M2 air speakers

[mbp17forever]

We all know that MacBook Air m2 has a four-speaker system that theoretically is better than the stereo speakers of the 13-inch m1 air/pro line

But in real life I think that speakers of my m2 air sound a bit worse than my previous m1 air and a lot worse than m1 13” MacBook Pro. I’m not saying that they sound bad but if we compare these 3 entry level machines, speakers of m2 air sound thinner and more flat. Any opinions of people that used all these Macs?

 

[StoneJack]

I listen to headphones
For music listening I have dedicated speakers.
Notebook speakers are generally all sound thin and flat

I had M1 air and now have M2 Air,
did not find any significant differences. Air M2 has different position of speakers so that may affect your perception. In general, M2 has decent speakers

 

[russell_314]

The speakers in my M2 Air are excellent for watching movies or YouTube videos but not sufficient for listening to music. If you're home perhaps a Bluetooth speaker or HomePod would work. For on the go AirPods Pro or Max would be perfect. This allows you to hear your music and makes other people happy they can't hear it.

 

[StoneJack]

The speakers in my M2 Air are excellent for watching movies or YouTube videos but not sufficient for listening to music. If you're home perhaps a Bluetooth speaker or HomePod would work. For on the go AirPods Pro or Max would be perfect. This allows you to hear your music and makes other people happy they can't hear it.

exactly

 

[ilikewhey]

We all know that MacBook Air m2 has a four-speaker system that theoretically is better than the stereo speakers of the 13-inch m1 air/pro line

But in real life I think that speakers of my m2 air sound a bit worse than my previous m1 air and a lot worse than m1 13” MacBook Pro. I’m not saying that they sound bad but if we compare these 3 entry level machines, speakers of m2 air sound thinner and more flat. Any opinions of people that used all these Macs?

they are ok, my 14inch mbp is in the shop due to some repair so my work issued me a m2 mba for the past week.
previously i had a very negative perception of them since i had my 14inch as benchmark, and it sounded like tint cans. now with the m2 mba being my standalone, at least for another week or so, its not terrible, can't really tell much difference than my wife's m1 mba. i did find my wife's m1 mba sounding a tad more crisp.

 

[fisherking]

i use boom 3D (sans the '3D' effect) to slightly tweak the EQ of the speakers; helps. but it still is what it is; extremely thin, and small, speakers, so you can't expect much.

still, it's way better than my previous 12" macbook....

 

[Sowelu]

The speakers in the M1 Air do sound better to my ears as well. While there is no bassy boom, there's more sound separation. I also use a Boom app (Boom 2) to enhance the overall sound and I am happy with the results.

However, I am experiencing a bug where there is some static with any audio playback after wake from sleep. Closing the app and re-opening remedies the issue, but I am also working with the developer to try and get it sorted officially.

Also, every now and again the system audio settings volume slider automatically goes to either the left or right. I have to move it back manually when I notice skewed sound.

Both of these issues happen on my M2 mini as well, so it's most likely a bug in the app - perhaps due to M2 chip or Ventura. Maybe I should give Boom 3D a go.

 

[fisherking]

Also, every now and again the system audio settings volume slider automatically goes to either the left or right. I have to move it back manually when I notice skewed sound.

Both of these issues happen on my M2 mini as well, so it's most likely a bug in the app - perhaps due to M2 chip or Ventura. Maybe I should give Boom 3D a go.

that happens for me consistently. check out balance lock, free app, where you can set the pan where you want (ie center), and it will keep it there. fwiw, this happens on boom 3D...

 

[Sowelu]

that happens for me consistently. check out balance lock, free app, where you can set the pan where you want (ie center), and it will keep it there. fwiw, this happens on boom 3D...

Thank you, I will definitely try that app. I do hope the developer can fix the static after wake bug.

 

[fisherking]

Thank you, I will definitely try that app. I do hope the developer can fix the static after wake bug.

i had problems running boom 2 on ventura, boom 3D sorted that out (altho, of course, not the pan bug). fwiw, i don't use the '3D' thing, just the EQ...

 

[Sowelu]

i had problems running boom 2 on ventura, boom 3D sorted that out (altho, of course, not the pan bug). fwiw, i don't use the '3D' thing, just the EQ...

I've been using Balance Lock and so far it's been working like a charm! The volume balance stays locked as advertised and not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but there hasn't been any Boom2 static with sound output (after wake) since I've installed this.

 

[fisherking]

I've been using Balance Lock and so far it's been working like a charm! The volume balance stays locked as advertised and not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but there hasn't been any Boom2 static with sound output (after wake) since I've installed this.

fwiw, either with the latest OS beta and/or the latest update of boom 3D... i no longer need balance lock (but am keeping it in case the problem comes back). anyway, glad you got things working 👍