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Yamaha

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Yamaha:

Should you mount speakers sideways on stands? [Setups]

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Yamaha studio monitor - pair
Yamaha HS7 studio monitor speakers far outstrip the small speaker inside a Mac mini.
Photo: Yamaha

Today’s Mac mini setup really pumps up the clear audio with Yamaha studio monitor speakers, suitable for the user’s music production. They mount the speakers on stands, which is great. But they mount them sideways, which is … odd. And despite having those, they love their HomePod mini for most uses.

Good luck finding the Mac mini in this workstation [Setups]

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Mac mini mounted on back of monitor
You can see this user works with an iPad. But where's the Mac mini?
Photo: [email protected]

It’s a fun game for a Friday: Find the Mac mini in today’s featured setup photo, above. Or maybe it’s not so fun, because you’re doomed to failure. It’s not visible because the user mounted it on the back of his 5K Samsung ViewFinity S9 external monitor (which just happens to look just like its ultimate foe, Apple’s 5K Studio Display).

“It’s interesting to see how minimalist every Mac user seems to go with their setups,” noted a commenter. So our user quipped, “Apple store energy, hehe.”

Here’s how to go way past ‘adequate’ with workstation audio [Setups]

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Yamaha HS7 speakers
Yamaha HS7 speakers on stands blow out this setup's sound.
Photo: [email protected]

What would the computer setup that has everything — in fact, two of many things — be missing? Well, in the case of today’s dual MacBook Pro workstation, it’s not excellent audio gear. Not only does it double up on high-end laptops, Studio Displays, Trackpads and more. It also mounts powerful Yamaha HS7 speakers and an AKG condenser microphone to help provide a fabulous soundtrack.

Crystal-clear mechanical keyboard wins style points [Setups]

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Yunzii X75 mechanical keyboard
In this shot from Yunzii, the X75 Mechanical Keyboard features clear key caps and clear switches with RGB lighting.
Photo: Yunzii

Ever since computers like iMac G3 pulled off the trick, transparent computer gear has come in and out of style. And now transparent keyboards are having a bit of a moment. One good example is the Yunzii X75 Mechanical Keyboard seen in today’s MacBook Pro setup.

Love it or hate it, this is a great way to store gear [Setups]

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pegboard for setup storage
With the right accessories, you can store pretty much anything on a pegboard (shown at left of setup).
Photo: [email protected]

While many computer setups shown off on social media look suspiciously immaculate, the truth is we tend to live at our desks and make a big mess of them routinely. Stuff just piles up. But a great way to keep your workstation clean and organized is to deploy one of the best fixes — a pegboard for setup storage.

With pegboards, you can put practically anything right on your wall, like today’s MacBook Pro user does. We’ve seen some pretty strong negative reactions to them, but there’s no denying their effectiveness.

Slick new Yamaha speakers blast rapper’s soundtrack [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup with new Yamaha speakers
This setup replaced big ol' Yamaha speakers with smaller new ones the user said sound just as good.
Photo: [email protected]

For those who get by with audio from a laptop or display speakers in their computer setup — as good as that can be these days — an upgrade to desktop speakers offer a real treat for the ears. Today’s MacBook Pro setup from a Florida-based rapper just got a nice set of brand new Yamaha speakers and jacked them in to a huge subwoofer under the desk. 

Can removing a 4K external display count as an upgrade? [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup with LG UltraFine monitor on stand
Once again, a monitor riser (and other updates) elevates a computer setup.
Photo: [email protected]

Multiple-display computer setups are all the rage, but can a workstation benefit from losing one of its external monitors, even one with 4K resolution?

If today’s featured MacBook Pro rig is any indication, yes, it can — especially if the outfit sees a bunch of other cool upgrades at the same time, like a cool new monitor riser, an open stand for the MacBook Pro and a great new office chair.

6-display rig rocks Sonos home-theater sound [Setups]

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5-display Mac Studio and MacBook Pro setup with Sonos home-theater sound.
This expansive Mac Studio and MacBook Pro setup provides an audio-visual feast.
Photo: [email protected]

Some home computer setups go extra-large on visuals, others pump up quality sound — and some go nuts with both in equal measure.

Today’s featured Mac Studio and MacBook Pro setup features not only six exceptional displays — including Apple’s vaunted, $5,000 Pro Display XDR — it also adds a bonus sound system to its complete Sonos home-theater audio array.

Beautiful workstation serves up double the fun with dual everything [Setups]

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Want a highly functional and symmetrical setup? Get two of most things.
Want a highly functional and symmetrical setup? Get two of most things.
Photo: [email protected]

A New York City-based magazine editor showed off a beautiful computer setup that serves up twice the fun because it boasts two of everything. Well, not everything.

But it doubles up on a lot of the main gear — two M3 MacBooks Pro, two Studio Displays, two sets of Philips Hue smart lights, a pair of Yamaha speakers on stands and, believe it or not, two Magic Trackpads and a Magic Mouse.

Read more about the setup’s whys and wherefores below, and check out that gear list of links at the bottom of the article.

Portrait-mode monitor and classic Apple poster pump up workstation [Setups]

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Adding a second 27-inch monitor in portrait mode enhanced the setup. And look at that classic PowerBook G4 poster!
Adding a second 27-inch monitor in portrait mode enhanced the setup. And look at that classic PowerBook G4 poster!
Photo: [email protected]

Adding a second or third external display in portrait mode can really enhance a computer setup and its workflow. The owner of today’s featured MacBook Pro setup lucked into a second monitor and set it up vertically. Many people find the orientation suits certain tasks, like coding or reading email.

