Best external speakers for my iMac

Hi Bryan

I think it depends on where your iMac is setup!

If your iMac is setup in your den or family room and you allready have a nice stereo system just pickup a mini headphone to RCA adapter and RCA cables and hook it up. If you do not have a decent stereo then yes the Bose or an upper end 5.1 system is the way to go.

[Mini Stereo To RCA|http://www.nextag.com/Cables-to-Go-Mini-87727346/prices-html?nxtg=10c4e0a24 051e-A3F9D6FEEE79567F]

If your iMac is setup in a small office, any of the 2.1 systems would sound real nice for a-lot less cash. I have a Creative Inspire 2.1 system in my office, the satellite speakers are in the corners of the room (instead of blaring in my face) and the Sub under my desk. The setup sounds great, it has good R & L channel separation and the sub rumbles/thumps the floor real nice.

[Creative Inspire|http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=27&p roduct=15773]

[Other 2.1 systems|http://www.nextag.com/2.1-speaker/search-html]

[And 5.1 systems|http://www.nextag.com/5.1-speaker-systems/search-html]

Hey nothing against the Bose they are great, I might have a set myself if money grew on trees! 😉

Dennis

I bought the JBL Creature II last year and was very disappointed. They were not as powerful as my cheap Sony external speakers bought for ¥3900 ($40) in Japan. I now have the Harmon/Kardon Soundsticks II and am very pleased. I've seen the Bose but didn't like the look. The HK's a little expensive though, but great for movies.

There are several things to keep in mind. 1) what I think sounds good you won't necessarily agree with. (I strongly dislike Bose speakers, they are too muddy to me. My wife, however, thinks Bose is the bees knees.) 2) what music you play and the quality of the rip will play a big role in determining the quality of the speakers you need. I listen to lots of jazz and instrumental music which is ripped at a very high quality level. My brother listens to uh, the stuff played on MTV, and he rips his files so he can fit lots of them on a 4GB iPod. Whether he spends $10 or $100 on his speakers won't matter in the least 🙂 3) the room will have a big influence. I had a set of Harmon Kardon speakers that sounded great in my basement office but after I remodeled it, without the cement floor and walls to bounce the sound off, the speakers sounded tinny and one dimensional. Thankfully we hadn't yet wired the den because I wound up running an audio out from my computer to the den stereo system and adding a pair of speakers for my office.

I just replaced my 7 year old sound-stick's with Audio Engine A5's in White. They are pritty cool if you like listening to your high quality ripped music! They are specifically tuned for digital audio playback of
192kbs and above tracks. Although they take up allot more room on your desk than the sound-sticks, they do sound allot better! Especially comparing the highs the sound-sticks cant match the audiophile detail these baby's produce. Check them out! Although I found they didn't sound amazing to me until I used OSS 3D! (Equalizer)! Which dramatically improves audio of any decent speaker system. Then they really are compelling !!!

Hi

I have been using the Harmon Kadon Soundsticks II, I am very happy with it.

Cheers