소개
The Apple Pro Speakers (made by harman kardon) are a great piece of technology. They were specially designed for the iMac G4 and the Power Mac G4 MDD (mirrored door drives) series. Those computers had a special connector which supplied both – an audio signal and power – to the speakers.
There are some guides which explain how to connect the speakers using a 3.5 mm jack, but this will never be a real solution as these speakers need to be driven by a real amp – and not the line-out of a computer or other audio device.
As Griffin iFire converters are expensive and hard to get, this guide relies on a class-d amp, which means that you can revive the speakers for about 40 US dollars.
필요한 것
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This image shows the complete setup with which you will end up. With a little bit of work you can soon enjoy the clear sound of true harman kardon speakers.
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Please note: This guide will destroy the original cable/connector which is used to connect the Apple Pro Speakers to an iMac, Power Mac or the Griffin iFire.
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Please also note that – as with every electronical repair or modification guide – you alone are responsible for your own health and the health of others. Also be aware that you alone are responsible for any damaged electronic equipment.
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Now you will need to find out the proper polarity of the speakers, i.e. which cable is negative (-) and which is positive (+).
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Unfortunately – at the time where I did this conversion – I did not photograph the cable colors. But there is an easy trick to find out the polarity:
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In this image you see two banana plugs and a AA battery. Just imagine these are two stripped wires from one of the speaker cables.
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Now connect one wire to the negative terminal (-) and the other to the positive terminal (+) of the AA battery.
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If the speaker cone bulges out (left image), you've got the proper polarity. You now know that the wire on the positive terminal of the AA battery is your "+" wire, i.e. it will connect with the "+" output of your amp.
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If the speaker cone moves in (right image), the polarity is reversed. You now know that the wire on the negative terminal of the AA battery would be your "+" wire, i.e. it will connect with the "+" output of your amp.
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You are almost done. Now properly connect the speaker cables/banana plugs with your amp. Connect your Mac or PC or some other audio device with the amp and enjoy your old new Apple Pro Speakers.
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Please note that the Apple Pro Speakers don't sound too loud, but that's by design. Still, their sound is very clean and detailed (on a class-d amp).
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댓글 48개
Good guide. I'm doing the same thing with a pair of these speakers, but I think I'll use new cables soldered to the speaker terminals.
One quibble though. I believe the correct term for the wire covering is "insulation", not isolation, and in step 9, you "insulate" the wires, rather than isolate.
Thanks chuck, I have corrected the wire covering term :)
rafael -
Will this amplifier work for my Apple Pro speakers?
Should work. Not the 'best' amp out there, but same tripath chip as most other class-d amps on the market.
rafael -