And who doesn’t love a classic Apple poster? Don’t miss the nice framed PowerBook G4 poster on the wall above the desk in the photograph above.

You paid how much for that Pro Display XDR? [Setups]

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A Pro Display XDR typically costs about $5,000, but this user got his for quite a bit less.
A Pro Display XDR typically costs about $5,000, but this user got his for quite a bit less.
Photo: [email protected]

In a world of shockingly expensive Apple products, one magnificent items stands supreme — Pro Display XDR. If you’re among the legion of Apple fans who can’t quite crack open their wallets wide enough for a $1,600 Studio Display, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Today’s MacBook Pro setup sports a Pro Display XDR that came at a shocking price, too — shockingly good, that is, all things considered.

Tricks to make your workstation look (and sound) beautiful [Setups]

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The desktop wallpaper by Basic Apple Guy really does a lot for this setup's visual effect.
The desktop wallpaper by Basic Apple Guy really does a lot for this setup's visual effect.
Photo: [email protected]

Some workstations look boring and utilitarian while others, at least sometimes, look otherworldly. The difference between the two usually comes down to good lighting, skillful photography — and often a key visual you don’t see every day.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup relies on atmospheric lighting and exceptionally cool desktop wallpaper on the displays to make it look fascinating.

And because the workstation is used mainly for audio design and includes great gear, it undoubtedly sounds great, too.

Graphic designer trades up to Mac Studio and Studio Display [Setups]

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That's some moody lighting. The guy who owns this setup is a photographer.
That's some moody lighting. The guy who owns this setup is a photographer.
Photo: Allen Williams

Las Vegas-based graphic designer, video editor and photographer Allen Williams recently made the move from an older iMac to a brand new Mac Studio and Studio Display combo.

He shared his updated computer setup — and a bit about what a difference it makes in his work — with Cult of Mac this week.

Seriously, how big is too big for desktop speakers? [Setups]

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Side by side images show the computer setup's front and back sides.
Side by side images show the computer setup's front and back sides. Can you spot the speakers? Squint if you must.
Photo: [email protected]

We love serious audio here at Setups Central. But is it possible for the audio gear in your computer setup to be too serious? For example, can your desktop speakers be too comically oversized, as if you’re making some sort of visual joke about your life being all about the music?

In today’s featured setup, a magnificent 32-inch Pro Display XDR actually manages to look puny in between two monstrously huge Yamaha powered studio monitors. And yet, believe it or not, they may not actually be too big.

Running classic Cinema Displays with newer Macs [Setups]

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Which makes you swoon more, the 30-inch Cinema Displays or the Yamaha powered speakers?
Which makes you swoon more, the 30-inch Cinema Displays or the mounted Yamaha powered speakers with the Mackie Big Knob controller?
Photo: [email protected]

There’s something special about old Apple gear. Maybe that’s why it comes up fairly frequently in Cult of Mac‘s Setups coverage. One of the most-beloved classics in Apple’s storied history of beloved products is the Cinema Display. Today’s featured setup sports not one but two 30-inch Cinema Displays, the big stunners Steve Jobs introduced to an absolutely dazzled Worldwide Developers Conference audience in 2004.

So, naturally, questions came up about how to best use them with a newer Mac.

Before and after: Out with (some of) the old, in with (the best of) the new [Setups]

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In the after photo, a new LG 4K monitor replaces the Cinema Display.
In the after photo, a new LG 4K monitor replaces the Cinema Display, among other key changes.
Photo: [email protected]

When you spend a third or more of your waking hours all but chained to a computer setup, you might as well make it a pleasant place to spend time. That’s what most of Cult of Mac‘s Setups coverage is all about, really — glorifying both the high-tech performance and the stylish comfort that ease your enslavement to whatever it is you do with tech.

Today’s 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro-based featured setup shows a “before and after” transition. Musician and Salesforce consultant Jon Young said a revamp of his wife’s “nicer and more spacious” work area inspired his changes. “Mine just has more gadgets lol,” he said.

Hello, 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook; goodbye, 3 external displays? [Setups]

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Can you have three external monitors with a new M1 Pro 14-inch MacBook?
Can you have three external monitors with a new M1 Pro 14-inch MacBook?
Photo: [email protected]

Let’s say you get one of Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptops — the 14-inch or the 16-inch with either the M1 Pro or the M1 Max chip. Do you still face the external display limitations seen in the M1 MacBooks (just one external monitor), or something similar? This is bound to be a common question leading to folks struggling to figure out what should work using the dreaded “pixel math.”

Tame hairy cables gone wild — or don’t [Setups]

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"Honestly that's how it is supposed to be," one comment said of the cable mess. "Bushy just like the 70s."
Photo: [email protected]

A recurring theme across computer setups everywhere is the need for better cable management. It’s all about how well the careless, disheveled slob throwing together the gear — here we’re referring mainly to ourselves, not you — deals with the thorny mess of electrical cords and connectors that help make the workstation go.

Beefed-up Mac Pro and modded PC crush IT work and gaming [Setups]

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Best of all worlds? A powerful Mac and PC combo crushes work, gaming and podcasting.
Best of all worlds? A powerful Mac and PC combo crushes work, gaming and podcasting.
Photo: Liquidsama@Reddit

Redditor Liquidsama’s setup is popular on the social media app not just for the adorable Pac-Man Ghost Light in the corner (see photos), but for its awesome computing power for work and play.

The LED ghost light phases through nine colors and reacts to music, by the way — which is neat — but the real draw here is a bulked-up Mac Pro for IT work and a heavily modded PC for gaming. Not to mention a great audio rig for podcasting.