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Audio/Amp/Speakers??

D

DavidOS

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 16, 2002
45
0
Michigan
Hey Folks,

Still on a PC now, but looking to go Mac soon. An audio Question:

The Imac specs on www.apple.com show an internal amp at 18 w. the PB and Ibook show no amp at all. so . . . .

A)Why
B) what dif. does it make (can I get nice, big, clear sound from both?)
C)My stereo has 100w, does that mean that I will never get as
good sound from either the imac or the PB? (I was hoping to get rid of the stereo.

Also, who has apple pro speakers? Do you like them? What other speakers are people using? Do you like them?

Thanks,

dave
 
I have Cambridge Sound Works speakers attached to my systems. The powered subwoofer has an amp built into it and they produce sweet sound. Of the three sets that are available, I have the middle and top end ones. I still have to unpack the top ones, but I use the mid ones all the time on the game peecee, as well as on the MusicWorks system. The internal amps (I believe) if used with the speakers I mentioned above, should act as a pre-amp. You would probably get a bit cleaner sound, depending on the source.

Then again, I can't complain about the sound I get from my TiBook, even without an internal amp.
 
Re: Audio/Amp/Speakers??

Originally posted by DavidOS
Hey Folks,

Still on a PC now, but looking to go Mac soon. An audio Question:

The Imac specs on www.apple.com show an internal amp at 18 w. the PB and Ibook show no amp at all. so . . . .

A)Why
Click to expand...

I've never used a new iMac, so this is only a guess, but my guess is that the reason it includes an 18W amp is in order to be able to drive cheap, cheesy speakers that have no amp of their own.

B) what dif. does it make (can I get nice, big, clear sound from both?)
C)My stereo has 100w, does that mean that I will never get as
good sound from either the imac or the PB? (I was hoping to get rid of the stereo.
Click to expand...

I've never heard ANY PC speakers that could compare to a ~$300 stereo system, as long as you're not comparing apples to oranges (e.g. PC speakers w/ subwoofer to stereo system without). If you want the best and loudest sound possible in the most versatile package, then instead of getting rid of that stereo, move it over to your computer and use that instead of using PC speakers.

If you're dead set on getting rid of your current stereo, though, I'd recommend going to Circuit City and buying a shelf system with a subwoofer in the $250 range, give or take. Cheap, yes, and not very good sound quality compared to a "real" stereo system, but much better sound quality than a PC speaker setup. Plus, you get lots of blinky lights and buttons and knobby things, and you can play CDs and listen to the radio on it without using up a USB port! And it includes a remote, and you can use it when the computer is off! Wheeeeeeeee!

Alex
 
I thought the speaker that come with my imac would suck
but they go off and I love em
I didn't expect such a sound out of em
 
I just went and looked at the tech specs of the new iMac, and I believe that that 18W amp you speak of is in the Apple Pro speakers, not in the iMac itself. It says the iMac does have an internal speaker, but I believe that this 18W amp is in the Pro speakers because each speaker is 9 watts, and 9 + 9 = 18. So there's no difference between the iMac and the portables in this regard.

Alex
 
Re: Re: Audio/Amp/Speakers??

Originally posted by alex_ant
If you're dead set on getting rid of your current stereo, though, I'd recommend going to Circuit City and buying a shelf system with a subwoofer in the $250 range, give or take. Cheap, yes, and not very good sound quality compared to a "real" stereo system, but much better sound quality than a PC speaker setup. Plus, you get lots of blinky lights and buttons and knobby things, and you can play CDs and listen to the radio on it without using up a USB port! And it includes a remote, and you can use it when the computer is off! Wheeeeeeeee!
Click to expand...

You can get a 4-speaker plus subwoofer system from Walmart (or any other cheap retailer) for home theater systems, for $250-400 roughly... Not great still, compared to a Bose $3000 system of course, but not bad either. The plus is you plug it into your DVD player and get 5:1 surround sound. Plus all the great blinky lights and knobs ;) And I should think, with a minijack->component cable, it would be easy to plug your Mac right into it, if one wanted...

BTW, anyone actually have one of these? I've been thinking of getting one for my first home theater, but not sure... that's a glowing endorsement ay?

:)
pnw
 
Re: Re: Re: Audio/Amp/Speakers??

