Computer Audio

[yankees60]

Definitely has me thinking about getting a laptop. Currently just have an old 2012 Mac Mini that is fine for most things, but shared with others and likely to be off helping my dad more.

10 days till the expected Apple sale to figure out if I go iPad or MacBook, Air or Pro.

I foresee spending way to much time reading reviews and user reports until then....

Pro differences vs Air, $300.00 gets you:

* Better performance:
- Better cooling (Fan)
- Faster SSD? (Ugh, I thought I saw a benchmark, but can't find it right now; not a major difference)
- Better GPU - 8 vs 7 cores vs entry level Air

* Brighter Screen (500 vs 400 nits)

* Longer battery life (+2 hours listed)

* Better speakers and mic
(TBD on the speaker; Apple site lists differently; MacRumors review says the same)

* Touch Bar on Pro, not Air (any opinions on this?)

* Faster charging (?)

Air does offer the Gold color option and is a little lighter; probably quieter (and warmer) without a fan.

Any other diffs I'm missing?

https://www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-s ... cbook-pro/

Regarding sound....as I read the above I was listening to music via my computer through these headphones:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Pro ... l_huc_item

The music sounds quite good. I know that one of the reasons is that these are excellent headphones. They are same ones I've seen people wearing on radio shows.

Therefore the end delivery system is excellent. However, there is something producing the music.

My computer is telling me it is: "Realtek High Definition Audio".

Does your described computer above have something internal that would provide better sound quality? Would I get better sound quality on this computer by installing a standalone audit card in it? A difference that would be noticeable?

Vinny

[Xan]

The inside of a computer is a very electrically noisy place. A laptop is the worst case scenario! To get really good, clean audio out, your best bet is to have a dedicated DAC (digital-to-analog converter) which is outside the computer.

Speakers which have a USB connection fit this bill (as long as the audio actually goes over USB rather than just using it for control or something). You can also just buy a standalone box, which would be ideal for headphones.

Like this:
https://audioengineusa.com/shop/compone ... phone-amp/

or this (this one is a microphone interface as well and is actually cheaper):
https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-inte ... rlett-solo

[yankees60]

The inside of a computer is a very electrically noisy place. A laptop is the worst case scenario! To get really good, clean audio out, your best bet is to have a dedicated DAC (digital-to-analog converter) which is outside the computer.

Speakers which have a USB connection fit this bill (as long as the audio actually goes over USB rather than just using it for control or something). You can also just buy a standalone box, which would be ideal for headphones.

Like this:
https://audioengineusa.com/shop/compone ... phone-amp/

or this (this one is a microphone interface as well and is actually cheaper):
https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-inte ... rlett-solo

Thanks for the quick response. Had no idea such things existed!


Just finished reading the first three pages of Amazon reviews on the first unit.

Came across this review: "This unit is compact and portable. USB 1.0, so hookup is instant. Sound is great. Personally wished it had more power for volume. 300 ohm headphones struggling to reach saturation volume, but altogether a great unit for most headphones and laptops. With 300 ohm Beyerdynamics, volume not much higher than stock laptop. Sound quality is improved, however."

I checked and my headphones are only 63 ohm.

V = I x R and P = V (squared) / R. Therefore I assume the voltage would be a constant and with lower resistance headphones that would lead to more power and louder volume in them?

Vinny

[Xan]

Yes, 300Ω headphones will need a lot more juice to make the same volume than 63Ω headphones.

[yankees60]

The inside of a computer is a very electrically noisy place. A laptop is the worst case scenario! To get really good, clean audio out, your best bet is to have a dedicated DAC (digital-to-analog converter) which is outside the computer.

Speakers which have a USB connection fit this bill (as long as the audio actually goes over USB rather than just using it for control or something). You can also just buy a standalone box, which would be ideal for headphones.

Like this:
https://audioengineusa.com/shop/compone ... phone-amp/

or this (this one is a microphone interface as well and is actually cheaper):
https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-inte ... rlett-solo

Thanks for the quick response. Had no idea such things existed!


