Upcoming Apple iMac Sound System?

[voicegy]

Originally posted by nickmcghie
...The brand most similar to Apple in the audio world would probably be somebody like Bang & Olufsen. I think it'd be cool to see some of their products come with Apple computers

Yeah, there's a man after my own heart.

The TAM (Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh) was the closest Apple ever came to having the B&O look (although BOSE sound) and I was happy to own one for two years. Still have my old B&O, though.

 

[g30ffr3y]

i have to say this in sanyo's defense... sure they may have a bad rap up against onkyo, harmon karden, sony, bose, etc... but... and i regret saying this, i work for a cell phone company and we handle sanyo phones... let me just say they are of the finest quality overall and are even the makers of the first flip-phone camera hybrid [moving toward video phones ya know...] with apple steering them along, i would have no problem buying a sanyo product... and i liked that apple=bmw line... i just wish i have as many bmw's as i do apples... hehehe... to wish...

 

[julzmon]

Re: Re: Apple knows audio

Oh... No way.. Bang & Olufsen totally sucks!

Yes it looks like a million bucks but the sound is horrible. Talk about overpriced. B&O is the equivalent to Bose in sound-quality. Well... maybe a little better but no way does it sound good.

I'm a die hard Magnepan fan.
There was a time when they had some multimedia speakers coming out but they decided not to, don't know why.

Originally posted by nickmcghie
Bose isn't that great. Among real audiophiles, Bose is known as an overpriced consumer brand. While it may better than other consumer brands such as Sony, Pioneer, JVC, etc., it's minor perfermance advantage does not justify it's excessive price. The brand most similar to Apple in the audio world would probably be somebody like Bang & Olufsen. I think it'd be cool to see some of their products come with Apple computers

 

[mayodreams]

Bose are crap. My parents have a Cadillac SLS and the "premium" Bose stereo sounds like absolute sh*t. I have $30 computer speakers that sound better.

As for the high end Harman International brand, that would be Infinity. I've got a pair of Overature 2's and I LOVE them. They are running from a H/K receiver that is also very kick ass.

Doesn't H/K made the pro speakers?

 

[ExoticFish]

my computer speakers

I have a Klipsch 2.1 speaker setup for my TiBook and they sounds awesome.

 

[Apple][Forever]

Bose is OK. Not crap, but not great. They're the top of the middle range stuff. Kinda like the Honda of midsize cars. Not a BMW, but in its class the best there is.

For the money, Paradigm's the way to go. Damn they're good. I have a pair of their Monitor 7s hooked up to an Adcom amp/preamp setup and they are just terrific.

Sanyo makes good rechargable batteries and at one time they made durable VCRs (owned a Sanyo Beta VCR that lasted 10+ years). Don't know about their audio.

On the Mac I have the Creatures. I don't like JBL but I got them as a gift and are pleasantly surprised by their sound quality. They're good for the money, my g/f got them for about $50 less than the H/K Soundsticks. I personally think they sound better but I've never had the chance to do A/B testing with the 2 sets.

(P.S. Before the Honda fans jump on me for the above, I own one and am very happy with it. It's a pleasure to beat V6 Mustangs and Camaros from the stoplight.)

(P.P.S. Before the Mustang and Camaro fans jump on me for the above: You should have bought a V8 Firebird. That is all.)

 

[seamuskrat]

Regardless of name brand(s), would most Mac models not benefit from a better built in amp system or better external device? True, if we are oing for the best, why Sanyo? But maybe I am just going deaf, but any 'engineered' solution should be better than stock.

 

[janey]

i love my creature speakers and my lovely klipsch promedia 5.1 setup.
if apple's gonna go for the best why not klipsch? (not best best but a lotta people like it so why not...)

 

[Kid Red]

Bose kill Infinity's IMO. Infinitys are too hi based, bose have a nice over all range. Maybe it depends what you got feeding the bose, I have em hooked to an Onkyo and it's just too sweet, really clear sound. That's why I like bose, very crisp and clear, and a wide range of sounds.

To each his own I guess.

