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What speakers do you use with the Mac Pro?

+1 for M-Audio

I use them for editing. I used to use headphones, but you end up over-analyzing every little thing...

reference monitors for editing

they're great for classical and opera as well

NOT the best sound for popular music

I send it to my home theatre/stereo system for anything that has a decent amount of bass.
 
ksz said:
I'm a Bose Companion 5 user as well. After going through so many other speakers I've found what is arguably the very best for the money. It's not cheap, but I am not looking for cheap. :)
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I read a lot of reviews and it seems like audiophiles (yeah, they're a picky bunch) were against these because they missed a lot of midrange sound - I went and tried them out in the store and saw what they were talking about. Seems like something that could be overlooked if you didn't care as much, but I decided to pass on them for that reason. I wish someone else made a competing product with similar features - I'd like to have 5.1 in Windows and OS X.
 
I run an Apogee Duet and Yamaha MSP5 monitors. If I was just listening to music for pleasure, I would still run a D/A and drive that with a bookshelf HiFi system.
 
I also use the Logitech Z-5500's, love 'em! If you are thinking about these, make sure you have plenty of room for the woofer and the 5 speaker and the large control panel. And got a great deal through Tiger Direct with a $100 rebate *not sure if that promo is running anymore though).
 
XianPalin said:
I read a lot of reviews and it seems like audiophiles (yeah, they're a picky bunch) were against these because they missed a lot of midrange sound - I went and tried them out in the store and saw what they were talking about. Seems like something that could be overlooked if you didn't care as much, but I decided to pass on them for that reason. I wish someone else made a competing product with similar features - I'd like to have 5.1 in Windows and OS X.
Click to expand...
Audiophiles hate Bose by default. It's almost a craze to decry the Bose brand. I'm an audiophile as well and own fully-balanced dual-differential source, preamp, and amp components connected with silver XLR cables. Nevertheless I am truly impressed by the Companion 5's. Forget the store demos; you should bring a pair home to try and remember that these are computer speakers rather than audiophile-grade showpieces. But they still sound quite fantastic, no muddy midrange. Note that you can lower the volume of the sub if it seems to be dominating.

Here are some user comments from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/review/produc...cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
 
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OnePumpChump said:
I also use the Logitech Z-5500's, love 'em! If you are thinking about these, make sure you have plenty of room for the woofer and the 5 speaker and the large control panel. And got a great deal through Tiger Direct with a $100 rebate *not sure if that promo is running anymore though).
Click to expand...
Another vote for the Z-5500s connected with SPDIF optical connectors. They sound great!
 
ksz said:
Audiophiles hate Bose by default. It's almost a craze to decry the Bose brand. I'm an audiophile as well and own fully-balanced dual-differential source, preamp, and amp components connected with silver XLR cables. Nevertheless I am truly impressed by the Companion 5's. Forget the store demos; you should bring a pair home to try and remember that these are computer speakers rather than audiophile-grade showpieces. But they still sound quite fantastic, no muddy midrange. Note that you can lower the volume of the sub if it seems to be dominating.

Here are some user comments from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/review/produc...cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Click to expand...

The audiophiles who hate bose fall into one of two categories.

The first is the audio-snob, this is the audiophile who listens with his wallet rather than his ears. He owns thousands of dollars worth of snake oil products (including ridiculous cables), and shudders at the words "double blind testing" or "capacitance, resistance and inductance". The audio-snob hates bose because he has to justify his expenses with a belief that no one can experience true musical enjoyment for less than what he paid.

The second is the value audiophile. This audiophile can't believe people care about aesthetics and has built several high end speakers that still have raw MDF cabinets (no veneers), some larger than he is. He makes all his own cables, has built an amp or two, and is always looking for the cheapest route to sonic bliss. He hates bose, not because they sound bad, but because they are overpriced for their performance and he can't stand to pay for marketing.

FWIW, I fall into the second category. I would never buy Bose products, but I certainly understand their utility for those looking for a quick and easy mid-fi solution, especially when aesthetics are of primary concern. (I'd buy orb audio speakers if I cared about aesthetics)
 
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I already put my vote in for the Bose Companion 5's, but there's a simple reason why I like them so much:

Great design, incredible sound for a *3* piece set (There are 2 speakers in each of the 2 on-desk satellites), and the price really isn't that awful - $400 normally (I was able to score mine for $300), and as another poster mentioned - these are *computer* speakers, not a high-end home entertainment surround-sound theater system.

For computer speakers, they sound pretty incredible, and I didn't notice any lack of midrange when I listened to them in-store, and certainly none after I got them home. (I've been using them since early December.)

The *only* con I really have about them is that they're only USB...I wish they had the option to plug into the digital audio input on the Mac Pro...

-Bryan
 
student_trap said:
I dont mix music (not in a big way at least), but I am fussy about the quality at which i listen to it, and i have found my Harman Kardon Soundsticks II to be an excellent blend of both sound quality and design.

For professional stuff there are better speakers to be had, but for what i do they are superb
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I have SoundSticks with the subwoofer as well and although they are about 7 years old, they look great and sound very nice. I don't know how many times I've had iTunes running when people come by and they can't believe the music is coming from my computer :)
 
I used to have Z-5500's and have always used some kind of Creative/Logitech 5.1 affair for years and years. I finally gave up on the bulk and the wires and got myself some Companion 5's. They sound fantastic, they look great and they take up very little room. I love them to bits.

