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Does an attenuator prevent the MBP hissing?

post #1 of 3
2/19/11 at 8:38pm
Thread Starter 

I'm sure you know, if you own a Macbook Pro, about the hissing noise when headphones are plugged into the audio jack.  

 

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=329183

 

Apparently the guy says a volume control would work.  Is this the same as an attenuator?  Like would this be good --> http://www.amazon.com/Koss-155954-VC20-Volume-Control/dp/B00001P4XH/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_0

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post #2 of 3
2/21/11 at 8:47pm

An attenuator is simply a little plug/cable with resistors, I think.  That Koss volume control is basically just a variable resistor.  The added resistance will affect your headphones sound, which you may find for the better or worse depending on the headphones themselves.  It will also reduce the amount of power those headphones get.

 

 

A DAC/amp may not be a bad investment.  evil_smiley.gif

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post #3 of 3
2/22/11 at 11:32am

Here's another way to look at it. Hiss from the laptop is at a fixed volume. At normal listening levels, the hiss is quite audible compared to the music. So max out the music volume, and use the external volume control to attenuate it back down. Now the signal to noise ratio is a lot lower, and the hiss volume is only a small fraction of the music volume. Maybe not even audible anymore.

 

But x2 for the DAC/amp. Sorry about your wallet.

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