 

[DeusOmnis]

I'm suprised that no one mentioned cambridge Soundworks. You guys keep talking about alll these no-name companies (excluding Bose and Harmon Kardon, of course). We dont need cheap stuff on our macs. In any case, Cambridge Soundworks is the way to go. I seriously checked out every option and asked all the music guru's for multi-media speakers and Cambridge SoundWorks just destroys everyone.

 

[occam]

Linn + Apple would work.

If you want the Apple of audiophile, check out www.linn.co.uk. This niche company rocks the world. It's the audio company *musicians* listen to!

My favorite Linn piece is their amazing one-piece home stereo called the Classik (www.linn.co.uk, or www.classik.com). The web site doesn't do justice to this gem, but it's 1. tiny, but 2. packs all the goods: five channel amplification + FM/AM tuner + CD/DVD player + preamp controls + THX + .1 (subwoofer) output + (latest model) component video output. Amazingly, it sounds better than separates. At $3k, it's a gem (and cheaper than similar quality separates).

If you want noise, go bose. If you want music, go Linn.

 

[icrew]

Why not McIntosh?

....seems like the logical choice, not to mention really good sound....

(See http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/)

 

[springscansing]

I never heard of using something from Sanyo to IMPROVE sound quality, haha.

I say we put McIntosh amplifiers in the new macs. Can't beat the sound quality there!

So what if it ups the cost a few thousand...

 

[springscansing]

Re: Why not McIntosh?

Originally posted by icrew
....seems like the logical choice, not to mention really good sound....

(See http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/)

Bah.. you just beat me to it. hehe

 

[springscansing]

Originally posted by Kid Red
Bose kill Infinity's IMO. Infinitys are too hi based, bose have a nice over all range. Maybe it depends what you got feeding the bose, I have em hooked to an Onkyo and it's just too sweet, really clear sound. That's why I like bose, very crisp and clear, and a wide range of sounds.

To each his own I guess.

Well.. when you compare Bose to junk like Infinity, what do you expect to happen?

Bose blows. This has been true forever. Ask ANY audiophile, and I do mean ANY.

 

[gotohamish]

Re: Re: Apple knows audio

Originally posted by nickmcghie
Bose isn't that great. Among real audiophiles, Bose is known as an overpriced consumer brand. While it may better than other consumer brands such as Sony, Pioneer, JVC, etc., it's minor perfermance advantage does not justify it's excessive price. The brand most similar to Apple in the audio world would probably be somebody like Bang & Olufsen. I think it'd be cool to see some of their products come with Apple computers

Oh, sorry I'm not real enough for you.

B&O suck, they're just pretty box makers with okay sound. Admittedly better than most high street brands, but not up there with Bose, Denon, Nakamichi and their peers.

 

[springscansing]

Re: Re: Re: Apple knows audio

Originally posted by gotohamish
Oh, sorry I'm not real enough for you.

B&O suck, they're just pretty box makers with okay sound. Admittedly better than most high street brands, but not up there with Bose, Denon, Nakamichi and their peers.

He's right. Bose IS an overpriced consumer brand. Nakamichi and Denon USED to be good, but they're just making junk now.

No audiophile respects Bose for anything.

 

[springscansing]

In fact, my father used to be in the stereo design industry, and he knew Amar Bose. He admits that the reason he sells to many speakers is marketing, and that Bose uses very cheap components so they can operate on a huge profit margin. He says consumers can't tell the difference.

I guess he's right.

 

[Dr. Distortion]

Re: Re: Re: Upcoming Apple iMac Sound System?

Originally posted by Squire
You know, the people at Apple are probably on the right track. I think a lot of people are starting to use their computers more for an entertainment system. I, for one, have been looking at the new Klipsch GMX-D 5.1 set. Looks cool and probably sounds cooler. However, I don't think Apple should side with a company that doesn't entice true audiophiles. Sanyo is probably not that bad, but they are known to a lot of people as a maker of cheap- though relatively decent- products.

I would like:

B & O
Nakamichi
Denon
Nad
Onkyo
even Sony or Kenwood

Just a thought...how about teaming up with Mark Levinson, like Lexus did? That would truly rule.

