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'27 iMac speakers Yay or Nay?

The JTizzle

The JTizzle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 14, 2009
316
39
Maine
So picking up my 27 incher on Wed. or Thurs and am cleaning off my desk ATM. I have a mild 2.1 setup that has been hooked up to my MBP and I'm wondering if I should keep it out for use on the iMac or box it up. Use my Mac for music while working and web videos, but it's not my primary sound system in my home.
 
The JTizzle said:
So picking up my 27 incher on Wed. or Thurs and am cleaning off my desk ATM. I have a mild 2.1 setup that has been hooked up to my MBP and I'm wondering if I should keep it out for use on the iMac or box it up. Use my Mac for music while working and web videos, but it's not my primary sound system in my home.
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That 2.1 system is going to be much better than the iMac's speakers. Keep them out for sure.
 
ok thanks. I have a year+ old 24 iMac at the office and the speakers are ok, but didn't know if Apple improved them at all in the last year or so.
 
The JTizzle said:
ok thanks. I have a year+ old 24 iMac at the office and the speakers are ok, but didn't know if Apple improved them at all in the last year or so.
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Yep Apple did improve them alot when the iMacs went unibody the end of last year, but if you have good external speakers they'd still probably be better!
 
I have a 27" iMac and have recently been thinking about purchasing some speakers as I agree, 27" iMax speakers are ok but could be better.

Anyone got any suggestions ?
 
The iMac speakers are fine for system sounds and online videos but if you plan on listening to music on them, you're in for a disappointment. Keep the speakers.
 
best of both worlds?

anyone know of a way to use the internal speakers + an external amp through the headphone jack? I don't see why this is not an option "may damage the audio card" is the stock response, but I'd like to risk it....
 
Apple upgraded the speakers of their iMac line a good bit when they introduced the 27 inch iMacs, I was amazed at how much better they were than the ones on my old G5 iMac. They're good for all sorts of things-- even listening to music, however if you're needing a good bass, then you'll want to substitute for a 2.1 system with dedicated subwoofer.
 
I have had my iMac 27 for a few weeks. I've tried both the internal speakers and a decent external speaker system with subwoofer. Other than what the subwoofer brings, I noticed little difference between the internals and the externals next to the system. Granted, the externals aren't top of the line, but they aren't complete rubish either. I'm ok using the internals, for now.
 
I have heard the 27's speakers. They aren't bad.

However, decent external speakers will blow them away.

My iMac is my main music listening source, so I like decent speakers. Therefore, when I get the 27, I would still keep external speakers.

Someone like a grandmother would likely be happy with the internal speakers. That is not a slam on them, just saying, I do think externals are best. Of course, if you only want speakers for OS X sounds or whatnot, they are fine.
 
I think the internal speakers are OK. Not special but not very bad either. Good for system sounds, video's and background music listening while you work. For serious music (good) external speakers will be better of course.
 
Who else thinks it would be nice to play both internal and external speakers at the same time? I can find no hack for that.
 
So, after all this talk about speakers, can we suggest some good external ones?

I saw some nice Logitech ones today, but I feel that they take up too much space. They were the X-530 model, but it was a 5.1 set. Sounded good though.

If you really want top drawer for music and you favour Dance music such as House, Garage, Disco etc then look no further than BOSE if your pocket can stretch that far. With BOSE you also get compact.

There muse be loads on the market to choose from. I have an IMAC G5 and the sound is nothing short of shocking.
 
£299

They sound the Daddyo. I'm wondering when we're going to get high end wireless speakers.Those Bose, for me, are one of the best. I also love the simple control that you can put on the desk anywhere, one little touch and the whole thing's muted.

The only downside is the wires.
 
If the price doesn't scare you off, the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 speakers really are pretty good. Much much better than anything by Bose in my opinion.

Of course, they should be great for £399 ($499), and they are.
 
djdave said:
£299

They sound the Daddyo. I'm wondering when we're going to get high end wireless speakers.Those Bose, for me, are one of the best. I also love the simple control that you can put on the desk anywhere, one little touch and the whole thing's muted.

The only downside is the wires.
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Yeah, I have the Bose sound control sitting nicely right on the stand of my iMac under the Apple logo. Pretty slick.
 
netdog said:
If the price doesn't scare you off, the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 speakers really are pretty good. Much much better than anything by Bose in my opinion.

Of course, they should be great for £399 ($499), and they are.
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netdog, you must be using Thomas Cook exchange rates at the Airport! ;)

£399 is $631 at the moment, current spot rate is 1.5838

Those Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 Computer Speakers look great mate and that appears to be their first effort at computer speakers. Would like to hear a demo of them. They will probaly have them in the Apple shop, have not seen them before.
 
I am very happy with the speakers on my 27in (2010) imac. I had a bose 2.1 system but I didn't feel it was worth it. Yes the bose did sound better, but I feel the imac speakers are good enough.
 
I was very suprised at how good the speakers sound in my 27" iMac. I didn't bother hooking up my inexpensive 2.1 system. I DO connect a stereo amp & full-size stereo speakers when I want to blast music to play along with on my guitar, since the iMac speakers get drowned out in that situation. Otherwise I just use the iMac's speakers and I'm happy.
 
I've been happy with my 27" iMac speakers as well, but I recently decided that I wanted more bass. So I went all out and ordered the Sony SRS DB-500 2.1 system. With 300W of power, this blows away almost everything available in the Apple Store's lineup of speakers.

Does anyone else own this set? Also, why does Apple not sell any Sony products in it's online store (accessories I mean)?
 
djdave said:
netdog, you must be using Thomas Cook exchange rates at the Airport! ;)

£399 is $631 at the moment, current spot rate is 1.5838

Those Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 Computer Speakers look great mate and that appears to be their first effort at computer speakers. Would like to hear a demo of them. They will probaly have them in the Apple shop, have not seen them before.
Click to expand...

They're £399 (including tax) in the UK and $499 (not including tax) in the USA.
 
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