Speaker distorted when my environment is loud

[shstone]

When I am using Zoom and my physical environment is noisy, my Zoom audio gets super distorted, and I can no longer understand what the person speaking to me is saying. The AI chatbot was not helpful, and I can't find a clear, direct answer to my problem through searching. I use a MacBook Air and A2031 AirPods (2021). I have tried checking settings on both my AirPods and on Zoom, and I have tried "Test Speaker." The problem is that when I am on a call, the volume levels of my physical environment seem to suppress/distort the sound on my receiving end, to the point I can't understand words being spoken to me. Does anyone have any suggestions of how can I fix this issue?

[dentoll]

It sounds like Zoom’s noise suppression settings might be overcompensating for your environment, causing the distortion. On your MacBook Air, try going into Zoom’s Settings → Audio and turn off “Suppress Persistent Background Noise” or set it to Low. You can also disable “Echo Cancellation” to see if it helps.

Since you’re using AirPods (A2031), make sure they’re connected via Bluetooth directly to your Mac and that Zoom is set to use them for both speaker and microphone. Sometimes AirPods switch to “hands-free” mode during calls, which lowers audio quality — you can prevent this by selecting AirPods (Stereo) in Zoom’s speaker settings instead of “AirPods Hands-Free.”

If background noise is unavoidable, consider using a physical noise-isolating microphone or enabling Zoom’s “Original Sound for Musicians” option in Audio settings this bypasses aggressive filtering and may keep voices clearer.

[dentoll]

It sounds like Zoom’s noise suppression settings might be overcompensating for your environment, causing the distortion. On your MacBook Air, try going into Zoom’s Settings → Audio and turn off “Suppress Persistent Background Noise” or set it to Low. You can also disable “Echo Cancellation” to see if it helps.

Since you’re using Air Pods (A2031), make sure they’re connected via Bluetooth directly to your Mac and that Zoom is set to use them for both speaker and microphone. Sometimes Air Pods switch to “hands-free” mode during calls, which lowers audio quality you can prevent this by selecting AirPods (Stereo) in Zoom’s speaker settings instead of “AirPods Hands-Free.”

If background noise is unavoidable, consider using a physical noise-isolating microphone or enabling Zoom’s “Original Sound for Musicians” option in Audio settings this bypasses aggressive filtering and may keep voices clearer.