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Best aesthetically looking/sounding speakers to pair with iMac

N

nygiants242

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 11, 2007
98
2
What do you guys recommend in terms of sound quality, but also seriously keeping in mind the aesthetic look for a pair of speakers to connect to the iMac (preferably with a subwoofer). Do you have a pic of your set-up?

i.e. similar to Harman Kardon SoundSticks maybe? Are they even good sound quality though/they are quite old?
 
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i'm using these: Edifier Exclaim

i love their unique, distinctive design. the build quality is suprisingly good and they fit the imac very well. moreover, sound is excellent - pretty much the best you can get in this price range (<100$).
 
It seems many traditional computer speaker manufacturers have turned their attention to the portable Bluetooth speaker market given the popularity of those devices. A lot less choices out there than in years past for good desktop speakers for an iMac/desktop computer.

Since I have an iMac, iPad, and iPhone, I make do with a Bose Soundlink Mini for more powerful listening anywhere - desk or on the go. But, I do miss the bass that a subwoofer provides.
 
Bought my wife the Bose Sound Link Mini for the kitchen so she can listen to the live court trials. She now carries it around because it sounds so good.

I had a coupon for Costco, so I picked up the Bose Companion 3 for my desk.
Sounds pretty good, the cube speakers look and sound good.

I especially like the "hockey puck" remote. It sits on my keyboard tray next to the track pad.

http://costcocouple.com/bose-companion-3-speaker-system/
 
porthole2 said:
Bought my wife the Bose Sound Link Mini for the kitchen so she can listen to the live court trials. She now carries it around because it sounds so good.

I had a coupon for Costco, so I picked up the Bose Companion 3 for my desk.
Sounds pretty good, the cube speakers look and sound good.

I especially like the "hockey puck" remote. It sits on my keyboard tray next to the track pad.

http://costcocouple.com/bose-companion-3-speaker-system/
Click to expand...

Ideally, I'd love a pair of these Bose Companion 3 or even Companion 5 speakers, and then I would buy a bluetooth speaker adaptor and wish I could very easily toggle between AUX to the iMac and Bluetooth to my iPhone. Guess I would have to manually unplug the cable though each time..

EDIT: Or I could just always keep the AUX going to the speakers connected to the Bluetooth Adaptor, therefore just requiring bluetooth toggling between iPhone and iMac. Would the Bluetooth Adaptor affect sound quality to a great pair of speakers like the Companion 5's though?
 
nygiants242 said:
What do you guys recommend in terms of sound quality, but also seriously keeping in mind the aesthetic look for a pair of speakers to connect to the iMac (preferably with a subwoofer). Do you have a pic of your set-up?

i.e. similar to Harman Kardon SoundSticks maybe? Are they even good sound quality though/they are quite old?
Click to expand...

It's difficult to argue about something as personal as taste or aesthetics, but as far as sound quality is concerned,
if you're made of money, lol, these are the absolute 'ultimate' desktop speakers, and will set you back $1495.

http://www.magnepan.com/model_mini_maggie
 
macs4nw said:
It's difficult to argue about something as personal as taste or aesthetics, but as far as sound quality is concerned,
if you're made of money, lol, these are the absolute 'ultimate' desktop speakers, and will set you back $1495.

http://www.magnepan.com/model_mini_maggie
Click to expand...

The Mini Mags are great speakers but placement is absolutely critical to get them to sound as good as they're capable of.
Personally I use these ($1350 per speaker) paired with a Rythmik F12 sub.....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=solo6&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

Expensive, yes, but self-powered and they fill my whole room with incredible sound.
I know they're not for everyone but I was looking for more than just "desktop" speakers.
 
Creative GigaWorks T20 2.0

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Creative-GigaWorks-T20-2-0-Speakers_Peripheral_review

Their appearance is subjective, I personally love them. They sound amazing and they are phenomenal value for money.

You could spend 5 or 10 times as much on something that looks 'premium' but for me I just want great sound at a great price. The T20's are so good that if they died on me tomorrow I'd immediately go and buy the same model (obviously the newer v2.0 speakers, mine are v1.0).

Lots of friends have spent far more on speakers than I have, but the T20's prove that you don't need to spend a fortune to get great sound.
 
nygiants242 said:
i.e. similar to Harman Kardon SoundSticks maybe? Are they even good sound quality though/they are quite old?
Click to expand...

