Amplifier not working the same with macOS

[retta283]

Not sure why this is but I have a Sony amplifier and when I use it with a Windows PC the sound is excellent and my levels are all good, but when I use it with a Mac it's too bass-heavy and everything else is quiet. I have to turn it up way too loud to hear everything and the bass is far too strong, like a crappy car sub. I tried it with numerous Macs from 10.4 Tiger to 11 Big Sur and they all seem to have approximately the same issue. I've tinkered a bit with the amp controls but when I go back to Windows it's all wrong.

Pulled out my older Marantz amp and it's doing the same thing, so I don't know what's wrong. I hadn't really used macOS with external amps before, just straight speakers so I have no idea what settings to look for or if this is just the way the OS handles things.

 

[DeltaMac]

Is this a standard 2-channel, L&R stereo signal, or is it a more complex, multi-speaker surround sound setup?

How are you connecting the amplifier to the Mac?
Direct, or some external adapter of some kind, then to the amp?
Analog headphone output?
Optical/digital?
USB?

Have you tried the various configuration settings in the Audio MIDI setup app, in your Applications/Utilities folder?

In my opinion, Windows is much better at handling various kinds of audio setups, with easy access to the system audio equalizer, which would include lots of settings for a variety of surround sound setups.

 

[retta283]

Is this a standard 2-channel, L&R stereo signal, or is it a more complex, multi-speaker surround sound setup?

How are you connecting the amplifier to the Mac?
Direct, or some external adapter of some kind, then to the amp?
Analog headphone output?
Optical/digital?
USB?

Have you tried the various configuration settings in the Audio MIDI setup app, in your Applications/Utilities folder?

In my opinion, Windows is much better at handling various kinds of audio setups, with easy access to the system audio equalizer, which would include lots of settings for a variety of surround sound setups.

It's a 3.1 system with left/right, middle, and sub. It was originally a 5.1 surround system but I tossed the back two speakers out. I have it connected via RCA stereo jacks to a 3.5mm jack, analog. The amp is too old to have digital outputs.

I will need to tinker more with the MIDI setup but it seems to only be giving me options for 2 channel stereo which is no good. I do agree that Windows works better with sound equipment, which is why I opted for a Windows media center instead of a Mac mini media center back in the 2000s. I didn't actually have to configure anything on my Windows box to get these speakers working good, the levels were fine even before I configured them. If I could get them even to the default Windows config I'd be happy enough.

 

[DeltaMac]

Have you tried connecting just the left/right speakers, without the sub?
Is the sound from the Mac better when you try that?

 

[retta283]

Have you tried connecting just the left/right speakers, without the sub?
Is the sound from the Mac better when you try that?

They sound alright without the sub, just that I have to turn them much louder than I do on Windows. The main issue I have is that the subwoofer is way too intense so everything else seems quiet by comparison.

 

[DeltaMac]

But, your sub is connected to your amp's sub output, so the sub's level is controlled by your amp, not the computer, correct?

 

[retta283]

But, your sub is connected to your amp's sub output, so the sub's level is controlled by your amp, not the computer, correct?

Yes, but unfortunately correcting the sub level for Mac makes it almost inaudible on the Windows side of things. I am running a mixed ecosystem so this is frustrating to be constantly switching the levels on the amp to my liking. I may just have to buy a different speaker setup for the Mac and leave the Sony amplifier hooked up to the PC.

 

[KeesMacPro]

IMO something is not connected correctly .
All Mac devices I've had had an audio output that worked as it should when connected to a "normal" stereo amp.
Based on your Signature I suppose you're referring to an iMac , so there's only one (analog) headphone 3.5mm stereo output.
Note that the 3.5mm jack for a stereo output signal plugged into your Mac should have only 3 parts: sleeve, ring and tip.
The connector on e.g. a Macbook /iMac has a 4th connector to use a headset (= mic+ 2 audiosignals ), but for audio a "normal" stereo jack should be used.

