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How good/bad are the iMac's speakers ?

pasadena

pasadena

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 12, 2012
828
185
Seattle, WA
I'm not a music lover - I just like to listen to some music while I'm working, but I don't require professional / super good sound. Right now I use a pair of $50 Logitech speakers, but I wouldn't mind getting rid of them and reclaiming some desk space.

So how good/bad are the iMac's speakers for basic iTunes music listening (I do like heavy-ish bass) ? Are they as bad as laptop speakers ?
 
misho73 said:
Not good. most probably your $50 speaker will perform better.
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Hmmm. Maybe I'll try and find a speaker bar that I can put under the iMac instead of two bulky speakers on the sides (I will need to move the iMac out of the way to use my other monitor when working from home, I have a two-arms vesa thing). Any recommendation ?
 
Wait until you get yours before you buy anything - you may find it to be just fine.

I like the speakers in the 2012 flat model and find them to be better than previous models.
 
DerekS said:
Wait until you get yours before you buy anything - you may find it to be just fine.

I like the speakers in the 2012 flat model and find them to be better than previous models.
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That's what I'm hoping. Although the speakers are 1000x better, I used to get by with my monitor's speakers until I switched to Mac and discovered that it doesn't allow for easy management of HDMI sound (a nice wtf moment).
 
The one in the current thin form factor is certainly better compared to previous thick model
 
I'm no audio expert either but I've always liked iMac speakers, ever since the first I bought (Intel iMac from early 2006). On the 21.5" (late 2013), the sound is very clear (at all volumes), crisp and bass are very present. A bit too much, actually, but I'm a bass-head anyway so it's all good to me. In fact, I'm always impressed that such quality comes out of this compact, tidy and beautiful package. The thought of buying external speakers didn't even cross my mind.
 
They're horrible. Maybe they're okay for the most basic of video watching but I would never listen to music on iMac speakers.
 
you can't cheat physics. they simply can't produce low frequencies at the same volume as mids and highs because you need much larger cone sizes for that.

forget soundbars, bluetooth speakers etc. they are cheap and small and they are only good at selling well.

personally i would never go below 6.5" woofers and i certainly wouldn't recommend anything below well built 5" stereo speakers.
 
DerekS said:
Wait until you get yours before you buy anything - you may find it to be just fine.

I like the speakers in the 2012 flat model and find them to be better than previous models.
Click to expand...

They're definitely not better than previous models. The 2009-2011 was easily the cleanest, and most bass-y speakers of all iMacs. I was quite disturbed by the 2012 when I got it. I got some Corsair SP2500 to fix that issue..
 
Pasadena, I have a mid-2011 27" iMac and find the speakers to be great for casual use. Not a great deal of bass but just enough for my needs :)
 
The iMac the speakers are fantastic.

I am really happy with them. I understand the limitations imposed by the physical size and I accept that and I can enjoy them for what they are.

They are loud enough for my purposes and and sound nice and clear. They can reproduce bass frequencies well enough that they do not sound tinny.

When I bought the iMac I wasn't expecting speakers at all or if anything something as horrid as my old 2009 Mac Pro.

i think Apple did a good job considering the space available.
 
Thanks ! We'll see soon as I should receive my iMac on Thursday. I sure hope I can get rid of these incredibly ugly speakers.
 
Cool Pup said:
They're horrible. Maybe they're okay for the most basic of video watching but I would never listen to music on iMac speakers.
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WilliamG said:
They're definitely not better than previous models. The 2009-2011 was easily the cleanest, and most bass-y speakers of all iMacs. I was quite disturbed by the 2012 when I got it. I got some Corsair SP2500 to fix that issue..
Click to expand...


I personally looked in to speakers in the 50-150€ range and decided it's not worth it for me. Then I had the chance to use my brother's "Infinity Primus" speakers, which are great. I then again decided, that for me, having those sitting on the table isn't worth it.

I watch plenty of YouTube videos on the iMac, listen to music and so forth and haven't yet felt the need to buy/use better external speakers. But to each his own.

OP just try the iMac speakers out, you may find them satisfying.
 
The speakers aren't good. (But then I'm used to Genelec 8020s with a Cambridge Audio DAC and that sounds pretty good. At work I have some Kef LS50s through a Marantz amp and that sounds good too (different).)
 
Antipode2012 said:
The speakers aren't good. (But then I'm used to Genelec 8020s with a Cambridge Audio DAC and that sounds pretty good. At work I have some Kef LS50s through a Marantz amp and that sounds good too (different).)
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sounds like you just came here to show off. :rolleyes:

a ridiculously overpriced dac with a tiny expensive studio monitor is ridiculous. same for kef+marantz.

for that money you could have much better sound. :confused:
 
I've been using the built-in speakers in my 2011 iMac since I bought it, and they're pretty decent. Are they the best speakers ever? No, but they sound decent, take up no room at all, and can fill up the office of my apartment well enough. That works for me :)
 
I have a 2011 imac and a 2.1 creative speaker set. The creatives blow the built in speakers away totally.
 
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