Speakers and bying advice, plz?

Gambit

MacManiac
Hey there everyone!
Im rather new here and abit hesitant as to if Im placing this thread in the right underforum but hopefully its alright.

Question: You peeps who have bought Apples Harman Kardon Sound Sticks and the Subwoofer and tested the JBL Kreature 2.1 Speakers + Woofer....whats your say on the difference soundwise?
Id like to buy a new set of speakers soon and of course look at the prizetag.
The Apple one still costs rather much more than the JBL package.
Is it really only a matter of design taste?
Or is there anyone out there that would like to tell me that they prefere the JBL sound better?

Of course there are other speakers out there.
In fact, tons :)

Ill start with these two when it comes to questions about the sound and quality.

Anyone?

Regards,
/G
 
Hi,
I have a G4 Powerbook I purchased last October. I also purchased the Kreature and returned it a week later. For the additional money, there is absolutely no comparison to the Harmon Kardon speakers and subwoofer. The HK's are superior. My audiophile friends told me this to begin with but I had to test it for myself ( and I'm very thrifty too ). I have never regretted spending the extra $ for the HK soundstix! The sound quality is fantastic! I even lost 10% on returning the Kritter speakers and it was still worth the cost of the HK's.

Best Of Luck.

PS, actually my teenage son bought them (the HK's) for his imac and I followed suit but only after returning the Kreature.

mark
 
Well, well...
Thats interesting. Which brings me abit closer to buying a HK kit then. :)

Thank you very much for your reply, markmac!

/G
 
...Soundsticks rule!

However, for my TiBook 1GHz I've a 5.1 SONY speaker system capable of 600 RMS Watt :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Of course it is a double and triple duty for the SONY system as it is base of DVD and CD playback!

Otherworldy experience both for me and my neighboors :p :cool: ;)
 
I have had the sound sticks for awhile, and subwoofer. They rock, well worth the cash for the performance they provide. You will not be disappointed.
 
I would suggest the Klipsch 2.1 ProMedia speakers. I have the 5.1 and a friend has the 2.1 and they're *really* good. The 5.1 set is superior to many low-end home theater audio systems.
 
If you have an iMac G4 I suggest you be careful. My brothers have the HK sound sticks/isub and every time a new user logs in the keyboard volume controls fail. They adjust the internal sound and not the sound from the isticks. However, when you go into sound in the system preferences and switch output to internal and back to USB soundsticks then the volume controls on teh keyboard work.

Others have had this same problem based on the apple discussion forum. It appears to be a problem with USB audio devices.
 
Dixonbm:
Ive got a G4/800/1,5Gig/Nividia 4MX here and the sticks are thought to be a present for that baby :)
Though, we have an iMac with the round speakers that comes with it and I wouldnt say I like the sound in those, besides...for some reason (in games for instance) the sound disapears on and off. I dont know if it has to do with the games or the speakers but when we´re talking about sound here I wouldnt think of buying those small thingys :)

Btw...is it poss to hang the sticks on the wall?
Or are they *only* stational?

/G

 
I have a set of Boston Acoustics speakers that rock quite well (www.bostonacoustics.com). Two satellites and a sub woofer certainly do the job. I have never heard the HK's but you can't go wrong with that brand name. I used to work at MTX Audio so I am pretty well versed on what sound quality is (and what it ISN'T, he he.) I think the cost on my system was about $200 when I bought them in 1999.

Hope this helps.
 
Gambit, you can't really hang the soundsticks on the wall. However they are a bit moveable on the table. You can point them in direction by moving it back and forth.

The soundsticks do sound good though.

-Dixon
 
Dixonbm:
I guess one cant have everything ;)
Its just that Im so used to hanging my speakers over the puter.
Then theres also the matter of taste - liking not having so much stuff on the table near the Apple screen. Im nearly overdoing that. Kinda neurotic, I supose :D
But on the other hand...the H.K are very much designed for the Apple flat screen etc.

Nevermind.
I have some places to visit where they have these sticks. The best thing is always to hear for oneself.
Just nice to listen to what you guys have to say too.

Thanks all for your oppinions!

/G
 
By don't limit your options I mean, depending on your situation, you might want to look into getting headphones.

I live in a rather crowded building, so I had to find an alternative to playing my bass & guitar with my nice big Peavey amp. I got a pretty sick pair of headphones at my local Future Shop, and usually just use those when I care about the quality of the sound I'm listening to on my iMac (since the Apple Pro speakers kind of suck in my opinion).
 
Of course, headphones...
Headphones can be awesome, and dollar for dollar, they can probably give you the highest sound quality. Make sure to go to www.headphone.com and read their very thorough reviews. I got some Beyerdynamic DT-250's there. I like them a lot; they're tough, and they're sealed so less outside noise gets in. If you don't need closed headphones, Sennheisers's are really good.
 
Back
Top