Apple
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)
host
$1,299
Used market: $780*
Specifications
3 of 5 values have a recorded source- Os
- macOS·
- Port Type
- USB-C·
- Requires Asio Driver
- no·
- Max Usb Power Supply W
- 15✓
- Updated At
- 2026-08-04T23:30:49.969Z·
Expert Audio Engineering Commentary
Headroom Notes
Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, hence at least 15 W each by Intel's certification floor. Worth knowing that this budget is per port and not per machine: two bus-powered devices on a two-port laptop are the case nobody publishes a number for.
Setups using this gear
How to Connect Shure SM7B to MacBook via Focusrite Scarlett SoloConnecting MacBook to Klipsch RP-600M II via Denon AVR-S570BT ReceiverShure SM7B on a Scarlett Solo 4th Gen: is a Cloudlifter still needed?Shure SM7B with a Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen and a Cloudlifter CL-1KEF LS50 Meta on a Yamaha RX-V4A: safe at the impedance dip?Klipsch RP-600M II with a Denon AVR-S570BT: enough power?ADAM T7V on MOTU M2 line outputs, not on amplifier speaker terminalsRode NT1 5th Gen and a Scarlett Solo: phantom power and gainElectro-Voice RE20 through a Warm Audio WA73 preampShure SM7B and a MOTU M2: how much gain does the M2 actually have?Shure MV7 on a Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen over XLR: does it need a booster?Rode NT1 5th Gen over USB: can it really not clip?Cloudlifter CL-1 with a Rode NT1: why the microphone goes silentElectro-Voice RE20 on a Scarlett Solo 4th Gen: is a booster needed?Synth into a Scarlett Solo: mic input, line input, or a DI box?MOTU M2 with 250 Ω DT 990 Pro: enough, but how much is left over?Yamaha RX-V4A: should the 4 Ω setting be switched on for Klipsch RP-600M II?Klipsch RP-600M II at 5 metres: is an 80 W receiver enough for a living room?Q Acoustics 3020i on a Cambridge AXA35: 6 ohms against an 8-ohm-only amplifierDenon AVR-S770H: 75 watts or 110? Both, and the difference is 1.6 dBNeumann TLM 103 through a Cloudlifter CL-2: why the condenser stays silent with +48 V switched onTriton FetHead Phantom with a Neumann TLM 103: the one inline booster a condenser survivesRode PodMic without a Cloudlifter: the Scarlett 4i4 4th gen says yes, the Studio 24c says no — same microphoneLewitt LCT 440 PURE on a Focusrite Vocaster One: 70 dB of gain for a microphone that asks for 32DT 770 Pro on a FiiO K11: the impedance version that stops matteringCloudlifter CL-Zi with a Shure Beta 58A: the three-position switch is attenuation, not three levels of gainSoyuz Launcher with a Shure Beta 57A: 26 dB from a transformer, and the same unwritten phantom questionElgato Wave DX on an Audient iD14 MkII: an XLR-only microphone with 600 Ω of output impedance and no published load limitDoes the Shure Aonic 5 need an amp on an Audient EVO 4? The unit is ambiguous, the 50 Ω output is notShure SM7dB with Focusrite Vocaster One: why does a dynamic microphone need +48 V?Shure SM57 into a Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen: how much gain do you actually need?Does an SM57 need a Cloudlifter on a Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen?Sennheiser HD 490 PRO on a Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen without an amp: exactly enoughDenon PMA-600NE with DALI Oberon 1: 86 dB per 2.83 V is not 86 dB per wattRode PodMic on a Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen is quiet: how quiet, in decibelsFiiO K11 with the Sennheiser HD 560S: the problem is too much, not too littleTruthear HEXA on a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: do you need a separate DAC?
* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~60% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026