# Macbook Air DAC/Sound Quality?



## DeusEx

Does anyone know what kind of DAC the new Macbook Air (the 13", specifically) uses?  Or how good the stock SQ of Macbooks are in general?


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## Vikingatheart

Quote: 





deusex said:


> Does anyone know what kind of DAC the new Macbook Air (the 13", specifically) uses?  Or how good the stock SQ of Macbooks are in general?


 


  My 5 year old MacBook is still running well and over all am more than pleased with it. The only downfall is the noisy sound coming out of it. I can't stand the SQ straight out of it, but of course a good DAC/amp does it wonders


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## albertnam

The signal from my mid-2009 macbook pro is noisy as hell, but with an attenuator the noise disappears and it's decent-sounding.
   
  Moving to an external DAC is another level entirely, though.


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## khaos974

The signal from my 2010 17" MBP is fairly good, it lacks power if you try to use it directly with headphones, but as a line out, it's good easily on the some level as entry level DACs.


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## DeusEx

^^How well does it do with the JH customs?


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## khaos974

I have no idea Since I don't own any IEMs, but I suppose it would be powerful enough since IEMs are not exactly know as power hungry.
  Any Apple store in your area?


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## estreeter

There is an extensive (5 page) write up of the new MBAs in the current edition of the  Australian magazine 'Macworld'. Despite reading through it twice, I can find absolutely zero mention of the sound from anything other than the (wow) onboard speakers. In the same issue, they rate the Bose Quiet Comfort 3 as the best on-ear headphone they can find - pretty much sums up the intended readership, but they do run a lot of the ads for discount Macs here in Oz - without the eye candy, it could easily have been written by any first-year University student with a spell checker and the ability to regurgitate Apple's product pages.
   
  This is an example of one of their speaker comparisons - again, I'm not seeing anything here that makes me leap up and exclaim 'Whoa ! These guys really know their stuff !' ...
   
http://www.macworld.com.au/reviews/lab-test-speakers-of-the-house-20841/


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## hakuryuu

the 17" MBP I have is more than powerful enough and sounds great through my pair of Grado 225s. I wouldn't expect the same performance from an Air but it can't be horrible, and a decent portable usb dac would most certainly clean things up (with a little battery life loss)


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## albertnam

Quote: 





deusex said:


> ^^How well does it do with the JH customs?


 

  
  I mean, it sounds okay. Apple's lineup has higher quality as a part of the brand, but since it is indeed laptop audio the signal is noisy. Details get lost in the noise. WIth the UE attenuator, the noise is no longer present and the audio clears up some, so it sounds fine, basically. With my firewire hookup, the highs get crisper and the low end fills in while tightening up.
   
  Straight out of the port is definitely listenable, it's just not as good as it could be. The level is a bit high for my IEMs, so the attenuator solves both that problem and the problem of noise.


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## DeusEx

Has anyone found out what brand/model/specs of DAC the new Macbooks use?


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## khaos974

Cirrus Logic CS4206A in mine


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## DeusEx

How'd you tell?  Is it viewable anywhere in OS X?


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## khaos974

I'll confirm later when I'm back home, but I think it's what the device manager says under windows.


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## khaos974

Confirmed


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## DeusEx

Does anyone know anything about the DAC?  Do both the Pro and Air use the same Cirrus Logic chip?


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## hyogen

bump.  curious to see what DAC is in my wife's macbook air (2nd gen)...i think the latest that is out is the 3rd gen.


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## OllyNewport

Compared to my 2010 MacBook Pro 17", the MacBook Air 13" (2012) has (comparatively) superb SQ. With my SE535's I got a lot of hiss from the MBP17, with the Air very little. Was a pleasant surprise - was quite similar to the level of hiss I get with the iPod Classic (latest gen).


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## Redlah

Quote: 





ollynewport said:


> Compared to my 2010 MacBook Pro 17", the MacBook Air 13" (2012) has (comparatively) superb SQ. With my SE535's I got a lot of hiss from the MBP17, with the Air very little. Was a pleasant surprise - was quite similar to the level of hiss I get with the iPod Classic (latest gen).


