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Media (Apple) Businesses Media Apple

'Pop' Between Tracks In New iPod 111

Posted by pudge from the pop-goes-the-ipod dept.
joesao writes "The new iPods released last week seem to have a problem that causes an audible 'electrostatic pop' between all tracks played on it. The effect is not imaginary, as it has been witnessed by many users over at the Apple discussion forums. Now, one user has actually published a sound sample recorded the iPod's playback and the verdict is in: it's real. I hope this is a firmware issue and that it's quickly fixed ..." I just ordered a new iPod. I wonder if I should cancel my order.
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'Pop' Between Tracks In New iPod More

'Pop' Between Tracks In New iPod

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  • Kneejerk Reaction (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Nathan Ramella ( 629875 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @04:45PM (#5894897) Homepage
    I really get sick of seeing this commentary in the headline. Can't you guys just post the story and be done with it? The arbitrary slanted comments like 'Should I cancel my order?' or 'Wow, Microsoft did it again!' or 'Well, Linux won again, who would have guessed it!' are most likely accompanied with shit-eating grins of self satisfaction knowing that the world is safe once again for your point of view. Mod me down, but I'm really growing tired of the lack of objectivity.

    You ever think that Apple might do the right thing, fess up to the problem and fix it for free to anyone who's effected?

    • I agree. I don't know if it's Pudge getting in a kneejerk reaction or if he simply didn't read the article. There's an audio file on there with an example of the 'pop' that you can download and listen to. If he doesn't like the pop, he doesn't have to order. If it bothers him a little but he decides it's worth the risk, he can order it. If it doesn't bother him at all, why is he even asking the question? It's called "making a decision."
    • You ever think that Apple might do the right thing, fess up to the problem and fix it for free to anyone who's effected?

      Judging from past experiences, no.

      They certainly didn't do that for the *thousands* of faulty Airports. They put underrated capacitors in the airports, causing them to stop working.. did apple fix everyone's airport? Or did we all have to read that tutorial on how to replace the capacitor (requiring soldering, and cutting out some space out of the airport to fit the larger, correct c

      • Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:5, Informative)

        by krel ( 588588 ) <krellNO@SPAMmac.com> on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @10:55PM (#5898056) Homepage
        That Airport issue was easily remedied by calling apple, explaining the situation, and getting a free replacement. I didn't know what the problem was until I opened the case up and voided the warranty, but it was a simple matter of walking across the street to the local radio shack, picking up 2$ worth of capacitors, and soldering them to the leads of the previous ones. I didn't have to cut out any holes in my airport to make them fit, and they've worked without incident ever since. But your bitterness is unfounded, as this iPod issue is very likely a software issue, and Apple doesn't charge for firmware upgrades.

      • Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:5, Informative)

        by sg3000 ( 87992 ) * <<sg_public> <at> <mac.com>> on Wednesday May 07, 2003 @08:32AM (#5900067)
        > Judging from past experiences, no.

        My experience has been otherwise.

        With the first generation iPods, Apple originally had a 90-day warranty. However, they later increased the warranty to a full year, and they grandfathered all the iPod owners to this period.

        I had a 1st gen iPod and it quit working after about 10 months (apparently, the first iPods could have a problem if you didn't keep them charged, they wouldn't turn back on). I went to the Apple Store, and they replaced the unit at no charge. No muss, no fuss. The replacement has had no problems, and I've had no such problem with my 10 GB iPod either.

        Apple realizes that good customer service is not only the right thing to do, but it also pays dividends. I just bought a 17" PowerBook, something I would have been loathe to do if Apple had nickle-and-dimed me on the iPod.

        So if the new iPods do have this problem, I suspect the answer is a quick firmware update. Or they'll replace the unit. Of course, I'd just go down the Apple Store, and listen to a real unit. Maybe the problem is with bad encoding or a corrupted track.

        P.S.: I have a 1st generation AirPort, too, and I have yet to have a problem with it.
        • I agree, I bought an 800 mhz flat panel iMac. within 6 months, I start getting continuous kernal panics when i boot, and at random times. I bring it in to my nearest apple store. They diagnose that its the mainboard gone haywire, and replace it (an $800 value) free of charge. 2 weeks later, that board goes south too, again they replace it free of charge. So really,apple got maybe $400 in revenue from the computer, less if you include the labor (its a beast to get those things open and get the mainboard
      • They certainly didn't do that for the *thousands* of faulty Airports. They put underrated capacitors in the airports, causing them to stop working.. did apple fix everyone's airport.

