volume fluctuation on macbook air

@PlotinusVeritas

Moin! Du meinst: "It is a known issue among a relatively small group of AIRs" - was bedeutet, dass es nur eine kleine Gruppe von Mac Book Airs betrifft. Kann eigentlich nicht sein. Hierfür ist keine logische Erklärung möglich. Entweder ist eine kleine Gruppe von Hardware defekt oder das Betriebssystem ist inkonsistent und hat unterschiedliche Treiber bei gleicher laufender Versionsnummer. Apple sollte hierzu mal Stellung nehmen.

Mein Tipp: Ein Teil der Audio Hardware ist defekt und nun versucht man mit einer Softwarelösung das geradezubiegen. Das passt zu meiner Erfahrung, denn das Austauschgerät hat die selben Probleme.

@PlotinusVeritas

Hey there! Quote: "It is a known issue among a small group of AIRs Relatively " - which means that it only affects a small group of Mac Book Air. May not actually be. For this no logical explanation is possible. Either there is a small group of defective hardware or the operating system is inconsistent and has different drivers for the same current version number. Apple should take time to comment this offically.

I think: The audio hardware is defective and Apple tries to straighten it with a software solution. This fits with my experience, because the replacement device has the same problems.

I also have this problem with my MacBook Air 1,7 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, 256MB SSD.

The computer is brand new (received it a few days ago). The volume goes slowly down and up again. This is continuing while I watch a video. I have experienced this in Flash-based videoes.

I really hope that I don't have to return it, but that it will come an update to fix it instead.

Vegar Mikalsen

The same ESPN clip that exhibits violent volume fluctuations in OS X plays just fine in Windows 7 via Boot Camp, so it most definitely is a software issue.

@Dr. Daniel, M.D.

(...) plays just fine in Windows 7 via Boot Camp, so it most definitely is a software issue.

Tested it the same way with no problems. Ok - But this runs out to a hen-egg problem. The Sound-Hardware may have problems with the OSX driver (or elsewhere with OSX) or runs fine with the Windows driver ?!? Let's hope for an Update on OSX ...

😊

I noticed this problem a while back and posted then, I've noticed that some day it seems to be worse than others, I dunno what's with that.

Also, I asked at my local Apple Store (Manchester Arndale, U.K.) and the Genius team had never heard of this issue before, advised me to reset my PRAM (noted in this thread as not working) or to reinstall OSX, which I believe someone said had worked for them but I'm not too sure.

Regardless, the problem isn't a "known issue" amongst all Apple stores and neither have Apple indicated they're trying to fix it. I hope something comes out soon though because its really starting to grate on me. I don't want to have to return this because I know a replacement will just do the exact same thing.

Also since I got the "Back to School" giftcard with my purchase I got this BOOM app people are raving about, and while it is a fairly decent app and does make the problem somewhat better, it DOES NOT FIX IT ENTIRELY (at least for me). When my volume is full it does indeed seem to make the problem go away somewhat, but when I have the volume lower when I'm going to sleep for example, the problem returns. It seems to occur when someone stops speaking and hence the volume drops, when someone starts speaking again after the volume then won't return to its previous level, as though its being limited or compressed too much.

I think everyone has decided its a software thing at this point because I can't imagine what hardware issue would make only speech drop in volume after a section of silence, it really does seem like there's some kind of limiter software running in the background which isn't set properly. I hope there is a fix soon, I am getting close to booking it into the store so I can prove I'm not completely crazy!

Working deductively on the issue since:

A: this occurs on only a relatively small number of AIR s , and not on all of them.

B: it is confirmed the issue isn't present running Win bootcamp on the AIR

C: the issue is countered and patched via installing BOOM which overrides the OSX limiter software instructions for driving the speakers as far as gain and imput ......(obviously a power saving feature of the OSX which is overridden by the BOOM software installation countermand).

Then D:

The only logical conclusion is that the FAULT lies in the variance of the speaker assy. Tolerances for input power. ......Therefore the OSX software commands are running at the edge of perfect tolerances for input gain on the speaker assy. which can vary plus or minus, thereby causing a limited number of AIRs to experiences this issue.

A very minor tolerance input variance wouldn't quantify as a "hardware issue", rather the OSX instructions for driving the speaker assy. , for sake of power saving....., are running too close to the edge of speaker input tolerances.

@olliemilne

> but when I have the volume lower when I'm going to sleep for example, the problem returns.

