Help me turn my COMPUTER into a pretty nice STEREO SYSTEM

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I'm moving a long distance, so I'll be selling my stereo. I'm planning on upgrading my computer's sound and using it as my stereo. I want a pretty nice sounding set-up, so I'm willing to invest $100-$200 in speakers, a new sound card, or whatever.

I have an iBook G3.

1. Speakers

I'm thinking of 2.1 PC speakers. It seems like a lot of PC speaker systems have powerful subwoofers and decent satellites that take care of the high-end. There always seems to be something missing in the mid-range.

The two speakers that I'm considering at this point are:

Logitech Z-2300
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/30993080-2-120-0.gif
http://reviews.cnet.com/Logitech_Z_2300/4505-3179_7-30993080.html?tag=tab

Harmon Kardon Soundsticks
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/30706630-2-120-0.gif
http://reviews.cnet.com/Harman_Kardon_SoundSticks_II/4505-3179_7-30706630.html

2. Sound card

How is the sound card in the iBook G3? Macs generally have pretty good sound, right? Is a fancy sound card even that useful for a 2.1 speaker system?

If I did upgrade the sound card, what is a good external sound card for Mac? Creatvie Labs doesn't seem to make much for Macs.

Thanks everyone!

― Super Cub (Debito), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

HOW YOU GOING TO PLAY YOUR 45s & 78s ON YOUR COMPUTER HUH? KRAZEE TALK!

― collectornerd (akmonday), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:35 (twenty-one years ago)

seriously I am curious about those soundsticks too. I know one person who had them who swore by them but she wasn't really the most picky person about sound, and also, I read some reviews that seemed to imply that they were kind of buggy.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

There's no reason to upgrade your card if you're just using those speakers. It will sound great.

I've only heard the Soundsticks, they are both cool-looking and good-sounding. At one point I owned a pair of Bose computer speakers--no subwoofer, but they sounded a little warmer than most computer speakers seem to.

― mrjosh (mrjosh), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

i've heard the soundsticks are all high & low, no mid, but i haven't experienced them myself

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I have the Soundsticks and like them well enough, though I admit I was hip-mo-tized by the prettiness more than any reviews of their sound. If I were more of an audiophile, I'd probably go with the Logitechs. But the Soundsticks sound great to my cloth ears.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a little concerned about the mid-range issue. I have no doubt that Orbital will sound great on the Soundsticks, but what about Orange Juice? Willie Nelson? Chad & Jeremy? (just to take a few examples from CDs in front of me)

― Super Cub (Debito), Friday, 13 May 2005 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Soundsticks don't sound great, but they don't sound bad. The low is really exaggerated, the highs and mids are both mediocre. But you shouldn't be expecting something precise out of them. You're not gonna get something precise for that range. But if you want something that sounds pretty good, spend the $200 on a used combo amp and old bookshelf JBLs or whatever.

― Zed Szetlian (Finn MacCool), Friday, 13 May 2005 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm pretty satisfied with my Altec Lansings, especially considering I paid like $50 for two speakers and a subwoofer. Bass is too woofy, and there is a little something missing in the mid range, but they definitely filled the room nicely when I threw a party here.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 13 May 2005 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously you'd be better off with your PC plugged into a conventional amplifier and speaker set-up. In terms of bang-for-buck it will sound so much better. If you don't want to lug it a long distance, how about buying some second-hand equipment?

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 13 May 2005 07:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Only click if you're really into researching this kind of stuff!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 13 May 2005 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks everyone for your input.

I thought about this. Is this easy to do?

Spencer, that's a helpful link. Thanks.

― Super Cub (Debito), Friday, 13 May 2005 09:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes it's a piece of piss either go digital (depending on the outputs of your computer) or get a stereo mini jack to L/R phonos cable, your Mac becomes your music source replacing your CD player etc.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Friday, 13 May 2005 11:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought about this. Is this easy to do?

If your iBook has built in Airport, get one of these:

http://images.apple.com/airportexpress/images/indextop06072004.jpg

It took me less than five minutes to have ours set up.

― john'n'chicago, Friday, 13 May 2005 12:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been investigating some bookshelf speakers. I've seen some NHT and Polk models that aren't too pricey and get good reviews. Anyone have any specific recommendations for book shelf speakers in the $100-200 range? (that would be for a pair.

I'm also thinking of getting this sound card:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000CDHP5.01-A1NDBS7YGOPBD6._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
M-Audio 'Transit'

I have a feeling I'll end up spending more than my original budget, but that's alright.

― Super Cub (Debito), Sunday, 15 May 2005 12:37 (twenty-one years ago)

My problem with the headphone jack to amplifier/speaker set up on an iBook is that it sounds shit!

(in comparison to the same set up on a beat-up Win98 PC I own with a probably decade old internal Creativelabs soundcard + amplifier/speakers).

I'm beyond slightly troubled by this, my iBook is actually formatted, boxed-up and ready to be sold. I'm somehow still procrastinating about actually getting rid of it though. I really should try some more to fix my issues.

Then ... I remember what an abortion of a program 'Finder' is to use, and the total lack of any good mp3 tagging programs (I must have tried everything out there) remotely comparable to ID3 Tag-it on Windows. Mac has been a crushing dissapointment for audio stuff that isn't making music, for me.

Um. Yeah get an external soundcard. Just needed to vent.

― fandango (fandango), Sunday, 15 May 2005 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

close tag. grunt.

― fandango (fandango), Sunday, 15 May 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

www.audioadvisor.com often has bookshelf speakers for < $200. look in the clearance and hot buys sections. i bought a decent pair for $200 from them a couple years ago, but i don't know anything about the products being advertised there at the moment.

