How to Fix Cracking and Popping Sound ?

Last year I bought my most expensive mac ever, 16'' with 1TB SSD, 64 GB RAM, Intel Core i9 2,4 GHz, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M.

• Sound Problems

My problems first started while running simulator on Catalina, I have a daily meeting in Google Meet so when I left the simulator on I got the most disgusting popping sounds while my colleagues were talking (I do think that if I leave it it will **** out the speakers if they are not already). 

Ok simple fix, quit the simulator and restart the audio, I even did a Automator app for it. But now with big sur I am angry, the problem doesn't go away with a simple restart you need to wait ~5 minutes after closing the simulator (I am not even sure if it is connected to the simulator anymore). This means that I cannot use my Macbook for the DS, I join from my iPhone and use it for just viewing. My AirPods 2 aren't working of course while using it's microphone on the mac, it works on the iPhone. Btw I tried using wired headphones, the popping persists.

Once I tried to do a screen recording of an app on the device through QuickTime while listening to music, the popping was even worse! Do not try it!

• Overheating Problems

When connected to a second monitor the fans start turning like crazy and I actually cannot keep my finger above the touch bar because of the heat. First I tried to lift the Macbook from the desk using a cardboard box, didn't help so I stopped using my not expensive monitor ...

• Conclusion

I am a mac user for the past 8 years. This Macbook is my most expensive and worst experience with an apple product. Cannot use the AirPods on it (works on everything except macs), cannot use a monitor for it (except a small iPad, maybe), the sound on this one is great when it works, but it usually doesn't. I am very disappointed in Apple and I am not sure if I would continue to be one of their "pro" users, but I hope that at least the sound problems would get resolved ASAP!

Hi, everyone. I have the same problem here, only when running Xcode (simulator). I have a MBP 13.3-inch, 2020. I have tried some way to fix it but noting happen. Here are what I tried:

(1) Big Sur 11.0.1 + Xcode 12.x (Include beta version) ❌
(2) Big Sur 11.1 Beta + Xcode 12.x (Include beta version) ❌
(3) Big Sur 11.0.1 + Xcode 11.7 ✅
(4) Catalina 10.15.7 + Xcode 12.2 ✅

And I have no idea. Pless fix it.

I have a 16" i9 MacBook Pro. Never had any issues with Catalina but as soon as I updated to Big Sur audio issues started. Pops and clicks when playing/stopping a sound are horrible. Specially for my line of work, as Music Producer / Audio Engineer.

Please fix this ASAP.

Little update.

I went to an Apple store and listened to some sounds on the MacBooks that they had for sale.
Tested a MacBook Pro 16" and a brand new MacBook Pro 13" M1.
Both the units had Big Sur installed and had the same audio issues.

So either this is a software issue, or the entire Macbook line-up has some serious problems.

This is not acceptable, I paid 5 thousand dollars for a machine that doesn't let me do my work. Fix this!!!

I had the same problem with MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), BigSur 11.0.1 (20B29).

I can reproduce the bug:

• start playing a youtube video

• start XCode Version 12.2 (12B45b)

• navigate to any SwiftUI preview

• sound starts clicking after preview is generated in the XCode

I have no clue why SwiftUI rendering has any relation to cracking sound.

This fixed it for a while:

Code Block 
sudo launchctl stop com.apple.audio.coreaudiod && sudo launchctl start com.apple.audio.coreaudiod

I'm experiencing this same issue on my M1 MacBook Pro running Big Sur 11.0.1.

I know no one wants to see just another report, but I am experiencing this on a 2020 5k iMac with Big Sur 11.0.1.

Anything super intensive = audio crackle.

Also having this issue. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) on Big Sur 11.0.1 (20B28)/Xcode 12.2 (12B45b). I'd be shocked if Apple hasn't observed this internally. I opened a feedback request for this, FB8939085.

I thought I was the only one. I have a maxed-out mac mini and AirPods max headphones. Thought Apple was pulling the battery card again but this time with Bluetooth connectivity. My headphones work fine until I run "XCODE" apparently which I hadn't thought would be an issue

I have found that if you keep the sound preferences pane open (but hidden is fine) the issues go away. If you switch to a different systems preference pane, or close it, they come back.

For what its worth, I also have this issue with Catalina 10.15.7 (19H15) and XCode Version 12.1 (12A7403). My issue occurs when I start debugging a swiftUI preview or run a simulator.

Version 11.1 of Big Sur fixed the popping sound problem for me.

Same problem here with MBP 2019 16''... Especially when using logic pro... this is extremely disappointing from a 4k$ macbook...

I'm on my 2nd Macbook Air M1 2020 with this problem. I returned the first one thinking it was a random defect, but the 2nd unit came with with exact same issue! It only impacts the left speaker in both of my cases, and it's very noticeable at certain frequencies!

This is so ridiculous.

Same problem here- cracking sound in whatever I listened to.

But it did indeed disappear when I closed Xcode...

Please fix this!