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Decent speaker suggestions
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jszrules
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May 18, 2011, 03:47 AM
 
Hi, I'm not too familiar with the speaker options out there. Would the Harmon Kardon soundsticks be a good way to go for decent quality at a low price?

Also, some ignorant questions...
1) Any good wireless options for speakers?
2) If not, is it possible to connect speakers to an external monitor and not the MBP itself?

Thanks
     
angelmb
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May 18, 2011, 08:46 AM
 
I had those, the SoundSticks, superb equipment.
     
P
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May 18, 2011, 10:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by jszrules View Post
Hi, I'm not too familiar with the speaker options out there. Would the Harmon Kardon soundsticks be a good way to go for decent quality at a low price?
They're quite decent, IMO - I used to have them, but eventually got tired of the appearance and the lack of an external volume control. In general though, the best way to get good audio quality for a computer at decent price is a good pair of headphones.

Originally Posted by jszrules View Post
Also, some ignorant questions...
1) Any good wireless options for speakers?
Not really, and they're only ever "sort of" wireless because you will need power to the integrated amp. Again, there are headphones - bluetooth headphones in this case, if your MBP supports A2DP. Ars did a review on the experience.


Originally Posted by jszrules View Post
2) If not, is it possible to connect speakers to an external monitor and not the MBP itself?

Thanks
If it is USB speakers (like the original Soundsticks but not the Soundsticks II), you can connect it to a USB hub in the display if there is one. Recent MBPs support audio over miniDP, so it's at least theoretically possible to do it that way if your display has audio out.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 18, 2011, 11:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
They're quite decent, IMO - I used to have them, but eventually got tired of the appearance and the lack of an external volume control.
?

The control pads on the speaker not working for you?

Or did they only add those in the Soundsticks II?

The Soundsticks III add a separate power switch built into the subwoofer balance control pot - a nice addition, and sorely lacking in earlier versions.

AFA satellite speakers go, the Harman Kardon Soundsticks are pretty decent.
     
-Q-
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May 18, 2011, 11:36 AM
 
I've enjoyed my Logitech system for a few years now. It's a 2.1, so no surround but the audio quality has been excellent. My set has been discontinued, but the current version is probably this: Speaker System Z313

I went with the non-THX certified models as I don't have an optimal listening environment and "good enough" has always been sufficient for my audio needs.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 18, 2011, 02:38 PM
 
Thx cert is only marginally related to sound quality.
     
angelmb
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May 18, 2011, 04:14 PM
 
BTW, the creator of THX is now working at Apple, there is still hope for Mac Pro's internal speaker.

-I kid-
     
jszrules  (op)
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May 18, 2011, 08:43 PM
 
Thanks, so I guess the next question is are there any USB speakers out there comparable to the HK soundsticks?
     
P
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May 19, 2011, 06:48 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
?

The control pads on the speaker not working for you?

Or did they only add those in the Soundsticks II?
They only added those to Soundsticks II, correct. Mine are the original, and positively ancient by now.

I also wanted a way to switch between headphone and speaker when gaming. The "clean" way to do it is to switch the sound source using the MenuExtra controller, but you usually can't see the menubar when gaming. With these new ones (a Philips model chosen more because they look nice next to the iMac) I only use the built-in headphone plug, which kills the speakers like any other computer.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
jszrules  (op)
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May 20, 2011, 12:17 AM
 
Will quality be reduced if I buy a 3.5mm-to-USB adapter in order to hook connect the Soundstick from the monitor instead of the MBP?
     
jszrules  (op)
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May 30, 2011, 09:44 PM
 
Hi, just bumping a couple questions:

1) Are there any USB speakers out there comparable to the quality of the HK soundsticks?

2) If not, wil quality be reduced if I buy a 3.5mm-to-USB adapter in order to connect the Soundsticks to the monitor instead of the MBP?

Thanks
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 31, 2011, 01:38 AM
 
2) that depends upon the quality of the USB to analog converter. Most anything you can get will be at least equivalent, though.
     
jszrules  (op)
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Jun 22, 2011, 11:23 PM
 
Originally Posted by jszrules View Post
Are there any USB speakers out there comparable to the quality of the HK soundsticks?
bump. thanks
     
   
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