Squire

You forgot to mention Sansui (don't know if they still exist...), Bose, B&W, Magnat...

I've got a Sansui AU-919 power amplifier hooked up to my mac, and it's really indestructable! Full aluminum front (4mm thick!), full metal case, rigid switched and pots with metal shafts and aluminum knobs... yummy!

On this page you can find even more images of this marvellous product.

 

[Trimix]

Wow, as a mac-user I am happy to be surrounded by so many audiophiles.
Maybe we are missing the point however...
I for one would love to have a little portable speakersystem into which I could slot the i-pod and carry it around with me as a boom-box. Now this would not have to be made by Apple but I think I would pick it up even if it was made by Sanyo.
Way back when there was this thing (it might even have been made by Sanyo at the time) where you could stick the walkman in and end up with a speaker on either side and a decent radio. Would make me very happy for the days at the beach )

 

[dstorey]

what are the companies that REAL audiphiles buy/listen to? Maybe with all this talk of brand names we are doing sanyo a dis-service. In the article it says the system was developed by an autonomous research/development section funded by sanyo that produces components for external companies such as sony. Don't foget that the guy that runs this lab was a big player at sony that moved on so he could be more creative and has worked on such things as the walkman. Just because they are bankrolled by sanyo doesn't mean they are in the same leauge. afterall Ford own mazda but also own jaguar and aston martin.

 

[geeman]

Re: Linn + Apple would work.

Originally posted by occam
If you want the Apple of audiophile, check out www.linn.co.uk. This niche company rocks the world. It's the audio company *musicians* listen to!

If you want noise, go bose. If you want music, go Linn.

Right with you. I've had my Linn/NAIM system for more than 10 years (a few upgrades here and there) and I have to say that there's very little I've heard to touch it. But then I don't think I'm particularly representative of an 'average' user...

B&O and Bose (even Sanyo) are fine in their places. People who buy such systems are invariably moving up in audio quality from whatever they had before. That's a good thing.

They're happy with the sound, and that's the main thing.

 

[ameliaraitte]

Re: Systems

Originally posted by Tom800
Can someone explain to me the difference in sound between the 'Creature' system and the 'soundsticks' system, other than the soundsticks cost about 10 bucks more and use USB? Which is better, or what's each like?

Yes - I got a head to head comparison in a shop (and own SoundSticks). The Creatures are tiny! The satelites are about the size of a billiard ball. For the size, the Creatures sound great. It's amazing such a tiny system can sound so good. However, they are not nearly as powerful as the SoundSticks.

The SoundSticks are bigger and provide a very full sound, although if you want to get fussy, I think there midrange frequencies which are dampened. (Although it's only apparent with 1 or 2 artists.) If you like bass, you got it. For overall power, the SoundSticks are not quite as powerful as a cheap all in one stereo, ie. they will shake the house in an 6X8ft room, but will come up a little short for a dance party in a 12X14ft. room.

I love my SoundSticks. Gonna buy another set for the livingroom.

 

[Sepulchre]

Re: Re: Systems

Originally posted by ameliaraitte

I love my SoundSticks.

Same here, I bought them when they first came out and never looked back, true they are not the most audiophile speakers on the planet, but hey thats what the main stereo in the living room is for isnt it?

Anyone ever figure out if its possible to share the iSticks with a PC (no flames please) in a dual Mac/PC set up? Probably not possible I know, due to the USB input, but thought i'd ask.

Rich

 

[rugby]

I've got some Logitech Z-640's hooked up to my MDD G4 and they sound pretty good. I'm only using the front channels and the middle speaker as I don't have a 5.1 sound card. Hopefully soon I'll pick up the M-Audio Revolution sound card and have some...oh wait, nevermind. Apple's DVD player doesn't output 5.1, and neither does iTunes.

Crap.

Bose sucks, I have some 20 year old B&W speakers hooked up to a tandberg amp that will bury most Bose systems. Except for my dad's, as he got an all Rotel hardware with 5.1 and B&W's all around. Really outstanding sound.