How are the speakers on a current iMac?

They are good, but not great. The main problem is bass. I use mine on my 27" iMac every day with Pandora and iTunes.
 
As I recall with my roommate's iMac, I was surprised with the quality of the speakers. That said, my expectations were pretty low.
 
Good for volume, not that great for bass. If the budget allows, go for Logitech's most recent 2.1 speakers above $100 (I don't give a definite price because the price fluctuates).
 
Terpfen said:
Seconded. The iMac’s speakers are okay considering they’re built in, but in the grand scheme of things they’re not something you’ll want to listen to.
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Could you suggest a decent setup like this?

Also, UMD grad? Same here. Go Terps!
 
dmw16 said:
Could you suggest a decent setup like this?
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If you’re on a super tight budget, a headphone amp like the Fiio E5 hooked up to the JVC HA-RX700 headphones will do pretty nicely for the money. If you have more money to play with, your best option would be to post in the computer audio forum. They’ll have better suggestions than I can give you.

Also, UMD grad? Same here. Go Terps!
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That’s an E, not an A. ;) I’m a fan of a… rival team, let’s put it that way. :cool:
 
I am currently using the newest 27" iMac and I could not live with just the integrated speaker unfortunately (minimalist). Significantly better than any laptop speakers I can remember but it still does not match a pair of decent ~$100 speakers (although I am comparing them against my Swans so the difference is a bit more drastic).
 
For the last 3 years I've thoroughly enjoyed my Swans M200 speakers, they are very impressive for the price, I would say best in this price range if you don't mind the large size and their "traditional" design. The current MkIII version is supposed to have even better low end reproduction.

One benefit is that you don't have to worry about wiring and placement for a subwoofer.

Here is a review:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/swans2/1.html

EDIT: Wow, these have gone up in price quite a bit. I got my original M200s from newegg for $200 in 2007. Still worth taking a look though. They have also introduced new models in the lower price range which have larger woofers (a key characteristic IMO if you want natural sound. See http://www.theaudioinsider.com/prod...=swan-d1080mkii08&cPath=21_24&products_id=161

EDIT2: If you plan to use the audio out on the iMac directly, it's probably not worth spending more than $250 or so on a pair of active speakers. If you were to add an external DAC/Amplifier such as the Peachtree Nova, then you could shoot for the moon.

The M-Audios linked above are a popular choice, though I am not a fan of their appearance. You can find their big brothers, the M-Audio BX5a, for only slightly higher prices sometimes.
 
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The Oatman said:
For the last 3 years I've thoroughly enjoyed my Swans M200 speakers, they are very impressive for the price, I would say best in this price range if you don't mind the large size and their "traditional" design. The current MkIII version is supposed to have even better low end reproduction.

One benefit is that you don't have to worry about wiring and placement for a subwoofer.

Here is a review:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/swans2/1.html
Click to expand...

I actually have those and love them but they are out of the OP's price range so I didn't recommended them.
 
One more person in the "surprisingly good for built-in speakers but they lack bass" camp. If you want good sound then like anything else, you get a good pair of external speakers, but if you're limited on space then they're decent.
 
450 - Yes, those are plugged into my PC. I don't have anything plugged into my iMac at the moment, there isn't enough space on the desktop. I'm happy with the whole setup though.

The sound is obviously great coming through the B&Ws, but I have no problem watching video on my iMac. If I play music then it'll be over the network from my Mac to my PC.
 
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