Soundsticks still sound great, especially with the subwoofer. People used to connect only the sub when sound of the iMac got better. I don't know if you can still connect only the sub for low bass and use the iMac's internal speakers for mid and high.
 
Was tired of small sound from my Bose SoundLink Mini. Went big for BIG sound. Behold my iMac with Sony's new GPX555 shelf system with Bluetooth. Granted, could be excessive for most, but with a setup like this, all audio is "an experience"...not just sound. Something to consider.
 

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Steve121178 said:
Creative GigaWorks T20 2.0

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Creative-GigaWorks-T20-2-0-Speakers_Peripheral_review

Their appearance is subjective, I personally love them. They sound amazing and they are phenomenal value for money.

You could spend 5 or 10 times as much on something that looks 'premium' but for me I just want great sound at a great price. The T20's are so good that if they died on me tomorrow I'd immediately go and buy the same model (obviously the newer v2.0 speakers, mine are v1.0).

Lots of friends have spent far more on speakers than I have, but the T20's prove that you don't need to spend a fortune to get great sound.
Click to expand...

I came here to post exactly this. I am also using a pair of T20's and I am extremely happy with them, even more so because the value for money is outstanding. I listen to music all the time.

They sound fantastic, are weighty in construction (so the body doesn't buzz at high volume like cheap plastic speakers), have nice-feeling controls and they look pretty good too. I have them in black and I leave the mesh covers on the front.

If they broke or got damaged somehow I would definitely buy another pair in a heartbeat.

Edit: I should add, however, that there is a blue LED illumination around the volume knob that is quite bright. If you have these in a bedroom you might notice it, depending on where you position them. It turns off of you turn the dial right down to zero though.
 
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joe-h2o said:
Edit: I should add, however, that there is a blue LED illumination around the volume knob that is quite bright. If you have these in a bedroom you might notice it, depending on where you position them. It turns off of you turn the dial right down to zero though.
Click to expand...

I just stuck a smidgen of blu-tack over the light :D
 
i use Bose Soundlink Mini, the sound quality is really good, and i like the fact i can just easily hide it in my drawer when not using it.
 

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eddieaus said:
i use Bose Soundlink Mini, the sound quality is really good, and i like the fact i can just easily hide it in my drawer when not using it.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing when I had the Mini but found that the sound kind of got muffled enclosed in the iMac's base and bouncing off the keyboard. Best thing about that Bose is the build quality is as close to Apple as you'll get at that price point.
 
PatriotInvasion said:
Do those really come with a true "subwoofer"? Bose calls the floor unit an "Acoustimass Module"...seems like Bose is anti-subwoofer or at least anti-calling things subwoofers.
Click to expand...

Whatever the floor module really is, it adds plenty of low-end sound for me. And when I get a junk email, the alert the computer makes drives the dog up a tree! :D

From Bose's page: "Acoustimass module works in concert with the small speakers to deliver a fuller range of theater sound and effects. The patented Bose design produces low frequencies for all channels with no audible distortion." Not a true subwoofer, but it does the job. I swear I could hear a bullet whizzing past my head during an episode of Justified from Amazon's movie/tv section.
 
Swans M10 2.1 for the win!

You can't go wrong with a $120 Swans M10 2.1 set. It has a nice mid-woofer with good bass and very crisp, clear mids and highs. They beat out my 2.1 Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's which I thought were the best sounding desktop PC speakers I've heard (however, the bass doesn't go as deep on the Swans M10).

Not only that, but it's also styled minimalistic so it goes together with the iMac's minimalistic design very well.

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You can get it black as well, but I personally think white looks way better.
 
if you are looking speakers for imac i would suggest you to go for portable ones, these days there are tons of options having good sound quality and they take less place, and sound quality is also equal to old big speakers. please visit the following link for the best wireless portable earbuds guide.
1. https://www.pollowers.com/best-wireless-speakers/

and if you are after, big bulky speakers with surround option. if you want them for watching movies i would suggest to go for 5.1 ones following link can guide you about them. i personally like the bose brand due to there no compromise to the quality, but there are tons of more option available these days in the market.

2. https://www.cnet.com/topics/speakers/best-speakers/

please dont hesitate me to ask any question about them, i work in a media studio. thanks
 
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Get two Phantom Golds from Devialet. Looks awesome, sounds better than everything mention in this thread. Great value for money.
 
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