Jottle
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2009
- Posts
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So I just got a new pair of audioengine a5's. I like them a lot, but the hiss from my unibody macbook pro as a source is annoying. When the speakers aren't connected to a source, they're dead quiet no matter how high I turn up the master volume. When I connect them to my macbook pro (via the only way, 3.5mm jack), I get some audible and annoying hiss from the tweeters. So it must be the macbook pro's crappy internal sound card. Also, the a5's are analog only. I don't like the hiss, and it gets a tiny bit louder if I turn the master volume on the speakers up. It's definitely not a ground loop or anything. I'm pretty sure it's just hiss from the sound card. My question is will an external DAC inline between the speaker and macbook pro remove most of this hiss? What can I do to eliminate it? Any recommendations for a semi-cheap DAC, say between $150-$300?
I know that my laptop can output digital audio over the same 3.5mm headphone port. So is it likely that the digital 3.5mm output will also have hiss?
I know that my laptop can output digital audio over the same 3.5mm headphone port. So is it likely that the digital 3.5mm output will also have hiss?