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Rychiar · Nov 30, 2004, 02:30 PM

anyone know of any good deals that sound good but arent overexpensive or overpowerful? I got a 500 watt surround system downstairs with the tv but i want a weaker one upstairs in my room to take advantage of the imacs 5.1 ability without breakin the bank or shaking the floor, lol

Luca Rescigno · Nov 30, 2004, 02:46 PM

The iMac does not have surround capability. It's stupid that it doesn't, but really, it doesn't. If you want more than 2.1 you'll have to use the M-audio Sonica Theater, an external USB sound output device that provides you with 7.1 sound comparable to the M-audio Revolution 7.1 sound card.

EDIT: I'll still recommend a set... I have Logitech Z-560s that I got refurbished from JustDeals.com. They were just $79 shipped and in perfect condition. They are 4.1 speakers and pretty powerful, especially for the price.

Rychiar · Nov 30, 2004, 03:05 PM

it says right on the imac page that it has an optical digital audio out and does 5.1 surround just liek the powermac tho so what do u mean it doesn't?

btw i saw those same speakers today at circuit city for that price so ill look more into those

Luca Rescigno · Nov 30, 2004, 03:37 PM

Are you sure Circuit City had Z-560s available for $79? Their retail price is $150, and retail stores tend to never dip far below that. You may be confusing them with the Z-640s, which are a much lower quality 5.1 system. The Z-560s are THX-certified.

EDIT: Apparently the iMac does have 5.1 capability... but the Z-560 doesn't use optical audio, it just has two analog audio connectors, one for the front channel and the other for the rear channel. They're a great deal but they're not a surround sound system, they're just quadraphonic speakers. Not to downplay their quality, but I don't think they'll work for the iMac's system.

Rychiar · Nov 30, 2004, 03:48 PM

not sure id have to check, they were only 70 watts tho but 5.1 with full set of speakers. cost less than the 50 watt altec lansings they had. i still dont understand what you mean by the imac not doin 5.1. Apple has clearly stated it can

Luca Rescigno · Nov 30, 2004, 04:45 PM

Yeah, my set has a total power of 400W - 188W in the sub and 53W per satellite. The Z-640 is about 71W. So there's a big difference.

If you read my previous post, I distinctly said that yes, the iMac CAN do 5.1 sound. What I questioned is whether it would be able to do 4.1 quadraphonic sound. Apple's specs say it has optical audio which I guess would allow a 5.1 home theater system to connect to it. However, the 4.1 set that I mentioned does not have an optical audio jack. It's just two analog audio jacks.

Rychiar · Nov 30, 2004, 05:08 PM

sorry didn't notice your edit there. The speakers i saw at Circuit City specifically said 5.1 and not 4.1 so i dunno if they are the same or not. I currently own cambridge soundworks speakers which i beleive are 4.1 as they have 4 speakers and dual analog imputs for front and rear. That of course has never been much use to me on a mac but they sound good for stereo.
Like i said tho i have a 500 watt home theater downstairs with the dvd and dvd player and that shakes the whole house. Im lookin for somethin a but less ballsy for up here, Hopefully ill find a sub 100 deal on some decent speakers. I love the cambridge ones i have up here now but they don't do surround for me obviously

Rychiar · Nov 30, 2004, 05:33 PM

these were the ones i saw:
Logitech X-530 5.1 Black Speaker System
"http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-121-118&depa=0"

Rychiar · Dec 8, 2004, 02:51 PM

i got em but the imac aint come yet...