Question Re: x200 Tablet Headphone Output Quality

Came across a thread describing headphone 'crackling' noise noticed when playing an audio track with an intense baseline. This left me a little alarmed. I'm not well informed on the format of the audio file itself, or how widespread this issue is in general. Personally, I'm seriously considering the x200[T]for my next mobile machine for its reported benefits of exemplary build quality, display quality, mobility, and keyboard comfort. However audio functionality/quality is very important to me, in addition to running office productivity applications, web-browsing, etc. I do not expect the on-board soundcard to be stellar for this business-class machine, but I would at least like to be able to plug in high-quality headphones and have a pleasurable listening experience without significant feedback/interference from surrounding onboad electronics. For those out there with a comfortable level of interaction with their x200 tablets, would you please inform me on your anecdotal experience with the headphone output quality on your machines - would esp. appreciate jon.lumpkin's input here .

Additionally, I am planning to use this as my main mobo, and will likely hookup an external USB audio interface (Edirol UA-25 with Rode NT1A condenser mic) for live recordings. Not planning to record to the onboard soundcard, mainly interested in using it for listening purposes. I am not a seasoned audiophile yet, but hope the x200T will be a valuable tool on my path to becoming one .

Please, if anyone can shed light on this in any capacity, it would greatly help me in deciding if the x200 T will be my new baby.

Many Thanks!

 

Assuming the x200t is the same as the x200 as far audio reproduction goes, I have no experienced crackling (or any oddities from shorts). But there is definitely line noise and it is not the cleanest output ever with highly sensitive IEMs (Er-4p).

The audio is nothing really impressive but works fine with low impedance headphones. I personally use a headamp Pico dac/amp for my sound so I rarely deal with the x200's direct headphone out anymore.

 

i have used a X200t before but never heard about such a problem. This shouldn't happen even in older thinkpads.

I often use the thinkpads with my Sony MDR-F1 headphone, and the music is good but obviously not as full bodied as you will find it in those 2000 dollars Onkyo, Marantz amps. But still very good.

 

Great thanks a lot for your responses so far! I am using Sony MDR-7506 and currently have a SAGER 2090 laptop. I do notice a minimal baseline line-noise (sometimes accompanied by intermittent high-pitch whining); it's not crippling but also not ideal. The noise is virtually non-existent when playing an mp3.

Any other anecdotes would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you can reference to level of noise observed on other notebooks (iie., macbook pros or other notebooks touted as multimedia machines), that would be fantastic. Thanks.

 

if you are really fussed with quality of music, it would be better that you use an external sound card, there is good review with an ASUS one and the Creative one that i use are not bad (i don't notice the difference in music quality when compared to the inbuilt sound device when listening to most musics).

Multimedia machines.. the soundcard used by laptops companies are probably the same.... the only way a music is better if you use a laptop's spdif out or optical out (macbook pro) and use an external amp to decode them and use a good set of headphone.

I use to have Macbook Pro 17 inch, and the music on it are not in anyway superior to that of the Thinkpad.

 

You actually wouldn't be able to get a good baseline of noise from the output unless all the headphones were the same.

Basically you need to be honest with how much you care about headphone audio. I do a lot. Which is why I have a high quality external dac and amp.

You should basically expect what most laptops have. If you have a spinning HDD you will hear more noise as well.

 

I'm going to generally have to agree. There is no cracking, but there is a degree of line noise. Note that I am using very similar high sensitivity IEMs (Er-6i) and I notice this type of problem on A LOT of laptops/music players.

 

Thank you all for the very informative responses! I think the in-built sound should suffice for general listening. I'll expect what most laptops have, also in context that I plan to have an SSD. I sure will consider the external sound card down the road if my music production gets more intense.

@Jaredy - Can you share your exact model of DAC and Amp? That would be helpful for me to know. How is it connected? USB? Does using this device virtually eliminate any noise coming from the laptop? I know I've plugged my headphones into an external USB audio interface, and I still hear noise picked up from my laptop.

@lead_org: Glad to hear that you've not noticed any significant difference between your LONG history of Thinkpads as compared to popular media laptops like the 17-inch MBP. That's reassuring.

 

lot of people use Macbook pro for music not because the headphone port are of any better quality than a Thinkpad. But rather Macbook Pro have included optical digital music out, and there are some very good music compiling softwares for Apple OS systems.