        I have a 1st Generation Grey AirPort and it stopped working about a year after I got it. I took it down to an Apple store and had them look at it. The guy confirmed that it wasn't working, checked the serial number against a list of affected units, and handed me a refurbished AirPort immediately. No questions asked. That

    • There's always ZDNet [zdnet.com]. if you don't like /. Even better you could enjoy Thurrott's exciting Supersite [winsupersite.com]. You know, the internet is full of sites... hudreds of thousands... sick of one... vote with your feet (or mouse).
      I dwell /. and like it *because* it's a souped up interblog... and *I* love M$ bashing, bought a Mac and like to hear *biased* news and for once feel like someone who digs Britney Spears entering a media store ;-)
      • vote with your feet (or mouse).
        But that would eliminate his cherished sense of persecution!
        I dwell /. and like it *because* it's a souped up interblog
        True.
        and *I* love M$ bashing,
        I hate it. But it's more fulfilling to tear down faulty logic than to whine about "kneejerk reactions".
    • Yeah, God forbid somebody should express their own opinion on their site. Did you just get here? Slashdot has always editorialized in its stories, and if you don't like it, read another site!
    • You're reading way too much into an offhand comment. If Pudge has any objectivity issues, it has to do with his idolatrous love all things Apple!
    • I disagree, and agree with Pudge.

      Slashdot isn't your every day news site. Some might even say it isn't a news site at all. If you want CNN, go read CNN. Slashdot editors are just regular people. I have been thinking about getting my first iPod, and this seriously makes me reconsider. What is wrong with asking? Maybe there is someone reading that might have an answer to this problem that reassures me to buy one, or to not buy one.

      Then again.. maybe you just needed to vent a little. I need to do that on occ

      • Yeah, /. is a weblog, not CNN. It's opinion, not journalism. That said, most of the stuff they post as "news" really is of interest as news.

        On this issue, I know that the MP3s I have ripped (carelessly) with MusicMatch and the like that have little pops at the end; I imagined it was due to electronic noise from the encoding device (from my CD drive, for instance). I don't remember if I've heard them on anything from my Mac, though.

        But it sounds from the discussion on Apple.com that the users have al

    • I bought a 30GB iPod on the rollout date at the local Apple Store. Some of the first things I put on the iPod was a Mahler symphony and a Beethoven string quartet. I didn't have one of the earlier generation iPods, so I loaded a variety of music on--rock, punk, classical, jazz, an opera--to see what worked best with the machine. I have a stupidly large CD collection, and even at 30GB I couldn't fit all of my CD's on the iPod, so I wanted to see first if any genre would be unsuitable to the pod.

      I starte
    • Well, it's hard to see what "objectivity" should have to do with anything here. Slashdot's not the bloody AP or UPI; if you want pap, strained until it is free of any obvious taint of opinion or perspective, look there.

  • I have a new iPod (Score:4, Informative)

    by mgaiman ( 151782 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @04:48PM (#5894923) Homepage
    and mine doesn't have any pops. (15gb)

    It is a very very solid upgrade to an already amazing product. Don't cancel your order.

    • Re:I have a new iPod (Score:3, Interesting)

      by joesao ( 466680 )
      If you can't hear the pops, it might be because you're not listening to quiet enough music, or your listening environment might have noise above the level of the electrostatic 'pop'.

      Try a quieter location, or try listening to a sequence of classical music tracks.

      Notice that the pop isn't only passive: it's active as well; when you press next/previous & play buttons, the pop is there too.

      If you STILL can't hear the pops, then I'm stumped. I almost hope you can, because then it's more likely that it

      • Re:I have a new iPod (Score:4, Informative)

        by mgaiman ( 151782 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @05:25PM (#5895271) Homepage
        Wait, you're right. There is a slight pop between tracks, but it is not a big deal at all. (I listened to some Bach).

        I'll have to check my old iPod, but I think that might have been there on that one too. (10gb)

        The thing is, it is barely noticable (as can be seen by the fact that I never noticed until it was pointed out to me).
        • Barely noticable is an understatement. I pretty much had to listen specifically for it and actually missed it the first few times I tried. (15 GB picked up on Friday)

          IMHO, unless it's a major annoyance (i.e. louder) on other iPods (which it could be), I'm sharing the opinion that some people want TOO much perfection.

