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+--- Thread: Adapter for old Apple speakers? (/showthread.php?tid=79378)
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Adapter for old Apple speakers? - john-o - 06-09-2009
Do any of you know if an adapter was ever made that worked with the round lucite speakers that came with the "igloo" iMac G4 models? It would have to bridge between the proprietary Apple connector (which I don't remember the name of) to 1/8" stereo mini-plug (or something)...
I have at least two sets sitting here collecting dust, and would love to know if they could have renewed life on a newer machine somehow... I know that Griffin or someone made an elaborate little FireWire device that bridged the speakers to an iPod (back when they still had FW capability), but it's a really cludgey solution.
A simple adapter would be so handy, but I doubt it ever was produced...
Edit: The proprietary connector was called "2.5mm Apple Pro Speaker minijack"
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - john-o - 06-09-2009
Wow. The iFire now goes for upwards of $100 used! Amazon Marketplace has one for $250!!
Crazy...
I guess that confirms that I won't be finding an adapter, eh?? I do think this is yet another example of how Apple's tendency towards using proprietary technologies often comes back to bite their customers in the a$$, bigtime. It's a shame...
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - Thrift Store Scott - 06-09-2009
john-o wrote:Crazy, indeed. For that price, it ought to grant wishes when you rub it!
Wow. The iFire now goes for upwards of $100 used! Amazon Marketplace has one for $250!!
Crazy...
john-o wrote:Did any other Macintosh models use the 2.5mm Apple Pro Speaker minijack, or just the "igloo" G4 iMacs?
I guess that confirms that I won't be finding an adapter, eh?? I do think this is yet another example of how Apple's tendency towards using proprietary technologies often comes back to bite their customers in the a$$, bigtime. It's a shame...
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - kj4btkljv - 06-09-2009
Thrift Store Scott wrote:
Did any other Macintosh models use the 2.5mm Apple Pro Speaker minijack, or just the "igloo" G4 iMacs?
I think the "Digital Audio" G4 machines used the small plug. There were only 4 of these machines made.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g4/index-powermac-g4.html
To the original poster: Those speakers are known as the Apple Pro Speakers.
Jeff
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - RAMd®d - 06-09-2009
I do think this is yet another example of how Apple's tendency towards using proprietary technologies often comes back to bite their customers in the a$$, bigtime. It's a shame...
It would be one thing if Apple *stuck* to their odd standards. Then there might be alternatives today. I miss the ADC connector (and the hot video cards that would have had an ADC port or two.
And adapter to pair an ADC monitor to a non-ADC card is also pricey. It retailed for $99, weather is was Apple's OEM version or Dr. Bott's mish-mash.
The adapter you need was pricey even at the MSRP of $40.
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - john-o - 06-09-2009
The adapter you need was pricey even at the MSRP of $40.
Yes, the iFire was pricey even then, but it was really more than just an "adapter", it serves as both amp and adapter, making the speakers work directly with an iPod.
What I would love to see is simply a small barrel-type adapter with female "Apple Pro Speaker" on one end and male 1/8-inch stereo on the other. The likely obstacle would be Apple's licencing fee for their proprietary jack...
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - BernDog - 06-09-2009
john-o wrote:
What I would love to see is simply a small barrel-type adapter with female "Apple Pro Speaker" on one end and male 1/8-inch stereo on the other. The likely obstacle would be Apple's licencing fee for their proprietary jack...
Yet another obstacle would be that power was also supplied through that connector, making a passive adapter, as you're describing, impossible.
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - DeusxMac - 06-09-2009
If you're handy, couldn't you just cut the proprietary plug off and replace it with a standard one?
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - john-o - 06-09-2009
Right you are, BernDog,
And that is exactly why no one has come up with something else (other than the iFire)!
DuesxMac, as BD points out, the fact that power is supplied through that connector, as well as the basic left/right channel wires, it makes it a fairly major DIY undertaking. I had thought about that, and was wondering about that heavy metal ring around the outside, when it dawned on me what BD so clearly pointed out...
Re: Adapter for old Apple speakers? - clay - 06-09-2009
sell the speakers and put the money towards a new set.