TrueRTA Quick Sweep WITH Sound Card Calibration (self test of E-MU 0404) Below is a Quick Sweep measurement of a high pass filter created by inserting a 470 pF capacitor in the test loop. When loaded by the input impedance of the sound card the series capacitor forms a high pass filter with -3 dB frequency at around 300 Hz.
Every day is a great time to listen to your favorite tunes and some truly sick beats on your MacBook Pro. Out of the blue, however, you may find that your trusty laptop sounds unwell. Songs and videos coming from various apps and browsers, for instance, might sound terrible.
Audio issues aren’t at all a rare occurrence for MacBook Pro users. Users online have documented their issues with the MacBook Pro speaker, where they encounter a sizzling noise, speakers crackling, or a popping sound straight from the machine.
Here’s a quick guide to navigate these strange sounds coming from the MacBook Pro speaker and recover the good listening experience you’ve had before.
Weird Noise on MacBook Pro: Troubleshooting the Problem
That weird noise on MacBook Pro can be caused by many different things, such as damaged or blown speakers, audio settings gone wrong, or a temporary issue that you can resolved when you reset the PRAM and SMC. After Apple released the MacBook Pro with a new feature known as Touch Bar back in 2017, forum users shortly came out to complain about a popping sound – their common denominator was owning the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, albeit bought at different times and with various manufacturing dates.
It’s important to properly troubleshoot the sound problem to identify whether it’s caused by hardware or software, or if it’s merely a system update that can tackle the sizzling or popping sound. First, determine if it’s the speakers or the audio settings at fault. Plug in your headphones and start listening to anything with sound. If the sound comes across as clear on the headphones, then that means the problem is related to software. Blown speakers, for instance, may crackle at high volumes.
If your audio woes happen only while you play specific songs, videos, or other files, then it’s likely that the files are corrupted or suffer from low quality. If the problem persists, too, even if you listen from a CD or DVD and not directly from your hard drive, then you can proceed to troubleshoot the sound settings.
Before you try one of the fixes we provide below, make sure to always keep your MacBook Pro in tiptop shape by diagnosis your system regularly, cleaning out junk, and eliminating space hogs using a reliable Mac repair tool.
How to Solve Speakers Crackling and Other Audio Issues on MacBook Pro
Here are some methods you can try to solve the sound problem on your machine:
Checking Audio Preferences
Expect audio issues when the speakers on your laptop are set incorrectly in the preferences. Follow these steps:
- Unplug all external devices from the USB, FireWire, as well as 3.5 mm audio ports.
- Open System Preferences, and then click Sound > Output tab.
- Choose Internal Speakers as the default option. If there are no other options, choose Internal Speakers to ensure that the option is selected anyway.
- Slide the Balance slider left or right while audio is playing in order to test if just one speaker’s not working right. If the problem happens while the slider’s all the way in either direction, then it means one speaker is damaged and needs to be repaired.
Reset your PRAM and SMC
Reset your Parameter Random Access Memory (PRAM) and System Management Controllers (SMC), which you can do by booting your computer while you hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys simultaneously until you hear two chimes. Here are specific steps:
- Shut down your laptop.
- Turn it on again using the power button. Immediately press and hold the Command + Option + P + R keys. Wait until you hear the startup chime twice.
- Reset the SMC by shutting down your laptop, making sure that the power cable remains plugged in.
- Simultaneously press and hold Shift + Control + Option on the left side and the power button for five seconds.
- Release the keys and turn off your computer.
Installing macOS Updates
Some Mac OS X users reported hearing their speakers crackling after the 10.4.10 update, even though their speakers weren’t at all broken. To address this, update your OS to its latest version in order to patch any audio issues. Your audio woes might not be the result of your last update, but getting the most recent update just might be key to solving them.
Final Notes
Audio hiccups on your MacBook Pro can be totally annoying, but can signal a more serious problem as well. Electronics that produce a sizzling sound when electrically connected, for one, should be a red flag. It’s important to unplug it if it persists, remove the battery, and contact Apple support for assistance.
Wireless Speakers For Mac
Otherwise, if you’re able to troubleshoot the problem more clearly, then you can try one of the three solutions we provided above and see if it successfully fixes that weird noise on your MacBook Pro.
Do you have the same problem? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
DOWNLOAD NOW!
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.How often is it that you can get something for your systemfor nothing? Almost never. Below are six of our favorite free pieces ofsoftware that we think every audio enthusiast should download and try out. FromCD ripping to improving your ability to critically listen, this list hassomething for everyone. Enjoy, and let us know if you have any othersuggestions by posting in the comments below.
