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2015 iMac Speakers
- Thread starter jcr918
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I've heard good reviews on them. I was in an Apple store and wanted to test them out but didn't want to make a scene...they appear to have quite a punch.
The Late 2015 27" that I got last week is my first iMac, so I can't compare to older models, but I am VERY impressed with the internal speakers. On my previous Windows desktop, I had an old bookshelf stereo system with bookshelf sized Polk speakers connected - which sounded great. Once I set up the iMac I was sure I would have to connect the stereo up to the computer, man was I surprised when I fired up iTunes on the internal speakers! The speakers are a little short on bass, and if turned up all the way there is some distortion, but for internal speakers I'm impressed.
sorry i just have to.
after reading this thread i switched the sound to my late 2013 imac internal speakers to compare them to my floorstanders (which i use for the imac).
they are just horrible. they don´t sound musical. no bass whatsoever. the whole audio spectrum is shifted towards mids and highs. the music has 0 soundstage or body.
everyone get stereo bookshelfs with at least 5" woofers for their imacs or i'll call the police.
after reading this thread i switched the sound to my late 2013 imac internal speakers to compare them to my floorstanders (which i use for the imac).
they are just horrible. they don´t sound musical. no bass whatsoever. the whole audio spectrum is shifted towards mids and highs. the music has 0 soundstage or body.
everyone get stereo bookshelfs with at least 5" woofers for their imacs or i'll call the police.
lol. I should have added to my post, the bookshelf speakers sound better than the internal speakers. But for internal speakers, they sound good enough for me to be impressed.
No idea why - but that was the funniest thing I read all day. I spit out my cereal onto my keyboard.
Maybe mine are defective. I had my 2013 27" iMac and my 2015 iMac side by side. My wife who's clueless which one is what clearly pointed out the 2013 sounded better I have to agree.
I tried to get a replacement but the rep suggest I not return it since I paid $3,400 for a fully maxed 2015 27" imac and couldn't get me a replacement anywhere near that price. I have Apple Care so I guess ill just over look this and keep my iMac
I tried to get a replacement but the rep suggest I not return it since I paid $3,400 for a fully maxed 2015 27" imac and couldn't get me a replacement anywhere near that price. I have Apple Care so I guess ill just over look this and keep my iMac
Wtf does that even mean... You should get the same model for the same price. There is a potential fault with your product so they must swap it like for like.
Yeah I thought the same but according to the rep they have to do a refund then re order so I can't get the same price. The only option they gave me was to swap it out at the Apple store for a comparable model and get the difference or returned it and re order.
I honestly think it's because of the price I got the iMac for. Someone got into trouble for giving me that big of a discount I should of paid $4,320.76. That's almost a $800 discount so I don't want to lose that.
27" 5K 2015 iMac
16GB of ram
1TB Flash Storage
4GB GPU
Magic Mouse, Magic Track pad 2, Magic Keyboard
Apple Care
Maybe the $800 discount compensates the crappy speakers for you? Just buy a decent set of external speakers? But it's a hard one I agree. A top of the line luxury computer with crapped out speakers sucks big time, even with the healthy discount lol
Maybe get a refund then buy again via the education store, not sure if the discount will be as much or if there's anyone in your family going to uni but I'm sure I heard it was 15-20% off.
For what they are they sound great IMHO.....
Geez, compared to my $5K surround sound high end system they sound like crap.....ya think?
Lets be realistic here.
Geez, compared to my $5K surround sound high end system they sound like crap.....ya think?
Lets be realistic here.
For what they are they sound great IMHO.....
Geez, compared to my $5K surround sound high end system they sound like crap.....ya think?
Lets be realistic here.
He was saying they sound defective!
The question was if anybody noticed sound quality issues. The speakers being of the cheap kind (they produce sound but are not suited if you want music to sound really good) I can imagine people replying with "yes, it sounds tinny". For what they are they are fine but realistically we are still talking about budget speakers which do not produce really good sound. Realistically anybody wanting music to sound great is going to use external speakers anyway. So does it matter if speakers of model a is better than b?For what they are they sound great IMHO.....
