Apple Pro Speakers And G4 Not Up to Scratch

L

Linzinoz

Registered
I've acquired a set of "new" Apple Pro speakers and plugged them into my 867mhz G4 (1gb ram, OS 10.4) using the mini-jack. When the balance control is set to the middle in the sound preferences I get a stronger response from the left speaker than the right. If I move the balance control to the point where the stereo sound is equal there is a marked drop in volume and fullness in sound. I've used itunes and played with the settings and used the preamp to boost the balanced sound. However, if I push it too high the 'lesser' speaker flat-spots for want of a better word. Now I thought it might be the speakers so I tested them on a friend's G4 imac – perfect! Confused, I tried my set of headphones through my G4's headphone outlet and detected a similar situation to the one found with the speakers but nowhere near as distinct. Is this the result of a deteriorating sound card – can it easily be replaced, or is there some other tip or trick I can try? It is the standard Texas Instruments one.

I'm a graphic designer who has used Macs for 10 years and have replaced memory etc. but I'm not a 'techy' when it comes to the internals.
Cheers,
Linz
 
Sometimes OSX seems to forget that the levels of left and right audio channels when controlled by a master volume control (such as that on your keyboard) should be the same. It sounds like this is what's happening here.
Go to Applications/Utillites/Audio MIDI Setup.app and click the 'Audio Devices' button.
Ensure that your output device (the sound output device that you want to drive your pro speakers from - I assume it's 'Built-in Audio' but i've never used the pro speakers so I can't be sure) and look at the positions of the sliders in the 'Audio Output' section of the window. If the values for channels 1 + 2 (that is, left and right) are not the same you'll get a mismatch in volume, if this is the case change the slider values as necessary to get balance (ie, make them the same).
 
ziess,
Thanks mate. I did try that but the result was still the same. The balance was fine when corrected but there was still a significant volume drop in the output. I boosted it with the preamp in itunes but they were nowhere near the volume of my friend's G4 imac. Ah well, as you say, maybe a G5 in the future or sell the speakers on ebay and make do with my headphones!
Linz
 
Linz,
I also acquired a set of "new" Apple Pro speakers I intended to use on my G5, but, alas, they don't work. Apple Pro speakers only work with Macs that have a specific Apple Pro Audio port, like your friend's G4 iMac.

One solution seems to be a product from Griffin Technology called an iFire. It's no longer listed on their website, but some resellers still have them (like amazon). It's about 25 bucks, but still cheaper than new speakers. At least speakers that look as cool as the Apple Pro's!

Good luck, and let us know how it works if you go that route,
Dustin
 
Dustin,
Thanks for your post. The iFire is about $76 here in Oz so I've decided to cut my losses and sell the speakers on ebay. Pity, they're great looking and work real well on an imac!
Linz
 
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