Buzz noise/Feedback when using headphone jack with MBP

[lukin]

Wow that's unacceptable. My crappy old IBM let's me listen to cd's without any static/hissing. My Dell let me listen without any as well. So my newly ordered MBP (first Mac) can't let me listen to static free music through the headphone jack?

Off to bad start. I listen to headphones all day long at work on my laptops. This may actually be a cause for me to return it if it's as bad as it seems.


--EDIT--
I realized this was for the previous gen.

 

[Sky Blue]

Wow that's unacceptable. My crappy old IBM let's me listen to cd's without any static/hissing. My Dell let me listen without any as well. So my newly ordered MBP (first Mac) can't let me listen to static free music through the headphone jack?

Off to bad start. I listen to headphones all day long at work on my laptops. This may actually be a cause for me to return it if it's as bad as it seems.

Is it still an issue on the new models?

 

[lukin]

Whew. I double checked the dates in the thread and they were for the last version.

I got frustrated and didn't check. Thanks for setting me straight!

 

[rising j]

Okay, so it's not a "fix" but it will make the buzzing go away. Get a simple volume controller (or attenuator), something similar to the Shure EA650 Volume Control available on Amazon (Radio shack has a cheaper generic version that does the same thing). Plug it in, crank the volume higher on your MBP, then lower the volume with the volume control. Why will this work? Well basically the volume of the hiss/buzzing coming from the audio output jack is fixed, and cranking the volume of the headphones does not make the hissing/buzzing any louder. By amplifying the sound (and then de-amplifying it with the volume controller) you are effectively increasing the signal/noise ratio so the noise is too faint for you to perceive. You're basically turning the volume down on the buzzing to a point where you don't hear it anymore. Works for me...

I notice a very annoying buzzing noise when using my Shure SE210 earbuds, but don't hear this issue with the iphone supplied headphones. I am sure this noise is present at all times, it's just that the lower quality apple headphones don't pick up this noise because it sits on the outer portion of your ear canal. I love these Shure earbuds and thinking that I may to try out the solution posted above...

 

[CaffeMacchiato]

If there are no such problems on iPod and iPhone (a small device with limited power and space), why can't they solve it on a macbook pro. They are not paying enough attention to details. This problem should be resolved, a few versions ago. Shame.

 

[Wallace86]

umm my MBP just started having the buzzing noise. It's been fine since last spring, now alla sudden it starts having crackling noises throught the headphone jack (and i've been using the same headphones) WTF???

 

[adamfishercox]

my MBP is pretty annoying, when using the built in speakers, they will "pop" when a sound starts if they havent been used in a while. Some electrical sounds w/ headphones, too.

 

[Wallace86]

Okay, so it's not a "fix" but it will make the buzzing go away. Get a simple volume controller (or attenuator), something similar to the Shure EA650 Volume Control available on Amazon (Radio shack has a cheaper generic version that does the same thing). Plug it in, crank the volume higher on your MBP, then lower the volume with the volume control. Why will this work? Well basically the volume of the hiss/buzzing coming from the audio output jack is fixed, and cranking the volume of the headphones does not make the hissing/buzzing any louder. By amplifying the sound (and then de-amplifying it with the volume controller) you are effectively increasing the signal/noise ratio so the noise is too faint for you to perceive. You're basically turning the volume down on the buzzing to a point where you don't hear it anymore. Works for me...

hmm, that actually works. but i feel like a dumbass for spending 2500 on this thing and having to "jerry rig" it to get the goddamn audio jack to work properly. i'll be taking it to the apple store in an attempt to exchange it for one of the new ones here at some point....do u think i have any chance of getting an exchange?

 

[MacGloster]

What fixes the problem ?

Anything that cuts off high frequencies in the signal will solve the problem. The volume controller or attenuator will both cut high frequencies and therefore help. Also some headphones will damp higher frequencies, so that the noise cannot be heard.

If you dont want to spent a lot of money, just follow my instruction from October, 29. With a little bit of soldering an external adaptor the noise disappears.

The only noise that will not go away, is the "popp" when the output is switched off after a few seconds of inactivity of the headphones output.

 

[tdream]

All the above solutions are ridiculous. Apple should just fix the problem as I've never had this problem before ever, in all my years of using laptops and pcs, this is the first time I've experienced this crackling like tuning into a radio station. God awful sound from the greatest laptop ever created according to Mr Jobs. Can't even get the freaking sound right. This is really chaffing my balls as theirs no solution that isn't a mod.