 

I have the Headamp Pico DAC/Amp.

I wouldn't expect you to just go get one though. They run $500 and $349 for the DAC only. That being said they are a phenomenal value for sound quality/size. They drive AKG k702's reasonably well too 8).

 

AKG k702 headphone is quite exceptional in terms of sound quality....

 

Haven't tried this myself, but if your fairly handy with electronics you can try building your own headphone amp for about $50 out of an Altoids tin, small amp, solder, and some batteries ( video guide here). This might help with the line noise as I have found it to be far more prevalent if I turn the system volume above about 25% (again using very sensitive earbuds).

 

If you really care about audio quality then a Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear USB and a Senn HD800 should take care the business.

 

Anyone who would buy the HD800 would already know about it .

 

This would not really help since when using high sensitivity IEMs, line noise is evident even with the volume turned to 0. Adding a simple amp to that signal wouldn't get rid of it. You'll need a DAC and an amp to fix that issue. The good news is that there are some cheap DAC/amps out there that will still be a boost in audio quality coming from and integrated sound card.

 

not quite, i have a friend whom bought it just because it was the most expensive headphone he could find at the time. Some people buy it because they really appreciate the sound quality, while there are some people whom buy it because they think it helps with status symbol. (i have in the past done this quite a few times).

This is called conceptual consumption.

 

Ya, I suppose but they usually do not know about buying a good source and amp for it.

It is a waste...

And do you mean conspicuous consumption?

 

conceptual consumption encompasses conspicuous consumption.

www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/ariely norton 2009.pdf

http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/ariely norton 2009 hbr.pdf

June 2009 HBR also had an article on it.

 

Building my own amp sounds like an interesting project; it's certainly more affordable.

Anyone know how the noise on the Tablet compares with other Thinkpads like the T400/s? If the issue is not specific to the x200T/x200 in context of all Thinkpads, I think I'm cool.

 

I'd be highly surprised if the x200 Tablet exhibited substantially more line noise than any other ThinkPad. In fact, the x200T exhibits far LESS line noise with my IEMs than many other computers I've tried (including a 15" MBP, HP/Compaq Business class machine, and several Dells).

 

line noise would occur if there is bad DAC chip used and low quality plugs used. Most thinkpads should use essentially the similar quality chips and plugs, i don't think the quality of sound would be that much different.

I think the only way of getting good sounds is to use high quality DAC/power supply, gold plated plugs and low oxygen content copper wiring.

 

It is only more affordable in the sense that you exchange your time. That doesn't mean you can't buy a $150 dac/amp or a $50 amp premade by someone.

It just really depends on your needs/wants. But you should be handy with reading schematics and soldering to make anything on your own. Also as said earlier an AMP isn't going to really fix the problem. Bad source is bad source. Need to upgrade the source first.

 

Building an amp will not help. You will be amping the poor signal coming from the headphone out jack on the laptop. Since that signal has already gone through the computer's DAC and amplifier you will not get any better signal at all. The only way to bypass the computer's onboard DAC/amp is to buy an external DAC and amp.

 

I have 3 thinkpads, one is thinkpad X200 running WinXP and another running Win 7, the 3rd is X61 running WinXP. My earphone is a Creative EP-630, which runs well in my X61 without any baseline noise. When I inset the earphone into X200/XP and play music with foobar or windows media player, a disturbing baseline noise with fearful pulse noise (sounds like rubbing, electric current sound ) occurs. When I insert the earphone into X200/Win7, the noise still appears, but a little less than X200/XP. I also exchange the hard disk of WinXP system to the X200/Win7 machine, the noise is still annoying, that is, both X200 hardware have the same problem. I also play the music from the samba file system in a remote box to eliminate the effect of local hard disk I/O, but the baseline+pulse noise is still there. Finally, I replace the EP-630 with other earphone, all problem solved... However, I think the problem of X200 with EP-630 is really something wrong in X200, but not EP-630

 

all i know is that the advanced mini dock (or whatever its called, the top one with esata) has quite a bit of noise...

 

The docking station has terrible noise from the line as well. But I never use it so whatever.

 

Very interesting.

@sssun - What headphones are you using now? Does that now run as well as it normally would on your x61?

 

for chyneymon: My headhone is a Creative EP-630, which runs very well in my X61 without any baseline noise and any pulse noise. So I really think its the problem with X200 with some specific headphone