Although you could obtain a much higher quality sound with a USB digital-analog audio interface, soundlevel and balance bass vs treble should be normal and about the same as with a PC when using the 3.5mm stereo out.

Another possibility is the sensitivity of the audio input on your amp.
The Mac audio signal is 2-channel stereo and should be connected to a tape input or input with similar sensitivity and meant for a stereo signal (not 5.1/Dolby surround etc etc).

If you e.g. connected the Mac to the phono input of your amp, that would explain a lot since the phono input is not only too sensitive but also uses a RIAA correction, which is a standardized correction for a turntable signal.
RIAA emphasizes the lows and reduces the treble of the signal .

I'm convinced the issue is not Mac OS or hardware related, but by an incompatible connection between the amp and the Mac.
Anyway, the Mac hardware is configured to deliver a stereo signal and should work fine by default without having to dig deeper into MIDI settings. By using the digital out connected to a digital input of a 5.1 amp , a surround setup is possible though.

 

[retta283]

IMO something is not connected correctly .
All Mac devices I've had had an audio output that worked as it should when connected to a "normal" stereo amp.
Based on your Signature I suppose you're referring to an iMac , so there's only one (analog) headphone 3.5mm stereo output.
Note that the 3.5mm jack for a stereo output signal plugged into your Mac should have only 3 parts: sleeve, ring and tip.
The connector on e.g. a Macbook /iMac has a 4th connector to use a headset (= mic+ 2 audiosignals ), but for audio a "normal" stereo jack should be used.

Although you could obtain a much higher quality sound with a USB digital-analog audio interface, soundlevel and balance bass vs treble should be normal and about the same as with a PC when using the 3.5mm stereo out.

Another possibility is the sensitivity of the audio input on your amp.
The Mac audio signal is 2-channel stereo and should be connected to a tape input or input with similar sensitivity and meant for a stereo signal (not 5.1/Dolby surround etc etc).

If you e.g. connected the Mac to the phono input of your amp, that would explain a lot since the phono input is not only too sensitive but also uses a RIAA correction, which is a standardized correction for a turntable signal.
RIAA emphasizes the lows and reduces the treble of the signal .

I'm convinced the issue is not Mac OS or hardware related, but by an incompatible connection between the amp and the Mac.
Anyway, the Mac hardware is configured to deliver a stereo signal and should work fine by default without having to dig deeper into MIDI settings. By using the digital out connected to a digital input of a 5.1 amp , a surround setup is possible though.

The stereo cable is similar to the first one pictured, no mic. I'm not quite sure what you're advising my to change with the connection, as this amp will not work with digital audio output. No SPDIF or similar. I'm only able to output in analog, but are you saying to using a 3.5mm to USB adapter at the end of the setup?

The Macs I am attempting the connection with are a 2010 iMac, 2006 Mac mini. These ones had a dedicated mic jack next to the headphone jack, not sure it changes anything though.

It could be that the amp is just too sensitive but it's confusing to me that it works fine under Windows, almost like the DACs are wildly tweaked.

 

[KeesMacPro]

The stereo cable is similar to the first one pictured, no mic. I'm not quite sure what you're advising my to change with the connection, as this amp will not work with digital audio output. No SPDIF or similar. I'm only able to output in analog, but are you saying to using a 3.5mm to USB adapter at the end of the setup?

The Macs I am attempting the connection with are a 2010 iMac, 2006 Mac mini. These ones had a dedicated mic jack next to the headphone jack, not sure it changes anything though.

It could be that the amp is just too sensitive but it's confusing to me that it works fine under Windows, almost like the DACs are wildly tweaked.

Ok, then the jack is correct and there's a separate input and output jack on your Mac, so the problem is somewhere else I suppose.
Have you tested what happens when you connect a headphone to your Mac i.e. how's the sound?
If the sound is as bad as when connected to the amp, the problem lies in the audio setup on the Mac .
If all sounds good on the headphone, I suspect that the amp "expects" a 5.1 surround signal but gets a stereo signal .
Have you tested different inputs on the amp ?
What kind of inputs you can choose on the Sony amp?