Klipsch Promedia 2.1 -- two sets; older (heavier) new (lighter) - Sub/amp

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intogamer

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I got a new pair of Klipsch Promedia 2.1s, however, I noticed the subwoofer/amp is significantly lighter than my older set.

The satellites feel a hint lighter.

Does this mean the quality went down? I notice there were Made in China stickers on every piece. (not sure if my older ones came with it, but it does feel more china-y?)
 
It's possible they are using a better/lighter internal power supply now. That's the only thing I can think of.
 
found these images from amazon.com

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Old Promedia 2.1

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New Promedia 2.1

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New Promedia 2.1 Wireless

Note the lack of 'switch' and lesser 'screws' found at the back of the metal plate. The promedia wireless seems to be following the old promedia style though. Almighty OSDT is right, it uses SMPS now..
 
Note the lack of 'switch' and lesser 'screws' found at the back of the metal plate. The promedia wireless seems to be following the old promedia style though. Almighty OSDT is right, it uses SMPS now..
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Can you tell me if this is good -- quality wise? No more amp blow-outs?
 
Looks like they went from a discrete power amp with separate output transistors, and power supplies, to a chip amp. How does the new set sound? I wouldn't expect as good.
 
I need to strip one of the audio wires to get the old set working. However, I would say it sounds a bit flat than my older sets. (it has been several months though).
 
i don't have any promedia 2.1, because it is so difficult to find in my region. managed to get an iFi though. based on what I read on klipsch forums more ppl mentioned the old one sounds better. only one claims the new one have better satellites but worse sub.
 
I have the older 2.1s and have always been happy with them. So I haven't had any reason to tinker with the new ones...

Another way to identify the older 2.1s is that they have detachable speaker cables on the satellites. The newer sats are hard-wired.
 
JR-Orion said:
I have the older 2.1s and have always been happy with them. So I haven't had any reason to tinker with the new ones...

Another way to identify the older 2.1s is that they have detachable speaker cables on the satellites. The newer sats are hard-wired.
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Also, the newer subwoofer doesn't have an off switch.

Having owned the older version, and currently owning the newer version - there is a slight sound quality difference. I think the older sub has a small amount more "punch". I didn't get a chance to do a side by side, but the newer set still sounds almost the same.
 
Didn't realize that. Unfortunately, I can't run the sub with too much "punch". I'm contemplating if I should keep the old set or return the new set. Thoughts?
 
keep them both and do 4.2 -Old system front, and new in back.

If one or the other, keep old.
 
If you have the older 2.1s with detachable speaker cable and want a nice set of cables, check this out-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180630520213

Maybe you lost your old cables, maybe they broke. Or maybe you'd like to go from the 22ga stock wires to some more heavy duty 16ga copper. Hopefully I can mention that last part without stirring the pot too much. :) I tend to go with heavy guage speaker cables where I can, if I can do it for cheap.

These are some really nice cables, and I'm happy for 20 bucks.

This guy also sells various other cables, adapters, and repair kits for Klipsch products.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Every time I have a run-in with these speakers I'm surprised they are still being manufactured. Good speakers though, at least the 'old' ones.
 
JR-Orion said:
If you have the older 2.1s with detachable speaker cable and want a nice set of cables, check this out-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180630520213

Maybe you lost your old cables, maybe they broke. Or maybe you'd like to go from the 22ga stock wires to some more heavy duty 16ga copper. Hopefully I can mention that last part without stirring the pot too much. :) I tend to go with heavy guage speaker cables where I can, if I can do it for cheap.

These are some really nice cables, and I'm happy for 20 bucks.

This guy also sells various other cables, adapters, and repair kits for Klipsch products.
Click to expand...

Nice try mr_clean_ct. This is a self-ad if I've ever seen one lol
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Heh, I'm not Mr Clean. I've bought a few things off ebay over the years, but haven't ever sold anything.
 
Sorry to bump an old thread, but if I'm interested in getting a set of these, should I go for the older version? Used/open-box on eBay, perhaps, but how could I tell the version?
 
Lapp said:
Sorry to bump an old thread, but if I'm interested in getting a set of these, should I go for the older version? Used/open-box on eBay, perhaps, but how could I tell the version?
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Hard wired speakers and a off switch on the subwoofer.
 
ghoster said:
Every time I have a run-in with these speakers I'm surprised they are still being manufactured. Good speakers though, at least the 'old' ones.
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According to Amazon, they were released in 2001, thus making it a decade-old 2.1 computer sound system.
 
Although bass lacking the Kplischs do sound pretty good. But I don't see how the company is still recommended for computer speakers. I went through 2 set of 4.1s (1 being covered under warranty) in the 3 years I owned the set.

