External speakers for the iMac?

Ideas and innovations in Indian classical music
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gsn
Posts: 81
Joined: 30 Oct 2005, 07:04

Post by gsn »

Hi Mac-Heads on the forum!

I would like recommendations from those of you who use external speakers with their Macs, on what works reasonably well. The internal stereo speakers that come with the new MacBook are good but I am looking to go for something better.

Thanks,
Girish

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Depends on how much money you have to burn!

BOSE would be the best!

arunk
Posts: 3424
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 21:41

Post by arunk »

if you need this mainly at home, you could look into the Airport products which will allow you to stream the music to your home stereo system and thus open up more possibilities.

Arun

gsn
Posts: 81
Joined: 30 Oct 2005, 07:04

Post by gsn »

Thanks, guys! I will look into both these options..
-G

kiransurya
Posts: 781
Joined: 13 Dec 2005, 15:58

Post by kiransurya »

Eclipse and Bose go really well with Apple products

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Bose I think has a set of speakers that can be set up to give you 'surround' sound, and the effect is awesome. If you have an Airport Extreme base station or the Airport Express (booster), you can plug in speaker systems to that as well and generally 'beam' music to all levels of your house so that you can hear it all over...truly 'surround'!

arunk
Posts: 3424
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 21:41

Post by arunk »

if you are listening to concerts of old-timers obtained via informal sharing, i am not sure getting expensive speakers necessarily gives you the return of investment. A good headphones I find is the best bet for those concerts which are not recordings of great fideity :)

Arun

vijay
Posts: 2522
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 16:06

Post by vijay »

Hate headphones myself - only use them at office when there is no other option or when the recording is low in volume...but I agree with Arun - high quality audio would be an overkill for old recordings...

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Arun/Vijay,
If you play around with the settings in the equalizer if iTunes, even 'old' recordings can come to 'life' - and a good sound system makes it better. I connect my laptop/iPod to my TV (which actually has a very decent sound system with simulated surround) and it makes it worthwhile...esp, during the tanis - the spatial separation of the mridangam and ghaTham becomes very clear!

arunk
Posts: 3424
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 21:41

Post by arunk »

yes equalizer comes in very handy - use it a lot with the mp3 player in my car, but it can only go far - some of the old recordings are really not great.

But what I also find is that my "tolerance" to bad recordings is marvelously adaptive. For example while I am listening if I say finish listening to a decent concert recording, and move to one with a considerable hiss/hum (even after adjusting equalizer settings). The hum/hiss is bothersome for a few minutes only - once I get into the music, my ear simply ignores perhaps clubbing it with all the other background noise :). Good thing I am not an audiophile!

Arun

vijay
Posts: 2522
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 16:06

Post by vijay »

Ravi, maybe it is time I experimented with something more expensive that the 10 year old 100 watt BPL system I currently possess!

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

once I get into the music, my ear simply ignores perhaps clubbing it with all the other background noise
Arun
I started in settings that were more humble.
We used to get top class HM relays from AIR Sangli and would tune in , after climbing on to our terrace.
Somewhere down the line, we would lose the relay , in a gradual manner- as though dissolving into the beautiful dark night- and then it would re appear slowly and softly.
But our minds would keep the raga intact - with a continuity of its own.
Monsoons would be greater fun , with the sound of Heavens crackling and thundering.
I miss them all in these hygenic studio recordings.

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