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Interesting amp/headphone detail in new Apple MacBookPros

zepplock

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From Apple:

The 3.5 mm headphone jack on the MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) or MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) features DC load detection and adaptive voltage output. Your Mac can detect the impedance of the connected device and will adapt its output for low- and high-impedance headphones, as well as for line-level audio devices.
When you connect headphones with an impedance of less than 150 ohms, the headphone jack provides up to 1.25 volts RMS. For headphones with an impedance of 150 to 1k ohms, the headphone jack delivers 3 volts RMS. This may remove the need for an external headphone amplifier.
With impedance detection, adaptive voltage output, and a built-in digital-to-analog converter that supports sample rates of up to 96 kHz, you can enjoy high-fidelity, full-resolution audio directly from the headphone jack on your MacBook Pro.
 

Saidera

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Thank you very much for sharing this.

Back in the Apple lossless streaming thread I considered Apple's attitude towards audio.

Not many dongles achieve 3 V RMS right?

Not that it’s necessary for the vast majority of casual users.

This must be an undisclosed new custom Cirrus Logic chip perhaps.

24/96 is not enough though. Still stubbornly refusing to accept Sony’s old Hires audio proposition is the way I see it. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with denying the use of inefficient 24/192 and DSD.

The 6 speakers configuration is a surprising change.

It’d be amazing if Apple endorsed/supported DSD recording and playback.
 

Saidera

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I mean that users trying to play 24/192 have to change its sampling rate that's all
 

JJB70

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Apple have always been pretty serious about audio implementation. I am an Android and Windows user but I do admire Apple's approach to audio.
 

Saidera

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JJB70

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Doodski

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Sony are one of the great names of audio with a heritage most others can only dream of.
I provided Sony warranty service for some years and it was a pleasure dealing with the company on most days. If people asked what other companies could do to improve we said, "Be more like Sony." We would order parts for old classic pieces and voila they are stock in Japan and the parts come via Fedex. I specialized in mechatronics so I got to work on some pretty cool technology and mechanisms
 

JJB70

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I provided Sony warranty service for some years and it was a pleasure dealing with the company on most days. If people asked what other companies could do to improve we said, "Be more like Sony." We would order parts for old classic pieces and voila they are stock in Japan and the parts come via Fedex. I specialized in mechatronics so I got to work on some pretty cool technology and mechanisms
It's an aspect seldom mentioned in reviews, but good serviceability and manufacturer support is a lot more relevant than chasing measurements way beyond audibility in my opinion.
 

Head_Unit

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24/96 is not enough though. Still stubbornly refusing to accept Sony’s old Hires audio proposition is the way I see it. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with denying the use of inefficient 24/192 and DSD...It’d be amazing if Apple endorsed/supported DSD recording and playback.
Wait, what? Nothing wrong with denying DSD, but Apple should support it? I'm confused.
Having worked with Apple, I'm pretty sure DSD concerns them less than birds pooping on their cars in the parking lot. Their chief automotive engineer literally told me they don't care about the tweakos. Which is great actually, THAT is the way to run a business (unless your entire business is catering just to tweakos of course)
 

Saidera

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It's Sony vs Apple, it's hires vs CD/compression. Just because something isn't so necessary doesn't mean we should be unable to use it I reckon. Yes DSD still makes products look like high end audio so even Topping puts the logo on their products. On the other hand this is all to do with playback and not recording (my real ambitions). For playback sample rate conversion may be possible though inconvenient.
 
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