Geez, compared to my $5K surround sound high end system they sound like crap.....ya think?
Lets be realistic here.
I was responding to people comparing the iMac speakers to floor standing or bookshelf speakers...
Of course they sound inferior by comparison......thus my exaggerated response.
Being realistic and keeping things in perspective the iMac OEM speakers sound great IMHO......
It's not about putting things into perspective, it is about knowing what to expect. Sugar coating things is not going to help with that; it'll only lead to disappointment so stop doing that. Just tell things like they are, that's when you are truly being realistic and also meaningful
These are ordinary speakers which means that they will have some sort of compromise regarding sound quality. They are fine for those who merely want sound coming out of the machine and those who occasionally listen to music and/or only want to have something playing in the background to reduce silence (absolute silence can creep people out). For those who like their music and/or want more bass these speakers are not to be recommended. People in this category will classify the iMac speakers as having sound quality issues. It's all in the eye of the beholder which is why this is not a very good question to ask.
These are ordinary speakers which means that they will have some sort of compromise regarding sound quality. They are fine for those who merely want sound coming out of the machine and those who occasionally listen to music and/or only want to have something playing in the background to reduce silence (absolute silence can creep people out). For those who like their music and/or want more bass these speakers are not to be recommended. People in this category will classify the iMac speakers as having sound quality issues. It's all in the eye of the beholder which is why this is not a very good question to ask.
Have a new 2015 5k sitting next to my late 2012 27,and I'll admit that the new speakers are a bit of a downgrade. I'll do some critical listening, when I get time. But the bass & mid seem to have taken a step back. Then again, maybe they just need a bit of break-in?
I was absolutely blown away by the sound quality, and the volume output there of. I'll put it this way; I have no desire to go out and by a set of Bose Companion 2's or 20's, at all - which I have owned previously.
Something like the Paradigm Millenia CT 2 would be considerable step up, but as a headphone user who wants some speaker sound, these are excellent. And definitely sound better than my old 2009 27 iMac this unit replaced.
Late 2015 4K 21.5
Something like the Paradigm Millenia CT 2 would be considerable step up, but as a headphone user who wants some speaker sound, these are excellent. And definitely sound better than my old 2009 27 iMac this unit replaced.
Late 2015 4K 21.5
Who's sugar coating anything?
It absolutely is about putting things into perspective.
You compare like items.......Apples to Apples..........you don't compare a thin all-in-one computer sound quality to a $5K surround sound system then say the iMac sound is junk. That's just plain ludicrous.
Anyone having a little common sense would know better.
I consider myself an audiophile and love high quality sound.....and have a very high-end audio system.
But I'm also realistic and consider the equipment we're talking about here..............compared to any other computer built-in speaker audio I would rate the Late 2015 iMac near the top of the heap IMHO.
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Overall, I'd say it's just a small step back from my late 2012. But again, it may improve with break-in.
I remember that, for the late 2012 release, Apple made a big deal of the sound and speakers, during there presentation. Perhaps they had to make space for something in this release?
As an aside, I'm absolutely floored by the sound in my tiny 2015 MacBook. Don't know what they did with that system, but whatever it was, they need to keep doing it.
I remember that, for the late 2012 release, Apple made a big deal of the sound and speakers, during there presentation. Perhaps they had to make space for something in this release?
As an aside, I'm absolutely floored by the sound in my tiny 2015 MacBook. Don't know what they did with that system, but whatever it was, they need to keep doing it.
Robots would do that, humans don't. Humans will make a comparison that makes sense to them, that actual have meaning to them and thus say something. In reality that means people will be comparing cheap speakers to high end speakers. They will compare them by their sound and not by price tag. Price tag is what comes at the very end, when they have to decide if they have the money and if they want to spend that amount of money. Ludicrous or not, it is how real life works and yes, anyone with common sense knows that. That's why you need to educate people and tell them what to look for. That also means being careful with words like "great" because it gives them certain expectations that may be very different from what you meant with it.
@whodattr: no idea what they did but they actually made those speakers usable. You can now hear people speak clearly.