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Speaker Problem
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Berkeley, CA
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I'm having a bit of an issue with my PowerBook speakers...
Lately, when I play a loud noise, my speaker (I think it's my right speaker, but could be both) makes a clicky noise, very similar to the noise that the iSight makes when it focuses. For a while I thought that it was the iSight, but it still happened when the iSight was off. I then thought it might be a bug, but I repeated a sound that causes it, and boom...I hear it again.
Is this normal, because they're small speakers, or what?
This link should play a sound that causes the noise:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...ItemId=1729164
At the 20 second mark, if your speakers are like mine, you'll hear lots of repetitive clicking noises (as "Tradition!" is sung loudly).
Hmm...
Tips?
Edit: Wow! It's horrible in this one:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...ItemId=1729176
Is it something about some sound files that triggers this? I'm definitely not hearing it with most things...but Fiddler on the Roof is one of the albums that apparently gets this noise...
Edit: Experiment shows that it only makes the noise when the volume is higher than about 3 bars below maximum. Also, when the PowerBook is raised off the table, the sound is far less noticable...I think it's coming from the bottom, and the sound waves are hitting the tables and reflecting out.
I'd really like to know if this is just a flaw of the PowerBook speakers, or something the hard drive does...or if my PowerBook needs a fix of some sort (I don't have AppleCare yet, but my 90 day warrantee still applies).
Edit: Okay, it's doing it with many songs now...songs that it didn't do it with before. What should I do about this? I see some dust particles in my speakers...is that a problem? It doesn't seem to be coming from the top, though. Could this be a result of excessively cranking the PB volume up to full volume? It's pretty quiet, and when I'm playing music, it's nice to have it at full volume...I hope I didn't destroy it!
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Last edited by tavilach; Sep 22, 2004 at 03:11 AM.
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"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
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Moderator  Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Jose, CA
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Speakers are rated on how many watts they can handle. Tiny speakers can handle much smaller loads. When you start exceeding the load the speaker can take by increasing the volume, pops and crackles happen. This happens a lot for me with the low bass sounds in some video games on my home stereo (Zelda games have some particularly low bass in dungeons and caves) with my small Cambridge Soundworks speakers. This is not a problem with the speakers. This is completely normal. The best thing to do is simply lower the volume or use headphones. It'll also increase the lifetime of the speakers.
Steve
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
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None of those tracks sound the slightest bit odd.
Do you have the equalizer in iTunes on?
If you've turned up the bass without reducing the gain, your audio is clipping.
turn down the gain in the equalizer.
If you wish to improve the sound through equalization I also suggest the sensible route of REMOVING the offending frequencies, rather than adding desirable ones.
-s*
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Berkeley, CA
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The equalizer isn't on, and the audio isn't clipping. The noise is coming from somewhere on the bottom of my PB...this can't possibly be normal, can it?
The noise is less of a pop and crackle, and more of the strange zippy noise that comes from the iSight when it focuses...
...and I haven't been hearing this sound until recently, which makes me think that something broke.
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"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
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Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Jose, CA
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The only thing I can think of that sounds like the iSight focussing would be the optical drive spinning up or down. This sounds like a stupid solution to what you are hearing, but if you have a disk in there, it may be spinning up when going to listen to songs on the music store. If it's not a pop or crackle, it is not a speaker noise. Eject the disk and see what happens. If you have no disk inserted, could be the hard drive.
Steve
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Originally posted by ibook_steve:
The only thing I can think of that sounds like the iSight focussing would be the optical drive spinning up or down. This sounds like a stupid solution to what you are hearing, but if you have a disk in there, it may be spinning up when going to listen to songs on the music store. If it's not a pop or crackle, it is not a speaker noise. Eject the disk and see what happens. If you have no disk inserted, could be the hard drive.
Steve
Nothing's in the drive...
Hmm.
Ahh!
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"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Madison, WI USA
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Have you tried calling Apple and seeing what they say? If you're still under the 90 day warranty just call them and they'll tell you if its something they can fix or not.
Justin
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AlPB 15" Rev. C (1.5GHz) | 30GB 5G Apple iPod Video | SE S710a
Apple Certified Portable Technician, Apple Certified Desktop Technician, Apple Certified Help Desk Agent
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Originally posted by Mobile Mod:
Have you tried calling Apple and seeing what they say? If you're still under the 90 day warranty just call them and they'll tell you if its something they can fix or not.
Justin
Right now I'm trying to figure out if it's actually a problem.
Plus, I'm in school...I sort of need my computer...
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"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Um...
The noise on "Tradition" is barely audible (perhaps nonexistant), now...and the noise on "Sunrise, Sunset" is still there, but only in the few seconds, and much quieter.
Obviously, then, it's not normal...but why is it going away? Did my speakers just need a break? I'd been blasting them for a while. Maybe my PowerBook needed to be moved around a little? Good dust be the problem?
Oh, so confusing...
Should I take it in?
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"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Live at the BBQ
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Originally posted by tavilach:
Um...
The noise on "Tradition" is barely audible (perhaps nonexistant), now...and the noise on "Sunrise, Sunset" is still there, but only in the few seconds, and much quieter.
Obviously, then, it's not normal...but why is it going away? Did my speakers just need a break? I'd been blasting them for a while. Maybe my PowerBook needed to be moved around a little? Good dust be the problem?
Oh, so confusing...
Should I take it in?
It could be something as simple as debris accumulating on the speaker dome... enough of it can cause nasty noise/distortion.
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