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Laptop Audio: DTS vs Dolby vs Bang & Olufsen etc.

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  • 30-11-2015 5:49pm
    #1
    NewsMeQuick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭


    Hi I know that laptop audio in general is nothing special.

    My laptop recently quit life. It was the first one with any sound enhancement: Dolby Advanced Audio. It was great. Loudness was brilliant, surround was decent as was bass.

    I want something like that again.

    I'm reading a bit that most of this is all sound equalizer gimmickery. Is that true? I notice that the drivers for many of them are Realtek.

    But I've seen Realtek drivers on Macbooks, but with Cirrus logic boards (like some iPods and iPhones) and they sound pretty good to me.

    And what about a subwoofer? Again, to the raging audiophiles, I know that the 1.5 inch subwoofer in a laptop won't match a proper external one. That's fine.

    Is there any difference really between DTS/Dolby/B&O in notebooks?

    Thanks


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    #2
    Alanstrainor
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 23,157 Mod ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    I think your best bet is to go to shops and try machines out to get an idea of the sound. Tbh, it wouldn't be something I'd be prioritising for any laptop purchase. Most laptops with DTS/Dolby/B&O branding are most likely not much better/any different to other laptops in their class. My Asus Zenbook has B&O branding I believe and it's audio is nothing to write home about. It's good, fine for a laptop, but that's it.

    As for Realtek, they create the audio drivers(and lots of other components...) for all sorts of computing devices, they don't necessarily have much impact on the sound quality as they don't produce speakers etc...


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    #3
    NewsMeQuick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭NewsMeQuick


    Thanks kindly, exactly what I was looking for.

    I know not to expect much from these small devices, but just for light music-listening, some Youtube videos and an occasional movie/TV I definitely appreciated whatever boost my old laptop with Dolby was getting.

    If they're more alike than different, okey dokey. Probably right about first-hand listening, I was just thinking the same thing.


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    #4
    Alanstrainor
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 23,157 Mod ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    NewsMeQuick wrote: »
    Thanks kindly, exactly what I was looking for.

    I know not to expect much from these small devices, but just for light music-listening, some Youtube videos and an occasional movie/TV I definitely appreciated whatever boost my old laptop with Dolby was getting.

    If they're more alike than different, okey dokey. Probably right about first-hand listening, I was just thinking the same thing.

    As I said, if you can go check them out in a store and see for yourself. Some laptops are dreadful for sound. But I find that a lot of machines these days are pretty decent for everyday music/video listening.


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