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adder7712

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 9, 2009
1,924
6
I might consider the refreshed models this year.

But, I have one question.

Are the built-in speakers good? The speakers seem to sound good at the Apple Store.

Or, I have answered my question...
 
I might consider the refreshed models this year.

But, I have one question.

Are the built-in speakers good? The speakers seem to sound good at the Apple Store.

Or, I have answered my question...

My friend has the current model and they sound pretty good imo. That being said I often use headphones on my computer anyway :eek: but yeah I think they're pretty good, nice volume and balance except bass, but for a machine without a subwoofer it's fine.
 
My friend has the current model and they sound pretty good imo. That being said I often use headphones on my computer anyway :eek: but yeah I think they're pretty good, nice volume and balance except bass, but for a machine without a subwoofer it's fine.
Thanks. :p

I would really like to maintain a clean desk, I'm not a fan of wires. I have a pair of Logitech speakers hooked up to my MacBook.

It's an utter mess behind my MacBook, speaker cables, printer cords, random USB cords, the works. :D
 
I dont actually have an iMac yet but I have had a demonstration in the apple store and was rather impressed with the sound quality for day to day use, but felt it really wouldn't be enough for my music needs or the odd film.

When I do actually get the chance to empty my bank account on an iMac I have added these to my shopping list

Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System

But, I have also bought these for my iPhone 4 and was really impressed with them, my son also bought a pair for his MBP, I think the sound quality is marginal to what you get on the iMac's internal speakers but they do give a little more base which can make a difference when needed.

iHome iHM79 Rechargeable Mini Speakers

Apple store staff are always happy to help and will demonstrate different speakers for you, providing they have them in stock that is, and you dont have to buy there and then.
Give them a go if you can and see what you think, hope you find what you need :cool:
 
I dont actually have an iMac yet but I have had a demonstration in the apple store and was rather impressed with the sound quality for day to day use, but felt it really wouldn't be enough for my music needs or the odd film.

When I do actually get the chance to empty my bank account on an iMac I have added these to my shopping list

Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System

But, I have also bought these for my iPhone 4 and was really impressed with them, my son also bought a pair for his MBP, I think the sound quality is marginal to what you get on the iMac's internal speakers but they do give a little more base which can make a difference when needed.

iHome iHM79 Rechargeable Mini Speakers

Apple store staff are always happy to help and will demonstrate different speakers for you, providing they have them in stock that is, and you dont have to buy there and then.
Give them a go if you can and see what you think, hope you find what you need :cool:
Pretty good looking speakers, good reviews too!

I'm too impressed with the sound quality of the built-in speakers. I didn't know the speakers are downfiring before I looked underneath the 27 inch beast.
 
Pretty good looking speakers, good reviews too!

I'm too impressed with the sound quality of the built-in speakers. I didn't know the speakers are downfiring before I looked underneath the 27 inch beast.

I suppose really mate, it all depends on what you want to play through the speakers, like everyone has different acoustic tastes so what I hear will probably be totally different to your taste, unless by some freak of nature we're actually blood related [so hi bro].

can you give a bit more detail on you acoustic needs?
 
iMac speakers have always been better then average compared to other all in one computers , but i find the ones in the newer iMac's a bit less powerful compared with the speakers in my iMac G3, so i use externals on the newer iMac
..just cant beat harman kardon in design i use the GLA 55 and dont mind these two small cables behind the desk because the sound is compensating for the 2 wires and i actually cant see the wires if i dont climb behind the desk ;)

http://www.gla-55.com/?&utm_source=hk_com_en_GB&utm_medium=hp_stage&utm_campaign=gla55mslaunch
 
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iMac speakers have always been better then average compared to other all in one computers , but i find the ones in the newer iMac's a bit less powerful compared with the speakers in my iMac G3, so i use externals on the newer iMac
..just cant beat harman kardon in design i use the GLA 55 and dont mind these two small cables behind the desk because the sound is compensating for the 2 wires and i actually cant see them if i dont climb behind the desk ;)

http://www.gla-55.com/?&utm_source=hk_com_en_GB&utm_medium=hp_stage&utm_campaign=gla55mslaunch

