I have sound sticks and they sound great. You can plug anything that uses a mini-jack in they will work
they are way overpriced for the sound quality they provide
I have a set of Logitech Z-680s that I picked up used for $150. Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, 5.1 and a ton of power. Great deal and you should be able to find similar prices. the newer model is the Z-5500
With an iSub, a crossover will be imposed on the internal speakers. This eliminates the bass and devotes all of the meager amp's power to the midrange and highs. This makes them play with more clarity even at higher volumes.
Refurbed iSubs can be found for $40.
There are at least a handful of better sounding 2.1 systems available but these cost more and come with the added mess of wires.
With that said, I use the MegaWorks 2.1 from Creative (bought from Cambridge Soundworks).
Just make sure that if you intend to go the digital route that you chose speakers with optical digital in instead of coax digital in.
My opinion is that any satellite + subwoofer system you can buy that may or may not be under the "multimedia speaker" umbrella will suck. This includes soundsticks, JBL creature, Klipsch ProMedia, etc.
The output lacks any sort of mid range. If you plan on listening to music, watching DVDs, or doing things that have rich audio, you will want some beefy midrange. Furthermore, surround-sound is a total waste of time for most things. If you have the luxury of doing so, pick up an A/V receiver+amplifier and snap up some bookshelf speakers. Get any old used subwoofer off of eBay if you insist.
I spent about $500 on a pretty kick-ass audio system that actually does have surround sound. But I use it mostly for watching TV/DVDs, so the surround sound isn't totally worthless. I bought a Yamaha receiver, JBL Northridge bookshelf speakers, a Klipsch 200W center channel all new, and got the rear speakers and sub for next to nothing used. At the end of the day, it wasn't much more than a top-end set of multimedia speakers, but performance-wise it's in a totally different class. Plus, it's a lot more flexible as far as upgrades.
With audio, you get what you pay for, but I'd rather have the desktop M-Audio speakers (forget the model) than the Creatures or Soundsticks.
I totally agree that multimedia systems don't sound as good as a component amplifier with bookshelf speakers. In my living room I run a sub, 11 identical tweeters, and 14 matched 6.5" drivers.
Yet for my computer, I chose a multimedia system because size and convenience were also factors.
I also totally agree about surround sound being a waste on computers. A pair of good speakers (or 2.1) will sound much better than a surround system bought for the same money. It's mostly kids buying these 5.1 systems for their computers. When the novelty wears off, most will eventually switch to a stereo or 2.1 system. The imaging is actually superior with a 2.1 system nearly all of the time when arranged for a person sitting in front of a computer screen. Surround systems on computers almost always sound incredibly fake. Some of this is due to speaker placement. Some is due to the speakers being cheap to compensate for there being so many of them.
Granted, if your computer is also you home theater, then a surround system may make sense.
Comments
Originally posted by jkc710
hey all,
what speakers can i hook up? can i use Apple Pro Speakers that were used with the g4 iMac?
I don't know about that, but the iMac G5 has an optical sound output and can handle 5.1 sound. Why not consider a 5.1 surround system?
Originally posted by PB
I don't know about that, but the iMac G5 has an optical sound output and can handle 5.1 sound. Why not consider a 5.1 surround system?
Originally posted by Airgar
I have sound sticks and they sound great. You can plug anything that uses a mini-jack in they will work
they are way overpriced for the sound quality they provide
I have a set of Logitech Z-680s that I picked up used for $150. Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, 5.1 and a ton of power. Great deal and you should be able to find similar prices. the newer model is the Z-5500
They both have optical in.
With an iSub, a crossover will be imposed on the internal speakers. This eliminates the bass and devotes all of the meager amp's power to the midrange and highs. This makes them play with more clarity even at higher volumes.
Refurbed iSubs can be found for $40.
There are at least a handful of better sounding 2.1 systems available but these cost more and come with the added mess of wires.
With that said, I use the MegaWorks 2.1 from Creative (bought from Cambridge Soundworks).
Just make sure that if you intend to go the digital route that you chose speakers with optical digital in instead of coax digital in.
I could be wrong but I have not heard anything to suggest otherwise
Originally posted by Bronxite
I think the iSub only worked with CRT iMacs.
I could be wrong but I have not heard anything to suggest otherwise
It also worked with computers equipped with the old Apple Pro speakers.
Originally posted by Guartho
It also worked with computers equipped with the old Apple Pro speakers.
yea, the cube. but nothing since.
Originally posted by Bronxite
yea, the cube. but nothing since.
No, I used mine with a Quicksilver tower and apple pro speakers
Originally posted by Bronxite
yea, the cube. but nothing since.
And definitely the eMac.
I'm not positive about the iMac g5 though. Can anyone confirm if the iSub causes the iMac G5's internal speakers to use a highpass crossover?
The output lacks any sort of mid range. If you plan on listening to music, watching DVDs, or doing things that have rich audio, you will want some beefy midrange. Furthermore, surround-sound is a total waste of time for most things. If you have the luxury of doing so, pick up an A/V receiver+amplifier and snap up some bookshelf speakers. Get any old used subwoofer off of eBay if you insist.
I spent about $500 on a pretty kick-ass audio system that actually does have surround sound. But I use it mostly for watching TV/DVDs, so the surround sound isn't totally worthless. I bought a Yamaha receiver, JBL Northridge bookshelf speakers, a Klipsch 200W center channel all new, and got the rear speakers and sub for next to nothing used. At the end of the day, it wasn't much more than a top-end set of multimedia speakers, but performance-wise it's in a totally different class. Plus, it's a lot more flexible as far as upgrades.
With audio, you get what you pay for, but I'd rather have the desktop M-Audio speakers (forget the model) than the Creatures or Soundsticks.
Yet for my computer, I chose a multimedia system because size and convenience were also factors.
I also totally agree about surround sound being a waste on computers. A pair of good speakers (or 2.1) will sound much better than a surround system bought for the same money. It's mostly kids buying these 5.1 systems for their computers. When the novelty wears off, most will eventually switch to a stereo or 2.1 system. The imaging is actually superior with a 2.1 system nearly all of the time when arranged for a person sitting in front of a computer screen. Surround systems on computers almost always sound incredibly fake. Some of this is due to speaker placement. Some is due to the speakers being cheap to compensate for there being so many of them.
Granted, if your computer is also you home theater, then a surround system may make sense.
Generally though, I recommend 2.1 systems like:
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
Altec Lansing 2.1 (forgot the model number)
Creative Megaworks 2.1
Originally posted by dfiler
And definitely the eMac.
I'm not positive about the iMac g5 though. Can anyone confirm if the iSub causes the iMac G5's internal speakers to use a highpass crossover?
On a hunch I hooked up my labtec speakers via my Griffin iMic and then got my iSub out of the closet... works great!