Level 1

27 points

High-pitched buzzing sound/noise with Apple Studio Display

I'm experiencing a very annoying high-pitched buzzing sound with my Studio Display, I've spoken to others on Twitter who also have the problem and I've had Apple support on the case but nothing was resolved.

Here's what I know:

It's not the fans, it's a distinct (and very annoying) sound that emanates from the rear area of the display, roughly where the power supply is positioned.
It only happens when my MBP (M1) or iPad Pro are plugged in to the display.
Plugins the MBP into a charger and the display doesn't help.
It's not the power extension, I've tried a power line conditioner and every power socket in the house (regarding power, I'm in the UK) without success.
I've tried unplugging everything else in the house to rule out line interference.
This is my second display, Apple support actually advised not returning this one because it's unlikely I've had two faulty units.
Here's the weird one… the noise more often than not stops in the evening, roughly around about 7pm. No annoying noise after that 🤔
I have an electric car with a charger built into the house power supply, when the car is plugged in and charging the Studio Display's noise becomes excruciatingly high pitched and loud. Due to this I charge the car over night these days.

Here's a video of the sound, it's hard to pick up so you may need headphones. Ignore the background noise, the high pitched tone should be audible. In real life it's much more obvious and very annoying.

The only thing I've not managed to try is using it at another property.

I'm 90% certain the display is picking up interference from somewhere and amplifying it, maybe through the house power circuit but I can't be sure. Someone I spoke to believes the PSU is poorly shielded but I have no idea if that's true either.

I've been trying to pin down the cause of the possible interference but so far no luck. I have a feeling it may be coming from a neighbour or somewhere outside of my property due to the fact the noise stops in the evening, maybe a neighbour is switching off whatever is causing the issue?

I'm posting this here in case anyone else is experiencing the same issue because it's incredibly frustrating.

Studio Display

Posted on Jun 9, 2022 1:39 PM

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phipag

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Nov 18, 2022 1:36 AM

I conducted some tests as read users of the LG UltraFine Display complaining about buzzing sounds when a Wifi router was standing close the display.

I have a 5G Wifi6 router. After moving it a few meters away from the Apple Studio Display and disabling Wifi6 (using Wifi5 only now) the noise seemed to disappear. Can anyone else with a Wifi6 router confirm that this works?

... this is annoying though because the speed is dramatically slower on Wifi5 than Wifi6.

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53 replies

Jan 10, 2023 6:55 AM in response to marcosatanaka

Really interesting Marco, I'll give it a try as soon as my Studio Display will start buzzing.

My buzzing patterns btw are incredibly constant: Monday and Tuesday evening each week. I've also tried disconnecting each appliance/light in the apartment discovering that they are not affecting the buzzing at all. Moreover I'm using an APC EMI/RFI filtered power plug and that too is not helpful in avoiding the buzzing of the Studio Display.

The buzz itself is really strong and behind the display you can ear it loud and clear even at a distance of 3m from it.

For a monitor that I've payed 1.799€ it's a shame.

Jan 11, 2023 3:44 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

same problem....

with both macbooks i tried (16" m1max & 14" m1pro)

it is annoying. whenever its possible i work with the built in 16" macbook display instead of connecting it to the bigger studio display. thinking about a return

kikicn

Level 1

8 points

Jun 25, 2022 12:17 PM in response to Ryan Roberts

我在中国我遇到的问题和你一样，尝试更新到最新的显示器固件Version 15.5 (Build 19F77)。情况依旧已经和我apple联系反馈过这个问题

-Bubba-

Level 6

10,734 points

Aug 14, 2022 12:54 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

Apple doesn't routinely monitor these forums. You need to submit feedback if you want them to know - Product Feedback - Apple

Aug 14, 2022 12:56 AM in response to evgeny24

I don't think its coil whine. It's most likely a shielding issue with a cheep capacitor apple has sourced.

Aug 14, 2022 1:10 AM in response to -Bubba-

Everyone please email apple on the matter then. They need to fix this.

Jun 11, 2022 9:31 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

I have the exact same issue, but you kind of lost me there when you talk about your car and stuff. I lived in China, and just normal apartment. mines much more louder than you, and I connect it to my M1 13inch MacBook Pro. I haven't try it with 16inch nor 14inch, so I have no clue.

Aug 4, 2022 6:45 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

I'm having the exact same issue with my M1 mac studio. I use it 10 hours a day for work and it gets draining to hear this constant ringing. Took it to an apple store and they said there is no fix and Apple hasn't released a statement about it yet. Pretty disappointed, since it wasn't a cheap system.

Aug 12, 2022 3:27 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

Same issue here, 1 week old Mac Studio Display and the issue presented on the second day of using it. The electrical buzzing is so irritating, it gives me headaches after one hour of constant high pitch buzzing. Utterly disappointed in such an expensive display, why haven't Apple recalled these units?

Spoke to a member of customer services, they seemed unfamiliar with the issue, and said I should return it to store...have they seen the size of the box?

Aug 12, 2022 4:28 PM in response to Ryan Roberts

Thanks for sharing this. I have the exact same problem :( The Studio Display is picking up interference from charging my electric car. The loudness of the interference is proportionate to the current being drawn by the car.

Aug 13, 2022 5:27 PM in response to James Palmer3

This is so upsetting. How can apple just do nothing. This is a premium product that clearly has a fault. Apple needs to have a recall and need to fix this. I’ll see if I can lodge a case with the department of fair trading on the matter.

Aug 20, 2022 1:37 AM in response to evgeny24

Would you mind sharing the video here too? Also please update if you hear anything back from Apple. I have a similar problem but with my Mac Studio, same noise same story (also someone said earlier that he has a similar noise with his Mac Studio). It drives me crazy.

WHA0077

Level 1

8 points

Sep 12, 2022 7:26 PM in response to Ryan Roberts

Exact same issue here. I returned the monitor the same day I bought it due to the buzzing noise. When you file for a return online at the Apple Store they do not ask the reason, so Apple will never know that's why.

Oct 14, 2022 10:36 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

Same probleme here.

Got my Monitor for almost 3 Days.

The buzzing noise comes around 7pm - continously - it won't stop. Its quiet annoying - im sitting 1m away from the screen and I get a bad headache from it. I returned it - I hope to get a good one...

The funny thing is during day - no problem - it starts around 7pm.

I can't figure out the source of the interference.

So sad - its such a nice monitor!

Oct 29, 2022 4:30 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

My Apple Studio Display has low buzzing sound when connected with my M1 MBP
The sound is very low but becomes more audible, when the CPU is under load.
The buzzing can be compared to the sound that a hard disk makes when you read/write. It sounds and behaves exactly like a hard disk when you access or load something.
This sound only occurs when my M1 Macbook Pro is connected to the display via one singular thunderbolt cable.
As soon as i plug in the macbooks own power supply, the sound vanishes.

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High-pitched buzzing sound/noise with Apple Studio Display