[comp.sys.mac.hardware] Mac IIx audio

mjkobb@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Michael J Kobb) (01/09/90)

Hi!

  I just purchased a set of Bose Roommate II speakers to hook to my IIx's
audio jack, and I was distressed to find that the IIx has a faint but clearly
audible hiss coming from its audio port. It's not in the speakers, since when
I disconnect them from the jack the hiss goes away.

  Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

Thanks,
--Mike

gosselin@CLIK.QC.CA (Pascal Gosselin) (01/13/90)

In article <1347@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Michael J Kobb) writes:
>Hi!
>
>  I just purchased a set of Bose Roommate II speakers to hook to my IIx's
>audio jack, and I was distressed to find that the IIx has a faint but clearly
>audible hiss coming from its audio port. It's not in the speakers, since when
>I disconnect them from the jack the hiss goes away.
>
>  Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

   We have a set of Bose speakers here at work (on a IIcx), I'm convinced
that they turn themselves OFF when there is no input from the audio jack.

   I have a set of tiny Sony speakers that do the same (they run on batteries)).

   I suspect that this is the case since the speakers have a built-in amp and
no ON/OFF switch.

   Try hooking your IIx onto a GOOD set of headphones WITHOUT any amp, you
should see a definite improvement in sound quality.




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Pascal Gosselin 				|    gosselin@clik.qc.ca    |
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mjkobb@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Michael J Kobb) (01/13/90)

In article <1674@zoom.CLIK.QC.CA> gosselin@CLIK.QC.CA (Pascal Gosselin) writes:
>In article <1347@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu
(Michael J Kobb) [me] writes:
::Hi!
::
::  I just purchased a set of Bose Roommate II speakers to hook to my IIx's
::audio jack, and I was distressed to find that the IIx has a faint but clearly
::audible hiss coming from its audio port. It's not in the speakers, since when
::I disconnect them from the jack the hiss goes away.
::
::  Any ideas on how to get rid of it?
:
:   We have a set of Bose speakers here at work (on a IIcx), I'm convinced
:that they turn themselves OFF when there is no input from the audio jack.
:   I suspect that this is the case since the speakers have a built-in amp and
:no ON/OFF switch.

I don't believe that that's the case, unless the hiss was keeping them active.

:   Try hooking your IIx onto a GOOD set of headphones WITHOUT any amp, you
:should see a definite improvement in sound quality.

  Well, I tried the suggestion with the headphones and I got high-fidelity
hiss. :-)

  The hiss from the speakers bothered me so much that I finally took them
back to the store.  I exchanged them for a set of Bose Video Roommates, which
can't be run off of batteries like the others could (I didn't want them for
the exclusive use of the computer), but they do have one key feature: a volume
knob!  I can turn them down until the hiss is unnoticeable, and then I just
turn my beep sounds, etc. on the mac UP to compensate for the speakers' low
volume.  Then, if I really want to crank, I can just turn the volume up!  Much
more convenient than trying to deal with the control panel!

--Mike

d88-jwa@nada.kth.se (Jon Watte) (01/16/90)

In article <1390@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Michael J Kobb) writes:

>knob!  I can turn them down until the hiss is unnoticeable, and then I just
>turn my beep sounds, etc. on the mac UP to compensate for the speakers' low

Which means you didn't have the volume at 7 in the first place.
No wonder you got hisses, since the s/n ratio is way down at low
volumes (the volume control is, as far as I can tell, logical, i.e.
it converts the data BEFORE the d/a converter)

h+
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mjkobb@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Michael J Kobb) (01/17/90)

In article <2737@draken.nada.kth.se> d88-jwa@nada.kth.se (Jon W{tte) writes:
>In article <1390@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Michael J Kobb) writes:
>
::knob!  I can turn them down until the hiss is unnoticeable, and then I just
::turn my beep sounds, etc. on the mac UP to compensate for the speakers' low
:
:Which means you didn't have the volume at 7 in the first place.
:No wonder you got hisses, since the s/n ratio is way down at low
:volumes (the volume control is, as far as I can tell, logical, i.e.
:it converts the data BEFORE the d/a converter)

That's not quite what I meant. I still get hiss when a sound is playing.
Before I was getting CONSTANT hiss.  That was driving me gaga.

--Mike