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Salteh

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
37
0
im not sure what to get atm. i can afford both and i have the room for both but im not sure.
ill be pairing them with a white macbook
 

darrengreer

macrumors regular
Jun 11, 2006
142
0
I have always preferred the Creature Speakers. They put off wonderful sounds, and really seem to fill a room.

At $99 for the white, it seems like a good deal. I haven't priced out the soundsticks lateley.
 

Plymouthbreezer

macrumors 601
Feb 27, 2005
4,337
253
Massachusetts
Soundsticks!!

Of course...:

SoundSticks.jpg


Hey, I was bored. :D
 

Bonstable

macrumors newbie
Jun 14, 2006
6
0
Creature speakers

Hi all, brand new to this forum!
I'm after a bit of advice really, I have the creature speakers but have upgraded my mac from the iMac G4 to the iMac G5 and the sound quality is not the same now! Its tinny, whereas before it was pretty decent. Have all you guys got the speakers plugged into the headphone socket? Thats the only place I can see to plug them in.
Thanks for any advice or anecdotes. I'm a bit cheesed off as its an annoying sound!:rolleyes:
 

Plymouthbreezer

macrumors 601
Feb 27, 2005
4,337
253
Massachusetts
Bonstable said:
Hi all, brand new to this forum!
I'm after a bit of advice really, I have the creature speakers but have upgraded my mac from the iMac G4 to the iMac G5 and the sound quality is not the same now! Its tinny, whereas before it was pretty decent. Have all you guys got the speakers plugged into the headphone socket? Thats the only place I can see to plug them in.
Thanks for any advice or anecdotes. I'm a bit cheesed off as its an annoying sound!:rolleyes:
Should be the same though. My SoundSticks are on my iMac G4 and use the standard headphone port and sound fine.
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,056
7,319
Altec Lansing FX6021 is another good looking, and arguably better sounding 2.1-channel speakers. That said, I do wish there are some decent (and good looking) 2.1-channel speakers with optical Toslink digital audio inputs. The focus seems to be on iPod or 5.1-channel setup.
 

Judge Fudge

macrumors newbie
Jun 14, 2006
11
0
I haven't seen good reports on either of these speakers. Personally I'm going with Toslink 5.1 Logitechs, which of course don't have the astetics of the soundsticks, however sound quality is far above those which is more important to me.
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,056
7,319
When Apple's iPod Hi-Fi (all-in-one 2.1-channel speakers with mini-Toslink/analog input and of course, iPod Dock), I bemoaned it having Mac-unfriendly design. It's too tall to fit underneath iMac or Apple Cinema Display. I suppose the nature of high fidelity calls for larger drivers, so it would be a big challenge for even Apple designers to make it work well with both Mac and iPod. Still, I do wish Apple would design such speakers for Macs.
 

mulletman13

macrumors 6502a
Jul 1, 2004
505
0
Los Angeles.
Well, I have had both the SoundSticks and the Creatures, and now have a set of Logitech z5500's, although I'm looking to upgrade to Klipsch Ultra 5.1's.

In any case, I'm not going to get into full reviews here, but the Creatures are very nice and compact, and put out a TON of sound for what they are. However, if you're looking for something from JBL, check out the 4.1 Invaders. They are speakers with dual (creature) drivers in each speaker, and put out EXCELLENT sound. Sound quality wise I would put those above the Creatures and Soundsticks, because it creates a very full and encompassing sound.

The soundsticks are crystal clear (in the high end), and the sub puts out a very nice and satisfying low end sound-- worth the price difference between them and the Creatures? Yes-- but it is debatable.

Personally I think you would be happy with either of them, it's really a matter of what you want.

Soundsticks
Pro - Look nice, 4 drivers in each speaker, full, room filling sound. Clear sound quality
Cons - No 'off' button, the mids can get a little muddled.

Creatures
Pros - Look nice, compact, full sound for what they are. Good mid and high end.
Cons - No 'off' button, lacking on the low end a bit.

Invaders
Pros - Very full and encompassing sound, crystal clear mids, highs, punchy lows.
Cons - No 'off' button, not as visually pleasing as the others.

Not trying to turn this into something that it isn't, but I since I've upgraded, I still have my sets of JBL Invaders, as well as HK SoundSticks II just sitting in storage. PM me if you need more information, or more advice.

Good luck!
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
i've had a set of soundsticks (original) for years and they've always been great. Never had a problem, they sound great, and never distort. OTOH, my brother has creatures, and he's extremely happy with those, too. I don't think you can really go wrong...
 

brsboarder

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2004
763
15
I have the soundsticks, I think that almost all of the time they are wonderfull for 2.1 sound. Crisp clear, all that jazz. The only problem I have with them is their maximum volume, its not too great. Therefore if your looking for a pair of 2.1 that are going to get really loud, I would shy away from these, for a small room though they are good.
 

fr0

macrumors member
May 6, 2004
58
0
If you are going to get Soundsticks get 'em here...

I just got a set from http://www.bpav.com (best price audio/video) with free delivery (UPS Ground from Ohio = 2 days to Boston) for $113.99. That is such a better deal than Apple is offering. If you want creatures they also have them for $79.00, which seems pretty competitive.

As far as the sound quality goes I have to say that it is awesome (plenty loud for my taste), my only criticism is the sound is very directional so you do not get that surround effect at all. It is definitely a 2.1 system, but a very nice one nonetheless. Definitely a nice addition to the geeking setup.

Happy listening.

fr0
 
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