And look at the thread for the 5.1 system. Overall shitty reliability.
 
roaf85 said:
Although bass lacking the Kplischs do sound pretty good. But I don't see how the company is still recommended for computer speakers. I went through 2 set of 4.1s (1 being covered under warranty) in the 3 years I owned the set.

And look at the thread for the 5.1 system. Overall shitty reliability.
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So who's the new "golden boy" of 2.1 computer speakers, then?
 
Unknown-One said:
So who's the new "golden boy" of 2.1 computer speakers, then?
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You are missing the point. The Klipsch computer speakers are terribly unreliable. Regardless of how good they is no worse feeling than throwing away a 200+ computer system because the only fix is to send it to some guy for 90 dollars for about 70 percent of the original cost.

If something is built shitty the best way to protest this is to not buy the product.
 
The weight is the most obvious difference but I've noticed the klipsch website specs for the promedia 2.1 currently says the sub goes as low as 31Hz, but the specs for the old version say 32Hz. They really should have put an "i" at the end (ala grado) or something after they changed it so radically. The assumption is that Klipsch must have felt the change was negative in some way else why not mention it?

p.s. roaf85 you are missing the point of this thread. We are talking about promedia 2.1's which are not terribly unreliable, even the old version.
 
Sorry to revive this old thread but it's the only discussion I see on the old vs new Promedias.

I have the old set and had my fuse blow on me a while back. No problem, I found another slow burn with the right voltage, replaced and all set.

Unfortunately my friend has the newer set and his sub now seems blown as well. Speakers work fine but zero bass. We looked all over for a fuse but found nothing.

Anybody know what the best course of action is in this situation? Something simple we're missing by chance for a blown sub?
 
Heh. I didn't even know Klipsch was still around. Still waiting on my Promedia 4.1s to die on me so I'd have an excuse to upgrade. Surprisingly, they still sound good after 10 years.
 
Stay away from Elliott-tronics AKA Elliott Sanchez. This guy is a total rip off. His paypal account was deactivated and recreated a new account under Jessica Sanchez. This guy has kept my equipment for over 6 months. Lied to me about the timeline, that I would get it soon. Tell me he's waiting on one part, on and on. The parts and my equipment were never returned. STAY AWAY this guy, he is a FRAUD!!! Do your research, he's did this to many people throughout the internet forums and he lives Cedar Hill, TX. I'm about to take a trip to Dallas to go claim my equipment and get a refund with filing legal action through small claims court. HE ignores my emails and I'm going to tell everyone about his POOR service. Go find another engineer or tech on ebay for your Klipsch pro media 5.1 amp repair. If you choose poorly like me, then you will be in the same situation. Research before you send anything to this guy!!! Look at the payment history.
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Klipsch pro media fan here.

I had a 4.1 system years and years ago. Great. So good, I bought a 2.1.

Eventually the 4.1 (8-10 years) quit. I replaced a 17 cent resistor. Good to go for a few more years. It finally died. It was the controller. I cut the line and found out that my soldering skills were not quite what I thought they were. (The plug was the issue.) I bought another 2.1.

So, running two sets of 2.1's (two different computers).

I love 'em.

Will they fail? Maybe. If so, they can usually be repaired pretty inexpensively.

My next setup will just be to use a home theater amp, a discrete sub, and some bookshelf speakers.

Meanwhile, I've got about 20 years of klipsch pro media experience. (Or more.)

FWIW.

Ken

Edited to add: yes, there can be longevity issues. I've had one system (4.1) fail after 10 years (or more?) due to one resistor burning out. The others (2.1) have been running fine for ~7 years and ~5 years. There is a cottage industry devoted to repairing the amp/sound circuit which is inside the sub. The main issue, to me, seems to be heat. I have not modded my 2.1's. However, some swear by adding a fan to eliminate hotspots. Others also add a cutout to allow heat to escape. In some cases that is coupled with replacing circuit components with higher rated elements.
 
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I have a set of the old ones from many years ago and I just brought the new wired ones. The old ones give significantly better sound in music. I am disappointed because the old ones spoiled me. The old ones sound as good as my home stereo setup and the new ones just sound like bassy computer speakers.
 
I am still rocking a set of 2.1's. Stole them from my sis after she moved out. She was using them a nice 2.1 setup for TV and movies with an amp and a a/b switch! :)
 
I've owned the 4.1 older style Promedias for ~10 years, only had to RMA once due to static from the sub. Klipsch was awesome about it.

I'm very disappointed in the sound of the 2.1's I purchased last year. As has been covered here, these are much lighter, lack a power switch and don't sound near as good as the Promedia's of old. I've done a side by side of the 2.1 and older 4.1, and it's not even close. The 2.1's sub will distort at low volume, and the satellite's don't have the "discreet" effect of the 4.1's, everything is muddy.

