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G5 + speakers
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Mafia
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Alabama
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Sep 13, 2004, 02:47 PM
 
hey,

in about 2 months i'll be looking to pick up a new pair of speakers. i got a g5 dp1.8 and i want a new set to go with it(the old altec lansings cut it but i'm a lover of sound) i want the best sound quality i can get for about 200-250. i am real big on quality but also on design. so basically i'm looking for a set of great sounding speakers that look sweet next to the g5 and soon a cinema display. any recomendations?

mafia


btw how can i take advantage of the toslink hookup on my g5. thx in advance for replies.
http://www.mafia-designs.com
     
discstickers
Forum Regular
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Sep 13, 2004, 03:00 PM
 
I have the JBL Creatures, in silver. They look pretty good, and sound it too. Not terribly powerful, and not optical, but I enjoy them.
"It's not like Windows users don't have any power. I think a lot of people are happy with Windows, and that's an incredibly depressing thought." -Steve Jobs
     
Skip Breakfast
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Seattle
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Sep 13, 2004, 03:08 PM
 
In all of my years of experience of selling computer speakers, here's my advice:

Don't assume that the speakers at the top of your budget are going to be the best. Taking the advice of others may not be very helpful, as sound quality is more of an opinion than a universal truth. This is why many stores have the speakers set up so that you can listen to them in the store.
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jcadam
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Colorado Springs
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Sep 13, 2004, 03:27 PM
 
I have on my desk a set of Edirol MA-10D DIgital Stereo Micro-monitors. They can take digital optical, or standard RCA inputs. Works great with my G4 tower.

Absolutely AWESOME when it comes to music.
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Turnpike
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Sep 13, 2004, 03:29 PM
 
if I were you, I'd check the peripherals forum. Gotta be lots of posts there on speakers.
     
Mafia  (op)
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Alabama
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Sep 13, 2004, 10:35 PM
 
Originally posted by jcadam:
I have on my desk a set of Edirol MA-10D DIgital Stereo Micro-monitors. They can take digital optical, or standard RCA inputs. Works great with my G4 tower.

Absolutely AWESOME when it comes to music.
i am thinking of getting those and using my old isub.


asked here cause i am looking for speakers that look adn sound good specifically w/ the g5 powermac thx for the suggestion(btw i checked... not to many)
mafia
http://www.mafia-designs.com
     
aljawad
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Join Date: Nov 2001
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Sep 14, 2004, 08:05 AM
 
You did not mention if you want the speakers for music, movies, gaming or if you prefer simple 2.0 or a surround flavor? Anyhow, a while back my Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers complementing my then G4 went kaput � after serving less than a year.

I went shopping for another brand, and decided to look at the Bose Companion 3 system, which retailed for about what I had paid for the ALs. As it turned out, the dealer was out of stock of the C3, so I decided to wait for them.

However, as Skip Breakfast pointed out in the previous response, a top brand premiumly priced system was not the solution. I came across a pair of Creative I-Trigue 3500, and at first I almost snorted at the notion of switching to Creative! However, after a few minutes worth of DVD and game demos - even though I�m not a gamer and I use the system mostly for video digitizing and editing - I decided to purchase them. Given that they retailed for less than half the price of the C3, I thought eventually I�d hand them down when I purchase the Bose.

As it turned out, now that I�ve upgraded to a G5 + 23�, I still use the I-Trigue speakers. They complement the G5 � maybe not as nicely as they did with the G4. They have analogue input, but they sound good anyway. Here is a picture.

Hope this info helps!
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Mafia  (op)
Mac Elite
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Location: Alabama
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Sep 14, 2004, 10:33 AM
 
Originally posted by aljawad:
You did not mention if you want the speakers for music, movies, gaming or if you prefer simple 2.0 or a surround flavor? Anyhow, a while back my Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers complementing my then G4 went kaput � after serving less than a year.

I went shopping for another brand, and decided to look at the Bose Companion 3 system, which retailed for about what I had paid for the ALs. As it turned out, the dealer was out of stock of the C3, so I decided to wait for them.

However, as Skip Breakfast pointed out in the previous response, a top brand premiumly priced system was not the solution. I came across a pair of Creative I-Trigue 3500, and at first I almost snorted at the notion of switching to Creative! However, after a few minutes worth of DVD and game demos - even though I�m not a gamer and I use the system mostly for video digitizing and editing - I decided to purchase them. Given that they retailed for less than half the price of the C3, I thought eventually I�d hand them down when I purchase the Bose.

As it turned out, now that I�ve upgraded to a G5 + 23�, I still use the I-Trigue speakers. They complement the G5 � maybe not as nicely as they did with the G4. They have analogue input, but they sound good anyway. Here is a picture.

Hope this info helps!
thanks, my use for the speakers will be everything from movies, i play call of duty a lot, and mainly music. i've also looked at the bose, but i'll take a look at those creative's, i would like atleast 2.1 or 2.0 and i can use my isub. but thanks for the reply i'll take a look at those.

mafia
http://www.mafia-designs.com
     
cnelson87
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Seattle
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Sep 14, 2004, 02:07 PM
 
I just picked up the Logitech Z680 500watt 5.1 surround speakers. I don't play too many games, music and DVDs are AWESOME! Maybe a little TOO bassy but you can turn the subwoofer down. Digital coax connection (75ohm RCA cable) so you will have to get an optical to coax adapter.
     
