toggle

AAPL Stock: 493.42 ( 0 )

Mac OS X 10.4.10 brings 'popping' sounds

updated 11:10 am EDT, Mon June 25, 2007

OS X update brings popping


Apple's latest system update, which brings Macs running Mac OS X Tiger to version 10.4.10, appears to either uncover or cause a strange 'popping' sound in some of the company's desktop and portable systems. Afflicted users who experience pops at various intervals as well as just prior to sounds playing have flocked to Apple's own support forums seeking answers to the annoying issue, which has thus far affected Intel-based Mac minis as well as Intel-based iMacs and Apple's Intel-based laptops. Several users even report problems with older G5 systems, although these reports are far less frequent.

Experienced forum posters surmise that the popping, which is usually noticeable when affected Macs are connected to external speaker systems, could be caused by sound sleep behavior. One workaround discovered by forum-goers is to leave iTunes running at minimum volume in the background, thus preventing the Mac from putting its audio to sleep.


by MacNN Staff

print
email
(9)

TAGS :

 Apple

Related Articles

Recent Articles

toggle

Comments

  1. growlf

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2007

    0
    06/25, 11:46am | report spam | Reply |

    Ahhhh....

    I thought I was going insane. Initially I thought my HD was dying (MacBook), then found if I muted my system, the clicking stopped.

    This is a bit annoying, but at least I'm not alone.

  1. MacDan2004

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Dec 2004

    0
    06/25, 12:05pm | report spam | Reply |

    Yep-same here

    The Mac is indeed putting the sound to sleep. This causes a popping sound on external speakers when the sound turns off and a popping sound when the sound comes on just before the Mac makes legitimate sound through the speakers.

  1. hayesk

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Sep 1999

    0
    06/25, 12:06pm | report spam | Reply |

    sleeping sound chip

    It sounds like it's agressively sleeping the sound chip. This would happen a lot on older Mac laptops. It would pop when it is woken up - i.e. when a sound plays.

  1. robttwo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2005

    0
    06/25, 12:39pm | report spam | Reply |

    Ahhhh...sleep

    It does seem like a sleep issue, and Apple has all but admitted that already.

    Im just glad the dominant issue for this upgrade is something like this, and not a major security goof like we often see on other well-known OSes.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0
    06/25, 02:49pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: ahhh...sleep

    Im just glad the dominant issue for this upgrade is something like this, and not a major security goof like we often see on other well-known OSes.

    Like what goods on other well-known OSes?

    You mean like OS X.3, where installing that new version killed people's firewire drives? Or the iTunes update that deleted every file on the disk? Yeah, you're right, that's too old. Must be something else.

  1. Gee4orce

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Dec 2000

    0
    06/26, 04:22am | report spam | Reply |

    At least that's all it is

    I just changed my speakers, and was convinced that this was a 'feature' of the new speakers. I'm actually glad to hear that it's just a software issue. This is actually a regression - Macs used to have this problem way back in 10.2 or 10.3 days.

    Hope they fix it soon...

  1. Beansmaster

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2007

    0
    06/26, 10:30am | report spam | Reply |

    Possible solution ...

    My brother had this problem with his intel Mini and it was solved by opening the audio devices pref. pane and selecting the external output. I did not have this problem on my intel mini but I am using the optical out. I would be curious if someone could switch from the analog out to an optical out and see if there was still a problem. My bet is the answer would be no, but it would be interesting to know the answer.

  1. Guest

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

    0
    11/13, 03:39pm | report spam | Reply |

    Even in Leopard

    I just bought a white MacBook with Leopard and indeed it has those annoying popping sounds when connected to external speakers.

  1. Guest

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

    0
    08/17, 07:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    Leopard clicks

    Same clicking here, and I find it quite annoying. Would it be possible to adjust the delay time before sound goes to sleep state? It's 30-60 seconds now, could be around 10 minutes or something.

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

10 Most Read

Recent Reviews

Logitech Cube

The world of mice could often be described charitably as stagnant: it's an endless sea of ergonomic shapes that assume you're sitting ...

NewerTech and Targus USB Hubs For Gifts

A useful holiday present to resolve an ongoing frustration is a multi-port hub. Whether as a stocking stuffer, Chanukah present, or an ...

X-Rite ColorMunki Photo

Color calibration is the art of tweaking your monitor so that the colors represented on screen better match real life and your printer ...

toggle

Most Commented

10 Most Discussed

 

Popular News