We now know that the iPad Mini is the first iDevice with stereo speakers. But they are located on either side of the downscaled Lightning connector port. I have also touted the excellent sound and stereo separation of the Kindle Fire HD. Now that I have both tablets … let’s put them to the test!
The first thing I did was a series of basic stereo separation tests, some of which you can find here. The results? The Kindle Fire HD shows much more dramatic stereo separation and better ‘sound location’, which makes it very immersive when watching a video with sound that utilizes space for dramatic effect.
But when I tried to capture that on video … well, it was a bunch of repetitive indistinct noise. So I decided to do a music test. This was originally part of a larger hands-on comparison that I am re-doing now, but stands well enough on its own.
The basics: one song, both systems placed at the same distance from the microphone, both played at full volume. The song? Pink Floyd’s Money (from Dark Side of the Moon the 2012 remaster, I bought on Amazon so it was easy to listen on both systems). Oh … and I apologize in advance for the ‘vertical video’, I wanted control over the proximity to the microphone.
Check it out!
