[donunus]

How is the sound quality of the macbook compared to most pc laptops by acer, dell, sony, etc... anybody with any experience out of the headphone jack?

 

[DLeeWebb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus How is the sound quality of the macbook compared to most pc laptops by acer, dell, sony, etc... anybody with any experience out of the headphone jack?

I'm going to be getting a MacBook soon and I'm interested in the answer to this question. You might want to look for an answer here...

http://www.macintouch.com/readerrepo...227.html#jun26

Let me know if you get a good response!

 

[donunus]

I was going to get a pc but after hearing the audio quality from the headphone jack of a brand new toshiba laptop, I was horrified! grrr. thin, closed in, and lifeless and couldnt even make my 50ohm hd555 come to life. I hooked up a pa2v2 to the headphone jack and all it improved was volume. nothing else. grrrh. this is bad. My 6 year old compaq sounds much better.

 

[phergus_25]

listining to this Sony Vaio laptop is horrible. I really dispise it, i got the same result with my Pa2v2

However, my laptop taht i am picking up is an acer, I just couldent give into the Mac machine.

 

[Wmcmanus]

I just ordered a Macbook Pro the other day because I'm so tired of all of these viruses on PC-based systems. It will be a big switch after 25 years of being old school, but I value quick and efficient a lot. Chances are I'll never use the headphone out other than to listen to music clips on occasion.

 

[Jeff E]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus How is the sound quality of the macbook compared to most pc laptops by acer, dell, sony, etc... anybody with any experience out of the headphone jack?

I bought a macbook for nonaudio purposes but when I read your question it piqued my curiousity so I spent a few minutes listening through the headphone jack with three headphones to several cuts on a familiar CD, Our New Orleans.

summary
My immediate impression is that the SQ is acceptable for an unamped audio out. Quite useable with the right phones.

details
Senn 595 (120 ohms) Works reasonably well but lacks dynamics. A balanced sound with realistic timbre. My first choice of the three when paired with the macbook.
HF-1 A more punchy sound than the Senns but the mb makes the Grados lose midrange. Voices sound a bit brittle but instrumentals are exciting with dramatic bass kick. Not for all round listening but could be fun with the right music. second choice.
AKG K701 Forgetaboutit! The mb just lacks the oomph to do the 701s justice. They sound unchracteristically flat and bassless.

I hope this shoot-from-the-hip reaction is helpful to you.

An aside It is strange to plug headphones into a jack glowing red. Clearly, the way to go for SQ is with an optical cable > DAC > amp.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'll second JeffE on his findings. I don't have a MacBook, but I do have an Intel Mini which shares the same boards as the new laptops.

It's fine for IEMs and Grados, but the Sennheisers was a little anemic and the AKGs were non-starters.

The good news about the new Macs is that they have optical out. If you've got a DAC around, jack it in and enjoy.

As an aside- WmMacmanus, welcome to the Cult! Be sure to add a black turtleneck to your wardrobe.

 

[donunus]

I was thinking of plugging my k81djs into the macbook. Wonder if it will turn out fine til the headfi bug bites and I get my dac

. And my question again, has anyone compared the macbooks output to an ipod or to another laptop. Thanks

 

[Elephas]

I have a MacBook and a 5G iPod. I also have a ThinkPad T42 with an Echo Indigo DJ.

I don't have a K81DJ. Which other headphones are you interested in using with the MacBook?

The MacBook's optical output sounds good.

 

[deadlierchair]

At the moment, my plan is to build my Alien DAC and use it on my MBP I got a few days ago. The optical out is an awesome idea as well. At least for the MBP, maybe someday the ExpressCard slot will house a decent sound card. But that's a long way off I think.

 

[donunus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas I have a MacBook and a 5G iPod. I also have a ThinkPad T42 with an Echo Indigo DJ. I don't have a K81DJ. Which other headphones are you interested in using with the MacBook? The MacBook's optical output sounds good.

I have a 50ohm senn 555.... well anyway just for a basic comparison... you can compare the ksc75 out of the 5gs headphone jack vs the macbooks and ill be satisfied with that. Just want to get the gist of the thing

I'll be getting an affordable DAC later maybe a Zhaolu but thats for later

 

[Elephas]

Using the Koss KSC-75, the MacBook's headphone port sounds a bit better than the 5G iPod's headphone port.

I briefly compared them with ALAC files of Allan Taylor's "Beat Hotel" from Stockfish Records' Closer to the Music.

The MacBook has a darker background, better details and transparency, and a better defined soundstage.

 

[joefosho315]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas I have a MacBook and a 5G iPod. I also have a ThinkPad T42 with an Echo Indigo DJ. I don't have a K81DJ. Which other headphones are you interested in using with the MacBook? The MacBook's optical output sounds good.

Not to thread jack or anything, but I've got a quick question. How does the Echo compare to the onboard sound on the T42? Surprisingly, I think my T42 sounds as good as my TBAAM so I'm just wondering how much better the Echo is.

 

[device manager]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus I just ordered a Macbook Pro the other day because I'm so tired of all of these viruses on PC-based systems.

Savvy PC users don't get infected with malware.

At least you can set up boot camp and still run XP.

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joefosho315 How does the Echo compare to the onboard sound on the T42? Surprisingly, I think my T42 sounds as good as my TBAAM so I'm just wondering how much better the Echo is.

The Echo Indigo DJ's line out to a Hornet sounds best, followed by the headphone plugged to the Indigo DJ's line out port and volume controlled by software.

The T42's built-in headphone port is not bad for a laptop, but the Echo Indigo DJ is much better.

Try using foobar and ASIO4ALL with the TBAAM set to optical out and an external DAC and amp. Sound quality will be significantly better than the T42's headphone port.