MacHamster, how would you compare these to the Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System? I've kept coming back to them but the price is a little high and not sure if the sound quality is that much better.
would really appreciate you comments mate as I'm sure a fews others would as well :cool:
 
They're pretty decent for general usage like youtube or playing games from time to time and some light music here and there for only a couple of minutes, but I don't personally like them for long periods of gaming and music listening. They can get pretty loud if you want and have decent enough treble, but they just plain flat out lack in bass, and I don't mean to where you can hear the bass but just can't feel the bass, I mean you can't even hear the bass either-- the frequency response they have is far from neutral.

So for things like that where you want to hear every detail as it was intended to be, getting a good pair of headphones or a 2.0 system (I think a subwoofer is overkill and overpowering on most 2.1 systems) should be decent enough of an upgrade. Frankly, I go the headphone route because I put my computer right next to a divider wall in an apartment complex, so I wouldn't want to blast my neighbors out. I got a pair of audio technica ad700s and they're extremely nice, but some might not like them for the lack in actual thump in bass. You can equalize them to give that powerful bass, but then you lose some power in the trebles (of which they have tremendous and beautifully bright treble) Naturally I think any good pair of cans will sound better than an equally priced 2.0 or 2.1 system because you get the best amount of sound isolation.
 
MacHamster, how would you compare these to the Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System? I've kept coming back to them but the price is a little high and not sure if the sound quality is that much better.
would really appreciate you comments mate as I'm sure a fews others would as well :cool:

the problem there is i never had the soundsticks III , i had many other 2.1 and 5.1 speaker systems , but i would compare the GLA 55 best with the bose companion II
 
if you care about music/sound then built in iMac speakers are never good enough compared to external 2.1 or 5.1 etc. But if you just want to hear sound and keep it clean, then yes, they're good enough
 
if you care about music/sound then built in iMac speakers are never good enough compared to external 2.1 or 5.1 etc. But if you just want to hear sound and keep it clean, then yes, they're good enough

yup, that's true.
 
I must say that I don't think the built in speakers are any good at all. I would have loved for Apple to delete the speakers and add a proper DAC instead... :) That's not going to happen, but it would have been nice.
 
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I have been very impressed with the built in speakers on first gen 27. I had Swan M12 speakers externally while on my laptop when it was chained to the desk but never felt the need to put them on the iMac
 
i added the NuForce uDac2 HP to my iMac for AMP/DAC proposes, for better quality sound outs. It's good for 24bit/96Khz now and I mainly listen to my music through my headphones. I only use iMac speakers if I really have to.
 
I use the logitech Z4 2.1 speakers and sub. Use to use it with my iMac. Now with the Mac Pro. Great sound and bass response. 100 times better than the iMac speakers.
 
anything thats 5.1 is a little on the quite side but apart from that i'm very impressed with the speakers :D
 
Still stand behind my creative T20.Love the sound after adjusting down the bass a hair from the detent position.
 
I do listen to a lot of music and game a lot.

Could I be better off with dedicated speakers? However, I think 2.1 units are an overkill. I'm more than happy with my 2.0 Logitech (not sure of the model) speakers but I can't compare between the Logitech and the built-in speakers as I don't have an iMac myself. :p
 
I do listen to a lot of music and game a lot.

Could I be better off with dedicated speakers? However, I think 2.1 units are an overkill. I'm more than happy with my 2.0 Logitech (not sure of the model) speakers but I can't compare between the Logitech and the built-in speakers as I don't have an iMac myself. :p

The Built in speakers are great they really are.
 
I just use the internal speakers generally, but for music I have an airport express that links wirelessly from the iMac, to my router, to my airport express, then to my stereo - The speakers are a meter high, so it gives better sound than speakers you can plug directly into your iMac (plus you can use them wirelessly through any Mac in your house!) :D

Only downside to this is it only works with iTunes, so not YouTube or anything :(
 
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