[ABuilder]

Hey everyone.

It is time for me to get a new laptop and I wanted to check if there were any recommendations or advice from the audio world as that is a main use of the laptop. Always bought laptops based off CPU/RAM/HD and the basics but wondering if there is anything I should consider that could upgrade my audio experience.

I see laptops with on certain ports and did not know if that could impact sound quality if going out to a streamer or directly to a DAC.

I know some computer MB advertise some different claims, don't know if that is true in laptops of if just going to a streamer or using a external sound card are better options.

Anything I should be looking for or looking out for? Any recommendations? I'm pretty open and would even consider a Mac if there are advantages.

Used for internet browsing, Office, music, and a little 3D printing.

Thanks.

 

[Doug2507]

Built in audio is generally good on the higher end laptops but you'll still (mostly) get an improvement from an external dac/amp or dongle.

PC vs Mac would largely depend on OS preference and applications you use. I personally like PC as it offers more freedom for app choice (used to be an apple fan boy years ago, all PC and android now) and stuff like office is native to PC.

I'm currently using a Lenovo Legion 7 for laptop and can't recommend it highly enough, 10/10.

 

[ubs28]

M2 MacBook Air.

It is a fanless laptop so it will not produce noise when listening to music.

 

[Naguall]

M2 MacBook Air.

It is a fanless laptop so it will not produce noise when listening to music.

There are some Celeron driven notebooks that are fanless too. Very important if you are married...

 

[ABuilder]

M2 MacBook Air.

It is a fanless laptop so it will not produce noise when listening to music.

I noticed it only has two thuderbolt outputs. Is that any issue with getting info out to a DAC? I'm just using USB and I know there are cheap thunderbolt to usb converters, but I did not know if that would impact the sound. I figured it would but have no real clue.

 

[ubs28]

I noticed it only has two thuderbolt outputs. Is that any issue with getting info out to a DAC? I'm just using USB and I know there are cheap thunderbolt to usb converters, but I did not know if that would impact the sound. I figured it would but have no real clue.

Best result would probably be to include some kind of USB cleaner.

 

[roadcykler]

I've had very good luck with AZUS. I use an older one almost strictly as a music server and a newer one for my day to day stuff and have never had an issue with either. If you're connecting to an external DAC, I don't think it matters much about the internal stuff.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Strictly for audio, I will go for a laptop w/ much leaner/robust (electronic) design. That is built for higher standard business environment. Say a laptop workstation from HP, Dell or Lenovo or say a Apple MacBook Pro. Stricter standards, better electronics, less prone to noises.

 

[michaelsk]

M2 MacBook Air.

It is a fanless laptop so it will not produce noise when listening to music.

Me Too, I use a 12" MacBook, SSD, No Fan, Battery power!!! Great for Audio, eliminate as much noise as possible, great Travel Rig!

 

[ABuilder]

M2 MacBook Air.

It is a fanless laptop so it will not produce noise when listening to music.

Been looking into these more. Seems like a good option. Problem is I kind of talked myself up. It looks like advice for the M2 MacBook Air is to go for the 512 GB HD because it doubles the speed of the drive with the 256GB which only uses one drive. That brings the price pretty close to the 14" MacBook Pro which is on sale now and has better mutli core performance, screen, and the added ports including a memory card slot I would use 3D printing. Then I'm tempted to go for the 16" model. And then I realize I don't need all that and it has me back to the M2 MacBook Air. Anyone know if you can get apps to control/turn off the fan on a MacBook? I can for my desktop but maybe this is not a thing for laptops or Macs.

 

[pbui44]

Here are a couple usb-c pd hubs that are the best Amazon deals, so you can keep the one with DP at home and the one with VGA on-the-go for legacy monitors:

https://www.amazon.com/NOV8Tech-Docking-Station-Adapter-Ethernet/dp/B082P76MC5/ref=sr_1_155

https://www.amazon.com/Docking-Station-Multiport-Adapter-Thinkpad/dp/B0B53K88JD/ref=sr_1_19

 

[dunring]

For an audio laptop I'd check where the USB port locations are compared to the battery. Also a high performance gaming PC with a 1060 video card takes more to cool and coil whine can be an issue.
A removable battery is a big deal since some aren't unless you take it apart. Prices have come down that it's easy to find them on sale, but things like number and type of ports is good to check unless your planning on running a USB hub anyway.

 

[yage]

Note that the newer Macs only support up to 96 kHz sampling rates. The ARM-based models that aren't on the list are locked to 48 kHz. Not sure if that's important to you.

It's best to wait if you're thinking of a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro. New models are incoming. See this Buyer's Guide.

Unless you plan to run stress tests all the time, chances are you'll never hear the fan. I own a late 2016 MacBook Pro and it's pretty quiet. I can't tell when the fan is spinning.

 

[chesebert]

Note that the newer Macs only support up to 96 kHz sampling rates. The ARM-based models that aren't on the list are locked to 48 kHz. Not sure if that's important to you.

It's best to wait if you're thinking of a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro. New models are incoming. See this Buyer's Guide.

Unless you plan to run stress tests all the time, chances are you'll never hear the fan. I own a late 2016 MacBook Pro and it's pretty quiet. I can't tell when the fan is spinning.

I don't think that's correct for external USB dac (96khz is the limit for internal dac/headphone output). My 16in MBP M1 Pro can go as high as 24/384 with standard USB audio class 2 driver - not sure if it can go higher with proprietary driver.

I have MB Air M1 and MBP M1 Pro, and USB output from MBP sounds cleaner/better to me.

 

[yage]

I don't think that's correct for external USB dac (96khz is the limit for internal dac/headphone output).

That's right - I should've made it clear that the limitation only applies for onboard audio.