MacBook Pro 16 M1 Pro Sounds muffled

[Technerd108]

The sound and screen are most likely normal. The screen has a poor response time which leads to tearing on certain images like text negating the Promotion to some degree.

However what you are describing with the UFO test just means you are using an App or browser that is not supported with Pro-Motion yet. I am sure as Apple releases more updates that issue will be resolved if it hasn't already.

As for the sound it is normal although the 16" has louder and larger speakers than the 14" I experienced issues with certain content specially voices. The sound is super rich and has a lot of bass but the higher end is a bit lacking. I never had a problem that turning the volume up couldn't fix on the 16" but the 14" was a problem and I returned it because of the lack of volume. I literally could not hear content like voices even with the volume all the way up and that was a huge problem. When I got the 16" it was loud enough. So I am surprised you have experienced this on the 16"?

I actually prefer the sound on the M2 MBA even though it lacks the bass of the Pro's I find it much clearer and still has a great sound stage and some bass.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

am i crazy if i say my mba m1 sounds better than my mbp 16 ? i like to listen to classical music ,with violons and high pitch sound,and the mbp makes it sound bassy .it sounds horrible to my ears

That's good to hear. If they make a 15" MBA, it will be my next machine. I don't even need a MBP, just need a bigger screen.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Can't talk precisely about the 16", but my 14" is a lil bit on the bass side, yes, not as neutral as I'd like but definitely, better sounding than any of the other laptops I've owned (including 13" MBP 2020 M1) and not so far away of decent audio equipment, I've tested 16" on a Store, and yes, it was trendy on the bass side, but way more balanced than 14", the mid/treble were more bright, so a better-round-over-all sound, no crackling, no saturation, and a wide range of low-mid frequencies that I don't tend to listen but on my M-Audio monitors, as an amateur musician and comparing to the other speakers in other electronics I own such as TV, BT speakers, etc ... I think these ones on the 14"/16" are astounding, but of course, this is just my opinion.

Maybe try an equalizer app and see if you can tone those bass a little bit down, it's really hard nowadays to find "neutral" speakers in a mainstream product, even with headphones or earphones tends to happen the same, people love BASSSSS ?

Try listen to some vid with spoken voice, instead of music, to really hear how horrible the MBP sound is.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

14". I found the speakers sound amazing when listening to music--but not so good when listening to podcasts/interviews/tv. Too much bass for dialogue.

That's exactly my experience with the 16". Sounds good with music, but absolutely woeful with spoken voice.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

SpeakerAmp also routes through an EQ and is usable on beta Ventura 13 (Audio Hijack is not). Using the EQ solves the problem.

What do you mean "Audio Hijack is not"? Audio Hijack doesn't work on beta Ventura?

 

[mailman199]

What do you mean "Audio Hijack is not"? Audio Hijack doesn't work on beta Ventura?

Yes, they do not support beta releases. Could try it now though.

 

[signofthetimes]

i just got a MacBook Air 2020 M1 to replace my 2011 MacBook Pro that died. while the 2011 macbook didn't have enough volume—i had to connect a bluetooth speaker to watch movies because i couldn't hear them—it did have better sound. i record on my laptop, and i just tried to use GarageBand. all the sound from this machine, whether it's from a youtube video or in GarageBand or Music or whatever, sounds like it's being broadcast through water. it's very muffled and muddy. so, it offers the loudness, but not the sound quality. this is a major bummer. the machine is super expensive, yet lacking compared to my 2011 model. there is no CD/DVD drive, no SD card reader, not even USB ports! and the screen is impossible to clean. while i'm not super satisfied with it, i wanted to stay with Apple, and i wanted something under $2000, so i gots what i gots. the 2011 kept crashing, and putting in a new HD didn't solve the issue, so RIP to My First Laptop and The Best Laptop I'll Ever Own.

 

[samcosta]

I just moved from a 17" 2015 MBP to a 14" M1 MBP 2021 and the bass is really annoying me. And that is coming from someone who is totally tone deaf and never notices the difference in sound quality.

I haven't found any equalizer that affects all output sounds... =/