Harman Kardon Soundsticks II

Plug and Play speaker system that rocks with any Mac you may own. I can crank up my iTunes or streaming audio and hear quality sounds through the speakers. SoundSticks II has a new computer-optimized multi-band parametric equalization and Harman’s unique “capacitance touch” control buttons on the right satellite allow for direct access to volume control. The speakers adjust forwards and backwards to have the sounds point in any direction. If you are looking for good quality and an affordable price – look no further.

Roku M1000

I’ve always been interested in ways of getting my large music collection off my computer and into a decent component stereo setup. Throughout college it was consisted of running a 20 foot mini jack to RCA’s cable from my sound card to the stereo inputs. After college the mini jack to RCA cable just didn’t cut it when I had a real office with the computer and a real living room with the stereo setup. Enter the need for a music streaming device. After a short period of research I selected the Roku setup. It seemed to support everything I wanted to do and was capable of running digital outs along with the standard RCA. I did like the concept of Sonos, especially their color remote. Unfortunately their setup did not include any digital outs (even at the time of writing this article).