Can a MacBook deliver good sound?

[FalconFace]

Hi! This is my first post on this forum as a current PC user looking to make the switch to Mac in the near future.

I am aware of many great advantages of using a Mac over PC, however it's essential that my MacBook can deliver good sound through an amplifier. I currently use a DV optical cable with my PC which delivers superb sound quality and cost next to nothing.. I'm aware that DJs use MacBooks so there's clearly an answer but I can't see anything sound related in the apple store and the mac geniuses didn't seem to have an answer either..

Does anyone know how to get the best sound quality out of theirs?

Martin

 

[iMacDragon]

Hi! This is my first post on this forum as a current PC user looking to make the switch to Mac in the near future.

I am aware of many great advantages of using a Mac over PC, however it's essential that my MacBook can deliver good sound through an amplifier. I currently use a DV optical cable with my PC which delivers superb sound quality and cost next to nothing.. I'm aware that DJs use MacBooks so there's clearly an answer but I can't see anything sound related in the apple store and the mac geniuses didn't seem to have an answer either..

Does anyone know how to get the best sound quality out of theirs?

Martin

3.5mm jack optical cable to a good amp, the audio in/out jacks are dual analogue/optical

 

[DustinT]

The exact same cable you are using with your pc will work fine and should deliver the same sound quality. All recent Macbooks have a digital audio out system built in. Its optical, and built into your headphone jack.

 

[iMacDragon]

The exact same cable you are using with your pc will work fine and should deliver the same sound quality. All recent Macbooks have a digital audio out system built in. Its optical, and built into your headphone jack.

Not necessarily the exact same cable, at least, without an adaptor. Most pc's that do optical do it via a regular toslink port, not a 3.5mm one.

 

[mystik610]

Hi! This is my first post on this forum as a current PC user looking to make the switch to Mac in the near future.

I am aware of many great advantages of using a Mac over PC, however it's essential that my MacBook can deliver good sound through an amplifier. I currently use a DV optical cable with my PC which delivers superb sound quality and cost next to nothing.. I'm aware that DJs use MacBooks so there's clearly an answer but I can't see anything sound related in the apple store and the mac geniuses didn't seem to have an answer either..

Does anyone know how to get the best sound quality out of theirs?

Martin

The Digital Audio Output jack should be used if you're hooking up to a receiver and relying on it to process the audio signal. This will run the digital signal out of the Macbook Pro untouched, and delegate the digital audio conversion process to the receiver (which should be better equipped to do so)

But if you're running a line directly to an amplifier and are concerned with sound quality, I'd strongly recommend you add a Digital Audio Converter (DAC) to the chain.

Whatever route you're going, DO NOT rely on the Macbook pro to process the audio signal if you're concerned about audio quality.

 

[dsio]

The exact same cable you are using with your pc will work fine and should deliver the same sound quality. All recent Macbooks have a digital audio out system built in. Its optical, and built into your headphone jack.

Macbook Pro only, the Macbook Air does NOT have digital jacks whatsoever. This point isn't that obvious in advertising material but the Air needs a USB sound card or DAC. I run Macbook Pro --> custom DAC --> Woo Audio tube amp --> modded Sennheiser HD650s and couldn't be happier.

 

[GuitarG20]

I run MBP > Sennheiser HD 203's and I think it sounds great.

* cue people telling me I know nothing about sound *

 

[FalconFace]

the pc has a regular toslink port indeed, I'm not surprised mac have stripped back the number of inputs (for better or worse). Thanks a lot for your feedback guys, I'll definitely be looking into adding that Digital Audio Converter to the chain