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Creative ways to DISABLE internal speaker

H

hruvulum

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 7, 2011
16
0
Corte Madera, CA
I need to know whether the speaker inside the Mac mini 2011 2.3 GHz is loud enough and clear enough to enable a motivated person to use the mini to watch (i.e., hear) a movie.

I could probably give it a test drive at my local Apple Store, but the store would probably have enough background noise from people talking to make the results inapplicable to a quiet apartment.

For reference, the speaker(s) built into the iPad 2 are to my ears more than adequate for movie watching. The speakers in my 2006-vintage gen-one Macbook, though "half as loud" as the iPad 2's, are also loud enough to allow a sufficiently motivated person to watch a movie with them.

A reply that I really should plan on getting external speakers or headphones would be of no use to me because my purpose is to make sure that if I buy a Mac mini to help me be productive, I am not even going to be TEMPTED to use the device to watch movies if I do not have any headphones or speaker cables in my home.

I would also be interested in creative suggestions as to how I might inexpensively render the speaker permanently mute without pulling the whole device apart. I have seen videos of the device being pulled apart and despair of my being able to put it back together again without breaking anything.
 
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You could just put it on mute and then the sound will never play. That's what I do with all my stuff.

No need to disconnect cables
 
hruvulum said:
I need to know whether the Mac mini 2011 2.3 GHz is loud enough and clear enough to enable a motivated person to watch (i.e., hear) a movie with just the internal speaker.
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It's not loud enough to really hear well, including all dialogue.
hruvulum said:
A reply that I really should plan on getting external speakers or headphones would be of no use to me because my purpose is to make sure that if I buy a Mac mini to help me be productive, I am not even going to be TEMPTED to use the device to watch movies if I do not have any headphones or speaker cables in my home.
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Technology is a poor substitute for maturity and self-discipline.
hruvulum said:
I would also be interested in creative suggestions as to how I might inexpensively render the speaker permanently mute without pulling the whole device apart.
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Um.... press the "mute" button. Or turn the volume all the way down.
hruvulum said:
I have seen videos of the device being pulled apart and despair of being able to put it back together again without breaking anything.
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Not to mention voiding your warranty.
 
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GGJstudios said:
Technology is a poor substitute for maturity and self-discipline.
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Just because I needed to share a little about myself in order to ask a TECHNICAL question does not mean I want unsolicited supercilious advice on how to run my life.

Thanks though for the first sentence of your reply.
 
hruvulum said:
Just because I needed to share a little about myself in order to ask a TECHNICAL question does not mean I want unsolicited supercilious advice on how to run my life.
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You're welcome! That's on the house! No charge!
 
Still need an answer to my first question. I got one answer (quoted below) but it is not informative enough:

I need to know whether a person with excellent hearing CAN use the mini's internal speaker to hear what is going on in a Hollywood movie PROVIDED the person is in a quiet room and is willing to exert significant effort to keep on following the movie.

It's not loud enough to really hear well, including all dialogue
Click to expand...
 
hruvulum said:
Still need an answer to my first question. I got one answer (quoted below) but it is not informative enough:

I need to know whether a person with excellent hearing CAN use the mini's internal speaker to hear what is going on in a Hollywood movie PROVIDED the person is in a quiet room and is willing to exert significant effort to keep on following the movie.
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If you are less then 3 feet from the mini and the room is really quiet maybe.

A lot depends on the movie quite frankly I would say don't try to do so.

Get some speakers or get a display that has speakers.
 
You could just have a little self control and not put any movies on your Mac mini.
 
are you really asking if you can disconnect the internal speakers in a mac mini so you don't accidentally watch a movie?
 
doktordoris said:
are you really asking if you can disconnect the internal speakers in a mac mini so you don't accidentally watch a movie?
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That's not how I would frame it, but essentially yes.

I already knew I can pay a repair person to disconnect them, but I am not sure I want to buy a mini if the purchase price includes my paying someone to do that and my voiding the warranty. (Other computers come without speakers.)

And to be perfectly precise, even if I never accidentally watch a movie, I believe I would incur certain costs from constantly resisting the temptation to watch a movie. If the votes and some of the other comments on this thread are any indication, those costs are small or trivial for some people, but not for me.

I see the issue a lot like the following article does: WEB OF DISTRACTION - How the computer is wasting your time. by Christopher Shulgan.
 
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hruvulum said:
And to be perfectly precise, even if I never accidentally watch a movie, I believe I would incur certain costs from constantly resisting the temptation to watch a movie.
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Again, you're trying to find a technological solution to a personal self-discipline issue. If you really can't resist watching a movie, you'll find a way to circumvent any technical solution you may come up with. The problem really isn't technical at all, so neither should the solution be.
 
hruvulum said:
Leave me alone, GGJstudios. I mean it.
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You honestly thought no one would mention that your using up much time/effort/possibly money in order to prevent you from doing something that a well behaved child could resist from? It looks like GGJ gave you all the info you need.

Again, you're trying to find a technological solution to a personal self-discipline issue. If you really can't resist watching a movie, you'll find a way to circumvent any technical solution you may come up with. The problem really isn't technical at all, so neither should the solution be.
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Some people cant be helped:rolleyes:
 
I'm not trying to be mean, but it sounds like you might need a therapist more than you need a new Mac mini.
 
Even if you disable the sound there are lots of good silent movies from the golden years of movies you could watch.

There is no way you can disable the sound on a mac mini that can't be easily corrected unless you open up the device and remove the connections to the speaker.

There are times when you might need sound to be productive. My daughter uses her work computer ever day to attend a conference call.
 
Shrink said:
Better watch your step, GGJstudios, in a second he's going to ask you to step outside!:eek:

Or possibly, slap you with a glove and ask your seconds to meet his seconds to arrange the duel. :rolleyes:
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I know! I know! As always, should I be caught or killed while posting, this forum will disavow any knowledge of my actions! :cool:
xlii said:
There are times when you might need sound to be productive. My daughter uses her work computer ever day to attend a conference call.
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Not to mention system alerts, startup beeps, notifications for mail or instant messages, etc.
 
1) Don't install Flash. No Netflix, Hulu or YouTube.
2) Get a Mac mini without a disc drive. No DVDs.
3) Don't install VLC, Plex or any other program that would let you watch downloaded movies.

If you aren't able to do those three things, then physically disconnecting the sound from your Mac mini is not going to stop you from being tempted to distraction.
 
Boy, you are a piece of work, hruvulum.

Go exercise your 5-HT2A receptors. That ought to fix all your problems.
 
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