Serpento

Q: 27" Cinema Display Sound Issues

My apologies for posting about an issue that has already been covered but I think it is important to highlight what seems to be a pervasive issue with this otherwise awesome display.

Like others, mine worked b-e-a-utifully out of the box. A few days into it however, the sound stopped. I have tried the "unplugging for 15 seconds" trick and it is a temporary fix. I also tried, at the suggestion of Apple Supports, restarting the computer and holding down the command, option, "r" and "p" keys simultaneously until you hear two beeps. That is also a temporary fix.

I want to echo the advise to call Apple Support every time this happens to ensure this issue gets the attention it deserves.

Apart from this very annoying issue, this is one sweet display. I watched Avatar on it the first night just to test it out. I only intended to watch a few minutes but ended up watching the whole thing. Terrific! Of course that was when the sound worked.

Mac Pro Intel, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Oct 11, 2010 12:10 PM

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Q: 27" Cinema Display Sound Issues

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  • by datajerk,

    datajerk datajerk Dec 5, 2010 9:51 AM in response to gr2020
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2010 9:51 AM in response to gr2020
    Hmmm... I also have my iPhone, as well as a 7-port powered USB hub connected. I just moved the iPhone sync cable to the hub and the hub to my MBP. If I can go a week, then I know it is a 'fix'. Thanks.

    Update: The initial latency when adjusting volume seems to have gone away. Only time will tell.

    Message was edited by: datajerk
  • by erikmh,

    erikmh erikmh Dec 5, 2010 10:02 AM in response to Serpento
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2010 10:02 AM in response to Serpento
    Interesting. I, too, am using a 7-port USB hub (Kensington) connected to the monitor. I've been thinking all along that this feels like a USB-type problem, but I hadn't followed through with attempts at varying my setup.

    I've been seeing the problem only once or twice per week, so it'll take a while to prove the negative -- but I'll start now, too, by not routing any of my USB peripherals through the monitor.
  • by El Louis,

    El Louis El Louis Dec 5, 2010 12:37 PM in response to erikmh
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2010 12:37 PM in response to erikmh
    I'm also using a hub.

    I'll try to plug it on the Mac.
    Not sure I have a long enough wire.
  • by El Louis,

    El Louis El Louis Dec 5, 2010 12:58 PM in response to El Louis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2010 12:58 PM in response to El Louis
    The hub is now connected to the Mac.
    My keyboard is still connected to the cinema display.
    My mouse is connected to my keyboard.
    Let's see what happens.
  • by Mitch 751,

    Mitch 751 Mitch 751 Dec 5, 2010 7:04 PM in response to C Barclay
    Level 6 (11,544 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 5, 2010 7:04 PM in response to C Barclay
    I am not using any USB hub nor connect any USB device on the back of the Screen.

    I have run the iTunes for quite long hours with no problem, not until I try to play a media on BBC web, the problem came back.

    Surprise, why it has to be the BBC web, flash causing it ???

    Message was edited by: Mitch 751
  • by theBigD23,

    theBigD23 theBigD23 Dec 5, 2010 7:16 PM in response to Mitch 751
    Level 1 (29 points)
    iOS Apps
    Dec 5, 2010 7:16 PM in response to Mitch 751
    I just have a USB dock for my iPhone connected to it, but my iPhone is rarely plugged in. I do remember having this problem before plugging in anything to the USB, do I doubt that is it.

    People have had success with the issue going away for about a week and then it comes back.

    Going with my own experience and reading other posts, this is not something that deleting some files on the computer will fix:
    -it happens on Windows
    -even if the sound is working, the up and down volume keys are sluggish, much more than they should be. I can easily compare as I have a 24" LED connected as well.When the sound goes out, it will become unusable.
    -everything that users on this forum and other have tried, the issue comes back
  • by yfdt,

    yfdt yfdt Dec 5, 2010 7:35 PM in response to theBigD23
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2010 7:35 PM in response to theBigD23
    Amazing how much time and effort we all wasting while blindly troubleshooting this. This is not an open source community-driven project where we would have all the means and motivation. This is consumer product with $1K price tag. It is Apple's job to troubleshoot and fix it.

    Though Apple support simply stops communication and ignores emails after wasting some of out time with gathering data and making us replace the display at least once. That what was my experience at least. Does not seem that anyone got it any better on this thread.

