I've got one or two respectable 2-channel audio systems around the house (although I remain solidly in the "cables matter almost not at all + the room matters a lot" camp) and am willing to consider that Apple may have produced a very nice-sounding active speaker for $350 a pop if they decided to. Consider how much more manufacturing scale and tech reach Apple has, compared to, say, Dynaudio or a boutique room correction software shop. Give it a fair shake before remounting the audiophile high horse.