wowmix wrote:

I've a Beolab 3 connected directly to Macbook Pro's headphone output (using cable converter) and if Beolab3 is on and if I unplug the cable from the laptop then it will make a crackling sound. I assume this is not good for the speakers? (I usually have to unplug the Beolab3 before I unplug the cable which is a pain)

Is not recommended unplugging active speaker before turning off a laptop (or a computer), but if you have to do it, before unplugging the speakers i recommend you put the laptop in mute mode.

wowmix wrote:

But the main problem is that occasionally (maybe after 2-3hrs) I hear a popping sound from the speakers. I'm not sure if this is the beolab3 problem or the Macbook Pro's problem. What do you think?

I have the same problem with a MacBook Pro + BeoPlink PC 2 Set Up. The solution is to "midvolume" the computer 😕

Put a Cambridge DacMagic or similar between your computer and the BL3s. The speakers are too good for just the minijack analog out from the computer, and internal noise from the computer's power supply is seriously reducing the quality of what you could otherwise be enjoying.

You'll also avoid getting the switch-on noises, and you will not be restricting the quality by having to use the volume control in the computer.

Line OUT from the DAC to the speakers, and optical Toslink or USB from the computer to the DacMagic. You'll get wonderful sound.

soundproof wrote:

Put a Cambridge DacMagic or similar between your computer and the BL3s. The speakers are too good for just the minijack analog out from the computer, and internal noise from the computer's power supply is seriously reducing the quality of what you could otherwise be enjoying.

You'll also avoid getting the switch-on noises, and you will not be restricting the quality by having to use the volume control in the computer.

Line OUT from the DAC to the speakers, and optical Toslink or USB from the computer to the DacMagic. You'll get wonderful sound.

Great idea 🤒

Can I double checked then before I go out and buy a DAC. So hearing the loud random popping sound doesn't mean that my MacBook Pro has got a problem with its sound card?

This is not the sound of beolab3 turning on and off, I know that's normal. This is more like electrical interference. So it is normal to hear it with Macbook pro and Beolab3? unless it is something wrong with my speakers? but hope not as I used it recently with other device and it seems fine. I need to know that it is not the problem with the laptop other wise I will do something about it while it is under warrantee. Any confirmation? If I ask Apple they will probably say it is normal!

Thanks.

wowmix wrote:

Hi,

I've a Beolab 3 connected directly to Macbook Pro's headphone output (using cable converter) and if Beolab3 is on and if I unplug the cable from the laptop then it will make a crackling sound. I assume this is not good for the speakers? (I usually have to unplug the Beolab3 before I unplug the cable which is a pain)

But the main problem is that occasionally (maybe after 2-3hrs) I hear a popping sound from the speakers. I'm not sure if this is the beolab3 problem or the Macbook Pro's problem. What do you think?

Please help! 

I think you should connect your speakers to another source (e.g. a MP3 player, portable CD player ...) and test if they produce the same popping sound  after 2-3hrs while connected to another system. Then you know if your speakers or the Computer has a problem.

But after my experience with the Macbook Pros I think the computer is the problem because of its lousy audio hardware - which is very funny as this should be a "PRO" notebook even for musicians ;-)

 

@TWG

Hey, don't diss Apple! Strictly forbidden!!! 😁

Actually, the Macbook Pro, and even the puny little Mac mini, is just perfect for music production - but in music production you connect via Firewire or USB, preferably Firewire for pro grade satellite equipment (soundcards, etc.) And you do not use the on-board "iPod and plastic speakers" intended DAC circuitry.

The analog minijack out is not useful for much other than earbuds, really. The DAC circuitry inside is not very good, and the unit is prone to noise from the power supply. (Jitter is substantially lower when the laptop runs on battery, for instance.)

The amp's in the BL3s are very sensitive, and a build-up of static electricity will produce those pops. The level at which you have to set the volume (very low) tells you how sensitive those speakers are. You could also be getting pops from the minijack being moved slightly in the connecting jack.

As Alex says - it makes absolutely no sense to have speakers as good as the BL3s, and then connecting to that minijack. There are less expensive DACs out there, but the advantage with a unit such as the DacMagic is that you can connect a variety of sources to it, and in this particular instance that you can use either the toslink optical or USB from the Mac.

I use Firewire from my Mac mini to my soundcard, which is connected to my BL5s - with Firewire, you can slave the computer to the soundcard, which means that the computer will adjust to any settings in the soundcard (sample rate, etc), without my having to do so in the Audio MIDI Setup application. Also, Firewire has very good jitter-performance (which is why it is preferred by the music industry). But an FW connection is not crucial with the BL3s.

The main reason why you want to put something between your Mac and the BL3s is to protect the speakers; a just as important reason is to get the sound they are capable of out of them. If B&O was smart, it would long ago have built a DAC intended to be used between computers and their active speakers, to be sold as a package. The next big wave in audiophile systems is going to be active speakers, and it's kind of a mystery why B&O isn't exploiting it better, given their total head start.

So according to soundproof it is normal to expect the popping sound? I don't need to contact Apple to get my Macbook Pro fixed?

I have no problem in investing a DAC once I know that the pops are something normal for the sensitive speakers such as Beolab3.

Hi wowmix,

You'll notice that when you insert the minijack, or disconnect it, no matter how carefully and slowly you do it, you'll get a lot of scraping in the speakers - at B&O this was explained to me as the result of changes in impedance while you are making the connection, and as the speakers are extremely responsive to anything coming down the wire (due to the in-built amplifiers), you get the scratching and loud pops.

Similarly, if there's noise in the signal, for instance from static electricity, you'll get low pops and noise. Nothing wrong with either the speakers or the Mac - it's just that the circuit for the BL3s isn't designed to ignore this kind of signal noise, as it's assumed that they will be connected to a better source, and you want them as sensitive as possible.

A DAC fixes the problem.

ok, that is clear. Thank you very much!