Just my honest assessment. The speakers are pretty close but the M1 MBA sounds a bit better. Like I said in my post, the speaker quality isn’t very important to me. There are few chances to use them anyway. Certainly the speakers won’t make me return my M2 MBA. The M2 speakers aren’t bad, just not quite as good as the M1 it is replacing.
You mean you will keep both M1 and M2 Air? Or are you selling your M1 and keeping the M2?
I really don't think you need to worry. M2 speakers are amazing. And I have an M1 pro 14". If you don't already have an M1 you'll be so thrilled. If you have an M1 and you're truly needing best in class re sound quality you should instead be investing in an M1 Pro machine.
Don't sweat it. The M2 speakers are in my opinion truly amazing, despite the fact they are packaged in such a thin product. Apple's audio division are probably their best engineering department, they know what they're doing.
I am coming from a 12" MacBook and 15" 2015 MacBook Pro.
Last week I was at the office and one of my colleague was calling a person using his 14" M1 Pro. At first I thought he was talking to an actual person, I was shocked how true to life the speaker of the 14" makes of a speaking person. Also, I have received the M2 Air during the weekend.
I'm a mechanical engineer. I suppose shock, vibration and acoustics would be some areas of practical knowledge. I have done some sonar transducer design and do some HiFi loudspeaker design/build projects (example below).
The harmonic distortion here would be caused mainly by mechanical non-linearities and and wouldn't be fixed with equalization. Regardless, equalization can largely abate audible colouration.
Bear in mind the measurements were informal - the arrangement, alignment, physical objects, display angle, distances, etc. between the laptop and the listener will all affect the measured response. Output of the MacBook Air M2 speakers below about 100Hz is so low that distortion measurements in this range are meaningless. Both L & R channels were simultaneously driven so comb filter effects will be present in the amplitude response.
Physical limitations greatly restrict the performance envelope. I would say there are obviously some clever engineers at Apple doing a good job at making these MacBooks sound as good as they do within these limitations and at reasonable cost.
Whoa, truly an expert right here.
I see! Glad that colouration can be reduced with EQ. Do you think colouration is more present in this model because of the way the speaker is housed and due to the sound having to bounce off the display panel? So there are more factors that causes colouration than a straight to ear speakers in other MacBooks?
Also, what do people mean by the M2 Air sound more "balanced" than M1 Air? Is clarity essentially "balanced"? Or is it something else? What is balanced in audio term?
While the MacBook Air M2 speakers sound good for such a thin device, I noticed what I thought was a fair bit of colouration caused by uneven frequency response in the low-mid midrange.
Actual measurements suggest that this audible colouration stems mainly from a dip in amplitude response from about 800 to 1.9 kHz. A fair bit of harmonic distortion in the region of 150-350 Hz may also be a contributing factor. See the informal REW measurements below.
Measurements were taken for L+R speakers with a UMIK-1 with 90deg calibration file applied. The mic was located at the approximate ear position for an operator seated at a desk.
I have no measurements from any other MacBook variant for comparison.
These two videos have made measurements on some other MacBooks Pros. I know they might not have the same mic at the same location as your tests, but are they alright to be used as comparisons?
I consider the M2 speakers to be a "step back" though not terrible by any means. For me, they felt "acceptable" whereas M1 speakers are "enjoyable" - I decided to go with the M1 in the end, not because of the speakers but the savings I was able to get on my particular M1. The audio improvement was just an added perk for me.
Thank you for your clarification!
I am disappointed with M2 speakers after moving from M1 MBA and MBP13 Pro. Apple dropped the ball on this one TBH.
Oh my! Was it a very big disappointment?
Its blown all out of proportion
Subjectively Fair, Good, or Excellent.
Both the M1 & M2 are good. They are not the “Best”, end all audio experience, it’s just a laptop.
Probably makes a louse pizza tray too. but thats not what it was designed for.
It won’t break glass, or win a thumping contest against a 18” bass woofer.
For those running full volume with source material approaching the resonate frequency of the case what did you expect ?
Each machine m1 or m2 has true to life audio with little coloration in a remarkable size.
More than pleasing with a stereo presence larger then the size of the machine.
You couldn’t go wrong with either choice.
"Running full volume with source material approaching the resonate frequency", do you mean sound files that are poorly made so it causes distortion and clipping at high volume due to "resonant frequency"?
I agree that they are great speakers for the laptop size, back in 2014 the MacBook Air speakers were abysmal compared to now. However, I am a little concern about this tiny "step back" with the M2 Air from the M1 Air. This will help me decide if I can stomach getting an M1 Air instead of M2 Air.
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I have received the M2 Air over the Weekend. Midnight color is amazing!
I have done testing with different music and TV shows with my "certified" ears against the 12" MacBook from 2016. My 15" 2015 MBP is not with me during the time.
From my subjective experience I like the 12" clarity more, however the M2 Air definitely have a better quality sound:
- The M2 Air sounds a little more muffled and it was harder to identify and distinguish the different instrument sound in each music.
- The M2 Air's sound quality feels better than the 12"
- However, the 12" sounded more "direct and straightforward" for the lack of a better description. It feels like the M2 Air sound was reflected instead of direct, hence a reduction in clarity.
- The M2 Air bass is better. The 12" singing voice and woodwind sounds more clear.
Now I do not have an M1 MacBook air to compare but I feel a little inclined to return the M2 Air and get the M1 instead if the sound quality if more direct and clear from people's comments here. But I could not find an 8 core GPU option anymore
It is unbelievable and interesting that as of right now in the poll, the M1 Air chassis is leading the M2 Air.