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

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,030 points

Dec 12, 2022 6:25 AM in response to phipag

I have an LG 5K display (27") and it is silent. My router is about 5' away but not sure that would make any difference.

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Dec 12, 2022 7:59 AM in response to tbirdvet

I think OP’s referring to a router with WAN connection to a 5G cellular network, not landline ISP.

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Dec 12, 2022 8:01 AM in response to phipag

That makes sense. Switch to fiber landline at the first opportunity - 5G is flaky, also more power intensive, weather sensitive, etc. etc.

Dec 19, 2022 4:08 AM in response to -Bubba-

Thank you, that was helpful. It's important to know how to make sure they get official feedback, so that they get it as much as possible.

Dec 19, 2022 4:19 AM in response to -Bubba-

/would like to delete this comment

Jan 10, 2023 11:01 AM in response to marcosatanaka

I just tried Mario's solution but unfortunately the buzzing noise has not stopped at all.

I've tried both with the power adapter pugged and unplugged. No difference.

stillcd

Level 1

14 points

Sep 26, 2022 4:56 PM in response to Ryan Roberts

I have the exact same issue as well, with some additional findings to report. Like others have mentioned, the noise goes away completely when I set brightness to 100% on the display. I have had two units in my studio, both with the same problem (one from Best Buy in the US and one from the Apple Store online). Now, here's the interesting thing that I haven't seen others mention or notice. I'm using mine in a music studio environment, and I'm getting a hum through my speakers (not the Studio Display speakers, but separate dedicated studio speakers) that only occurs while the Studio Display itself is buzzing. If I set the brightness to 100%, the buzzing on the ASD goes away, and the hum in my speakers goes away as well. Speakers are connected to a Furman PL-8C power conditioner, and the ASD and Mac Studio are connected to a Cyberpower CP1500PFDLCD on separate outlets. It sounds to me like a ground loop type of hum that's coming through my speakers. I tried purchasing a Morley Ground Loop eliminator from Sweetwater in the hopes that it might break up some kind of ground loop caused by the Studio Display, but sadly this did not resolve the issue. I think there's definitely something going on with the power supply in the Apple Studio Display; probably related to poorly shielding or something.

Sep 24, 2022 2:25 AM in response to Ryan Roberts

Same problem here.

This is my second unit. My first do NOT have this issue, however this one does.

The sound is driving me nuts.

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High-pitched buzzing sound/noise with Apple Studio Display