2011 MBP headphone out jack has a much lower noise floor than the 2008 unibody

[TheHoff]

Thanks, Apple.

I listen to the headphone jack out with some very sensitive IEMs (inner-ear monitors)... anything above 1 click on the Mac's volume and it is too loud. Half volume on these would probably be deafening... so I stick to 1 click up.

On my old 2008, there was a horrendous noise floor at that volume level. On the 2011 there is still a bit of hiss and hum but it is much, much reduced.

 

[GGJstudios]

I listen to the headphone jack out with some very sensitive IEMs (inner-ear monitors)... anything above 1 click on the Mac's volume and it is too loud. Half volume on these would probably be deafening... so I stick to 1 click up.

You do know that if you hold the Shift and Option keys while adjusting volume, it moves in smaller increments, right?

 

[TheHoff]

You do know that if you hold the Shift and Option keys while adjusting volume, it moves in smaller increments, right?

Yup, good tip, too.

 

[nsdjoe]

Still way too much noise for my Triple.Fi 10 IEM's with the new 2011 13" MBP. I just use a FiiO E7 USB DAC/HP Amp; no noise whatsoever.

I'm not sure how they eliminated hp jack noise after the first gen iPhone yet it still exists in their multi-thousand dollar laptops that are aimed at music professionals. Oh, well.

 

[TheHoff]

Still way too much noise for my Triple.Fi 10 IEM's with the new 2011 13" MBP. I just use a FiiO E7 USB DAC/HP Amp; no noise whatsoever.

I'm not sure how they eliminated hp jack noise after the first gen iPhone yet it still exists in their multi-thousand dollar laptops that are aimed at music professionals. Oh, well.

You're right, it is still too much. I guess I was just thankful that it is much less than the 2008, which was almost unlistenable. I have Westones and an external headphone amp but I've never invested in a USB DAC.

 

[aznguyen316]

You do know that if you hold the Shift and Option keys while adjusting volume, it moves in smaller increments, right?

Whoa I didn't know this. Don't have my mac on me at the moment, but you hold shift + option + vol up/down?

 

[koruki]

Nice to know, the HP desktop Ive been allocated at work sounds like the inside of an ICU with no music playing.

 

[GGJstudios]

Whoa I didn't know this. Don't have my mac on me at the moment, but you hold shift + option + vol up/down?

Yep. It makes about 5 steps for every one without the keys.

 

[AlphaDogg]

You do know that if you hold the Shift and Option keys while adjusting volume, it moves in smaller increments, right?

It doesn't work on the 10.7 developer's beta, though.... I need to restore back to 10.6... There are just too many bugs with 10.7

 

[GGJstudios]

It doesn't work on the 10.7 developer's beta, though.... I need to restore back to 10.6... There are just too many bugs with 10.7

When you're on a beta OS, all bets are off! My beta testing days are behind me. Now I'd rather let others be guinea pigs!

 

[DocNYz]

You do know that if you hold the Shift and Option keys while adjusting volume, it moves in smaller increments, right?

Honestly I forgot that one, thanks for the reminder

 

[DocNYz]

You're right, it is still too much. I guess I was just thankful that it is much less than the 2008, which was almost unlistenable. I have Westones and an external headphone amp but I've never invested in a USB DAC.

you could also look online for an attenuator to get separately like the one that comes with these:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/IE40.html

 

[sporadicMotion]

DAC's are great! It's one of the benefits of having recording gear. I almost never listen to any mac's built in audio. I use a firewire interface with my monitors.