          -Jellisky
          • You can count me in the number who didn't notice it until I read about it on Apple's forums. I read something about it, and then, later, while listening to my new 30GB iPod I thought to listen for it between tracks and I heard it. It's definitely there, but I can't say if I ever would have noticed it without reading about it first. Perhaps. Anyway, I bet it's in the firmware. I used to have songs I ripped on a Mac in iTunes that would distort during playback in iTunes but not on my old iPod. Then othe
    • I also have the 15 GB iPod, haven't noticed the pop until it was pointed out. It seems to only occur between tracks sporadically (happens less than 25% of the time for me). If there was a very quiet passage/silent passage at the beginning of a track, it was noticable. If the track starts off with a medium to loud range of sound right off the bat though, I didn't hear it. I didn't hear it at all over amplified PC Speakers at all, nor over 4 different headphones (Koss Porta Pros, $25 Aiwa earbuds, the inc

  • Should be interesting to see how Apple responds (Score:4, Insightful)

    by drivers ( 45076 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @04:50PM (#5894947)
    Remember when the Mac cube had a "crack" in the plastic which Apple said was no big deal? But it was a big deal to the people who paid extra and demanded perfection. People don't buy Mac cubes and iPods because they want something that is just good enough or gets the job done. These items are priced much higher than roughly equivalent but less polished competitors, and people expect that extra Apple polish.
    • The Titanium PowerBook G4s also had a huge probelm with chiping. The band around the center of the unit as well as the screen hinges would chip (paint ?), and as a result the machine began looking very ugly. Apple originaly discounted this in much the same way as the cube. Eventually they gave in to overwhelming negative feedback from users and have been replacing them for many people (don't let them know you wear a watch). I think this, along with very poor airport signal strength, is one of the main facto

      • Re:Lets Not Forget the TiBooks (Score:5, Funny)

        by dynayellow ( 106690 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @05:17PM (#5895200)
        So what you're saying is that the TiBooks could "snap," the Cube would "crackle," and now with the iPod, we're getting a "pop."

        Hmmm... curious...
      • > The Titanium PowerBook G4s also had a huge probelm
        > with chiping
        > The band around the center of the unit as well as the
        > screen hinges would chip (paint ?

        What do you people do with your Apples? I had a Titanium PowerBook (Rev B), and I had no problems with chipping. The unit looks the same as it did when I got it a year and a half ago. I wear a watch, too. I make sure I carry it in a sleeve, and I keep it away from sandblasting equipment, but maybe that means I treat it with unusual delicaten
    • There were no cracks in the Cube. Somehow the small wrinkles of the moulding process looked a bit like small cracks.
    • These items are priced much higher than roughly equivalent but less polished competitors, and people expect that extra Apple polish.

      I bought my iBook, not expecting a nice clean plastic case, but a tight integration of hardware and software.

      ...than roughly equivalent but less polished competitors.

      That polish includes the far-and-away better intergration. I think you are offering a major red herring here in thinking that most Mac users are terribly concerned with cosmetics. I recommend our Mac purchase

    • It's a well documented fact that the crack on the G4 Cube was actually the seam in the injection mold. We have an entire lab of these machines, and I checked them all: no cracks, just seams. Many people saw the line in the plastic and thought it was a crack.

      I guess Apple could have laser-carved the entire chassis out of acrylic, but that probably would have added a grand to the retail price.

  • FINALLY (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I haven't done any research about this, but i'm glad i've seen somone else has this problem. Its friggen terrible. I was listening to a signfeld stand up today at work, and its INCREDIBLY noticeable with that.

    I really hope something is done about this.

  • iPods aren't the only ones... (Score:5, Informative)

    by questionlp ( 58365 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @04:57PM (#5895013) Homepage
    Some of the older Compaq iPaq and HP Jornada Pocket PC PDAs had the same issue where you would here a pop right after a sound was played. Firmware fixes were released to reduce or eliminate the problem, which changed how the mini-amp for the built-in speaker (listening to sound via a headphone didn't have the same issue or was so minor that it couldn't be heard) was powered off.

    The issue with the iPod might just be that the embedded OS is possibly powering down the mini-amp between songs or could be a glitch with the sound chip between the buffers. Probably a good chance that it can be eliminated or at least make it much more subtle by a firmware fix... or it may be problems with said mini-amp.

    • Re:iPods aren't the only ones... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by GigsVT ( 208848 ) * on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @06:03PM (#5895576) Journal
      IIRC, all amplifier circuits "pop" when you turn them off and on. Higher end ones prevent the pop from getting to the speakers by delaying or fading in the volume.

      I guess the best solution for a case like this would be to just not turn the amp off between songs in the first place, if that is really what is causing the pop.

    • You can also hear the 'pop' on the iPod if you plug in a set of headphones while the iPod is asleep. There is something in the circuitry that powers up when continuity is detected.

