Just got the Klipsch Promedia 2.1

M

m0rn

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
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I apologize in advanced for a long post and I applaud those who read it.

I'm pretty much very disappointed with these speakers. I've been using a 2.1 setup from Altec Lansing for years, hell I don't even know the model number. A friend of mine got them in a Dell package years ago and I loved them so I ordered them from dell.com for a measly 30 bucks. But I just upgraded my entire setup and gave my old system to my dad, except I forgot to buy an extra pair of speakers, so I get the Promedias and gave my dad my old Altecs. And I'll tell you what, those Altecs are a million times better.

I got the Promedia's because of the rave reviews I've heard and it fit my budget (sale at best buy). I didn't get the Swans because my desk is space limited and I didn't like the idea of having the sub sit there for volume control. I was also considering the Logitech z-2300 but I wasn't too fond of the idea of buying speakers from a company that makes keyboards and mice as well (among other things).

Well enough of the story, and on to what I don't like about the Klipsch, keep in mind I'm no audiophile so my review might sound very amateurish.

To me the bass seems very muddy and boomy and not defined while the highs are non-existent. They also seem to be very hallow and lack any sort of feeling, if that makes any sense. I'm also very perplexed by the lack of treble control, I mean, I'd think computer speakers would have bass/treble/volume for control, my Altecs did. Another thing that the Klipsch do worse than my Altecs is the fact that I have to sit in front of them to get any decent sound quality out of them, it sounds like crap from any other position, I know theres a term for this, but I forget.

Well there's my amateurish review/rant, just felt like getting my opinion out there in case anyone was thinking about getting them. Oh and one more thing, this is my second set as well, the first one's subwoofer blew out 10 minutes after I set them up. Seems these Promedias have some quality control as well, from googling some reviews.

I know someone is going to recommend a bookshelf w/ sub and receiver combo, trust me I would love to but it's way out of my budget.
One last thing: I'm also using onboard sound right now (Gigabyte DS3L), I ran my Altecs through a Creative Live card that's a million years old, do you guys think that might have anything to do with me not liking these speakers?
 
Klipsch speakers do tend to be boomy in my experience. Not really in a horribly bad way or anything, it is just a tone characteristic. If you really don't like the sound (again I don't think they are bad, that is just the way the tend to sound... perhaps a younger sound? They remind me of my Pioneer setup in my car. I prefer my IL10s, and I think my car might be bass heavy but it isn't bad; just a different sound) then give the Swans a listen. You don't have to have them on your desk. Set the control high and use the PC volume for the rest. You can snag a keyboard with media controls or even go through a receiver if needed.

I couldn't say for sure on the output being an issue on the treb. Klipsch speakers in my experience aren't bad about mids or highs, just low end heavy.
 
I have a pair of Promedia 2.1's here, got them off someone for $20 when he pretty much tripped over the control pod cord and yanked it clean out of the housing on the back of the sub. He's not a geek as I am so he couldn't repair them as I did: took an old PS/2 mouse that had enough connectors on it (7 conductor cable, 6 + 1 ground) and fixed it myself.

For sound quality, YES the sound card can make a tremendous difference, especially with onboard stuff these days. If I plug the 2.1's into the onboard sound on this Gigabyte mobo (Realtek) and play something I get muddy response, a bit of boom (and I keep the sub volume at the minimum on the control pod because the sub is corner mounted under my desk, and overall they just don't sound as good as they can.

Now, I unplug them from the onboard setup and plug it directly into the Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS and wham, there's the high end, the bass is tight, the muddiness dries up like a creek bed in the desert, and it sounds as it should.

And I'm an audio engineer/producer for several relatively popular podcasts too - I used headphones for the serious stuff, but the 2.1's are my "monitors" if you will. I've never had a complaint about the actual sound quality or production values of the podcasts I've engineered, so that bodes well for me and my choice of hardware. SoundForge 9 for all the particulars, tons of VST plugins for effects, etc.

For what they are (and certainly what they cost me), I'm extremely pleased with the Promedia 2.1 set and I recommend them every chance I get. Perhaps your choice of auditioning material wasn't that great, or it wasn't up to snuff, I really have no idea. You could be a musician for all I know with an ear for specifics that the Promedia might never live up to, that's a problem for a lot of people.

They're not studio monitors, they're not high end "audiophile" level hardware. They're simply a kickass set of very powerful and very capable "multimedia computer speakers," to put it bluntly. If and when I need to hear everything perfectly, that's when I put on the headphones. Klipsch is a bit heavy towards the low end with the Promedias because they're just that: multimedia computer speakers, and most people that buy them tend to be gamers or watch movies - you can this very same thing about Logitechs, and any other brand of multimedia computer speaker as well.

