Product Reviews

The iMac's success has triggered a rush of products for those interested in upgrading its functionality. One aspect of Apple's consumer portable which is easy to upgrade is its audio - the speakers in the iMac are fine for system alerts, but struggle with games, music CDs or MP3 files.

The Apolla speakers from Pele are an entry-level set of shielded speakers which connect to the computer using a standard 3.5mm audio jack plug, and require a spare plug socket for the power supply. The power supply is larger than a UK plug, so fitting it on the four-way strip is a bit of a squeeze. However, it's a 6V DC supply, so finding a replacement, if necessary, should be much easier than replacing a 5V PSU.

Like many peripherals released in the past year, the Apolla speakers come in a range of six iMac-style colours, and Pele has managed to match the Apple plastics very closely. The coloured areas are the rear enclosure and the speaker grille, and the remaining plastic is translucent white.

Although the speakers are obviously geared towards iMac owners, there's no reason for any Mac user not to consider them, as the standard audio cables make them compatible with every Mac.

The Apolla units are about 9cm x 18cm x 12cm, and stand about half as

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high as the iMac itself, with a 6ft cable connecting the speakers. The right-hand speaker holds the socket for the connection to the computer and the power input, along with the circuitry for the amplifier. This means that, at very low volumes, the right speaker is marginally louder than the left-hand speaker due to resistance in the cable to the left speaker.

The speakers are a major improvement on the iMac's audio performance, carrying the full range of frequencies, and delivering a good bass sound. This is due to the bass port in the bottom of the speakers, which stops the bass sounds distorting at higher frequencies. Another excellent feature is the bass control knob, which controls the distortion to which small speakers are often prone. They also have a power button with an LED indicator on the front of the speakers - something other peripheral manufacturers would do well to imitate.

When playing music, the speakers' clarity is surprisingly good, with relatively little distortion until the dial is at 75% or more. However, if the Mac is set to full power output, distortion is audible much earlier (at about 50%). They do, however, provide a clear separation of the different elements, and don't sound too muddy.

With games - which will no doubt be one of the main reasons for the iMac owner to buy a set of speakers - the sound is punchy and clean. Explosions sound more impressive and have greater depth - and they're much louder. The speakers also work with the SRS (surround sound) 3D audio features of the iMac, and provide a much better stereo experience.

Obviously, much could be done to improve these speakers, such as a headphone socket or a second sound input with simultaneous mixing. But this would push up the cost and alter the point of the product, which is to make the iMac sound as good as it looks and plays.