    IMHO the only thing can help here is putting more pressure on Apple by creating more visibility for the issue. Shall we start copying our support email threads to Steve Jobs? Maybe Jeff Willams? Popular Apple-centric blogs?..
  • by Mitch 751,

    Mitch 751 Mitch 751 Dec 5, 2010 11:41 PM in response to yfdt
    Level 6 (11,544 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 5, 2010 11:41 PM in response to yfdt
    2 problems happened today with my machine, so I took a look at Console, and it showed


    06/12/2010 10:59:57 AM com.apple.BezelUIServer[867] Mon Dec 6 10:59:57 Mitch751-Mac-Pro.local BezelUIServer[867] <Error>: kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSGetDisplayBounds (display 424b8a4)

    06/12/2010 3:09:40 PM com.apple.BezelUIServer[2783] Mon Dec 6 15:09:40 Mitch751-Mac-Pro.local BezelUIServer[2783] <Error>: kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSGetDisplayBounds (display 424b8a4)

    Anyone understand this message ? Anyway, I trashed the com.apple.BezelUIServer file and see whether it helps
  • by Adam Wright2,

    Adam Wright2 Adam Wright2 Dec 6, 2010 4:47 AM in response to Serpento
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2010 4:47 AM in response to Serpento
    Another user with the same sound problem here - brand new 27" Cinema, otherwise lovely. Running off a Mac Pro, with keyboard, iP(hone|ad) and external USB disk plugged into the monitor. Sound just cut off this morning on waking from sleep. Power cycling the display has fixed it.

    Hopefully, we'll get some resolution soon!
  • by CityRocker3000,

    CityRocker3000 CityRocker3000 Dec 6, 2010 9:28 AM in response to Adam Wright2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2010 9:28 AM in response to Adam Wright2
    Same issue here... Love the 27" cinema display but the sound issue is very annoying.

    Bought it the day it came out here in France. The sound keeps stoping after 2 days on average. The workaround of unplugging everything, works fine (even without a system restart - just unplug the entire monitor for a few minutes).

    However, I have discovered issues regarding the integrated isight camera as well. When the sound is not working and I use Skype with headphones but also the in the monitor integrated isight I get error messages and the calls cut randomly off. I expect it therefore to be an internal cabling/usb issue but hope APPLE can fix this with a software update...
  • by Adam Wright2,

    Adam Wright2 Adam Wright2 Dec 6, 2010 12:25 PM in response to Adam Wright2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2010 12:25 PM in response to Adam Wright2
    Had the problem again a few hours later, so called AppleCare. They said the issue is on a "capture" with their senior engineers, meaning they're aware of an issue and are trying to work it out. The people I spoke to had never heard of the problem before, and thought it might not affect every display, so are sending me out a new one no questions asked.
  • by bieci,

    bieci bieci Dec 6, 2010 4:20 PM in response to Adam Wright2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2010 4:20 PM in response to Adam Wright2
    Same issue. Two audio blackouts in the same day. I love my 27" but this audio problem is very annoying.
  • by yfdt,

    yfdt yfdt Dec 6, 2010 4:57 PM in response to bieci
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2010 4:57 PM in response to bieci
    Some good news here. Got email from Apple engineer saying that the software fix is in testing and will be available through software update shortly. No dates given though.

    Take with a grain of salt, as I got it 10 min after another support engineer said that it is definitely hardware issue and my only option is to take it to the Apple Store to diagnose. (yes he new that I already replaced one ACD)

    Still something to feed dying hope.
  • by erikmh,

    erikmh erikmh Dec 6, 2010 7:06 PM in response to Serpento
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2010 7:06 PM in response to Serpento
    That's great news, yfdt!

    FYI, I already have results from my don't-plug-anything-into-the-monitor's-USB-ports experiment: the worst instance yet (for me) of the no-sound problem.

    Even after unplugging the power from my monitor, I couldn't seem to control my laptop's volume. After unplugging the various USB devices connected to it and after quitting each of my applications one at a time (testing between each), I finally discovered that the volume function keys on the keyboard were having an effect -- it's just that there was no graphic indicator presented on the screen. (And by that time I was no longer running anything that produced sound, of course.)

    So I'm not sure when in the process the sound actually began working again -- but it did not return to normal immediately when I unplugged the monitor. That's a first.

    Hopefully, that one engineer knows what he's talking about, yfdt, and we'll see something before too long...

    Message was edited by: erikmh
  • by theBigD23,

    theBigD23 theBigD23 Dec 6, 2010 7:56 PM in response to yfdt
    Level 1 (29 points)
    iOS Apps
    Dec 6, 2010 7:56 PM in response to yfdt
    It would be odd for a support person to send an email stating a fix is in testing by flat out lying, so let's hope it comes out soon.

    For people just starting to read this board, the fixes the patch should/hopefully will fix are:
    -Volume Up/Down keys sluggish *even when the sound is working*.
    -Audio completely cutting out on both Mac/Windows using Boot Camp & Parallels. The only way to bring it back is to unplug and plug the monitor back in. Deleting plist files, etc will still not permanently solve the problem, whether it is in 1 day or 1 week, the audio will cut out again.
    -USB errors in Console when using Up/Down volume key and before/after audio cuts out.
    -Internal video camera and Mic cutting out and not working in certain situations.

    Please add if I'm missing anything.
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