The 2.1's are so inferior that I would go so far as to say it's a disservice to refer to them as Promedias. This is not the Klipsch of old.
 
EzdineG said:
I've owned the 4.1 older style Promedias for ~10 years, only had to RMA once due to static from the sub. Klipsch was awesome about it.

I'm very disappointed in the sound of the 2.1's I purchased last year. As has been covered here, these are much lighter, lack a power switch and don't sound near as good as the Promedia's of old. I've done a side by side of the 2.1 and older 4.1, and it's not even close. The 2.1's sub will distort at low volume, and the satellite's don't have the "discreet" effect of the 4.1's, everything is muddy.

The 2.1's are so inferior that I would go so far as to say it's a disservice to refer to them as Promedias. This is not the Klipsch of old.
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Weird. Where did you buy them?
 
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My 5.1's are working after... 12? years I have them on my work computer. I think I bought them in 2002.

They died once, Elliot "fixed" them (badly do not use him) and then they stopped working again about a year later since he used the wrong resistors in a few spots.

I ghetto fixed it with huge resistors and then added a giant metal construct with a fan internally to keep the parts cool. There's red rtv silicone all over in the amp now.

Stock, they are not reliable due to heat ratings on the parts and where the heat is dumped.
 
InternationalHat said:
Stock, they are not reliable due to heat ratings on the parts and where the heat is dumped.
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My guess is they've resolved that issue in later revisions. The combination sub/amp on my 2.1's runs nice and cool, and it's one of the newer revisions of these speakers.

It's also worth mentioning that overall usage has a huge effect on the lifespan of older units with the original component design. Units that experience consistent use tend to last longer than units that are only used rarely.

Sounds backwards, right? Turns out, giving the sub a workout gets enough airflow through the unit to keep the components cool. If you just leave it plugged in with nothing playing, the amp slowly cooks itself to death.
 
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Unknown-One said:
Sounds backwards, right? Turns out, giving the sub a workout gets enough airflow through the unit to keep the components cool. If you just leave it plugged in with nothing playing, the amp slowly cooks itself to death.
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Sounds logical to me. This is precisely why I didn't want to leave my new $200 wireless 2.1's powered on 24/7 as Klipsch suggested I should do. As it turns out, the problem I was having with a giant pop when turning the speakers on or off appears to be with the USB dongle. Most of us have motherboards now that keep the USB connectors powered if the mains to the mobo are not completely disconnected. Since the USB transmitter stays powered when my amp was powering down it was popping and then thumping on power on again. Those puppies are on their way back to Klipsch but I went to pick up a set of the non-wireless $140 Promedias at Best Buy and they don't pop or thump loud at all when I power them on or off or when the computer shuts down/powers up. Pretty much points at that USB dongle wireless transmitter... and since it is optional for use on the wireless system I'm wondering if theyve gone back to the better design.

Edit: Hmm, well I started messing around to see where the distortion was coming from and got things cleaned up... for some reason Google play was maxing the volume output and it was clipping. U2 "With or Without you" got these suckers up and rolling pretty good--pretty much live volume and about to the point where I was personally maxed out, they were still clean. They really aren't bad at all and I have to erase a buncha crap I just wrote. It was really bad before lol. The intro to Jeff Buckley "Hellelujah" where he just breathes on the mic and then there's silence, it sounded like a hot cable off a Fender half-stack was in the room--that buzzing sound. In the recording that's supposed to be almost completely inaudible but it's recorded live iirc. After I noticed the gain meters going crazy in the Playback Devices menu (the windows one...) that's when I checked on the volume from where I was playing audio (google Play). I guess this is why YouTube is 50% by default... but I had to bring Google Play down a lot, like 20%, to get rid of all clipping. Weird.
 
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Re; the 2.1
if you can find the old set,
they are the best 2.1 you will ever have the pleasure of hearing.
No I am not exaggerating, they are truly Legendary for a reason,
I hoarded an extra set
 
The-Tmann said:
Re; the 2.1
if you can find the old set,
they are the best 2.1 you will ever have the pleasure of hearing.
No I am not exaggerating, they are truly Legendary for a reason,
I hoarded an extra set
Click to expand...

Great, any know places to buy the old ones?
 
I came to this thread because I just bought a set of the "old" 2.1's at a thrift store today for $35 and wanted to see what others are experiencing with these. They work great but the connector to the sub is finicky so as long as I don't touch it the speakers work awesome. I used to own a set a few years ago but threw them out like a fool when the sub connector broke, I had it under my desk and they got kicked every so often.

I was going to purchase a new set of these so I'm glad I scored the old set since I like to turn the system off when not in use. Also glad to see that the old set is the better quality of speakers like I remember them being.
 
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