My MacBook Pro 2018 version speakers are crackling.

Hello. A few days ago I got the new MacBook Pro 2018 15in version. I’ve noticed since yesterday that my MacBook Pro speakers were crackling randomly. I’m not sure if since this is a new release that there are bugs in the software or if it’s an actual defect. Because before yesterday, I haven’t experienced this issue. I resetted the NVRAM and did a diagnostics test with no issues. After about 10 minutes of use that’s when it does it. Then stops. I think I might hopefully but not hopefully have to get it replaced since it’s under the warranty still. I did nothing to it. So this is dissapointing to me.

Posted on Jul 17, 2018 10:42 PM

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291 replies

Aug 5, 2018 3:04 AM in response to IdentifiedGamer

Bende aynı problemi yaşıyorum ve ** soruna çözüm olabilecek bir deneme yaptım.
Sizlerde denerseniz işe ne kadar yarayıp yaramadığını görelim.


1- "Hey Siri!" dinleme özelliğini kapatın.
2- SMC Resetleyin.


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I have the same problem and have made an attempt to solve this problem. I can see how much it works for you.

1- "Hey Siri!" Turn off the listening feature.

2- Reset the SMC.

Aug 6, 2018 1:57 PM in response to MikeSanc

I get a different repetitive sound sometimes(half a second echo), like a microphone feedback crackling. But I had yours as well. If I stop the audio source(youtube) the echo repeats 3-4 times then stops. Restart solves the issue momentarily.

Have you found any permanent solution. Does a replacement unit solve the problem ? Mine started doing this the first day after using it.

Aug 7, 2018 3:29 AM in response to IdentifiedGamer

I have the same problem with my 15" MacBook Pro 2018.

Disabling Hey Siri does nothing for me.

It must be software, because when I reset Core Audio the problem goes away for some time before it comes back.

Really annoying. Apple should fix this or take back these models and put in a different sound card if it's a hardware issue.

Unacceptable for a €3000+ computer.

Aug 7, 2018 10:21 AM in response to jotapeh

I have a workaround that is much faster when you want to fix the audio temporarily.

Open Audio/Midi configuration, select the audio source you're using atm and set a different sample rate. It will clear the buffer in Core Audio, which basically has the same effect as restarting it. It's much faster and Logic doesn't have to think about it.

Aug 7, 2018 12:24 PM in response to IdentifiedGamer

The problem sounds like a conflicting audio sample rate clocking issue. I noticed the problem started immediately after running one audio program at 44.1 and launching a second one that was running at 88.2


In other answers i've seen that users are selecting a different sample rate in the audio preferences and the problem stops possibly due to the audio clock is reset when you select a different rate. What is interesting is that for some users such as myself, the noise starts after 30 minutes of use. Possibly an audio extension running simultaneously at the same rate but drifting, which would explain why it takes a while for the noise (starting with clicks and pops which is a symptom of clock drift, then distortion) to become noticeable.


on my previous MacBook pro I also don't recall being able to use the speakers if anything was plugged in to the headphone jack. It seems that the running of multiple audio streams (possibly due the new T2 chip) is causing some issues since there might not be any prioritizing of sample rate..


just theories, but I'm looking for solutions too

Aug 9, 2018 2:44 AM in response to IdentifiedGamer

I’ve been having this issue too. Thought I was the only one until I just read an article linking to this thread.


At first I only experienced it using the internal speakers, and the only solution was to stop listening for a while, restart or switch to headphones. Then one day I was using Logic (previously I had only had the issue with iTunes and youtube, and Konstantin in stand-alone mode with headphones and started getting the same buzzing noise over the headphones. Each time the buzz occurred I got an error message for a sample rate conflict. I can’t remember exactly what I did, so this probably won’t be very useful, but I think I switched some sample rate settings around in the Audio Midi Settings utility, and it seemed to stop it.


Usually it would happen randomly after a few hours, but after that I didn’t experience it for two days of solid use with the internal speakers. Since then I have mostly been listening through an external interface which the problem never occurred through.

Aug 10, 2018 6:48 AM in response to macuser0410

I had a call with Apple Support this afternoon. He had me run through Diagnostics, reset SMC and reset NVRAM.

For my machine, the Diagnostics did not detect any hardware issues (ADP000).


The support personnel also asked to see if I can hear the crackling noise when I'm using my earphone. For some reason, I could not hear the noise when I was using my earphone. After disconnecting the earphone, the noise seem to go away for awhile (though it came back some time later).


The support personnel also sent me links to running Diagnostics, resetting SMC and NVRAM. I realized he gave me incorrect instructions for resetting SMC (for MacBook Pro 2018) so I tried the whole process again. So far, I'm not hearing any crackling noise. But I doubt this will hold as some of you have already encountered the problem after performing this process.


I'm keeping my hopes up as it has been 22 days since I bought the MacBook Pro and I do not want to set up new machine again (unless the replacement is the only way to solve the problem).

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My MacBook Pro 2018 version speakers are crackling.

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