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Decent speakers

grandM

grandM

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 14, 2013
1,539
304
Reading lots of good on the speakers in the iMac and the ASD.
Read that the ASD would have inferior speakers than the iMac. Can someone acknowledge this?
Can anyone suggest decent fashionlike speakers that sound good but don’t break the bank? Minimum quality those included in the ASD.

Thanks.
 
If you are into Apple's Computational Audio, get a pair of HomePod 2.

Otherwise, any US$99 speakers from reputable brands can give you similar, if not better experience.

Things to consider:

  • wooden enclosure
  • bigger dimensions is better
  • at least 3.5 inch woofer
  • discrete tweeter
 
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grandM said:
Reading lots of good on the speakers in the iMac and the ASD.
Read that the ASD would have inferior speakers than the iMac. Can someone acknowledge this?
Can anyone suggest decent fashionlike speakers that sound good but don’t break the bank? Minimum quality those included in the ASD.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

IMO the ASD speakers are a bit overrated by the YT'ers. They are very good for built in monitor speakers especially considering they are fully discrete.

Whether you'll be satisfied mostly depends on what you're doing with the speakers. If you want them for system notifications, video calls and occasional streaming or music while sitting at your desk, my bet is most people will fine them more than adequate. However if you want to listen to music and have them fill a small room, they may come up short.

I tried them for a while for my needs and ended up adding a set of mid priced external speakers inc. a dedicated sub. The the ASD volume is slightly too low for me and the bass is lacking. I use the set-up to listen to podcasts while working out.

I wonder however if vs. relatively inexpensive set of externals whether the upgrade is worth it.
 
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DarkPremiumCho said:
If you are into Apple's Computational Audio, get a pair of HomePod 2.

Otherwise, any US$99 speakers from reputable brands can give you similar, if not better experience.

Things to consider:

  • wooden enclosure
  • bigger dimensions is better
  • at least 3.5 inch woofer
  • discrete tweeter
Click to expand...
Are the HomePod minis loud enough, or do you really need the HomePod?
 
grandM said:
Reading lots of good on the speakers in the iMac and the ASD.
Read that the ASD would have inferior speakers than the iMac. Can someone acknowledge this?
Can anyone suggest decent fashionlike speakers that sound good but don’t break the bank? Minimum quality those included in the ASD.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Check out the Bose Soundlink Mini 2! It's great for desktops and it also sounds great with movies. Right now it is $150 on the Bose website but you can find a new seal speaker on eBay for around $120

SoundLink Mini II Special Edition – Bluetooth Mini Speaker | Bose

Enjoy amazing sound with quality bass all in a Bluetooth mini speaker for ease of travel with the SoundLink Mini II Special Edition.
www.bose.com www.bose.com
 
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Ameer_1 said:
Check out the Bose Soundlink Mini 2! It's great for desktops and it also sounds great with movies. Right now it is $150 on the Bose website but you can find a new seal speaker on eBay for around $120

SoundLink Mini II Special Edition – Bluetooth Mini Speaker | Bose

Enjoy amazing sound with quality bass all in a Bluetooth mini speaker for ease of travel with the SoundLink Mini II Special Edition.
www.bose.com www.bose.com
Click to expand...
I hear Sonos is great. Anyone any experience with that?
 
tstafford said:
Lots of Sonos stuff in our house. Sound is good, ease of use is great. Probably pricey for what it is. Kind of like Apple . . .
Click to expand...
Was just looking at Bose. That stuff seems really expensive.
 
Swan makes some really good budget speakers starting at $100 US.
www.amazon.com

HiVi-Swans M10 Plus White Bookshelf Speaker, Bluetooth Powered Computer Speakers with Subwoofer 2.1 Home Speakers Stereo System – 60W RMS – AUX Audio

HiVi-Swans M10 Plus 2.1 speakers 60W Powered Bookshelf Stereo Speakers, 2.0 stereo active near field premium powered bluetooth speakers
www.amazon.com

I find the sound on the ASD to be very good for specific types of listening, but it's not how I would choose to listen to my music. I find that it seems tuned to make your typical flat-ish Internet video audio sound better, but it struggles with when there's a wide range of highs and lows.

It can give you a surprising amount of thump. It can give you highs. It just doesn't do both at the same time very well.
 
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Thing is that when I am behind my Mac I don’t want the sound to come from somewhere else and I am unsure of these devices claiming surround sound. Somehow I trust 2 speakers more. It’s been years I bought audio though.
 
Does Sonos offer that all surround sound from Apple Music?
 
Unfortunately all the HomePods don’t have an audio jack which leaves you having to airplay from your computer to the mini or regular HomePods. This is fine for music but I believe it adds a lag to things like system beeps and stuff which may become infuriating after a short time. Imaging an error type event, but you only hear the sound a second or two later.
 
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Starting to believe a cheap Logitech set will produce the best sound. 😳
 
Ameer_1 said:
Check out the Bose Soundlink Mini 2! It's great for desktops and it also sounds great with movies. Right now it is $150 on the Bose website but you can find a new seal speaker on eBay for around $120

SoundLink Mini II Special Edition – Bluetooth Mini Speaker | Bose

Enjoy amazing sound with quality bass all in a Bluetooth mini speaker for ease of travel with the SoundLink Mini II Special Edition.
www.bose.com www.bose.com
Click to expand...

I bought Bose Soundlink Mini 2 based on a recommendation in another thread and found the sound similar enough to my Apple Studio Display speakers that I returned the Bose today. In some cases the Bose was better and in others the ASD was superior. It just was not close to $150 better.
 
sparkhill said:
I bought Bose Soundlink Mini 2 based on a recommendation in another thread and found the sound similar enough to my Apple Studio Display speakers that I returned the Bose today. In some cases the Bose was better and in others the ASD was superior. It just was not close to $150 better.
Click to expand...
Bose's popularity and wide brand recognition is based almost entirely on marketing. In reality, their products are simply ok. With the possible exception of the company's initial launch in the 1960s, Bose has seldom if ever produced any truly sonically notable products.
 
Last edited:
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sparkhill said:
I bought Bose Soundlink Mini 2 based on a recommendation in another thread and found the sound similar enough to my Apple Studio Display speakers that I returned the Bose today. In some cases, the Bose was better and in others the ASD was superior. It just was not close to $150 better.
Click to expand...
For me, the Bose SL Mini 2 sounds better with movies compared to the JBL Charge 4 but the JBL is louder. I also have the $400 Bose Smart Speaker 500 and it's way better than the JBL and SL Mini. For me, I didn't mind paying a few dollars extra but I hear the difference between Apple HomePod and JBL and Bose is better.
 
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