Upgrading from M1 to M5 MacBook Air: A Surprising Speaker Story
I used the M1 MacBook Air as my primary laptop for nearly four years. During that time, I utilized it for everything from drafting news stories to editing photos for reviews, working from flights to weekend workcations. Among the many attributes that earned compliments, the speakers stood out prominently.
Whether I was watching an Apple keynote on YouTube, enjoying a stand-up comedy special in my room, sharing a movie with friends during a workcation, or simply listening to notification sounds, the M1 MacBook Air consistently delivered remarkably clear and surprisingly loud audio. Be it the chilling screams in The Conjuring, the captivating web-swinging sounds during an intense Spider-Man action sequence, or the witty one-liners from Friends, the audio never seemed to come from a laptop.
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However, the situation changed abruptly when my M1 MacBook Air refused to power on in June 2026, necessitating the purchase of the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. On the surface, everything about the M5 MacBook Air felt like an upgrade—as expected from five generations newer—but there was one critical aspect that disappointed me: the speakers.
The Four-Speaker “Upgrade” that Sounds Worse Than Two
On paper, the M5 MacBook Air should produce better audio. It replaces the M1’s two-speaker setup with a four-speaker system. However, in practice, the sound lacks the loudness and richness of the M1 MacBook Air.
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Instead of an immersive experience, what I encountered was a thin, almost hollow midrange, a shrill emphasis on high frequencies, and minimal low-end presence. This audio signature makes dialogue clearer but leaves music and movies feeling flat and lifeless. There’s a notable absence of fullness and weight behind a bassline or explosion, with the treble doing all the heavy lifting.
I immediately sensed this during the initial setup; I instinctively tried to increase the volume after hearing some audio cues, only to find it already maxed out. Just days later, a friend—someone who had previously praised the M1 MacBook Air’s speakers—asked, “What’s wrong with the speakers?” I shared my theories on what might be occurring.
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What’s Happening Here?
The M1 MacBook Air had two upward-firing speakers, which allowed the sound to reach your ears directly. In contrast, the newer M5 hides the speaker system in the hinge, causing the sound to reflect off the display before reaching the listener.
This design change likely contributes to the audio discrepancy; bouncing sound off a fixed surface tends to scatter low frequencies first. This explains why bass diminishes while treble remains sharp and even, at times, shrill by comparison.
Hidden speakers on the M5 MacBook Air
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Even sitting across a table, my friend and I noticed less projection from the M5 speakers. To validate my observations, I compared my M5 MacBook Air side by side with a friend’s M1 MacBook Air. The difference was immediately apparent: the M5 was clear, but the M1 produced noticeably fuller and louder sound, suitable for playing music in a room.
It turned out I wasn’t alone in my experience. A dive into Reddit revealed numerous users sharing similar findings. One user on r/macbook noted, “The M1 actually sounds the loudest of them all.”
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Some users mentioned the M5 MacBook Air’s speakers sounded cleaner, while others described them as “too optimized for normal speech/dialogue clarity.” This aligns with my personal observations—while voices sound crisp, there’s markedly less low-end punch.
What’s fundamentally absent is the loudness and richness that previously made the M1 MacBook Air’s speakers impressive.
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Can Software Actually Fix This?
Since the hardware isn’t changing, I explored whether macOS could compensate for the missing warmth and fullness through software. Two built-in tools in the Music app are worth noting.
The Equalizer, accessible from the taskbar under Window > Equalizer, lets users manually boost or cut specific frequency bands. It even includes a Preamp slider to control overall output level before the individual bands kick in. Adjusting the Preamp can enhance the M5’s volume, and pairing it with a boost to the lower-frequency sliders mitigates some of the bass loss.
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However, pushing the Preamp too far, especially in concert with maxed system volume, may result in noticeable distortion and clipping—a crackly, strained quality that could be more frustrating than accepting the speakers’ limitations.
The second tool, Sound Enhancer, resides under Music > Settings > Playback. Unlike the Equalizer, which adjusts specific frequencies, it enhances the perceived soundstage by subtly altering the processing of bass and treble together. Essentially, it creates an illusion of a broader, more spacious sound than what two closely spaced hinge-mounted speakers can achieve naturally.
Shikhar Mehrotra / Digital Trends
Activating it noticeably improved my listening experience; music felt less confined and centered. While it won’t add bass weight like the Equalizer’s adjustments, it meaningfully enhances the perceived size of the sound. I recommend starting with Sound Enhancer for everyday listening, then layering in modest Preamp and bass boosts through the Equalizer.
Just don’t expect either tool to entirely replace what the M1’s upward-firing speakers accomplished effortlessly.
Shikhar Mehrotra / Digital Trends
Is It Actually a Dealbreaker?
In short, no. Most users likely won’t notice the audio difference, especially if transitioning from an older Windows laptop or entry-level notebook. However, if you are upgrading from an M1 MacBook Air, the disparity is surprisingly easy to detect. Once heard, it’s hard to overlook.
This serves as an important Public Service Announcement (PSA): while the M5 MacBook Air presents a generational performance upgrade, the speaker experience is a noticeable downgrade—especially when the screen experience is only marginally enhanced. If you’re considering the 15-inch M5 MacBook Air, it features a better six-speaker system. For those who require upward-firing speakers, you’d need to transition to one of Apple’s MacBook Pro models.
For a detailed comparison and insights, check out the source Here.
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