MBP owners - how shit is your onboard soundcard?

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:17 pm

Just got a new MBP, connected up my Ultralite and it seems to work fine.

However, I plugged in headphones to the headphone socket of the MBP just to listen to some stuff while sufing the net without the MOTU connected...

...and FUCK ME, the noise from the onboard soundcard is a fucking disgrace, whirring, buzzing, total nightmare. Searching the net shows me I'm not alone.

Other MBP users: do you have the same thing? Do you find it acceptable? I'm well angry here and where I live we have very little consumer protection so taking it back for a refund is out of the question.

Winston · Post by **Winston** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:23 pm

I can't say I've had the same experience. I find the on-board sound pretty good. I've hooked up to a stereo many times from the headphone jack and it sounds fine.

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:26 pm

Well if you get a moment, connect headphones directly to it and tell me what you hear.

What model are you on?

Mine's a brand new Penryn 2.6, I've not even installed Live on it yet, just listened to prerecorded stuff and then confirmed it by firing up GarageBand.

ANd I've now discovered quite a few threads about it on Apple Forums.

SubFunk · Post by **SubFunk** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:46 pm

i am on a 2.16ghz C2D

and i am more then amazed by the quality AND low latency i can run for being it what it is... an onboard soundcard.

seems to me like a problem with the latest models.

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:23 pm

Well, maybe it's a newish problem, but not that new if you look at the last thread below.

macumors http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=443692

recent apple thread http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jsp ... ID=6959429

and the big momma of apple threads that starts in june last year

http://discussions.apple.com/message.js ... ID=6057460

The sound quality is fine, it's all the background stuff from hissing to total r2d2 madness when you stop audio playback. On my Senheissers it's bad but on my cheaper in-ear buds it's terrible.

Winston · Post by **Winston** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:29 pm

I've got the 2.16.

I use headphones all the time. No hiss or hum. Good quality.

I've even used the headphone out at gigs on a huge sound system. No background noise.

Apple seem to f'n up the new stuff more and more.

TITBAG · Post by **TITBAG** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:41 pm

MACS ARE SHIT

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:41 pm

dazzer wrote:I'm well angry here and where I live we have very little consumer protection so taking it back for a refund is out of the question.

That sucks, Dazzer. Where do you live? In the States if you're an offical Apple Reseller then you have a certain window of time in which you could return it or exchange it for a different one.

A noisy headphone out would piss me off too.

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:45 pm

I'm in Hong Kong. We don't have any Apple shops as such, only official resellers, which is where I got mine from. Basically, to ever get a refund for anything in HK is nigh on impossible.

I guess I'm gonna take it back and see what happens but from what I've now read about this online it seems to be pretty widespread rather than just me getting a lemon.

IP · Post by IP » Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:53 pm

TITBAG wrote:MACS ARE SHIT

Just like that?

gomi · Post by **gomi** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:06 pm

dazzer wrote:Just got a new MBP, connected up my Ultralite and it seems to work fine.

However, I plugged in headphones to the headphone socket of the MBP just to listen to some stuff while sufing the net without the MOTU connected...

...and FUCK ME, the noise from the onboard soundcard is a fucking disgrace, whirring, buzzing, total nightmare. Searching the net shows me I'm not alone.

Other MBP users: do you have the same thing? Do you find it acceptable? I'm well angry here and where I live we have very little consumer protection so taking it back for a refund is out of the question.

yah they dropped the ball on the headphone out on the mbp.
all kinds of weird noises.

Vercengetorex · Post by **Vercengetorex** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:13 pm

No hum, hiss, blips or bleeps on my MBP Santa Rosa 2.2

sparklepuff · Post by **sparklepuff** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:33 pm

I get funky squelchy, hissy sounds with my onboard. MBP 2.33. Not unlistenable, for iTunes or movies or whatever, but unusable for trying to record. Sounds like I've got some weird bit crusher on the tail end of every sound as it fades out.

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:59 am

sparklepuff wrote:I get funky squelchy, hissy sounds with my onboard. MBP 2.33. Not unlistenable, for iTunes or movies or whatever, but unusable for trying to record. Sounds like I've got some weird bit crusher on the tail end of every sound as it fades out.

Yep, that's it.

gomi wrote:yah they dropped the ball on the headphone out on the mbp.
all kinds of weird noises.

yep.

After a night's sleep I've decided that I can't accept this in such an expensive laptop so after work I'm off for a fight with the shop. What most sucks is finding an alternative if the shop accept there's a problem. Maybe I'll get a Vista lappie...

AndyJapan · Post by **AndyJapan** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:07 am

dazzer wrote:
[...]

Maybe I'll get a Vista lappie...

I am not sure if you want to switch to Vista.
Take a read: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... technology

MBP owners - how shit is your onboard soundcard?

MBP owners - how shit is your onboard soundcard?

Re: MBP owners - how shit is your onboard soundcard?

Re: MBP owners - how shit is your onboard soundcard?