 
  Well, I don't own a MacBook Air myself. but I do have MacBook 2010 Pro. In Apple showroom I tried the Air though. They are not comparatively THAT much better than macbook pro. I tried some songs on both the devices. I know they are not of same bitrate so the SQ can vary. but what I mentioned earlier is something I'm more or less pretty sure about. 
   
  And about the iPod classic, I own a late 2009 160 GB iPod Classic 6G (usually known as 7th gen). The noise coming out of it is very hard to determine. they don't produce any hiss. at least to my ears.


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## scannermobheadf

I stumbled on this thread looking to find out what DAC my Macbook Air (2011) has. I can do a very short assessment of the sound quality, based on my previous model which was a Macbook Pro (2008). Please bear in mind I'm no expert, and unable to do an A-B comparison.
   
  My old *Macbook Pro (2008) had pretty terrible line out*: there was clearly audible noise, the overall signal level was quite low (as you'd expect). However, it did have a *saving grace*: the 3.5mm jack was a combination SPDIF *optical out*, and therefore could be connected very easily to an external DAC, resulting in an excellent sound quality.
   
  In comparison, my newer *Macbook Air (2011)*, argueably one of the finest laptops ever made, has a standard line out which is pretty damn good and a *clearly noticeable improvement*. Used with the newer 'EarPods' this results in a modest, but refined sound, with an acceptable soundstage, good clarity, and no noticeable bias for any particular frequencies (highly subjective, I know). I've tried 'improving' the sound using a Fiio e3, and the result was awful.. it totally killed the soundstage and the clarity was ruined. With the correct headphones it is capable of thunderous bass and sub frequencies. I've also done a little audio work on it (using BFD with an electronic drumkit), and the sound is excellent -- even very subtle transients and acoustics well rendered, in my opinion. But unfortunately, I guess to cut costs, there is *no combination optical/analogue output*.
   
*So in conclusion*, most owners of older Apple laptops should be very pleased with the upgraded direct line out in the newer models. But be aware there is no longer a combination optical out, although of course you are free to use a USB DAC which would no doubt provide benefits.


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## xszing

I just compared a couple of tracks on my 11" MBA and my Sony NWZ-1060 (Fujiya Miyagi Sixteen shades of blue, Radiohead Staircase, m4a AAC); same tracks, same ATH-M50 headphones. No hiss from the either, more clarity and spacing from the Sony, the MBA sounds all right, the Sony very good.
  
  Same exercise with XBA-4; much more detail and stage on the Sony Walkman, very immersive, the bass sounds "chewy" on the Radiohead track, a little subduded in comparison on the Mac; oh and no hiss from the balanced armature headphones in either.
   
  My non scientific and personal conclusion is that the MBA is fine for music; the Sony is obviously a step up, it's the difference between thinking "nice tune" and starting to dance to it. The XBA-4 might get you fired as it's easy to forget the rest of the world. In case anyone is crazy enough to start a PC vs Apple PC flame war, I wouldn't even bother comparing with a Windaz PC (still stuck with generic Realtek audio, most likely) - or an iPod.
   
  My old Mac Mini sounds great through the optical audio out to an Onkyo amplifier and Bose (gasp, yes Bose!) speakers; as has been said, that optical out is sadly missing from the Macbook Air, which takes a bit of the shine off.


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## Julesmith

scannermobheadf
   
  Like you I was inspired to just look up "Macbook Air sound quality" as it seems surprisingly good for an analogue 'Ultrabook' output. By no means an audiophile, I have dabbled in some decent kit in the past (valve preamps and monobloc power etc), and I have to say that this little machine with a pair of Sennheiser PX-100's (minor classics in my opinion) is a revelation. WAY beyond any iPod/iPhone they've done. And they don't promote this quality of their machines. Very surprising. I suspect that the analogue output on this is a shade above their optical out on the Pros.This MBA is v.recent ~ 3 months
   
  </geekness>


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## mattwardfh

Quote: 





scannermobheadf said:


> I stumbled on this thread looking to find out what DAC my Macbook Air (2011) has. I can do a very short assessment of the sound quality, based on my previous model which was a Macbook Pro (2008). Please bear in mind I'm no expert, and unable to do an A-B comparison.
> 
> My old *Macbook Pro (2008) had pretty terrible line out*: there was clearly audible noise, the overall signal level was quite low (as you'd expect). However, it did have a *saving grace*: the 3.5mm jack was a combination SPDIF *optical out*, and therefore could be connected very easily to an external DAC, resulting in an excellent sound quality.
> 
> ...


