There are many laptops , and although most users when they decide to buy one they do it for a general purpose or even for gaming, there are many specific models that are especially good in certain areas. One of these areas is sound, so in this article we are going to tell you what are in our point of view the best laptops for enthusiasts, audiophiles and even sound professionals.
Most users don’t care about the quality of the audio from their laptop as they are typically used for general purpose or, if anything, with headphones. However, there are also many users who like to enjoy the best sound wherever they are and that includes being able to have a good audio system in their laptop. This obviously includes audio professionals, as not a few are forced to turn to a laptop to be able to work anywhere.
Are laptops with “branded” sound systems worth it?
It must be borne in mind that there are not a few manufacturers that integrate famous brands of audio products in their laptops as a sales incentive; We refer, for example, to laptops that integrate speakers signed by Bang & Olufsen, Bose or Harman Kardon , sound systems of undoubted quality but that do not really guarantee the best audio performance or the best acoustic experience.
In most cases, you should bear in mind that incorporating speakers from these firms is more for pure marketing than anything else. Although they are really speakers of these brands, they are usually the lowest-end that do not differ too much from the “normal” speakers that any laptop has, and if they are not accompanied by a sound card or a DAC of better quality, we’re not really going to notice any noticeable difference.
Therefore, what we mean by this is that you do not simply be fooled by brands; Just because a laptop has a Bang & Olufsen speaker system (for example) does not guarantee that the audio quality it outputs is better than that of another laptop that, perhaps, incorporates larger and more powerful speakers. You have to look at all the features and not just the brand to be sure, especially if you are an enthusiast.
Ideal Laptops for Enthusiasts and Sound Professionals
Next we are going to tell you what are, in our point of view, the best laptops for enthusiasts and even sound professionals. You must bear in mind one thing, and that is that what we are going to recommend are models that are currently available in stores and that therefore you can buy, but as good laptops that are their hardware may vary, that is, you may find the right one. same model but with another processor, less RAM or more storage capacity.
The important thing, if you want to be guided by our advice regarding the sound quality of the laptop, is that you look at the brand and the model family, so it does not have to be the exact model that we are going to give you below. That said, let’s go.
Asus ZenBook Duo, the best for professionals
This is an Asus laptop that is aimed not only at audio enthusiasts, but also those who work in the industry. And the thing is that if this equipment stands out for something, it is for its double screen, which makes it an exceptionally good option for professionals since they will be able to work with huge audio tracks always in view while creating the effects on the main screen. In addition, this secondary screen allows you to configure touch controls for professional software such as ProTools, making it certainly a particularly useful tool.
In addition, in this case the laptop has speakers signed by Harman Kardon and offer high-quality audio, with intense and deep bass and impressive mids. As if this were not enough, just as impressive is the hardware configuration that we can find with this equipment, although we recommend the “cheap” alternative, in this case with an Intel Core i7-10510U processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD and a dedicated 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX250. Performance will not be lacking.
LG Gram, for those looking for quality everywhere
The LG Gram family of laptops are designed for great portability, since they are extremely light equipment (barely 1 Kg) and with a long battery life (up to 18.5 hours). It has an impressive 14-inch screen to ensure that the quality of what is displayed is never an impediment, but it stands out for its high-quality speakers, which provides a great audio experience in movies, music and games. These speakers also use DTS: X Ultra technology to deliver crisp, clear and immersive sound, and the best part is that you can use an audio equalizer to adjust it for your convenience.
The laptop we recommend also has the most basic configuration to be the cheapest: it comes with an Intel Core i5-1035G7 (Ice Lake), 8 GB of RAM, Intel Iris 655 integrated graphics and a 256 GB NVMe SSD. By the way, this laptop also allows unlocking with an integrated fingerprint reader.
Acer Predator Helios, gaming laptop with high quality sound
If what you are looking for is a gaming laptop with impressive sound this is a great choice. Generally, gaming laptops tend to have quite powerful speakers and this Helios is no exception, something that is enhanced with DTS: x technology that provides surround audio that is very rich in nuances. The speakers do a great job of providing directional audio, which is crucial if you want to fully enjoy your games. In addition, it has 4th generation AeroBlade 3D technology, which improves cooling by reducing noise so that it never disturbs while we are playing.
In this case, the model we suggest is not precisely the lowest-end, since it has an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 1 TB capacity NVMe SSD and a whole RTX 2060 dedicated to gaming. full on its 144 Hz Full HD screen.
Apple MacBook Air, for professionals and foodies
When we talk about audio at a professional level, we cannot omit Apple computers even for the software, and that is because professional applications such as ProTools, Waves or Sound Toys work like a charm on them. We suggest the most basic but next-generation MacBook Air (with Apple M1 chip), with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB NVMe SSD.
This team stands out for being compatible with almost all existing audio codecs and for its surprisingly powerful and clear built-in speakers (they sound up to 25% louder than those of the previous generation), so of course it will not disappoint. Professionals who need a Mac to work, or connoisseurs who simply want to enjoy high-quality sound even on their laptop.
Asus ZenBook 14, the best sound does not have to be expensive
If you are looking for a general purpose laptop or simply for productivity but maintaining excellent sound, this other laptop can be a great alternative and also cheap. It comes with a pair of Harman Kardon speakers that deliver pretty good sound quality and surprisingly loud in terms of maximum volume. For travel, office work, or just to be at home, its downstairs speakers do their job excellently as the audio has been tuned to ensure the highest quality without distortion, as long as you are. the equipment resting on a flat surface.
The equipment that we recommend comes with a 4.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB NVMe SSD, so despite having integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics (and for this is not very suitable for gaming) it is a laptop that in terms of performance does not disappoint.