Creative Communities of the World Forums

The peer to peer support community for media production professionals.

  • Posted by Kevin on September 15, 2006 at 5:35 am

    Hi list,

    Would anyone have any suggestions for a hign end monitoring system for macs.

    I have tried several USB powerd solutions but I need something that I can hook up to my FCP/G5 to combine with video projection both in a studio and at venues.

    I am leaning towards an amplifier that will power quality speakers than I can position randomly without having to run power cables.

    I was hoping to find something that was as as compact as a mini mac which would be act as a breakout box from a G5 tower or laptop which would be able to drive high end, powerful speakers. Is there anything like that onthe market.

    Many thanks in advance,

    Peace,

    K.

    Andkin replied 19 years, 8 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • Bouncing Account needs new email address

    September 15, 2006 at 10:56 am

    High-power amplifers are not small.

    There are many small amplifiers, but not to power large speakers.

    And, are you saying you want the USB (or other) port on the MAC to power the amplifer and speakers?
    Not gonna happen.

    You COULD, however use large powered speakers (some can be battery-powered).
    There are plenty on the market.
    Most are used as portable “hotel ballroom” PA systems.

  • Andkin

    September 15, 2006 at 2:45 pm

    Any speakers that you would use in an editing room should be near-field monitors; high fidelity reproduction of the majority of frequencies at a wide range of volumes but with a very short “throw” or distance from the monitor. Near-fields come in active versions with amplification built in, each speaker requiring an AC connection and passive versions that must be driven by an amp but don’t require AC.

    For any public address system for the venues you are referring to you would require some kind of separate PA speakers that should be driven by an amp, although there are self powered PA systems out there if you go to a full service music store that deals in PA systems. Editing with speakers like this would be a harsh auditory experience as they are designed to be loud and to fill large spaces.

    Wireless speaker systems that you allude to do exist in the consumer hi-fi world and might fit your bill but they do use signal compression to get the data over the air so quality is an issue.

    ak

We use anonymous cookies to give you the best experience we can.
Our Privacy policy | GDPR Policy