Apple reveals headphone jack improvements on 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro

Apple’s new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models feature an improved headphone jack, which Apple says adapts to low- and high-impedance headphones without external amps.

The completely reimagined 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro is powered by the all-new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
The completely reimagined 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro is powered by the all-new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

William Gallagher for AppleInsider:

During the launch of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple referred to how the improved audio features included a revised headphone jack. Now the company has detailed what those revisions are, and how they benefit users.

“Use high-impedance headphones with new MacBook Pro models,” is a new support document about the improvements.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s support document states:

The 3.5 mm headphone jack on the MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) or MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) features DC load detection and adaptive voltage output. Your Mac can detect the impedance of the connected device and will adapt its output for low- and high-impedance headphones, as well as for line-level audio devices.

When you connect headphones with an impedance of less than 150 ohms, the headphone jack provides up to 1.25 volts RMS. For headphones with an impedance of 150 to 1k ohms, the headphone jack delivers 3 volts RMS. This may remove the need for an external headphone amplifier.

With impedance detection, adaptive voltage output, and a built-in digital-to-analog converter that supports sample rates of up to 96 kHz, you can enjoy high-fidelity, full-resolution audio directly from the headphone jack on your MacBook Pro.

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