Just finished reading the first three pages of Amazon reviews on the first unit.

Came across this review: "This unit is compact and portable. USB 1.0, so hookup is instant. Sound is great. Personally wished it had more power for volume. 300 ohm headphones struggling to reach saturation volume, but altogether a great unit for most headphones and laptops. With 300 ohm Beyerdynamics, volume not much higher than stock laptop. Sound quality is improved, however."

I checked and my headphones are only 63 ohm.

V = I x R and P = V (squared) / R. Therefore I assume the voltage would be a constant and with lower resistance headphones that would lead to more power and louder volume in them?

Vinny

Now I read 5 pages of reviews for the second unit. Here is where I am at and would like your feedback.

I was impressed that the first unit had 675 reviews with an average 4.5 rating. Definitely a sign of a quality product.

But the second unit had nearly 10,000 (!!) reviews with an average 4.7 rating. Seemed to clearly be the superior product. Plus, its cost was only $110 while the first was $170. Additionally, I bought a bass guitar in 2003 with the intentions of learning to play bass. Practiced some with it but other priorities took over. A few years ago bought an even better bass guitar off Craigslist but have never played it once. The thought came to me that if I bought this unit that plus having a now reduced work load would finally push me to learning how to play bass guitar.

However, the reviews I read for the first unit were uniformly quite good while the ones I read for the second unit cited a lot of problems.

When I asked the original question it was to get have a better quality listening experience from listening to sounds coming out of my computer. It seems like that is the primary (and sole) goal of the first unit while the second unit is more oriented towards musicians and playing instruments and the recording their vocals or instrument playing?

Therefore, at this point I'd lean strongly toward the first unit? But no rush. I'll wait to see if there is some movement on its price a week from Friday and then the following Monday.

Vinny

[Xan]

The thing is, in order to record from a microphone/guitar/whatever, a device like this is an absolute requirement. If you just want to listen to audio from your headphones, no device is needed. So the dedicated output-only device is kind of a weird, fairly unpopular niche. The play/record device is needed by anybody who ever records in any remotely serious way, which is why it's so much more popular and has so many more reviews.

I would posit that it has some negative ones because with so many reviews, that's going to happen, and because it has a lot of competition. There's much less in the output-only world.

In your situation I'd go with the Focusrite for sure. I have one; I use it for voiceovers as well as audio out. You should also consider the 2i2 instead of the Solo: if you ever want to play bass guitar AND record a vocal or lead guitar or who knows what at the same time, you'll want that second input.

Edit: also I think the play-only device only has a weenie 1/8" headphone jack, while the Focusrite has a nice, solid 1/4" jack.

[yankees60]

The thing is, in order to record from a microphone/guitar/whatever, a device like this is an absolute requirement. If you just want to listen to audio from your headphones, no device is needed. So the dedicated output-only device is kind of a weird, fairly unpopular niche. The play/record device is needed by anybody who ever records in any remotely serious way, which is why it's so much more popular and has so many more reviews.

I would posit that it has some negative ones because with so many reviews, that's going to happen, and because it has a lot of competition. There's much less in the output-only world.

In your situation I'd go with the Focusrite for sure. I have one; I use it for voiceovers as well as audio out. You should also consider the 2i2 instead of the Solo: if you ever want to play bass guitar AND record a vocal or lead guitar or who knows what at the same time, you'll want that second input.

Edit: also I think the play-only device only has a weenie 1/8" headphone jack, while the Focusrite has a nice, solid 1/4" jack.

Thanks again for the quick response. To clarity my top priority is listening to audio coming out of my computer. The whole doing my own music thing is appealing but given my past history not a for certain it will ever happen. I know I will regularly, i.e., several hours every day, be listening to sound coming out of this computer. Therefore, I'd give priority to the unit which is going to offer the superior audio experience.

Many of the reviews for the first unit did seem to indicate that there was a quite discernible difference in the sound quality as compared to just plugging direct into the computer. The reviews for the second unit were more oriented from a musician's point of view as opposed to that of a passive audio listener such as myself.

Vinny