 
  Every curent Mac has optical out except for the Air, which has never had optical. My educated guess is that including the hardware for optical output creates space issues, as even the Mac mini and some older MacBooks have optical. I don't think it's a cost issue. 
   
  For DAC purposes, my take is that so many of the inexpensive, portable DACs are USB only that it's not a huge loss. For use with a home theater system, that's a different matter...


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## Destroysall

I have the older Macbook Air from late 2008. I recently plugged in the Beyerdynamic DT 990/600 Ω headphones into the headphone output of the notebook and was amazed at the power and sound being reproduced. While it may not be an idealistic, I wouldn't mind having it as a "one-and-only" setup.


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## manukoshe

A pretty cheap external dac will sound much better than the MacBook internal sound card...


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## TooCas

I found it for the my 2013 MacBook Air....
  
 Cirrus Logic 4208-CRZ
  
 see Step 9:
  
 http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Mid+2013+Teardown/15042
  
 Hope that helps...


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## henkvaness

And here are some specs of that part, based on the very similar CS 4207:
  
The CS4207 is a highly integrated multi-channel low power HD audio codec featuring 192 kHz DACs, 96 kHz ADCs, 192 kHz S/PDIF transmitter and receiver, microphone preamp and bias voltage, and a ground centered headphone driver. Based on multibit, Delta Sigma modulation, it allows infinite sample rate adjustment between 32 kHz and 192 kHz.

  The ADC input path allows control of a number of features. The microphone input path includes a selectable programmable-gain pre-amplifier stage and a low noise MIC bias voltage supply. A GA is available for line and microphone inputs and provides analog gain with soft ramp and zero cross transitions. The ADC also features an additional digital volume attenuator with soft ramp transitions.

  

 DIGITAL to ANALOG FEATURES
  DAC1 (Headphone)
 – 101 dB Dynamic Range (A-wtd)
 – -89 dB THD+N
  Headphone Amplifier - GND Centered
 – Integrated Negative-voltage Regulator
 – No DC-blocking Capacitor Required
 – 50 mW Power/Channel into 16 
  DAC2 & DAC3 (Line Outs)
 – 110 dB Dynamic Range (A-wtd)
 – -94 dB THD+N
 – Differential Balanced or Single-ended
  Each DAC Supports 32 kHz to 192 kHz Sample Rates Independently.
  Digital Volume Control
 – +6.0 dB to -57.5 dB in 0.5 dB Steps
 – Zero Cross and/or Soft Ramp Transitions
  Independent Support of D0 and D3 Power States for Each DAC
  Fast D3 to D0 Transition
 – Audio Playback in Less Than 50 ms

  

  

  

  



  ADC1 & ADC2
 – 105 dB Dynamic Range (A-wtd)
 – -88 dB THD+N
 – Differential Balanced or Single-ended Inputs
 – Analog Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA) ±12 dB, 1.0 dB Steps, with Zero Cross Transitions and Mute
  MIC Inputs
 – Pre-amplifier with Selectable 0 dB, +10 dB,
 +20 dB, and +30 dB Gain Settings
 – Programmable, Low-noise MIC Bias Level
  Each ADC Supports 8 kHz to 96 kHz Sample Rates Independently
  Additional Digital Attenuation Control
 – -13.0 dB to -51.0 dB in 1.0 dB steps
 – Zero Cross and/or Soft Ramp Transitions
  Digital Interface for Two Dual Digital Mic Inputs  Independent Support of D0 and D3 Power
 States for Each ADC
  
