Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

17" MBP Penryn Speakers - I think they're decent and I'll tell you why

R

Ranchdip

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 6, 2008
69
0
OK, I bashed them at first too but I began to appreciate them. I've owned a professional recording studio for years and I'm about as critical as they come when it comes to audio. That being said, here's my take on the speakers. I would also love to hear other studio engineer/owners opinion as well.
I find that the speakers in my 17" MBP to sound fairly nice. At first listen you want to slam them for lack of bass and its ability to produce loud volumes, but I find that the separation, clarity, and openness to be pretty decent. I found them to sound better than most if not all of the laptops I've heard in the past if based on true reproduction of an audio signal. They remind me of a really good Nakamichi/JBL stereo in a Lexus(I know, I know). You hardly get any of that fat muddy bottom end that most people want but you get great clarity, openness, mids and highs. I bashed the iPod HP's too but after listening to others found that though other manufacturers HP's produced more lows and highs, it didn't capture what I was looking for.
Maybe Apple wanted to reproduce the best of what it could in that frequency range and size of speaker instead of sacrificing quality for extra bass and treble. From my point of view if that's the case, I'm glad they did it the way they did. YMMV :D
 
I agree, I've had mine a few days now, and I don't understand why people would complain about them? The last two laptops I've had had really trebley tinney sounding speakers you got no bass from at all, and the speakers on this MBP blow them out of the water! I'm very impressed, and I don't even use them much! I also make/produce music so I'm usually fairly critical, but I have to say, for a laptop, the MBP has good sound.
 
I also agree. I love the speakers on my 17" mbp. I think its more than loud enough, infact most of the time I have it on 4-5 notches or half of the volume up.

Of course bass isnt needed but the clarity sounds so open and clean when watching a video or listening to music.

I remember when I brought my mbp to my friend's apt and when I played a song he was shocked at how clean it sounded and loud that came from my mbp.
 
Ranchdip said:
I find that the speakers in my 17" MBP to sound fairly nice. At first listen you want to slam them for lack of bass and its ability to produce loud volumes, but I find that the separation, clarity, and openness to be pretty decent. I found them to sound better than most if not all of the laptops I've heard in the past if based on true reproduction of an audio signal.
Click to expand...

Same here. I thought that of the 15" speakers as well, and listening to them in the store doesn't do them justice. They aren't the greatest sounding by far, and some PCs with real subs in them have terrible lows, but they are the clearest things I have ever heard.

winninganthem said:
Sorry to go a little off topic, but are the speakers on the 15" of similar caliber?
Click to expand...

Not off that much, but from what I have owned I have to say yes, but not as loud and clear. Apple is the king of under-clocking and stopping down specs on the 15" and 17" books. So they may have done the same with the speakers, I can't be too sure. But my 15" book's speakers weren't as clear and full as the 17" MBP's.

But I am no audiophile, so take my opinion with a lot of salt.
 
the 15" speakers are good as well just not as loud. But the reason for me to upgrade to the 17" mbp is that all the 15" penryn mbp had this left speaker sizzling/hissing noise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back