best speakers

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I want to buy some external speakers for use with my powerbook. I like the way the apple speakers work. Will they work with the powerbook? Also any others that look like designed for mac and have a subwoofer? Basically in need of reccomendations. Thanks
 
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If you mean the Apple Pro Speakers (looking like two transparent balls) it's no. They have a special connector, and only the Flat panel iMacs and some of the PowerMac G4 are compatible.
The Harman Kardon SoundSticks II sound pretty good, they also have the transparent look and include a (also transparent) Subwoofer.
They are not really cheap though... :(
 
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how about those jbl ones with the subwoofer and tiny speakers. I saw them in silver for less than 100.

I also just ordered the logitech mx700 wireless mouse. Good choice?
 
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Wapa18

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the jbl creature speakers are the ones you're talkin about. i have a pair of those and i think they're absolutely great. sound is awesome. logitech is a good mouse. i have a kensington wireless mouse only because the logitech was too expensive for me.
 
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octohunter

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I completely agree. The creatures are the best speakers. I can't belive how big they make my 12" pbook sound!
 
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nicholas

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I cast my vote for the Klipsch Promedia 2.1's, or their 5.1's. THX certified, if that matters to you. They're pricey though, but worth every penny in my opinion.
 
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tariq

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does anyone have the silver jbl creatures? i've read some guy's opinion of the colour and he said they didn't match the powerbook at all and the silver/gray colour of the speakers was very dull and ugly.

i don't know whether to get the white or silver ones...
 
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Wapa18

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i've seen the silver ones, and they don't match the powerbook. exactly what u said...very dull color. my white ones are great, and they accent my powermac g4 very well. the white ones will look good with the powerbook. get those ones :)
 
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octohunter said:
I completely agree. The creatures are the best speakers. I can't belive how big they make my 12" pbook sound!

if i were you i'd just get the 2.1 system that Cambridge Soundworks has. my roommate has those JBL Speaker Creatures and the sound is at par, probably even worse, than my Cambridge Soundworks speakers. mine cost like $35 and he paid close to $100 for his. even if by some chance the JBL's do sound better, i bet they don't sound $65 worth better. here is the link for the one i have:

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/...tegory=mul_speakers&item=c1pcwzzzz&type=store

they have another 2.1 system for like $69.99, probably worth checking out.
 
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MoltenLava

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Cambridge Soundworks speakers look ugly, but they sound very good.

OTOH, Harman/Kardon and JBL speakers look neat, but sound horrible.

I hate the sound of my H/K soundsticks and BMW factory speakers. There's a lot of sound missing in the midrange and upper ends.

If you didn't know already, JBL is owned by Harman group. The only good thing left from Harman group is Mark Levinson and Revel.
 
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tariq

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the smaller stylish speakers always seem to be lacking in the midrange. if you're not satisfied with that, go with a better, albeit a bit uglier set
 
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WhitE_RabbiT

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My opinion, if you have the cash, go with the Studio Phile BX5's. Can't beat em.
 
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I don't care for truly mind blowing sound, just good enough. I just can't see the point in having these ugly speakers next to the gorgeous powerbook...
 
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terpfan said:
I don't care for truly mind blowing sound, just good enough. I just can't see the point in having these ugly speakers next to the gorgeous powerbook...

well, i'm not a musician by trade, but i have been playing music my whole life so sound is important to me. i don't think "mind blowing" would be the words to use when describing the HK Soundsticks or the Cambridge Soundworks. basically, the Cambridge speakers sound better than similar class JBL or HK speakers and they cost much less. if you're more concerned with the look of it then i cast my vote for the HK Soundsticks, does anything look cooler than that? i don't think so.
 
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m1k

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Just so you know: if you want to use the Apple Pro Speakers with your PowerBook, get this: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/ifire/ . It plugs into your FireWire port and gives you an Apple Pro Speaker slot.

Why do you want speakers in particular? If you really want speakers, go with Hardon Karman or Altec Lansing, those are the best. But I seriously recommend headphones instead, if you're only going to be listening by yourself. Get yourself a nice pair of Sennheiser HD 570's ($130) and you'll notice a huge improvement over pretty much any computer speaker you can get, period. These things are absolutely amazing, I have a pair and they're so crisp, with the base punchy but not overly boomy and the highs so clear...

But I'm starting to sound like some raving fanboy, so I'll shut up now. My point: Ask yourself why you want speakers, if you're only going to listen to music by yourself headphones have much better value and sound quality. If you're going to listen to music with other people all the time though, by all means get some good Altec Lansings or Hardon Karman.

Good luck on your quest for good sound!
 
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yeah, I don't know what to get to be honest. I was in my friend's older brother's dorm the other night and he had this logitech 5 speaker with subwoofer system that sounded great. But its 299.99. way too much. Anyway, yeah I would be listening to it sometimes with people and sometimes myself. So I'd prefer getting speakers. So are the JBL creatures really not great. How are the apple speakers in terms of sound quality. What about the fact that they don't have a subwoofer? Also how do the powerbook's built in speakers rate. Like are they known for having decent sound. It's just generally not loud enough like if I am watching a movie with friends. I still am not sure about the jbl creatures but don't think I'd get the cambridge ones. How are logitechs?
 
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Wapa18

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i know from experience, the jbl's are good speakers. especially for the price point. they are definitely better than the apple pro speakers. some people have said the jbl's don't have good midrange, but if you fiddle with the bass and treble knobs, u can get perfectly good midrange sound. that's just my 2 cents, though.
 
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MoltenLava

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What kind of music do you listen to? At what volume level? How important is bass?

There is no one kind of speaker that fits everyone's needs. You should set the criteria based on your listening habit.

For example, I have Soundsticks on my PowerMac, and Apple Pro speakers on my cube. They are both made by Harman/Kardon. I prefer the Apple Pro speakers to soundsticks. Soundsticks look cute, but the drivers in the sticks are way too small to generate good sound. I find the sound a bit muddy. On the other hand, Apple Pro speakers have excellent midrange. It will sound much more clearer. The obvious drawback is lack of bass, which I can live with.
 

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