What dinov said, less noise. You went from a noisy old iMac with a built-in AC-powered switching supply and a big ol' screen, to a laptop with a DC supply powered from an external source and a much smaller screen. You also upgraded the processor, memory, etc. As others have said, now try a real streamer. It doesn't have to be terribly expensive, about the same as the Macbook, but it will be even quieter and more resolving.
Why did this just happen ?
Folks ,
I have been using an old (2012) iMac with a 1TB SS drive for years. It is connected to an old Benchmark USB DAC that feeds my refurbished(2X) Audio Research SP IX mark 2 preamp into my Quicksilver KT88 mono blocks that feed my Pro Ac SE’s.
I just bought a used 2020 MacBook Pro($400.00) to replace the old iMac. I connected it to my USB DAC via a usb C to usb converter.
AND BAM ! The resolution is stunning. I would equate it to a $5K upgrade in any part of my chain. It is truly an ear opener.
What did this ?
The USB C ?, The MacBook isn’t doing anything but output the data to my USB DAC.
I would love to hear from any of you who might know the reason for this wonderful improvement.
Eugene