> It seems to occur when someone stops speaking and hence the volume drops, when

> someone starts speaking again after the volume then won't return to its previous level,

> as though its being limited or compressed too much.

Exacly that's it. Same with 2 new Mac Book Air ...

@olliemilne

> Regardless, the problem isn't a "known issue" amongst all Apple stores and neither

> have Apple indicated they're trying to fix it.

The Geman Hotline knows the problem (18.07.2013) but doesn't know if it gets fixed with a software update.

PlotinusVeritas wrote:

A: this occurs on only a relatively small number of AIR s , and not on all of them.

You don't know that.

C: the issue is countered and patched via installing BOOM which overrides the OSX limiter software instructions for driving the speakers as far as gain and imput ......(obviously a power saving feature of the OSX which is overridden by the BOOM software installation countermand).

Nonsense. "Countered and patched"?!?! This makes no sense. Patching would be what you'd be doing in Cupertino to the source code of Mac OS X before building it and releasing an update. That's not what BOOM does.

"OS X limiter software instructions" again, is semantical nonsense AND UNFOUNDED. You don't know that. There's no "software instruction" to limit anything. And BOOM is itself a limiter, which is why it seemingly (to some people) "fixes" this bug. On the contrary, it further ***** up the audio, this time making everything loud.

"Obviously a power saving feature of the OSX" — again, TOTAL NONSENSE, completely unfounded, and in all logical respect idiocy. And, again, there's no "software installation countermand" (We Are the Borg) in BOOM, it's a crappy app that applies compression and limiting to all audio on OS X. STOP PROMOTING IT.

Then D:

The only logical conclusion is that the FAULT lies in the variance of the speaker assy. Tolerances for input power. ......Therefore the OSX software commands are running at the edge of perfect tolerances for input gain on the speaker assy. which can vary plus or minus, thereby causing a limited number of AIRs to experiences this issue.

A very minor tolerance input variance wouldn't quantify as a "hardware issue", rather the OSX instructions for driving the speaker assy. , for sake of power saving....., are running too close to the edge of speaker input tolerances.

<Edited By Host>

Yeah, none of what PlotinusVeritas said is definite, known truth, its just a theory (one that makes sense considering, with a few leaps of faith...)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when using a good set of headphones, after I listen to something and then wait a seconds, I can hear a very faint "pop" sound and a background hiss that is so quiet I didn't notice it until it goes, goes. So I think there's definitely some kind of speaker/sound limiter at work on the MBA which kicks in when there's no sound input for a few seconds.

That's fine, its just that it seems to be working incorrectly and kicking in in some way when the gaps in human speech cause the audio level to drop. I can't say the sound going quiet after a period of inactivity and this volume issue are related, but it does seem to show there's some software running in the background which affects the speakers. What I can't figure out (or any one else here!)is why the volume drop only happens when using the laptop speakers.

Also its good to hear that at least some Apple support staff are aware of the issue. I may consider taking this MBA into my local store so they can see the problem first hand. I wouldn't accept a replacement though, as it seems everyone who had this problem in here and got a replacement ended up with the same issue again. It definitely seems like a software issue, I just hope they're working on it. If its some battery saving measure, I'd gladly take a small loss in battery life for the issue to be fixed, I'm already getting insane battery time on this thing!

I humbly accept my host edit (that last bit was over the line), and apologise for the outburst. I've just seen two, three or four pages of repeated promoting of BOOM by PV, and gotten increasingly annoyed by it.

I think it actually makes sense to try to apply some compression to the speakers, pushing the volume up. The speakers aren't very loud to begin with (and this year, definitely less loud than the ones I had before — the 2011 MBA ones), and personally I would wish there was some kind of boosting I could apply to my iPad when watching certain titles on Netflix through the built-in speakers.

And I definitely agree that this seems to be the most plausible explanation. Some kind of software logic is being applied, but obviously it's not very sound logic 😉

And if so, I'd wish Apple for once would let this be a choice for the user to make, not some secret "most-people-like-this-so-screw-the-rest" thing. I'm looking at you, Mr. No You May Not Turn Off The Internal Display Without Closing The Lid, You'll Just Have To Buy An External Keyboard And Touchpad.

So behold...salvation is here..Or is it..? 😕 (fingers crossed)

"and an issue which may cause audio volume to fluctuate during video playback"

I just installed the update. At this point I am crossing my fingers.

FIXED FOR ME!!! YAY APPLE

Yeah, SW update 1.0 seems to have fixed my audio. 😁

Well done Apple, well done!