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I shouldn't need headphone nor should I have to have the volume set to maximum just so I can hear audio in all but the quietest of places.  My 12" PowerBook is barely audible whilst watching a QuickTime clip or sitting in the park trying to listen to the NPR feed unless the volume is maxed out.

I agree on the headphones bit. About 95% of all people on earth will set up any speakers, stereo system or surround sound system like a retard, and it always sounds awful. Meanwhile, bitchin' headphones will always be bitchin' headphones.

Also, you can modify the software volume of songs in iTunes.... just Command-I and the the Options tab I think.... this greatly helps the laptop sound system as well as the headphone response.

I really think they did a decent job with the 12PB system... that middle speaker really does help, especially with the oddball sounds.

Thank you.  But I'm fully aware of how to control my Mac and I understand the concept of a document's volume versus the system's volume.  Still, I'm sitting here in my home with no TV or other appliance creating sound, and I'm in a quiet neighborhood.  There isn't even a window or door open.

I open up a stream to talk radio NPR in Quicktime.  I can hear it fine.  Both the system and the document volumes are set to the loudest.  My ears are less than 18" from the speakers.  Unfortunately, if there were any other sort of distraction, even of the slightest dB I'm certain it would wash out the speakers.

If I place the system volume at 50% and alert volume at 100%, the alerts are not heard from the normal using distance.  I would have to place my ear on the screen clutch to hear anything at all.  I have asked several friends to verify this.  My hearing is fine.

This is not normal for laptop speakers nor appropriate.

I don't use my PowerBook to listen to music.  That's why I have an iPod.

Yeah, sounds like the PB's speakers of shot.  Tell Apple.  I've got a 12" and my speakers are loud enough.  Everyone knows how loud being on a plane can be (the hissing of air and the like) and I watched all of Taxi Driver without missing a word.

I've got a friend who just hooks his up to his stereo with a long a$$ RCA cable.  You can get 'em at Radio Shack for like two bucks.

Besides, NPR runs their sound to low anyway.

I agree, the speakers must have some kind of defect. I use my PowerBook's speakers for listening to music all the time, and when I have the volume all the way up, I can hear the music even from several rooms away in the house.

..Well my 5300cs has freakin' LOUD speakers!!!  I blast out low quality AIFFs out of that thing like u wouldnt believe.  (Not enough RAM (8MB) for MP3s)

Just bought a 3400c 180Mhz  with 80MB RAM.  Can these run iTunes?

thats hardcore...i doubly dare you to close your screen with the cup still on it
tito

Yeah I would get your p.b. looked at.  Because of all the things that really impressed me about my 12 inch p.b. the speakers were at the top of the list.  My friend has a 12 ibook and his sound kind of sucks, (it's load but not clear) the p.b.'s are great, not only that the 12 inch sounds better then my brother's old 15 inch ti.

Damn, sorry dude.

God Terry Gross Sucks. She knows nothing of local station cues and she ALWAYS interviews dead people!!!!

The other thing, and I was just reminded of this, is that sometimes OS X likes to shift the volume to the right for no reason.  When it does this it makes the volume quieter than normal.  So check the balance in the sys prefs.

You are WRONG! Okay, maybe not entirely wrong... mine inexplicably shifted to the left.

With my 12"PB i find the volume very low as well; if I am in the same room, and if I don't have any other noise (such as an air conditioner, or a toilet filling) then it is satisfactory, but they sound like complete garbage anyways.

Because of the size I expected the 12's speakers to suck, but I was still surprised at how bad they are. It doesn't matter too much, as I use headphones on the road and a speaker system at home - then it kicks ass!

BTW, I discovered a bug (if nobody else has already) with the USB iMic - run speakers out of one of those and your volume keys will adjust system volume but the system volume will not affect iTunes volume at all. Plug directly into the audio out jack and volume keys function as intended, with system volume mastering iTunes. Since figuring that out I just use the iMic for input.

BTW2, as a recent convert to OSX, I can't believe what an incredible pain-in-the-ass doing audio-in is with OSX compared to OS9. So far it is my biggest beef with OSX, and it's a Big Beef.

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