ordered another one in the hope of getting lucky this time. The new one arrived and it does whine, but significantly more quietly than the last one. I have mounted it under my desk with sound absorbing foam on the two adjacent walls, and I can now live with it. A bit of a nuisance though as I have to crawl around if I want to plug anything in or out.

I have the same problem. Use it 10 hours/day for work, so it gets almost unbearable at times. Took it to an Apple store and they said there is no fix and Apple hasn't released a statement on it yet. Pretty disappointed with their lack of solution, considering it cost over $2000. Honestly, wouldn't recommend anyone buy one until they fix this issue.

Apple support recommended I take it to the store, but I don't have the time and assumed that would be the result anyway. I haven't tried the fan speed app yet. If you cover part of the back grid with your hand, it stops the ringing. But this defeats the purpose of the open airflow. It's some kind of sympathetic vibration. Again, ridiculous. Will likely end up placing the computer in a separate location, but then of course it makes the plugs inaccessible.

Could be from the power supply. From what I have read/seen on YouTube it seems to more associated with 220V input power.

It could be the fans.

I heard with certain RPM, the fans could cause noise thru a harmonic effect or drive bearings defective.

I'd exchange it thru your original purchase place.

Perhaps this link can help?

https://clevercreations.org/what-is-coil-whine-how-to-fix/

m1 ultra with same problem. Goes away at 1100 pro and 1500 rpm. I updated to 12.4 and worse now.

going back to store. Other than that the computer is great!

Mine does have that sound. Only minor air flow that is barely noticeable.