The number of holes does not matter nearly as much as the hardware behind them and the software being used to create the sound, both at the speaker-level and overall.
That’s interesting. I found just the opposite with the 11 inch M1. I have the 2018 11 inch IPP and bought the M1 11 inch thinking it would be a significant upgrade. I returned the M1 after trying it for a few days. Decided to keep the 2018 for another year to see if the new display tech would make it‘s way to the 11 inch model. The one big difference I did notice between the two models was the speakers. The speakers on the M1 were significantly louder than the 2018. Much better sound. It’s the very first thing I noticed about the M1. Sounds like the 12 inch is just the opposite.
I would argue that the larger holes, though fewer, provide as much or more total opening for sound to travel through than the more numerous smaller holes. I haven’t done precise measurements, but if the larger holes are, say, 4/32nds of an inch in diameter, and the smaller holes are 3/32nds of an inch, 11 larger holes equal more total surface area than 17 smaller holes by roughly 10%. Further, units of volume increase are pretty arbitrary. Just because one speaker sounds louder at 2 clicks than another doesn’t mean it’s louder all the way up to maximum volume. That’s just not a reasonable test of overall loudness. The ‘18 model may be louder overall, but you’d really need to compare maximum volume, and I don’t think the configuration of the holes is a significant factor.
I can’t compare to the 2020 because this is my first iPad Pro. Coming from a 6th Generation, I find the sound to be very good. I, too, watch movies at low volumes, and I find dialogue clear and easy to understand, much better than my old iPad, which I had to turn way up to clearly understand dialogue. The 2020 may sound better, I can’t say, but I doubt the 2021 is crippled by the new hole configuration.
You're clearly entitled to your own opinion - On my end, there was no drop-off. But it's just categorically wrong to think that the number of holes is something you should be using as your so-called evidence. For example:
You seem willing to accept that other people's experience is subjective but treat your own as fact, because you've counted the number of holes and decided that there is 'zero chance' that it is not impacting the sound. That feels quite inconsistent to me.
There is a significant difference especially in voices. The 2020 had better speakers than the 2018. Voice on the 2021 at low and middle volume is disappointing.
If you can’t hear the difference in the video I posted then that’s great for you. Unfortunately I do hear a pretty stark difference and so have several other people who have done similar tests.
Well I have a 2020 and a 2021 at home and I just did another test “side by side” focusing on low volumes (previously I focused on louder volumes). I cannot notice any stand out difference in sound quality really. What I can notice is that there’s a different volume scale so two “ticks” up from muted on the 2021 model is much lower in volume. When putting both on “two ticks” the 2020 sounded fuller but that is normal when one source is louder, that is why all audio comparisons always need to be performed at the same actual volume.
