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cvballa

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 17, 2008
20
0
I own an iPad and I think the speakers are terrible. I hope the iPad 2 has vastly updated speakers. If the ipad is to be a laptop alternative the speakers need to be much improved.
 

Corsair.Noir

macrumors member
Jun 28, 2010
54
0
My Ship
I'd definitely like to have improved speakers as well. They aren't absolutely terrible but if I could have better than I'd like better. Louder, better quality, and better placed. I do have to say they are better than the ones on the last laptop I owned.
 

EssentialParado

macrumors 65816
Feb 17, 2005
1,162
48
What? :confused:

Most people who've used an iPad have called the speakers incredible. I think it's one of the most amazing features of the iPad along with it's battery life, and most reviews of the iPad seemed to concur on those points. Both volume and acoustic response are very good considering this is a small tablet of a mere few mm thick. I've done a few in-depth tests and the quality matches my MacBook speakers (which are some of the highest quality laptop speakers in the industry.)

I think you're being a bit harsh. Try comparing it to any portable device, especially netbooks, then listen to the iPad again. Not in a million years would I call the iPad speakers terrible.
 

cvballa

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 17, 2008
20
0
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Corsair.Noir said:
I'd definitely like to have improved speakers as well. They aren't absolutely terrible but if I could have better than I'd like better. Louder, better quality, and better placed. I do have to say they are better than the ones on the last laptop I owned.

I guess I don't mean the quality of the sound. I more mean the loudness. I feel like watching anything with a little background noise is rough. And watching a movie with 2 people is not that great of an experience.
 

SemlinaPilchard

macrumors newbie
Aug 12, 2010
17
0
UK
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I guess I don't mean the quality of the sound. I more mean the loudness. I feel like watching anything with a little background noise is rough. And watching a movie with 2 people is not that great of an experience.

I notice the sound is much louder if the iPad is laid on a hard surface, as opposed to held in hand or suspended in the air. Don't know if this helps, if you are watching a film you probably have it angled for viewing so not on a surface.
 

Ciclismo

macrumors 6502a
Jun 15, 2010
830
72
Germany
I notice the sound is much louder if the iPad is laid on a hard surface, as opposed to held in hand or suspended in the air. Don't know if this helps, if you are watching a film you probably have it angled for viewing so not on a surface.

The audio unfortunately is quite directional - try cupping your hand under the speaker and you will notice that the audio becomes "louder".

If you are amongst others, however, I find it best to use headphones, not just because it eliminates the noise issue but because it is also a measure of common courtesy to not invade on the privacy of others by forcing them to listen to your device. This is a serious pet hate of mine, especially when I am on a bus or train and some self-obsessed and inconsiderate idiot feels the need to blast some crap hop out of their cell-phone speaker or their super-open headphones.
 

Gli.Azzuri

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2010
39
0
iPad 2nd Gen speakers should..
-be louder, but without loosing quality.
-be on the top and bottom of the iPad so you hear things properly, not just a fuzzy sound towards the bottom.
-be larger. it's an iPad, not an iPhone. apple you have the space..
 

ilovemyibook

macrumors 6502
Mar 19, 2006
254
8
Personally I love the speakers. I can't find a single problem with them. They sound amazing and are plenty loud enough for me.
 

MacVault

macrumors 65816
Jun 10, 2002
1,144
59
Planet Earth
What would be some good wireless speakers for home which the iPad could connect to? I'm tired of my wired JBL Alien speakers at home - they sound great but wireless and portable would be really nice. Can anyone recommend wireless speakers which also are rechargable and don't require a power cord all the time?

And, what is the difference between AirPlay and Bluetooth speakers?
 

Amazing Iceman

macrumors 603
Nov 8, 2008
5,302
4,049
Florida, U.S.A.
If the iPad gets all that, it will be thicker, heavier and battery life will drop.
The speaker is just for convenience. It's not designed to compete against a laptop.

Still, I'm able to watch TV shows with my wife using only the built-in speaker.
I use AirVideo, and it has a Volume Boost controller. Since using it, we had no complains about low volume.

This points at a possible max volume cap imposed by iOS by default. AirVideo is able to go around it and does a great job.

For a more immersive personal audio experience, I use bluetooth headphones.
I avoid regular headphones just to prevent accidentally pulling them and dropping the iPad.
 

Mitchrapp

macrumors 6502a
Apr 2, 2010
774
0
Headphones work great on it but as for the speakers by themselves, I think they're quite nice. If I want louder I turn on my TV.
 

mrboult

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2008
406
91
London, England
I think the speaker is bloody amazing considering the device's size.

It is not quite as loud as my 13"mbp but it has a nicer more comfortable quality to it.

ie: I much rather listen to music at full volume on the iPad than the laptop.
 

Lotso

macrumors 6502
Jul 21, 2010
341
0
OC, California
I agree that the quality is good but it needs to be louder. I bet this will happen. Remember the first iPhone and how soft it's speakers were? The iPhone 3g's was much louder. Stereo would also be nice!:p
 

drjsway

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2009
936
2
The iPad speaker is great and better than the average laptop speakers but...

the quality matches my MacBook speakers (which are some of the highest quality laptop speakers in the industry.).

What? Did you mean to say MacBook Pro? MacBook Pro speakers are some of the highest quality but the MacBook speakers are terrible. The iPad beats them hands down.
 

drjsway

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2009
936
2
This points at a possible max volume cap imposed by iOS by default. AirVideo is able to go around it and does a great job.

It's not a volume cap imposed by iOS, it's that videos are encoded at different volume levels, most of them too low. Look at different YouTube videos. Some are incredibly loud and some you can barely hear. I encode all my videos at high levels and dialogue is clear even outdoors, in the middle of Time Square.

But look at Netflix and Hulu app. The volume on their videos are always too low and it makes their apps almost unusable without headphones. The problem is with them, not iOS.
 
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