Latest Macbook speaker inbalance

[KP Nuts]

Macbook 2.26, 2GB Ram 250HD, LED Screen.

Is it normal for the sound to come from the right of the screen. Usually my laptops have x2 speakers and the sound delivery is even.

Do I have a dud, or have they really cutback on components...?

 

[richieboy72]

I've just got a refurb MBP 13" and I've noticed the same thing. All the sound seems to be coming from the right of the machine, by the optical drive.
I was wondering if it was a duff left speaker, but I haven't checked the Sound Pref. settings yet to see if it's anything there.
From what I've been reading online, this may be a 'design feature' - I hope I don't have to send it back because of a fault.
Anyone else noticing this ?

 

[lionelh]

Hello,

I have the same problem with my MacBook (bought last week here in Paris) : the sound comes from the right...

 

[crazyrog17]

That was a common complaint on the unibody macbook and macbook pros. They've integrated a third, lower frequency speaker. Kind of like a subwoofer.

The only place they could fit it was above/next to the optical drive which is on the right. The two treble speakers are still right and left, but the subwoofer is a combination of the two and located to the right under the keyboard.

If your keep your face away from the keyboard, it sounds fine. Heck, guys. It's a laptop, not a stereo system. =D

 

[archurban]

Macbook 2.26, 2GB Ram 250HD, LED Screen.

Is it normal for the sound to come from the right of the screen. Usually my laptops have x2 speakers and the sound delivery is even.

Do I have a dud, or have they really cutback on components...?

well, unfortunately macbook doesn't have stereo speaker. it's only mono. it's not unbalance. it has only one speaker. that's one of the ways to reduce price down by Apple (like remove firewire, other VGA port and so on). plus, graphic card what macbook use is not good as you think. it still kind of decent. but it's not that good to play most popular games as well.

 

[NewMacbookPlz]

well, unfortunately macbook doesn't have stereo speaker. it's only mono. it's not unbalance. it has only one speaker. that's one of the ways to reduce price down by Apple (like remove firewire, other VGA port and so on). plus, graphic card what macbook use is not good as you think. it still kind of decent. but it's not that good to play most popular games as well.

What MacBook are you talking about

My iBook and my Unibody Aluminum along with every WhiteBook/Unibody I've ever seen has two speakers, and the Unibody Aluminum model even has a mini Subwoofer...

If you don't take my word for it, swing over to www.ifixit.com and check out their disassembly guides. You'll find your wrong in every sense for the MacBook. The MacBook Air only had a single speaker due to it's small size.

 

[drmike]

I recently bought a white unibody MacBook and noticed the same thing -- the sound seemed to come out of the right side of the computer. I opened System Preferences, selected Sound, then messed with the balance settings (because my first reaction was, "wow, it sounds as if only the right speaker is working").

When the balance is set all the way to the right, the sound definitely comes from the right side of the MacBook. When the balance is set all the way to the left, the sound is more towards the center of the computer. The difference is more apparent if you put you face close to the display while changing the speaker balance.

My previous frame of reference is a 2 1/2 year old MacBook -- the model that has two speaker grills on each back edge, about as far away as they can be from one another, so this sounded different.

The speakers in the new MacBook are definitely louder.