Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Having MacBook Pro speaker problems? You’re not the only one

By David Matthews Published May 10, 2022

The 2021 MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops Apple has released in recent years, but it seems even the best has flaws. A number of owners are complaining of audio issues, which are being described as a popping or crackling sound during audio playback.

The issues aren’t consistent and happen randomly while songs, video, or other audio sources are playing. Specifically, the popping is more pronounced at higher volume levels or pitches.

Apple MacBook Pro side view showing keyboard deck and ports. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Most complaints are coming from Apple’s own community forums and on Reddit, as reported by 9to5Mac. It’s not just hearsay though — Digital Trends can independently verify that our review unit also suffers from the same audio issues. Bass frequencies in particular seem to rumble and shake the speakers.

Recommended Videos

Most of the complaints are from the built-in speakers. However, at least one person experienced crackling noises even while using Apple’s AirPod Max, both plugged in and over Bluetooth.

Theories abound as to the exact reason for the audio issues. It seems to be a software issue related to MacOS’s kernel interaction with the “coreaudiod” process. Some Reddit users recommended killing the process via the Activity Monitor. When the process starts back up, the issues should disappear.

Some have noticed that the popping noises tend to happen when the laptop is completing CPU-intensive tasks. One user has even resorted to using their own monitoring equipment to send data to Apple.

Apple has yet to officially comment on it other than advising owners upgrade to the latest version of macOS. That seemed to help some, but others are still experiencing issues. Older MacBook Pro models from at least 2017 also seem to suffer from the popping and crackling noises.

Understandably, many people are frustrated at Apple’s lack of response, especially considering the newer MacBook Pro models start at $2,000. For that kind of money, you’d expect a certain level of urgency to ensure software bugs are fixed.

The MacBook Pro audio problem isn’t the Mac-related issue of late. Tests on the M1 Max MacBook Pro and Mac Studio confirmed that machines aren’t getting the full Thunderbolt 4 speeds. The front I/O ports on the Mac Studio were egregiously slow compared to the rear ports.

Hopefully, Apple addresses this soon through a software update, though who knows when that’ll happen, since this has been an issue for years.

Former Computing Writer

David is a freelance journalist based just outside of Washington D.C. specializing in consumer technology and gaming. He has…

Topics

Computing

The best screenshot app for Mac just became a screen recording powerhouse

CleanShot X already made screenshots easy. Now it wants to make screen recording and editing just as painless.

CleanShot-X-version-5-running-on-Mac

CleanShot X is the best screenshot app for Mac. It's one of my favorite Mac apps, and I've already covered all its features in a previous article. The app just received its 5.0 update, and it's such a massive release that I had to write about it.

CleanShot X already had a built-in screen recording feature, but it was pretty bare-bones. With this update, the app has grown into a proper screen recording studio. You can now record your Mac's screen, edit that recording, add zooms and backgrounds, and do a whole lot more without ever leaving the app.

Computing

Apple has some big changes planned for the Apple Store experience

Apple Fifth Avenue store

Apple spent much of the last decade trying to make its retail stores feel like more than places to buy an iPhone or get a Mac repaired. Now, some of those ideas are being reworked as the company prepares another major update to the Apple Store experience.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to accelerate renovations across its retail network over the next several years. New and upgraded stores will reorganize online pickups and Today at Apple sessions, bring back dedicated Genius Bars, and phase out the giant video walls found at many locations.

Computing

The best password managers for 2026

have i been pwned owner uncovers 13 million plaintext passwords leaked from free webhost is a safe password even possible we

Passwords are still a fact of digital life, even as passkeys slowly start to change how we sign in to our accounts. Apple, Google, and other platforms have also made their built-in password managers much more capable, giving people more options than ever for keeping track of their credentials. A dedicated password manager still has an important advantage, though: it can bring passwords, passkeys, two-factor authentication, secure notes, and shared credentials together across the different devices and platforms you use.

The best password managers also make good security habits easier to maintain. They can generate unique passwords instead of leaving you to come up with another variation of the same one, flag compromised credentials, and make it easier to share access without passing passwords around in messages. For families and people who regularly move between operating systems, they can be particularly useful, while privacy-focused services offer another reason to look beyond the tools built into your phone or browser.