When it comes to digital medicine rooter , there ’s no shortage of gear — in fact it ’s just the opposite : There ’s so much gear mechanism out there , it ’s easygoing to get misplace . But do n’t desperation : We ’ve consulted with our resident digital music experts , Jon Seff and Dan Frakes , to get their picks for Mac - compatible music gear . Those suggestions range from some awesome ( yet low-priced ) ear bud and headphones from Sennheiser to a odorous new 5.1 speaker organisation from Logitech .
Key:$—gifts cost between $ 0 and $ 30;$$—gifts be between $ 31 and $ 200;$$$—gifts cost more than $ 200 .
Surrounded by sound $$$
$ 500;Logitech
Many of us see DVDs on our Macs — but if you ’ve never done so in surround sound , you do n’t know what you ’re missing . Logitech ’s new Z-5450 is a complete THX - certify , 5.1 surround - phone speaker organization : five satellites , a subwoofer , and a hardware decoder ( Dolby Digital , DTS , DTS 96/24 , and more ) . The compact recipient ’s seven input let you expend it with your Power Mac G5 , iMac G5 , videodisk player , iPod , or PlayStation , while wireless rear speakers ( they require only one nearby AC outlet each ) save you from having to run cables across a elbow room . Best of all , the entire system costs less than many AV receivers.—Dan Frakes
The ears have it $-$$
MX 500 , $ 20 ; PX 100 , $ 60;Sennheiser
If you ’re still using your iPod ’s stock earbuds , you owe it to yourself — and your ear — to upgrade to headphones that ’ll do your music some justness . Thanks to Sennheiser , you’re able to do just that without empty Apple ’s stylish esthetic or smash the bank . The white - and - silverMX 500earbuds ( ) proffer better sound ( and , for many people ’s ears , a better fit ) than Apple ’s own bud . And the lightweightPX 100headphones ( , pictured ) provide unbelievable well-grounded quality in a clever figure that folds up like a duad of spectacles ( both include convenient hard carrying vitrine ) . Your ear will thank you.—Dan Frakes
One-man band $$
$ 99 each;Apple Computer
You ’ve been using GarageBand for a while now , and your musical creations are start out to vocalise a little stale . That ’s because you ’re using the same loops and instrument as everyone else . Spice up your songs with Apple ’s Jam Packs . These four GarageBand hyperkinetic syndrome - ons — Instruments , Loops , and Effects ; Remix Tools ; Rhythm Section ; and Symphony Orchestra — hold more than 2,000 extra iteration each , and some also proffer newfangled instruments , guitar ampere , and core presets . One care : each of these monumental collections exhaust several gigs of driving space.—Jonathan Seff
Rise and shine $$
$ 100;iHome Audio
For people who need medicine to get going in the morning , iHome Audio’siH5 ( ) is the perfect nightstand companion . It provides a charging cradle for dockable iPods and large speech sound for its size , and will wake you with anything in your appeal . ( It also include an AM / FM radiocommunication and a standard buzzer warning signal . ) lay away the $ 20 remote under your pillow , and you wo n’t even need to roll over to hit the snooze button.—Jonathan Seff
Goes to 11 $$
$ 79;M - Audio
praxis micturate complete , but it also take in noise . M - Audio ’s JamLab has a USB interface that lease any aspire Clapton connect a guitar to a Mac via a standard guitar cord and hear in with earphone , so the neighborhood does n’t have to hear . The admit GT Player Express package , which provides guitar amp computer simulation and cool result , can play and disk audio at 24 - bit , 48kHz quality . And the included 160 MB of ProSessions barrel loops mean you ’ll never have to act alone.—Jonathan Seff
Pet sounds $-$$
i - Dog , $ 30;Hasbro ; iZ , $ 40;Zizzle
Music and deary are great , but melodic pets are even good . Hasbro ’s i - Dog ( pictured ) feeds off your music and respond with ear - wagging dances to fit . check its visible light to check its mood : if the i - Dog starts to get sad or angry , it ’s tune meter . you’re able to even plug your iPod into the i - Dog , and its built - in talker lets you listen , too . Zizzle ’s iZ , a kind of musical alien , can also act as an iPod talker , register various light effects in fourth dimension to the music and commenting on your choice of air . But it also lets you produce music using seven build - in musical rhythm , seven rhythm variation , and seven lead core that you mingle together by pressing , turning , and flip iZ ’s various body parts.—Dan Frakes
Looking for more musical ideas ? Playlist recapitulation editor program Dan Frakes has a boniface of talent suggestion for music - loving Mac users in this on-line extra .