― W i l l (common_person), Sunday, 15 May 2005 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Harmon Kardon Soundsticks

-> I have'em. They're great.

"HOW YOU GOING TO PLAY YOUR 45s & 78s ON YOUR COMPUTER HUH? KRAZEE TALK!"

http://homepage.mac.com/francines/articles/images/imic.jpg

DUH! We're gonna order'em this week.

― nathalie's baby (stevie nixed), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:34 (twenty-one years ago)

My problem with the headphone jack to amplifier/speaker set up on an iBook is that it sounds shit!

they usually do. seriously, that airport express / airtunes / itunes setup i mentioned earlier is fantastic. i'm using it as i type. no hiss, digital broadcasting to your stereo. quick easy install. sounds great.

― john'n'chicago, Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

for a bit more money then the airport you can get a squeezebox or soundbridge, devices that not only broadcast from the Mac to your stereo through ethernet or wireless, but have remote controls. My plan, when I have the money, is to connect a squeezebox to my stereo, which is in a different room from my computer and it's 14,000 songs.

http://www.slimdevices.com/

http://www.rokulabs.com/products/soundbridge/index.php

I think 1 or both of these have digital outs, which is real fancy, so if you have a nice stereo with digital in, you can go from the mac to a nice amp.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

My problem with the headphone jack to amplifier/speaker set up on an iBook is that it sounds shit!

Ah. Hiss and suvh factors like that aren't really my problem here (which is why I'm ok with this setup on a PC) ... I wish I understood more about these things technically but I suspect it's something about the mac's audio codec, or possibly some EU volume output restriction issue. But the fact that iTunes on Windows seems the same suggests it's the codec.

Either way MP3's just sound wrong to my ears on through a mac and none of the alternatives have proved an improvement. MP3's are my own, ripped alt-preset-standar VBR with LAME. It's not about using a different setting to encode here either :-/

Honestly, thanks for trying to help. I probably should have left that rant.. I dunno, I was grasping at straws I guess whilst a mac thread was here. Carry on. /end thread interruption

― fandango (fandango), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Get the SlimDevices unit ($200 for ethernet connected and I think $250 for wi-fi connected) if you go that way. The software is better (though you can run that software on the Roku as well.) I use a Squeezebox and LOVE IT. The remote control is adequate, though the first person to connect my Mac to the stereo with a video interface a la Tivo (at a reasonable cost) will be my hero.

Both of these units Dan mentioned have optical digital output, which is key. You want your stereo amplifier to be doing the digital conversion instead of a soundcard if possible.

― don weiner, Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I run my audio through this:

http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828/body.html/en

into these:

http://www.event1.com/Products/20_20/20_20bas_V2.htm

for my "home studio", which means I only listen to music while sitting at my desk. I'm broke now and have more important things to spend money on, but I've been lusting after a Squeezebox for ages. I don't have an airport or any sort of wireless router, but am already running 50 feet of cables from my studio to my living room, so adding 1 more ethernet cable is harmless enough.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The Squeezebox and Roku Soundbridge things look good, although they would be perfect if they had more standalone abilities such as a built-in hard drive - it might actually be a good idea to get an Xbox 360 when it comes out (it has wireless & is a media extender just like the Squeezebox and Soundbridge) and then install a 500 GB harddrive in that, put all the music on it and not need the computer to be on. The big question is how good the remote and interface will be though.

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

to me that's perfect, my computer is on all the time, I'd rather not a)pay for another hard-drive and b)have the music in more then one place.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 21:12 (twenty-one years ago)

This is all very confusing. How would you guys rate this set-up?

http://www.megamacs.com/v1/photos/ApiBook500-64-U.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000CDHP5.01-A1NDBS7YGOPBD6._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://www.audioreview.com/Channels/AudioReview/images/products/product_324280.jpg

Do I need an amplifier in there?

― Super Cub (Debito), Monday, 16 May 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

are the speakers powered?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 16 May 2005 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Audition AS-B1 Speakers - Pair

Frequency response: 60 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 3 dB
Power handling: 125 watts per channel
Sensitivity: 90 dB
Impedence: 8 ohms
Dimensions: 13.75" tall, 7" wide, 9.5" deep
Weight: 14 lbs. each
Total carton weight (packed in pairs): 30 lbs.

― Super Cub (Debito), Monday, 16 May 2005 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I think you will need an amplifier.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 16 May 2005 02:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't use that iMic to directly connect a turntable to a computer, unless it's a turntable with a preamp built in. You can have it amp in software, but that sucks. I'd suggest getting a phono amp to put between the turntable and iMic or a mixer with amp.

― mike h. (mike h.), Monday, 16 May 2005 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I've resorted to this after some horrible soundinding configurations. It's great and you don't need any of those USB thingies. And you can just plug in a turntable.

― dan. (dan.), Monday, 16 May 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

for $500 you could get a pair of swan m200 speakers and a wireless slim devices squeezebox2. since the swans are powered you don't need a receiver/amp, you can just plug them into the squeezebox. which will play pretty much any file format for music except ones with DRM.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Monday, 16 May 2005 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I think you will need an amplifier.

and a subwoofer ;)

― W i l l (common_person), Monday, 16 May 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Please, listen to the people who say you should get a 2nd hand receiver. They go for $10-$30 at a thrift store. Then get some reasonable bookshelf speakers from Craigslist or some such. You'll end up paying $50-$70 total, and it'll likely sound much, much better than any powered speakers in the same price range. And, as mentioned, you can't match the flexibility of a standard stereo setup, especially if you have vinyl.

Does the iBook have a digital out? If so, you might think about getting a cheapo 5.1 receiver. Then you don't have to worry about noise the computers internals may add to the signal. But that's pretty nitpicky.

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Monday, 16 May 2005 17:49 (twenty-one years ago)

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