1.Exact Audio Copy
Exact Audio Copy, or EAC as the cool kids say, is theSwiss Army Knife of CD ripping, copying, and burning. The goal of this program,as the name suggests, is to rip audio from a CD without adulterating the file.It does this through jitter correction and read error detection. When rippingin “secure mode”, EAC reads every audio section at least twice, or relies onextended error information that some drives are able to return with the audiodata. Let’s say there is an error while reading a disc, the program willre-read up to 82 times, compare the results, and give you the best copypossible. If the program is less than 99.5% sure the audio stream is correct,it will alert you with a read error. Beyond accuracy, the program is endlesslycustomizable while still managing to be easy enough to use for the less-technicaluser.
Exact Audio Copy
EAC can save the ripped files in uncompressed WAV format,and supports external MP3, WMA, flac and OggVorbis encoders. It can alsodecompress some files back to WAV. There are a host of other features, like CDwriting, pre-track gap detection, and metadata editing. If you are looking totake your CD collection and turn it into a digital library, EAC is the way todo it.
2. TT Dynamic Range Meter
We’ve written about compression and the loudness war foryears (see: CurrentTrend in the Recording Format Arena and CDCompression Depression for two examples), and we’re not alonein our frustration. The Pleasurize Music Foundation created TT Dynamic RangeMeter with the goal of fighting the over-compression of music. The programtells you the dynamic range of songs, so you can find out if you have justpurchased a quality recording or not. One fun use of DR Meter is to compare differentreleases of the same song or album. The program is incredibly easy to use,simply select the track or folder you want analyzed ... and that’s it. It takesa few seconds for the program to spit out a number telling you the dynamicrange of the album or track. It can also create a log file telling you thedynamic range of each individual track if you scan an entire folder. Accordingto their website, a DR of 7 “is low for rock music or very low for Jazz, [but]it is quite acceptable for electronic club music which has nowadays oftenvalues below DR4. All values above DR12 have generally a high dynamic quality.”
DR Meter Offline DR Meter Log Sheet
DR meter comes in two flavors, what they call an offlineversion (pictured above) and as a foobar2000 component. For those of you who are wondering what foobar2000 is, checkout our MusicPlayback Software Comparison. If you do decide todownload DT meter, we encourage you to sign up andsupport their campaign to end the loudness war.
3. Room EQ Wizard
Room EQ Wizard, or REW, was one of the original room andloudspeaker measurement systems available to the home theater enthusiast. Oncesetup properly, it’s a joy to use. Actually, I find it much more intuitive thanOmnimic, a costly alternative. REW is packed with useful features, the mostprominent being an SPL meter, RTA, waterfall plot, and spectrogram. REW canhelp you figure out the best placement for speakers, listening position, andacoustic treatments. Figuring out how to use all of the functionality packedinto REW can be a little tough at first, but there is a large online communityto provide support.
RoomEQ Wizard
Like we said, once up and running, REW is a powerfulpiece of software. However, getting it up and running can be difficult, andresults can be inaccurate depending on the quality of measurement equipment youare using. You will need to invest in a microphone, cables, tripod, andexternal soundcard (external soundcard is optional). You may also needsomething like the NadySMPS-1X phantom power supply for the mic, depending on thefunctionality of the soundcard you purchase. If you are willing to spend someextra time during setup and invest in decent quality measurement gear, you willbe rewarded. For people who want a more seamless experience, kits from Omnimic or XTZ(review in progress) come with everything you need and work right out of thebox with little to no setup.
4. Harman How to Listen
This is the only program we know of that is designed toimprove your critical listening abilities. Originally created to train Harmanemployees, it has been made available, for free, to the public. It’stechnically still beta, but it has been that way for a number of years, sodon’t expect an update anytime soon.
![Speakers Speakers](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126039915/786487790.jpg)
2 Band Test 24 Band Insane Test
The program works by asking listeners to identify how atrack has been manipulated. For example, the image above-left shows a verybasic Band ID exercise. The user can switch be an unaltered “flat” version ofthe song, and the modified “EQ” version. The goal is to identify which of thetwo Eqs shown is being applied, number 1 or 2. The tests become increasinglydifficult. Above-right is an image of the most difficult Band ID test theprogram has to offer. As you can tell, the tests become very difficult. Thereare a number of different training exercises, including reverb, coloration, andnoise. If you become tired of the tracks that come with the software, you caneven upload your own to demo.
5. Audio DiffMaker
Have you ever made a change to your system and wonderedif there was any actual change in the sound? Let’s say you just spent $3,800 perfoot on a Audioquest WEL Signature power cable,and you want to know if that made any difference, audible or not. That’s thepurpose of Audio DiffMaker. You record a reference track. This can be done with a mic to capture the actual sound output from your speakers, or using various other methods to capture the audio output from a device. Next, make the change inthe system, and then record a compared track. The software compares the twotracks and extracts the difference.
Diffmaker Screenshot