I went for Kef speakers for the home cinema so I'm not some crazed Bose fanatic but these little Bose ones deliver cracking sound on my Mac.
 
GoKyu said:
The *only* con I really have about them is that they're only USB...I wish they had the option to plug into the digital audio input on the Mac Pro...
Click to expand...
You mentioned "digital audio input" so I'm wondering if you're trying to do something like this:

Connect an external audio component such as Apple TV, PS3, XBox 360, standalone BluRay or HD DVD player to your Mac Pro's optical digital input and have the sound play through your Bose Companion 5s.

If so, simply use the free LineIn utility. It can send audio from any audio input to any audio output. I've been watching satellite TV in my home office this way; picture goes to HDMI input on my Dell 3008WFP monitor and sound goes to the optical input on the Mac Pro which sends it to the Bose over USB. If I had a TV Tuner card I could do picture-in-picture over DVI-D instead of switching to HDMI.
 
desk.jpg
 
amik said:
The audiophiles who hate bose fall into one of two categories.

The first is the audio-snob, this is the audiophile who listens with his wallet rather than his ears. He owns thousands of dollars worth of snake oil products (including ridiculous cables), and shudders at the words "double blind testing" or "capacitance, resistance and inductance". The audio-snob hates bose because he has to justify his expenses with a belief that no one can experience true musical enjoyment for less than what he paid.

The second is the value audiophile. This audiophile can't believe people care about aesthetics and has built several high end speakers that still have raw MDF cabinets (no veneers), some larger than he is. He makes all his own cables, has built an amp or two, and is always looking for the cheapest route to sonic bliss. He hates bose, not because they sound bad, but because they are overpriced for their performance and he can't stand to pay for marketing.

FWIW, I fall into the second category. I would never buy Bose products, but I certainly understand their utility for those looking for a quick and easy mid-fi solution, especially when aesthetics are of primary concern. (I'd buy orb audio speakers if I cared about aesthetics)
Click to expand...

How about a 3rd category for people that just have never found a pair of Bose speakers that are worth the price/carry great sound. They tune their speakers with too much emphasis in the midrange for my taste.
 
FWIW, I fall into the second category. I would never buy Bose products, but I certainly understand their utility for those looking for a quick and easy mid-fi solution, especially when aesthetics are of primary concern. (I'd buy orb audio speakers if I cared about aesthetics)
Click to expand...

If you were truly part of that 2nd category you would know better than to grant Bose speakers with even the remotely complimentary descriptor of "mid-fi". You would know that not since the classic 901 have Bose produced a speaker system capable of performance even mildly interesting to those who really care about audio.
 
onomatopoeia said:
You would know that not since the classic 901 have Bose produced a speaker system capable of performance even mildly interesting to those who really care about audio.
Click to expand...
Don't pretend to speak for everyone who cares about audio. If there was an absolute yardstick against which audio is judged, then all manufacturers who care about audio would produce speakers that sound exactly alike -- they would all exhibit the same sonic characteristics. But there is no such thing. Audio is as subjective as any of our sensory perceptions. You can dislike what I like, and I can dislike what you like. To categorically denounce a brand by default is as frivolous as it is mindless. Have you personally auditioned every Bose product manufactured since the Classic 901s? If not, how can you make a categorical claim? And how can you ascribe that claim to everyone who presumes to care about audio? Fanaticism indeed. :rolleyes:
 
onomatopoeia said:
If you were truly part of that 2nd category you would know better than to grant Bose speakers with even the remotely complimentary descriptor of "mid-fi". You would know that not since the classic 901 have Bose produced a speaker system capable of performance even mildly interesting to those who really care about audio.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you fall into the audio-snob category. I already mentioned that Bose does not perform anywhere near their pricepoint. If their small satellite speakers were $10 a piece, I'd own a few for my garage because I can't make anything that performs better for $10. Being an audiophile isn't about the equipment, it's about the reproduction and enjoyment of music. Your elitist attitude is detrimental to the high end audio community. It is well known among DIYers that amazing sound can be had for the price of Bose systems, so rather than being a jerk, I'll suggest a superior alternative in the companion 5 price range. ZAPHaudio has a wide range HiVi based one-way design that can be constructed for nearfield use. The speakers and an small integrated amp would cost less and sound better than any Bose product.
 
fernmeister said:
I run an Apogee Duet and Yamaha MSP5 monitors.
Click to expand...

Me too! I use them with Logic Studio, but they're also great for listening to iTunes.

My only problem is the speakers picking up noise from my iPhone - if only the iPhone could sync wirelessly - then I could charge it in another room...
 
I might get bashed for it, but for my Macbook I use Bose Companion 3 Series II and love em, I get quite a few compliments on them, regardless what the 'audiophiles' might tell you :D. They are quite aesthetically appealing and also quite a bit cheaper than the Companion 5, got mine for 229 and love em.

bose_companion3.jpg
 
I have a pair of Genelec 8020a speakers. Small with a great sound.

It's definitely worth looking at studio monitor type speakers - better quality than the generic gaming speakers most computer retailers sell.
 
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