DBvader
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Sep 15, 2004, 01:50 AM
 
The Z680s are excellent speakers in that they offer an incredible amount of connectivity for the price. The quality of my set, though good, leaves me wanting more. The bass is powerful but rarely balanced (I have mine on 1/3 as opposed to the "balanced" 1/2). The quality of the highs is much better. I sold a pair of Klipsch Promedia 5.1s to get the 680s (The connectivity was too much to pass up), and often regret it. Though the speakers sound great for Hip Hop, most other music (like my Rock) is just off. This is compared to my experience with the Promedia 5.1s and my Sennheiser HD600s...so take it with a grain of salt. The 680s will outperform most other speakers I have heard on the market.

Contrary to what the previous poster said, The 680s have an optical, coax, and std. 6-channel 1/8th mini inputs (as well as a stereo over channel).

I decided to move the 680s downstairs because its movie performance (where all that bass actually comes in handy) is quite good. DTS and DD decoding come in handy and the Pro Logic II sounds great (but seems to muffle the sound and the top volume). It should work fantastically with the G5s optical out. I think im going to get a proaudio breakout cable for my MDD and use a pair of Klipsch Reference Series Bookshelves. That should give me the sound quality to hear just how talented a mix Page and Bonham are.
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kloda
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Sep 15, 2004, 08:52 AM
 
OFF TOPIC

DBvader,

I know it's a little off topic but couldn't pass up commenting on your sig:

> "Take a little dope...and walk out in the air"

Good to see Who fans out there and quoting from "Naked Eye" off the often overlooked "Odds & Sods" album.

Would be nice to find a nice big desktop picture to put on my 23" Cinema HD display of the classic "Maximum R&B" poster.

BACK ON TOPIC

By the way, I received my G5dp2.5 on Septembere 8. Aside from the sort of ripple in the video by the 9600xt video card, I love it. The wait was indeed worth it. This thing is freakin' fast. I've played Call of Duty and Warcraft III with video maxed. Very nice. I should not have played The Sims afterward, the video looks so dated.
     
Macanoid
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Sep 15, 2004, 09:45 AM
 
I'm getting these with my new G5 :: great sound great design and not too expensive.

     
cnelson87
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Sep 15, 2004, 01:15 PM
 
I stand corrected, there is an optical input on the 680s. Looks kinda weird though. It doesn't look like a toslink optical jack, I don't know what kind it is (looks almost like a phone jack???).

Originally posted by DBvader:

Contrary to what the previous poster said, The 680s have an optical, coax, and std. 6-channel 1/8th mini inputs (as well as a stereo over channel).
     
qwerty2
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Sep 15, 2004, 01:18 PM
 
I have the Z680s and I've greatly enjoyed them. It's true that they sound different with different kinds of music, but I've not been disappointed. Like someone else said in this thread, I turn the bass down quite a bit. I do really like the control panel and the remote control. The headphone jack on the control center has now made it even more convenient than the headphone jack on the front of the G5. The center channel is right in front of my 20 inch Cinema Display and from my view point there is about 3/4 an inch clearance. This is view point only, however -- in other words, the center channel is actually taller than the bottom part of the screen's bezel, but due to where you sit in front of the panel (or where I do) it doesn't block any view of the screen at all.

I do like them for movies and games. Wc3 sounds pretty powerful with it. Bass definitely needs to be lowered for Wc3 or it would blast me out of my seat. I think the soft ambient sounds come through quite clearly in Wc3 on these speakers. I use the "Stereo x2" mode for that game. I do like the speakers for movies, but I have a set of non-computer speakers hooked up to a receiver in another room for movies so it can't compare. As far as computer speakers are concerned, I'm as happy as I could probably be with them. I bought a Monster optical cable from Best Buy for it. I also bought the speakers from Dell (horrors!) because they had a special deal on them (something like 50 or 100 dollars off). Watch Dell and maybe you can catch a sale if you're interested in these. Although buying a Dell computer would make me nauseous, I don't mind at all buying cheap peripherals from them from time to time. I think I got free shipping, too, possibly. I bought them last Fall so it's hard to remember.
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qwerty2
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Sep 15, 2004, 01:26 PM
 
Originally posted by cnelson87:
I stand corrected, there is an optical input on the 680s. Looks kinda weird though. It doesn't look like a toslink optical jack, I don't know what kind it is (looks almost like a phone jack???).
Is it possible that you don't know what a toslink optical jack looks like?--because the z680 control unit doesn't require a special cable and a standard cable fits the jack just as it is supposed to fit. I have two other pieces of electronics with this type of jack and they all look the same. I recognized it instantaneously when plugging everything up. I have no idea why it doesn't look standard to you.
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OzarkMtn
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Heber Springs, AR
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Sep 15, 2004, 10:44 PM
 
I have the Edirol MA-20D 24 bit Digital speakers being driven by my Dual 2.0 GHz G5. I utilize the Toslink optical connectors on the G5 as well as on the Edirol's. I want to listen to music that is not blemished with a bunch of gimmicks.

The G5 does a very nice nice job of driving these speakers.

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma20d.html
Cheers,

Just say "NO" to PLASTIC SPEAKERS!!
     
   
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