MacBook Pro stereo imbalance

[shadewind]

Just got my new MacBook Pro and while it's awesome, I noticed that the sound of the internal speakers are shifted quite a bit to the right. I Googled a bit and noticed that this is by design because there's a subwoofer in the MBP and that one is placed to the right.

Can anyone confirm this? Does everyone have this on their MBPs? Mine is a 2010 15" Core i7 model.

 

[gibbz]

Have you first checked out System Preferences > Sound > Output > Balance ?

 

[shadewind]

Yes, I have checked those settings so that's not the problem.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

There's another thread on here started over the weekend. Yes, several other 15" MBP owners noted that the sound is heavier coming from the right speaker. To resolve, just pull that slider to the left a little bit. Mine sounds fine after doing so.

Incidentally, I do the same thing in my car with the fader/balance settings on the dashboard unit, given I don't sit perfectly in the center of the vehicle. No big deal really.

 

[Dwalls90]

Hopefully this is something that is software/driver and not hardware related ...

 

[shadewind]

It is indeed hardware related and i might notice it a bit more than the average person since I'm an audio engineer. However, I can't really say I care since I'll rarely be using the built-in speakers for any serious work and besides, the solution that Apple has chosen gives a fuller sound.

 

[stansley]

I have the same issue. It's not related to the balance, because when you stick headphones in all is normal. But when using the speakers, when you go full right balance, the left side is dead. When you go full left side, you get almost equal sound in left and right. It's hard to tell if there's an air "port" bleeding the sound back to the right side, or if the speakers are just not wired correctly, but I did find this unacceptable and was set to take it back to the store for repair, until I saw this thread. I still might. Tell me what you learn . . .

 

[iamrawr]

i was informed that there is a subwoofer on the right side

 

[stansley]

i was informed that there is a subwoofer on the right side

I saw that "subwoofer" in the tear down photos. Its crossover is incorrect. First we shouldn't call this a subwoofer, because the sound coming out of this starts around 200-400 Hz, rather than below 60 Hz like a real subwoofer. Maybe if it was set to a lower frequency, and louder, it might make more sense.

Here's more info:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3336

 

[Mystikal]

I cant find the thread either but there is something that makes the right side louder. I just had to adjust the sliders and now I cant tell the difference.

 

[scaredpoet]

Actually I was starting to notice the same thing on mine, and was about to set up a genius appointment for it. But if the subwoofer thing is true, then I guess it's no big deal.

Sliding the balance does help, so I'll leave it alone for now.