M1 Air - Speaker Crackle (Possibly only with iOS apps?)

[jclardy]

I was able to pick up an M1 16GB Air from my Apple store yesterday and I have been loving it so far. The only issue I'm seeing is a speaker crackle at low volumes (3-4 bars)

From what I've found it I'm pretty sure it is software related and not a hardware issue - when using just Music I don't see the issue. If I have some iOS apps open that use the audio system in some way, the issue is more likely to happen which is why I am thinking it is a software issue. The other time I see it is when the audio is streaming from an internet source. If the file is fully downloaded I don't see the problem (Note the audio plays back fine, there is just a crackle noise on top of it.)

My guess is there is a software problem with the audio bridge from iOS apps -> Mac and using an audio app on "both sides" is what is causing the problem. Anyone else seeing this issue?

 

[batting1000]

The right speaker on my M1 Air seems to pop right before audio starts playing, but only if it’s been a certain amount of time since I last started playing audio.

If I play some audio, pause, then quickly start the audio again, I don’t hear it. But if I play some audio, pause for a minute or so (or more), then start the audio again, I hear it.

I think it may be software too because the tricks I see online for the 16 inch Pro seem to work for me (opening the QuickTime audio recording feature in the background, etc).