If you’re planning on running Windows 10 under Boot Camp on a new MacBook Pro, take note. Reports are coming in about Boot Camp users who are experiencing random, loud pops, and distorted audio after a period of use. The issue can continue when the notebook is rebooted into macOS.
Some users are experiencing a periodic loud pop out of proportion with the volume settings while booted into Windows. The behavior does not manifest in Parallels or other virtual machines. Additionally, users of only macOS on the new MacBook Pro are completely unaffected.
The culprit appears to be an outdated Windows audio driver in Boot Camp. Some users on Reddit and the MacRumors Forum are reporting the pops are physically damaging the speakers. Some users report across the board volume imbalances between speakers, while others have experienced distortion when the volume of the audio is around 50%.
The issue doesn’t seem to be confined to one model of the new MacBook Pro, as there are scattered reports from users of all of the new laptop’s available configurations.
Apple told AppleInsider to have users experiencing the issue to contact AppleCare phone support so the problem can be documented, and then make a Genius Bar appointment to have the machine evaluated for possible repairs.
Some users have resolved the issue by installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver version 6.0.1.7989 drivers, which were released on November 15th. The new drivers appear to fix the popping issues. (It should be noted that the drivers are not Apple approved, and users who install the drivers do so at their own risk. MacTrast is not responsible for any damage to your equipment from installing the drivers.)
In the short term, users who must run Windows via Boot Camp can plug in a pair of headphones or speakers to their MacBook Pro, to bypass the notebook’s built-in speakers, thereby preventing damage.
We’ll keep you posted in this space as we learn more.
