We know Neil Young is a stickler for audio quality. You don't launch your own high-resolution music player and streaming service without having a passion for sound. Even if it did fail miserably.
So it probably won't come as a surprise to learn that Young isn't a big fan of music conceived on a laptop, especially when that laptop is an Apple MacBook Pro.
Though many artists are now using Apple's laptop as a tool to record their music, Young explains why he's not a fan in an interview with The Verge.
"It's a piece of crap, are you kidding?" said Young. "It's Fisher-Price quality... you can't get anything out of that thing. If you put it in, you can't get it out because the DAC is no good on the MacBook Pro".
In the interview, Young also claims Apple "doesn't want audio quality". That's perhaps a little harsh given that various iterations of the iPhone and iPad have consistently outperformed their closest rivals in the audio department, while products such as the iPod Classic and iPod Touch also indicate otherwise. Apple's HomePod is also one of the best-sounding smart speakers we've heard...
But in some ways, Young is right. There's no doubt the DAC of a MacBook Pro, or any laptop for that matter, can be improved upon. We'd suggest checking out our list of the best DACs you can buy, where you'll find a fine selection of models complete with a headphone amp.
Do you agree with Neil? Or does he need to be more realistic? After all, hi-res music streaming services are now mainstream and consumers also have proper hi-res audio players to chose from, such as the Sony NW-A45 and Astell & Kern Kann, so the quality is definitely there if you want it.
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