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iMac 2011 Speakers

Bewarethewolves said:
Do you know what those speakers are called, please?:D
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Bowers & Wilkins MM-1

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swarleystinson said:
I'm a big fan of the Harmon Kardon Soundstix II. Their looks are not for everyone, but for $150, they beat the pants off of a lot more expensive speaker systems. Great for basic gaming, movies, music. May not fill an entire 2 story house, but will fill a 2-bdrm apt no problem.
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I looked for speakers in prep for buying the imac, and landed on the Soundstix III. I am really impressed with them, and would easily recommend them. Amazon's price varies quite a bit, so keep your eye on them and they'll dip down periodically.
 
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Just some no-name cheap-o speakers apparently. Either way get some external speakers of headphone if you wanna listen to music.
 
I have the Bose Companion 5's that I am using on my Dell PC, and plan to switch them over to my new iMac when I get it shortly. I love the sound, once you get them positioned properly. I can't imagine not having some sort of external speaker setup, since I listen to a lot of music on my computer.

A lot of people bash Bose, but those are the same sort of people that bash Apple - so take it with a grain of salt.
 
One thing about those B&W's (which look very nice, and I'm sure are top quality) - no subwoofer. I know that people will say that you don't miss it, but I bet you do.

Before I bought the Companion 5's, I tried a pair of studio monitors from highly rated M-Audio. Again, no subwoofer, but reviewers said that you didn't miss it. Unfortunately, I did miss it. While the highs and mids were crystal clear and plenty loud, the sound was noticeably thin due to lack of bass. You could even adjust the bass on the monitors to compensate for this, and all it did was muddy the sound. So, I spent a little more and went back to a 2.1 system, and will never go back to just 2 desktop speakers, even ones as top quality as these B&W's seem to be. I would audition them first before laying out $500.
 
iMerik said:
Do you know if you can get them under $499.95 anywhere? I didn't have much luck searching.
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I can't find them less than full retail, I got them full price in the uk £399...

But believe me, once you hear these you won't be upgrading anytime soon.

Edit: yes no subwoofer, and somewhat disappointing, but for me it's no deal breaker with the clarity and detail that come out of them.
 
Those speakers look like traditional HK/JBL cones to me, which would be no surprise since Apple was partnered with them for quite a long time.

As far as wire clutter goes, it's part of owning a computer. ;)
 
rovex said:
Image

They are expensive, but there are no other speakers that match these. the sound is frighteningly good, and paired with any mac these look outstanding.
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I was blown away by two things about these speakers. First of all, they had amazing bass for a 2.0 system. The highs were clear and sharp as well. The second thing is the price. THE PRICE. THESE THINGS COST $500!!
 
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maxinc said:
For the amount of space they take on the desk, the built-in speakers are simply amazing! By far the best sounding built-in speakers anyone could get. For day to day work, youtubing or radio etc, they are brilliant. For everything else, I have a pair of modded Sennheiser HD558 which make the Z5500 (now in storage) sound like cheap imitations.
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I agree. I'd love to know who designed the speakers, they look brilliant, rectilinear curled horns. I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Jobs got Bose to do it.

If you aren't getting as good sound, use a good hard, uncluttered desktop, because they work by bouncing the sound. Mine is a laminated kitchen benchtop and is perfect.

I am a major classics, opera and jazz/blues buff and listen to them as original quality, Apple Lossless tracks and they all sound brilliant!
 
ctsoxfan said:
I have the Bose Companion 5's that I am using on my Dell PC, and plan to switch them over to my new iMac when I get it shortly. I love the sound, once you get them positioned properly. I can't imagine not having some sort of external speaker setup, since I listen to a lot of music on my computer.

A lot of people bash Bose, but those are the same sort of people that bash Apple - so take it with a grain of salt.
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I would disagree with that, in the audiophile community Bose is looked down on quite a bit due to being overpriced, gimmicky, and heavily marketed. The crap they had on showcase at electronics stores (like Best Buy, Circuit City), like their mini satellite surround sound systems were just crap that looked nice and cost a fortune which targeted consumers with too much money who didn't have discriminating ears.

Which is not to say they don't make or have never made quality gear, but they are not considered a top tier brand in the audiophile community.

Search Audiogon.com for Bose and see how often it turns up compared with respected brands like B&W, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, Dynaudio, etc...

Rob
 
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