Mac Speaker Systems

geobegeobe
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Why does Apple continue to think having one Sub-par speaker on their high-end machines is ok? Even if you purchase a configuration with pro-speakers, or even the soundsticks, why just two speakers then?



I went to the gateway online store and they have 5.1 speaker system options on their low end machines!! How frustrating.



Does Apple or a 3rd party vendor have 5.1 sound cards in the works? If not, why not? DVD Studio Pro can create DVD's with 5.1 descrete audio channels so why would we not have a way to play it back? I know a computer is not the optimal place for watching DVD's in comparison to a home theater, but all the other computer manufacturers at least give us the option.



With Ati and Nvidia video cards as bto's, and Harman Kardon working on great products for the Mac, real sound card options should be in all future macs. Till then, if anyone knows of a decent 5.1 speaker system and sound card for the Mac, please share with the rest of us.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    smithjoelsmithjoel Posts: 240member
    You can buy a Sound Blaster Live Mac Edition. I haven't seen one in a while, but they were like $90 a year ago. Don't trust my memory though.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    eupfhoriaeupfhoria Posts: 257member
    The SB Live is worse than your mac's built in audio.



    I want 5.1 too.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,425member
    Please last thing we need is Creative coming with their bloated and buggy drivers.



    I doubt that Apple will ship 5.1 speakers anytime soon. Most people don't have room in their homes to put 5.1 in the Living Room let alone attaching the computers. I'm sure we'll get 5.1 Audio eventually but the speakers will probably be a BTO option.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    concentricityconcentricity Posts: 434member
    First of all, the Apple online store offers several speaker options, including 2.1 and 4.1 (THX Certified), digital and analog.



    If you're looking for good (the best) 5.1 speaker package, go here...





    <a href="http://www.klipsch.com/index.asp?path=/products/productdetail.asp?frame=y&id=398&line=&1"; target="_blank">Klipsch ProMedia 5.1</a>



    As for a 5.1 audio card for the mac, all i know of is the above mentioned Sound Blaster, and the $1000 TCWorks Powercore DSP which has a PPC and 4 Mot 56K DSP chips on it. they claim over 2.8 GHz total processing power, all for sound.



    But I feel like I've read about other 5.1 cards for the mac.



    I'll keep looking.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,425member
    [quote] If you're looking for good (the best) 5.1 speaker package, go here... <hr></blockquote>



    Ahem check <a href="http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?page=products/details&CRID=2&CONTENTID=5044&countryid=19&languag eid=1" target="_blank">these </a>out if you want to save a little money over the Klipsch



    For 5.1 Sound Check <a href="http://www.midiman.net/products/consumer/sonicaSite/alt_content/about.html"; target="_blank">this </a>
  • Reply 6 of 8
    keshkesh Posts: 621member
    "Save money" and speakers should never be mentioned in the same sentence.



    If you really want the best quality, you get what you pay for. And if you're dropping the cash for a 5.1 system, you might as well get a good system. The Klipsch are extremely high-quality for the price.



    For the record, MacOS X drivers for the Soundblaster are not out yet. So it's useless if you're running Jaguar, until they get their drivers released.



    Thanks for the link to the Sonica. That's a good alternative. Also, MacAddict mentioned a stereo reciever that connects to your USB port and offers 5.1 as well. I'll try to dig out the magazine later for the exact name, if someone doesn't beat me to it.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Moving to General Discussion.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    concentricityconcentricity Posts: 434member
    [quote]Originally posted by hmurchison:

    <hr></blockquote>



    I guess you missed my reference to the 4.1 THX Certified speakers available at the apple store. and yes, the Z-560's are good, but not 5.1, or "Klipsch Good".



    I'm somewhat curious how well a USB solution can serve up full bandwidth 5.1, and of what quality. not that i'm dogging it, apparently TASCAM has achieved good results with the <a href="http://www.tascam.com/products/us428/specs.pdf"; target="_blank">US-428 (PDF)</a> for USB based audio recording/midi.
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