OK, so I just got my new Mac Pro and I've been thinking about switching to the whole digital lifestyle. I've got a 32" CRT that is past it's prime and though I will use my Mac for work, I find myself listening to music on it through headphones and I've been using the built-in speaker more and more, and the wife is giving me the go ahead to move the system from my "office" to the living room. This is a great opportunity to get rid of my old clunk surround sound and monstrously heavy tube TV and get a nice smaller system. But I never gave any thought to this before, the Pro has TOSLink Optical Audio I/O but how do I take advantage of that? 😕
Time to start looking around and getting info.
http://www.avsforum.com AVS forum is one place. I'm just about to buy a new Mac Pro, but won't be able to integrate it into a complete sround sound mutlimedia system, since it will cost a great deal to update. I started home theater before they ahd home theater speakers! and no center channel! It's better now, but I still like TWO decent quality speakers and a good subwoofer to listen to good old stereo music!. Surround is nice, but not always needed. I don't need to hear the crowd noise at the concert.
With 2 good quality stereo speakers, not computer speakers, no Bose, etc, more like some accurate musicians monitors that recreate the full range of whatever music floats your boat, with little distortion, muffling or exageratted highs, or a one note thumping bass, instead of all the notes and instruments down their. They cost more money, but will provide years of enjoyment.
My rule try listening to really good stuff, see what the people who mix the music and movies use, and then try to copy that as one's budget permits.
Having 2 great sounding speakers is better than having a bunch of crappy sounding ones. Except for movie sound effects, it's not so critical and getting that enveloping feel adds a lot to movies. But I want to listen to music too!
You can always get a "real" subwoofer later. Subwoofers are not the boxes in most three piece systems that countain an average size woofer, in order to make a small or unobtrusive desktop speaker. Look at how the pros set up a nearfield listening environment, which is what I think many computer user/music listeners should look at first when putting a system together, to get ideas.
I think musicians gear is the best bang for the buck, seems like Home theater audio is overpriced, while musicians use these as tools and don't get manipulated like a new home theater buyer will.
Just make sure and listen to some really good equipment and hear what's possible beyound 3 inch woofers in computer speakers and compresssed MP3 files. No need to be a snob or spend a fortune, but some of those music snobs really are on to some better sounding equipment compared to the low standards that flood computer speaker sets and MP3 song files that throw away 90 percent of the bits. Sure it sounds decent in the car, but there's a reason that all those exxtra bits are included in CD's. Isn't there?
🙂
There's good sounding stuff that will bring a lifetime of enjoyment, for reasonable prices, after a certain minimum price point, and will let a person hear where MP3's or many compressed files, just don't provide a listener with the full range or the immediacy and excitment of the original recording.
Just listen to someone's higher resolution system, or several, before making up your mind or going by comparing specs. Please, it is worth spending a bit more time to get one's ears educated by hearing a greater dynamic range, and wider frequency output, but in a balanced and natural presentation
🙂
Good speakers last a long time and provide a huge amount of enjoyment, I just hope folks won't shortchange themselves from enjoying their music to a greater degree than is available, far above what the glut of mediocre speakers and over compressed media offer that have dumbed down audio(not to mention some of the uninspired mixing ) across the board.
