[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by x-kevin /img/forum/go_quote.gif your right... the hum is standard onboard :S you get a lot of static form it being integrated into the board and near other power sources... thats why everyone who wants really good sound quality gets a sound card

Not to put words in his mouth, but with the Mac, I don't think he's talking about hum as in noise. The Mads (at least the ones I've used) are very quiet for PC audio. Heck, they're very quiet period. I think what he's talking about, rather, is a bass-heavy tone signature and a softness in the bottom end that makes bass notes hang, in some material making for an almost constant low-end background tone.

I hear it, too. I thought it was a combination of flabby bass from low-power op ams and the natural warmth of my Senn 580s (and it may be), but I hear it.

Tim

 

[mnemonix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B.M.Head /img/forum/go_quote.gif I doubt the M-Audio Firewire Audiophile is good for DJing. It has controlled deep bass and a good soundstage, but iTunes playback stutters in the first second after switching tracks on albums that are gapless

Very interesting, it seems the Firewire Audiophile has been discontinued, but it was very much sold by m-audio as a DJ solution.

The Solo is still made however, and I have to say I never noticed stuttering issues - and did dj with it. I primarily have it for recording however as it has an XLR connection & phantom power for a mic + instrument level line in.

 

[Currawong]

I felt that my MacBook Pro's inbuilt audio was slightly mechanical sounding. Compared to using the duet, the music sounded like the studio was too small. Switching to the duet, it's as if the studio where all the music was made had grown in size.

That being said, I thought that the MBP's headphone out was fun to listen through with easy to drive cans.

 

[x-kevin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to put words in his mouth, but with the Mac, I don't think he's talking about hum as in noise. The Mads (at least the ones I've used) are very quiet for PC audio. Heck, they're very quiet period. I think what he's talking about, rather, is a bass-heavy tone signature and a softness in the bottom end that makes bass notes hang, in some material making for an almost constant low-end background tone. I hear it, too. I thought it was a combination of flabby bass from low-power op ams and the natural warmth of my Senn 580s (and it may be), but I hear it. Tim

My mistake... your totally right

 

[parhelictriangle]

My Senn HD-595s sound fairly bad out of my MBP, mainly because of a persistent hissing issue. Seems to be the result of mismatched impedances from what I can gather. This is the only really bothersome issue I have with my computer; otherwise it's great (and great for audio/recording).

However, I also have an Apogee Duet, which makes my ears extremely happy. If you have a mac, have some audiophile-leanings, and do any sort of home recording, I can't recommend the Duet enough. Pure bliss.

 

[Cheule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would check out the Ray Samuels Predator amp... You can use USB or line out. It will also work with a more portable source like an iPod as well.

x2. I have one as well, and it works perfectly with my MacBook Pro. The noise floor is non-existent. I only bring that up, because my particular MBP (a first gen) has a ton of hiss.

 

[xaipemw]

My MacBook Pro's headphone out occasionally will give me what I like to call "computer noises"--little blips and bleeps that almost seem like a sciene fiction movie. The quality is decent beyond that, but I'm a musician, and I have an Apogee Duet that I bought for recording. It also happens to have tremendous AD-DA on it, and a very nice headphone amp. It's also bus-powered from Firewire, which is an added bonus.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to put words in his mouth, but with the Mac, I don't think he's talking about hum as in noise. The Mads (at least the ones I've used) are very quiet for PC audio. Heck, they're very quiet period. I think what he's talking about, rather, is a bass-heavy tone signature and a softness in the bottom end that makes bass notes hang, in some material making for an almost constant low-end background tone. I hear it, too. I thought it was a combination of flabby bass from low-power op ams and the natural warmth of my Senn 580s (and it may be), but I hear it. Tim

Exactly. I suppose I should double-check the headphone out through my X-CAN as well. But the effect is also extremely evident on my 32 ohm HP890s, which should not be extremely hard to drive.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly. I suppose I should double-check the headphone out through my X-CAN as well. But the effect is also extremely evident on my 32 ohm HP890s, which should not be extremely hard to drive.

Last night I was listening to Robert Cray's "Shame + A Sin," an extremely well-recorded album with great polish, clarity, and a deep, lush ambiance that only the best studio recordings seem to get. But the bottom end of that recording is huge. That listening experience underscored the strengths and weaknesses of my Mac's audio really well. Even with the questionable signal chain of iBook headphone out to Headroom Airhead to Senn 580s, it was a very involving listen, with lots of macro and micro dynamics, and lots of detail deep inside a smooth, sweet ride.

But that big bottom end was so huge and hanging, it sounded like somebody was doubling the bass player with the pedals of a pipe organ. A bit distracting, that.

It did remind me, though, that while we can certainly tweak the sound with our equipment, in the end it has a lot more to do with the recording than it does with our systems, given a reasonable starting point. That Robert Cray album is stunning on pretty moderate equipment, and recordings that are thin and flat, or worse, brick walled, aren't really helped much by the best equipment.

The moral to that story is do your research, get the best equipment you can afford, play the music from your collection with the best sound (not your favorite songs) on it. Is something amiss? Send it back and try something else. Does it sound great to you? Enjoy. And get off of the audio internet boards before you imagine it's not good enough.

Tim

 

[Currawong]

I forgot to add before, using the MKV for my ALO 701's makes yet again a huge difference in soundstage, being much wider than what the Duet can do by itself. I enjoy using the Duet with my old Quarts though.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif The moral to that story is do your research

I suppose you mean me. If we are talking about the headphone out, then it is quite relevant to report how the headphone out sounds when connected directly to headphones...

 

[lostbobby]

Haven't read thru this whole thread, but I'll say that i often listen to E530's and Ety ER4p directly form the headphone jack and the sound is quite passable. There's a very little level of hiss that the Ety er4p-s adapter/resistor takes care of.

And using a DAc, the sound is quite spectacular. I borrowed a digidesign Mbox pro 2, which produces spectacular soundstage from my IEMs, tho the bass is a little over-emphasized (tight, just a little more than neutral).