 

[IDANNY]

Has anyone had any luck finding a fix. Or Getting this fixed by apple.

 

[Stridder44]

So I have an early '08 MacBook Pro and my right speaker has been randomly going out over the past week. Anyway, today when it went out my room was completely silent at the time, and I heard a very faint buzz/feedback sound coming from the right speaker, VERY similar to the noise you guys are hearing coming out of your headphones when plugged into the headphone jack (a problem I also have).

I wonder if the two could somehow be linked?

More info about the right speaker going out in this thread.

 

[ihatemypcs]

This might be a dead thread, but I'm raising it from the dead...

I spoke to a audio engineer at the Shure booth a few days ago at MacWorld Expo. I told him how good the SE210 are, and how happy I am listening to music with natural audio reproduction through them. I explained to him how my first-gen unibody MBP makes a buzzing noise every time a new application launches, and the buzzing goes away after a while when the application finishes loading. Aparently this buzzing sound can only be heard only with my Shure SE210, not with my Panasonic, Sennheiser, Creative gaming headsets. I could not hear buzzing on my SE210 connected to the Samsung P3 or iPhone 3GS.

The Shure engineer told me in response, that this issue has to do with poor grounding on the MacBook Pro Unibody in the motherboard. He said there is an adapter available from Shure that will resolve this issue, and that he will gladly send me this adapter as an appreciation for being a loyal customer. I asked him if a "level attenuator" will resolve this issue as well, since Shure once sold them as a volume control accessory to the Shure line of earbuds (E2c, E3c, etc) but are no longer for sale. He said he will send me one of those accessory as well as soon as I sent him an E-mail with my mailing address. I walked away from the Shure booth a satisfied customer all over again.

Please contact Shure for the adapter, or a "level attenuator" that will resolve the buzzing sound when connecting to the MacBook Pro Unibody. Explain to the representative how you love your SE210 and how it's a buzz-kill that you cannot enjoy the natural sound of the SE210 on your MacBook Pro with this ongoing issue, and you might more likely get a "fix" sent to you in the mail for free.

I hope this helps with people experiencing such issue, now and in the near future.

 

[fibrizo]

This might be a dead thread, but I'm raising it from the dead...

I spoke to a audio engineer at the Shure booth a few days ago at MacWorld Expo. I told him how good the SE210 are, and how happy I am listening to music with natural audio reproduction through them. I explained to him how my first-gen unibody MBP makes a buzzing noise every time a new application launches, and the buzzing goes away after a while when the application finishes loading. Aparently this buzzing sound can only be heard only with my Shure SE210, not with my Panasonic, Sennheiser, Creative gaming headsets. I could not hear buzzing on my SE210 connected to the Samsung P3 or iPhone 3GS.

The Shure engineer told me in response, that this issue has to do with poor grounding on the MacBook Pro Unibody in the motherboard. He said there is an adapter available from Shure that will resolve this issue, and that he will gladly send me this adapter as an appreciation for being a loyal customer. I asked him if a "level attenuator" will resolve this issue as well, since Shure once sold them as a volume control accessory to the Shure line of earbuds (E2c, E3c, etc) but are no longer for sale. He said he will send me one of those accessory as well as soon as I sent him an E-mail with my mailing address. I walked away from the Shure booth a satisfied customer all over again.

Please contact Shure for the adapter, or a "level attenuator" that will resolve the buzzing sound when connecting to the MacBook Pro Unibody. Explain to the representative how you love your SE210 and how it's a buzz-kill that you cannot enjoy the natural sound of the SE210 on your MacBook Pro with this ongoing issue, and you might more likely get a "fix" sent to you in the mail for free.

I hope this helps with people experiencing such issue, now and in the near future.

I always use my attenuator that came with my SE530s. It makes an unsightly buldge in the from of my zeroshock though -_-

 

[m85476585]

You can still buy them
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00029U0X6/

The noise has gotten so bad on my multibody MBP that I only listen to music on my desktop PC now. I don't know if the noise got worse or if I just pick up on it more now, bit it's bad at low volume levels. I have Sennheiser CX-300 earbuds.

My Magsafe is also making audible noise, which is definitely getting worse. It is loudest if I am scrolling on a page. (The headphone noise is constant independent of whether the magsafe is plugged in)

 

[b_scott]

confirming that the new 2010 macbooks have no buzzing. another reason to upgrade