Audio Issues.

[xionja]

I think I'll tell the story then ask my questions.

So I had my Apple Pro-Speakers but I ruined them by messing with various volume controls. So no more speakers.

I temporarly stole my parent's old but very nice Kenwood amp and Bose speakers. It was all very good, exept as you all know its hard to say goodbye to iTunes and dick around with CDs. So I want to go back to iTunes.

I bought a converter, a 'breakout cable' from Apple's websight. I plugged the Bose speakers into the computer, but the quality from the internal iMac amp is appaling. The speakers sound worse than the buzzed out pro speakers. I tried playing a CD through the computer, to compare the full quality vrs. MP3. It was better (so now i'm making myself re-import 130 cd's in lossless format) but the real problem in the computer's own amplifier. MP3 cd's played though the Kenwood amp sound pretty good.

I can't go back to bad computer audio now that i've used all this nice equipment.

The Kenwood amp just has a totally fuller and richer more pleasing sound then the computer does, especially with the Bose speakers.

I don't think the iMac amplifier is really meant to work with anything but computer speakers.

So how can I use iTunes, while bypassing the internal iMac amplifyier, and play through nice speakers?

My real question is to anybody who has a good audio system set up for themselves, what combiation of speakers, amps, and converters did you use to integrate your computer and non computer speakers?

thanks to all replys.

[sammick]

You can get a cable to enable you to take the signal directly from the computer and split it into your preamp then from your amp into the speakers.

I think that's about the best you can do for computer sound.

[rlindeman]

Get the Airport Express when it comes out and stream iTunes to your stereo.

[xionja]

Originally posted by sammick
You can get a cable to enable you to take the signal directly from the computer and split it into your preamp then from your amp into the speakers.

I think that's about the best you can do for computer sound.

ooh! ooh! explain this more?

[mslifkin]

Hi,

If you take the line out from your iMac and connect it to the Aux In (or CD In, whatever your amplifier has), then connect the amplifier to the Bose speakers you should be all set. To make this connection you would need a cable with a 1/8" stereo plug on one end (that's the iMac end) and two RCA plugs on the other (that's the Kenwood Amp end). One of the RCA plugs will probably be red in color, the other white. Red would be for the right channel, and white for the left. You can get this cable at any Radio Shack; it's not expensive at all. Good luck!

Marc