   
 The ADC input path allows control of a number of features. The microphone input path includes a selectable programmable-gain pre-amplifier stage and a low-noise MIC bias voltage supply. A PGA is available for line and microphone inputs and provides analog gain with soft ramp and zero cross transitions. The ADC also features an additional digital volume attenuator with soft ramp transitions.
 The stereo headphone amplifier is powered from a sep- arate internally generated positive supply, with an integrated charge pump providing a negative supply. This allows a ground-centered analog output with a wide signal swing and eliminates external DC-blocking capacitors.
 The integrated digital audio interface receiver and trans- mitters utilize a 24-bit, high-performance, monolithic CMOS stereo asynchronous sample rate converter to clock align the PCM samples to/from the S/PDIF inter- faces. Auto detection of non-PCM encoded data disables the sample rate conversion to preserve bit ac- curacy of the data.
 In addition to its many features, the CS4207 operates from a low-voltage analog and digital core, making this part ideal for portable systems that require low power consumption in a minimal amount of space.
 The CS4207 is available in a 48-pin WQFN package in both Automotive (-40°C to +105°C) and Commercial (-40°C to +85°C) grades.
  
 I even found a 148 pages PDF about the audiocodec in the Macbook, download it here http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDatasheet/CS4207_F4.pdf


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## RoganisP

I just received a 2014 MacBook Air. Before that I was on a 2007 MacBook and a 2008 iMac, and most of the time using an Asus MultiMixer DAC to drive my headphones (SRH750DJ, HD280 PRO, PX-95 etc...) because I could hear some hiss on the integrated DAC and the soundstage was kinda okay but not good enough for me.

 And here comes the new Air computer in my life. Wow. No matter how loud I put the sound, I can't hear any hiss (the thing I hate the most ) and the harmonics seems much more true than what I had on the basic DAC of those previous mac. I'm not saying that the Asus DAC isn't better (it is) but I can without any problem enjoy my stuff on the integrated chip, when I couldn't bear it on the previous computers.
  
 Good job Apple! Wasn't expecting such a thing in the "cheapest" laptop of the brand!


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## newzild

roganisp said:


> I just received a 2014 MacBook Air. Before that I was on a 2007 MacBook and a 2008 iMac, and most of the time using an Asus MultiMixer DAC to drive my headphones (SRH750DJ, HD280 PRO, PX-95 etc...) because I could hear some hiss on the integrated DAC and the soundstage was kinda okay but not good enough for me.
> 
> And here comes the new Air computer in my life. Wow. No matter how loud I put the sound, I can't hear any hiss (the thing I hate the most ) and the harmonics seems much more true than what I had on the basic DAC of those previous mac. I'm not saying that the Asus DAC isn't better (it is) but I can without any problem enjoy my stuff on the integrated chip, when I couldn't bear it on the previous computers.
> 
> Good job Apple! Wasn't expecting such a thing in the "cheapest" laptop of the brand!


 
 I have a full-specced late 2014 Macbook Pro and it has great sound quality when paired with Sennheiser HD 25 1-II cans.
  
 Coincidentally, I also have an iPhone 5s, and it's got the best audio quality I've ever heard in a portable device. It easily drives the 70 ohm Sennies, and I no longer bother with a portable amp.
  
 When buying the two Apple products, I hadn't researched their sound quality at all. It's been a happy surprise to learn how great both the phone and laptop sound.


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## Noob Meister Jr

the macbook air DAC is brilliant. i hear absolutely no difference between it and the cambridge audio CXN (streamer and DAC), when pluggd into marantz pm6004 with psb b25 speakers.
  
 note,
 i had tested teh CXN against the denon (heos?) streamer, and against teh denon plugged into the CXN (CXN used just as DAC), through an expensive system(around $15-20k i'd say); the CXN was vastly superior. so either the macbook air DAC is superior to the denon DAC, or my system just isn't good enough to hear the differences, or both.


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## Lex2

I think the DAC themselves are fine on the Macbooks (I have three difference ones, both Pro and Air). It's usually the amping that leaves a lot to be desired.


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## Indigo Bob

I just picked up a new macbook air 13' and the DAC is great!  I am really impressed


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