Bad Vibrations!!!!!!!

[fixerman]

As my 70th birthday is fast approaching I decided to treat myself to a new iPad Air 2, pass on my iPad Air1 to my wife and to then offer her old iPad3 on eBay. I duly purchased a 128gb gold iPad Air 2 last Wednesday. I reset and restored both of the ol iPads and sat down to play with my new toy.
Very impressed with all aspects, especially the clarity of the screen. Decided to check out some YouTube videos and was shocked to find that the audio was distorted and the whole of the iPad was subjected to an irritating vibration. Tried several audio sources to discover that the vibration was present on all. I found it most uncomfortable to hold the iPad while any audio was playing. I immediately Googled"iPad Air 2 vibration" to discover that this is a well documented issue.
I visited the Apple Store today to ask for help only to be told that they had never heard of this problem before today. They offered to send the iPad to the workshop for investigation, at which point I requested the Apple Rep to demonstrate an iPad Air 2 from the demonstration display. He played audio on all 4 display models and they were all vibrating just like mine. The only advice I was given was to wear earphones.

I requested a refund and returned home to reset the old iPads. Luckily I had not yet offered the older one on eBay.
How can Apple allow such a fundamental design flaw to go into production?

 

[MorrisTheCat]

That would make me so very disappointed in a product that has come from a manufacturer who is quite possibly the best in the world right now. I am just wondering, (and I don't have an Air 2 yet, just the 128GB 4 WiFi/4G) how loud the volume was set when you did the tests on your Air 2. I find that even with my earlier version 4 that has been housed into a tough rubberized Griffin shell-case that if the volume is even ¾ the way up playing heavy bass music or a person's deep voice that my iPad resonates likes crazy with anything it's touching and if I hold it, yep it's vibrating. I just put it down to things being too loud and indeed it is obviously hear-able by anyone in the room. As an electronics engineer I'm quite impressed there are such teeny tiny speakers that can make so much sound without distortion and I guess part of that trade off is things begin to vibrate...

 

[scifan57]

All versions of the iPad will suffer some level of vibration if you turn the volume way up with a loud soundtrack. The iPad Air 2 is more subject to this problem than most because of the very thin construction. The thinner metal of the case will vibrate easier and isn't helped any by having two powerful speakers.

That being sai,d I personally haven't noticed any detrimental issues beyond the clearly felt vibration when holding the iPad. Any speakers this small will demonstrate quite a bit of distortion if you turn the volume high enough. I make it a point to never turn the volume up all the way.

The person at the Apple Store was right in that you will get much better sound quality if you use a good set of headphones.

 

[giradman]

@ Fixerman - I replaced my aging iPad 2 w/ an iPad Air 2 in December and immediately noted that I could feel the device vibrating as you described but was not that annoyed; plus, a smart cover helped - I agree w/ Scifan.., i.e. the Air 2 is remarkably thin and not sure that speaker vibration could be easily avoided - now, a design flaw? I guess that each owner will have an opinion and a level of tolerance?

Now, as to playing music, I have well over 100 hours of MP3 files on my device, and listen to that music using bluetooth (BT) speakers (soundbar for my HDTV, headphones, and several small travel BT speakers) - I've also cabled the Air 2 to my stereo and have streamed music using the Amazon & Spotify apps - enjoy the other features of this new toy (e.g. retina screen, lightness/thinness, fingerprint technology) to really be that bothered by the vibration. Dave

P.S. I first put this response in the MacForums where the OP had left the same post - just changed the names of the responders.

 

[skimonkey]

I noticed this immediately when I was first looking at trading in my ipad 2 for the air 2. My iPad 2 did not have this even with the volume set to high. I was worried that it would be too much of an annoyance factor, but placing the iPad in a case reduces the vibration quite a bit. I also don't hold my iPad in my hand too long. It's usually resting on the table or on a lap pad to read. If I wanted to listen to music I connect it to my Bluetooth speaker.

So yes, the vibration is certainly there.

 

[Lefty357]

I compared the Air and Air 2 before I bought the Air 2. In every place I played with them side by side, the high frequency vibration was present in the Air 2, but not noticeable on the Air. I liked the fact that, to me at least, the Air 2 sounded clearer than the Air, and either the thin case is actually being used in the design as a resonator or it's just a drawback of the incredibly thin materials...I don't know. But, I am almost never holding it in my hand to listen to music (either use headphones or set it down using internal speakers) so it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might. I wish Apple was able to dampen the vibration as well as on the Air, but that might be impossible with the thinner case, or it would dull the higher frequencies which my older ears prefer.

 

[giradman]

I compared the Air and Air 2 before I bought the Air 2. In every place I played with them side by side, the high frequency vibration was present in the Air 2, but not noticeable on the Air. I liked the fact that, to me at least, the Air 2 sounded clearer than the Air, and either the thin case is actually being used in the design as a resonator or it's just a drawback of the incredibly thin materials...I don't know. But, I am almost never holding it in my hand to listen to music (either use headphones or set it down using internal speakers) so it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might. I wish Apple was able to dampen the vibration as well as on the Air, but that might be impossible with the thinner case, or it would dull the higher frequencies which my older ears prefer.

Interestingly, on the MacForums where the OP also posed the same questions, a recent poster there agree w/ the above feeling that the sound was better and w/ more resonance - now what was on the minds of the Apple engineers, only then can answer. But I'll stick w/ my comments in my first post here. Dave

 

[scifan57]

Maybe this vibration is the inevitable consequence on Apple's part of always trying to make every generation of device thinner than the previous one. Something has to give. There's a limit to how thin you can make the internal electronics and battery without suffering a performance penalty. When you reach that point, the only things that can still be made thinner are the display and the case.

 

[The OB]

Agree with scifan. If you are going to have a super thin tablet yet retain the same size speakers (which could well be firmly resting up against the case) it's not surprising you will feel the vibrations of the speaker. It's just me I suppose, but I rather like the feel of that iPad feeling alive in my hand
Andrew


Sent from my iPad Air2 using Tapatalk

 

[Brian 244]

I find the sound quality on the air 2 very good given it's size it also seems to have a fuller sound compared to other generations of the iPad. The vibration is a trade off for the thinness and sounds quality. The leather smart case absorbs lots of the vibration though.