      The device is just powering the amp down between songs, even if the gap between songs isn't there. I guess there is a threshold that is set too high for sleep on the chipset, and it could be set to 1 second and eliminate the problem.

  • read in a few reviews of other mp3 players that
    some seem to sound consicerably better than the
    ipods (at least according to the reviewers).

    {Am by no means saying that the old ones sounded
    shite, only that there seems to be room for
    improvement, that's all.}

    So I was wondering if they improved on the sound
    output quality in addition to hd capacity and form
    factor and features...

    just curious...

  • Speaking as a Apple fan... (Score:5, Funny)

    by S. Baldrick ( 565691 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @05:05PM (#5895084)

    ...I am simply astounded that a major corporation would just give out free sounds to the people. Microsoft could never unclench their evil moneygrubbing fists like that. I mean to be able to clearly distinguish between tracks is just the kind of brilliant useability detail that the Linux crowd fail to pay attention to but which has been the hallmark of Jobs' vision from the beginning. Just holding my ipod and thinking about it is causing a warm tingle in my pants.

    ohgodohgod

    yes! oh god YES!

    aaaaah...

    • Firmware (Score:2, Informative)

      by sanfordmay ( 662262 )
      People who have upgraded older iPods to 1.3 are reporting the same "electrostatic pop". This would seem to indicate that it's in the firmware and will at some point be fixed. It's not exactly a nightmarish bother; at least not to me.
      • "People who have upgraded older iPods to 1.3 are reporting the same "electrostatic pop"."

        I have a two week old 10 GB iPod with the new firmware, and while I hear a power on tick, there are no inter-track pops or clicks, even at full volume.

        A.

  • BitTorrent? (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Jeez, we post BitTorrents for stuff on AOL's unlimited-bandwidth servers, but let smaller sites get a massive bandwidth bill? At least post a BitTorrent for that 2.9MB audio file on the site; that's probably mostly what's making the site so slow.

  • A spokesperson at Apple... (Score:3, Funny)

    by ewhenn ( 647989 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @05:24PM (#5895265)
    ... has released an official statement regarding this issue. It seems as if the digital output is in part constructed with rice krispies. When the Ipod is used in a humid area the rice krispies absorb the moisture from the air and produce a distinct possing sound. Apple has announced it intends to use Trix in future versions.

  • dyslexic marketing (Score:4, Funny)

    by rumpledstiltskin ( 528544 ) on Tuesday May 06, 2003 @05:41PM (#5895400) Homepage Journal
    That's not a bug. it's a feature. the product was originally called the iPop. some dyslexic guy in the marketing department screwed it all up though.
  • I bought my 15 gig iPod Friday morning to make sure I could secure one, and then picked it up at 6pm. I have not had an issue with this 'popping' Audio is crystal clear and the iTunes music store rocks!
  • I've had a 15gb since friday, and have not heard any of this from it (even when listening specificly for it)

  • Power Management? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by FVK ( 411455 )
    The new slim and trim iPod with smaller battery must have some very active power management to get the play times even close to the original iPod.
    It probably can very rapidly power cycle the sound amplification circuitry in response to input/lack of. The electrical pop may be a blip from a momentary power cycle due to some defect in software or hardware. From what others have said you can only hear it intermittently and only when the music is quiet enough or pauses enough.
    I hope Apple can fix it via a softw
  • And not just between tracks. Depending on the orientation of the headphone cable, it doesn't just make popping noises... it's actually shocked me. It was kindof painful, due to the fact that it was shocking the inside of my ear.

    It only seemed to happen when I had stuffed it into my pocket upside down and squashed the little rubber part on the back of the minijack. Perhaps people are having my problem? Perhaps my problem got a little worse?

    I'm still dying to get a new iPod... So is that negative reinforcem
    • I've also been shocked by my 20GB touch-pad ipod (2nd gen I guess, assuming these new ones are 3rd gen?).

      I thought it was due to the carpet or the floormat I have in my office. It did seem to die down once spring started.
    • ...it's actually shocked me.

      I'm still dying to get a new iPod...

      Maybe you're dying if you don't get a new iPod!

    • Re:My ancient 5GB iPod does this. (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Seems to me like you've screwed up your earbuds pretty good by crunching the plug like that. That probably explains the crackling (my Walkman headphones crackle occasionally when I fiddle with the [much-abused] plug).

      As for the shocks...I HIGHLY doubt that there are any voltages >5 VDC inside the iPod. Certainly they wouldn't be necessary to power any of the circuitry AFAIK. I'm thinking you're being shocked by static electricity that's built up by the 'Pod bouncing around inside your pocket. Perhaps th
  • Your ipod(s) must be defective. I got a 15GB on Friday and have been using it nonstop ever since (two flights and while at work).