Originally posted by paulwhannel
You can get a 4-speaker plus subwoofer system from Walmart (or any other cheap retailer) for home theater systems, for $250-400 roughly... Not great still, compared to a Bose $3000 system of course, but not bad either. The plus is you plug it into your DVD player and get 5:1 surround sound. Plus all the great blinky lights and knobs ;) And I should think, with a minijack->component cable, it would be easy to plug your Mac right into it, if one wanted...
Click to expand...

That's another good idea... although I'm not sure that the surround sound in one of those would be compatible with the iMac. You might have no choice but to use only 2 of the speakers (unless you turn DSP sound processing on...).
BTW, anyone actually have one of these? I've been thinking of getting one for my first home theater, but not sure... that's a glowing endorsement ay?
Click to expand...
You might consider just buying all the pieces of one of those systems separately - that way you can shop around and find brand names better than Magnavox or Sanyo. For my first home theater, I bought a $300 receiver, a $100 pair of main speakers, a $100 subwoofer, and I got the (totally crappy) center & surround speakers free. I use it mostly for music - it's not a great stereo by any stretch, but it still blows away any PC speakers. This was 3 years ago, though, so you could find a receiver with the same specs (Dolby Digital, 4 audio & 4 a/v inputs, 80 watts x 5, etc.) for probably $100 less than that today. (eBay is great.) Buying everything separately will give you more versatility, but buying a package deal will get you simplicity and convenience. Whatever your preference is, I guess...

Alex
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Audio/Amp/Speakers??

Originally posted by alex_ant
That's another good idea... although I'm not sure that the surround sound in one of those would be compatible with the iMac. You might have no choice but to use only 2 of the speakers (unless you turn DSP sound processing on...).[/B]
Click to expand...

I think, or I hope at least (we still use a VCR *once* in a while, plus i'd like the TV hooked in) that if 5:1 isn't present, the system automatically syncs the rear and front speakers together, to create stereo sound... i know people still connect cassettes to these (god help 'em)...

I've been thinking about putting a system together myself... I'm what you'd call... an audiophobe, i guess. Stereo equipment intimidates me, you always hear about people buying these massive systems to find out they got screwed. I should just buckle down and learn the ropes, i suppose...

Hopped over to eopinions.com to find out about these prefab systems... the people were kind of divided, some complained about crappy subwoovers and such... 'Course, living in an apartment, I have our altec-lansing subwoofer turned almost off anyway...

Interesting sidenote, I also looked up a few Mac systems when there, and one review for the iBook said "Pros: Gee, it's an Apple"... lol... everything Apple got nice reviews, there's quite a few PC converts that posted their thoughts, it's surprising. Only real heavy complaint was lack of OSX software, but some of these are old reviews-- If a constantly improving situation like that is all that's bad about Apples, i think we're doing OK!

:)
pnw

Edit - BTW, to tie this to the original thread, I use altec lansing speakers as i said... I'm pretty happy with them, nice bass when you want it! Certainly a lot better sound watching a DVD than our TV's built-ins...
 
Originally posted by alex_ant

You're not talking about the built-in speakers, are you? :)
Click to expand...

The internal speakers do sound tinny. I am referring to using my Koss headphones. The same ones I use with my iPod that gave me sweet base even before the software update to the iPod that gave us the equalizer settings.

I have the Cambridge Soundworks DTT3500 system (five speakers with the subwoofer and controller unit with multiple inputs) that ROCKS on the tv. I watch movies and it sounds like being in the theater. I never put the volume past 1/3, and can't imagine what anything higher would do to either the floor or my windows if I did. The entire setup (includes a pair of stands for the rear speakers as well as stuff to wall mount them all) runs under $300. Excellent quality for the price.
 
I purchased the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speaker system with Subwoofer and I love it so much.
It only has 2 satellites, but it cranks out the cleasrest sound I have heard out of any computer speakers I have ever seen.
They also sell 4.1 and 5.1 systems, which are a little more pricey than the $180 I spent, but if you can afford them, I would definitely recommend them.
 
The SoundSticks and the iMac speakers (Which my friend calls iTits, she hasn't seen the soundsticks yet!) are very accurate sound wize, the sound you get out of them is what the original recorder wanted you to hear.

Speakers with 2 drivers, 3 tweeters and 2 bass reflex ports etc... may look good but they will sound ****e, the best system is a one speakers system. Or even Electrostatic solutions (http://www.soundlab-speakers.com/)

Ensign
 
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