Speaker Purchase

[archanix]

Ok, so I have my powerbook and my 20" new cinema display :)

now i want to be able to watch some movies with this thing. however, i don't have a stereo system or anything. what would you recommend for speakers that will work with a powerbook? ive been told that i will need something called the ifire. suggestions appreciated.

thanks,

j

[Luca]

Well, you'll want some high-quality stereo speakers. If you have a lot of money to drop ($200+), you could get a surround sound controller and speaker set. Otherwise, there are some excellent speakers available in the $70-$150 range.

The iFire is only to connect Apple Pro Speakers to a computer without a digital audio out (2.5mm) jack. The normal headphone jack is generally all you need, and that is 3.5mm in diameter.

So, here are some good speaker sets:

Yamaha YST-MS50. They're fairly big, with a huge subwoofer and decently sized (but still compact) satellites. Sound quality is very good, you can crank it up, and there are extra features like a headphone jack on one of the speakers and dual inputs (you can connect them to two audio output devices at once). These cost about $70-$80.

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1. The older models are better - they are large, black, and plain, but they pack a punch. They're about $120-$150. The newer ones are maybe a little cheaper, but they're not as good (or so I've heard). The new ones are called "GMX-something" and they're rounded and silver colored. Either set would be awesome.

Or you could buy an M-audio Revolution USB sound card. Instead of getting the PCI card version, there's the USB version that allows up to a 7.1 system on machines without PCI slots. Get that in conjunction with a good surround system (the Logitech z-560 is a good 4.1 set, they're ~$100 on eBay) and you'll have a great movie-watching experience.

If you want to pay less I'd continue to recommend Yamaha. I have a pair of YST-MS201 speakers, which are just really basic little ones, but their quality is better than most small systems. A lot of them emphasize thumping bass and high volume, but the Yamahas seem to have a higher sound quality, while sacrificing some of the raw power of other small systems. They're only about $30-$50.

[archanix]

so if i go with a 2.1 system such as the klipsch promedias, i won't need any other equipment in order to hook it up to my powerbook?

[FFL]

so if i go with a 2.1 system such as the klipsch promedias, i won't need any other equipment in order to hook it up to my powerbook?
correct - system comes with a plug that will just go into your headphone port.

[SilentEchoes]

I was able to get a 600 watt system for 300 bucks at best buy. Came with a DVD player and a 6 piece speaker set including powered sub. You should look into getting something like that, because then you can use it with your TV and everything else as well.

[Ryan]

I was able to get a 600 watt system for 300 bucks at best buy. Came with a DVD player and a 6 piece speaker set including powered sub. You should look into getting something like that, because then you can use it with your TV and everything else as well.

But then he'd need a breakout box or S/PDIF output on his 'Book, I think.

[SilentEchoes]

All I did was get a wire thats RCA on one end and 1/4 inch on the other and hooked it up to my headphone jack in my computer. It sounds great.

The reason I suggested that though is because its not a bad deal and 600 watts is quite a bit, Im sure you could find other great deals there too. If you go with a home entertainment thing like that though you can use it for more than just your computer so its nice to have that.