    Smooth transitions, no pops at all.

  • Note: It's not just iPods (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    When I listened to that sample on the site, when the .mp3 finished, I also heard an almost identical click. The reason many people blame this on the iPod is that with most mp3's, they cut off without a pop, but poorly done ones, such as that test do. I don't know exactly what causes it, but i've seen that it's actually encoded into the mp3.

    There's a couple ways to fix this. First, you could go into an mp3 editor and clip it off, or you could just be lazy. Most people won't hear it in iTunes because it fade
    • Often times the pop is due to a poor edit. I don't know the specifics, but if you edit the track in such a way that there is a sudden drop in the sound wave (if you're looking at a visual representation of it), you'll get a click. If you have an audio editor that will let you zoom in close enough to see the individual sample bits (I use cooledit 2000), you can either make a clean edit so that there is a smooth wave, or in some cases drag sample bits around so that the drop isn't as sudden.

      Not exactly a
  • I've noticed the pop on my 15GB, and assume it's a firmware bug as there's no reason to turn off the dac between tracks. What's more bothersome is that the unit seems to randomly assign the left and right channels whenever it starts playing after seeking or starting a new song. This make rewinding in a track with lots of stereo separation somewhat disorienting.
  • might not be able to get Parachute installed, but I don't have no pops!
  • I hear pops at various times in iTunes. I believe it to be a RAM or processor issue. It might be possible that the pops heard on iPods is the result of issues involved when the files are transfered to the device. There are data files and it a bit might get dropped here or there when the files are moved via Firewire. But I could be wrong. Look at my first wife.

  • I can see it now... (Score:3, Funny)

    by daveschroeder ( 516195 ) on Wednesday May 07, 2003 @09:47AM (#5900510)
    iPodPop.com...

    Petitions, articles, and anecdotes demanding that Apple fix this clearly egregious aural violation!! Anything less than an immediate fix and a $100 rebate constitutes Steve Jobs' arrogant, utter contempt for the customer!

    Oh, the humanity! How many people will have to suffer through this before Apple releases a fix?!?!?!

    • Re:I can see it now... (Score:5, Funny)

      by TheGreek ( 2403 ) on Wednesday May 07, 2003 @10:46AM (#5900974)
      Oh, the humanity! How many people will have to suffer through this before Apple releases a fix?!?!?!

      Only the soulless Mac OS 9 fanboys who read Macintouch (also known as "Quark Bigots" and "Claris Em@ilers") and post to MacNN Forums via a stick in their teeth.

      The rest of us couldn't give two shits about the issue, because we're not idiots savant incapable of leading a normal social life, but being able to perceive a slight pop between songs (not even during the fucking thing, but after it, and before the next one) that is juuuuuuust barely audible by bats.

      Not that I'm bitter.
    • iPodPop.com...

      When will we see the iPodPopCorn.com ?

  • I also have this problem (Score:3, Interesting)

    by illumin8 ( 148082 ) on Wednesday May 07, 2003 @02:59PM (#5903704) Journal
    I also have this problem with my new 30GB iPod. It is very annoying.

    One thing I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed. Sometimes when I'm listening to my playlist and it goes from one song to the next, I get the click/pop, then when the music comes back on I the balance between left/right ears changes. The volume level of the left ear seems to decrease significantly. It is totally random when this happens.

    I noticed this happening because I listen to a lot of DJ mix tapes and in between track changes, when the balance shifts dramatically this is a big deal. I can get it to shift back by stopping the iPod (hold down play for 2 seconds until it shuts off), then restarting playback, but only sometimes. Sometimes I have to stop it several times before it will do it.
  • You can barley notice it. To me their is really no pop at all. Ofcourse you'll boo and taunt me and call me the Iraqi Information Minister, but oh well.

  • pop? (Score:1)

    by kweg ( 305533 )
    So you'll play one of your songs then hear a short clip of brittney spears, then play another of your songs and hear a little Nsync? Noooooo!! ;-)
  • All I know is, I just got a new iPod too, and have no pops between tracks.
  • I had a first gen AirPort die on me long after the 1 yr warrantee had expired (with the same capacitor problem everyone else has mentioned). I called Apple, gave them a verbal description of the problem, and I had a new AirPort mailed to me 2 days later. I had a similar problem with a PowerBook power supply. Same thing: a few minutes on the phone with Apple and a new part was on its way. No cost to me for any of it (as long as I retuned the failed units with the postage-paid box that came with the repla

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