Let's face it: people buy "computer speakers" for gaming and multimedia, not audiophile level high end performance. If you want that, then go get a big stack of high end hardware and get some Klipsch high end speakers with the appropriate separate components.

But for my day to day casual listening, music, streaming audio from XM, and other materials, they simply kick ass compared to anything else I've tried - Altec Lansing, Logitechs of all kinds (the Logitech Z-10 speakers kick ass though, for 2.0 - they freakin' sound like they have a sub all by themselves, seriously, and worth checking out yourself), and a host of others too.

Just my $.02...
 
m0rn said:
One last thing: I'm also using onboard sound right now (Gigabyte DS3L), I ran my Altecs through a Creative Live card that's a million years old, do you guys think that might have anything to do with me not liking these speakers?
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No. Onboard sound is generally good these days. If they suck with onboard they're not going to magically transform if you buy a soundcard.

The promedias just aren't that great. Anyone that thinks otherwise is clueless and has a lot to learn.
 
Yeah the Klipsch are pretty much as you described them. The Swan M10 is the deal if you want decent sound for under $100 out of a PC these days. Sorry man I have said that plenty of times here lol.
 
MattyC said:
I prefer my IL10s, and I think my car might be bass heavy but it isn't bad; just a different sound) then give the Swans a listen. You don't have to have them on your desk. Set the control high and use the PC volume for the rest.
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I thought about using PC volume to control the Swans but it seems theres only a 4 foot wire that is soldered onto the sats as well, and I'd rather not deal with ergonomic issues now or down the road. I have no doubt they are better than the Klipsch, especially now.


spaceman said:
Yeah the Klipsch are pretty much as you described them. The Swan M10 is the deal if you want decent sound for under $100 out of a PC these days. Sorry man I have said that plenty of times here lol.
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I did my research before I went out and got the Klipsch, so I'm not shocked if the Swans are better. But like I mentioned before, the ergonomics of the Swans seem to be lacking. Perhaps after the Klipsch have broken in, they might sound better? I don't know. Perhaps the sub will become faster and be less muddy. I don't know if horn tweeters have a break-in period.
 
Sorry man. It does not get much better. The Klipsch is boom boom tweet tweet. No treat just tricks.
 
A lot of you guys seem to dislike the Promedia 2.1. Well from being a owener of a set for more than 2 years, I think these are the best 2.1's on the market. As for the boomy sub, this is true when I first got them. I had my onboard SoundMax audio and and the subwoofer would seem to overpower the satellites, but not all the time. When I upgraded to the SB Audigy 2 ZS and got the monster cable upgrade, they sound so much better. Subwoofer is tighter, hits lower, and does not overpower the satellites. They all seem to be in sync with each other. I am very happy with these speakers and being THX certifed makes it even better.

And I agree with bbz_Ghost, these are multimedia speakers and and do movies, games, music all very well.
 
m0rn said:
To me the bass seems very muddy and boomy and not defined while the highs are non-existent. They also seem to be very hallow and lack any sort of feeling, if that makes any sense. I'm also very perplexed by the lack of treble control, I mean, I'd think computer speakers would have bass/treble/volume for control, my Altecs did. Another thing that the Klipsch do worse than my Altecs is the fact that I have to sit in front of them to get any decent sound quality out of them, it sounds like crap from any other position, I know theres a term for this, but I forget.
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I know exactly where you're coming from as I can hear exactly what you described the Promedias to be. However I will disagree with you that you lack highs aka treble. That "hollow sound" you describe is actually a midrange suckout... not a lack of treble. If you like more midrange, you may be better off with a set like the Logitech Z2300 as it uses a single driver (less pronounced treble) and has more midrange to their sound from what I recall. Exchange your set for the 2300 and see how that goes. If that still sucks, well... it may just be time for you to move up to a bookshelf-based set up.... sorry to say.

I can't recommend the M10 because I have not heard it myself. But users have good things to say about it. When I have time free, I'll get a set to listen to and review and I'll have a better grip on the Swan M10 sound for future basis for comparisons.

Good luck.

PS
On the sub, turn down the bass if it's boomy.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/small-impression-swans-m10-267419/

The Klipsch sucks compared to the M10.

I had the Klipsch 5.1 Ultra. 4.1 crapola and TWO 2.1s so yeah. I CAN say that the Klipsch sucks.

My mom got a M10 b/c she needed sound for her tv so I ordered them from the egg and voila! Ok so it isn't HT room shaking bass but it IS a damn sight better than anything else you can get for under $100 and it looks sweet too.
 
To be honest, I hadn't even bothered with the Swans - I think I neglected them in my post above because I don't know Jack Shit about 'em. I just read about 125 reviews across multiple forums, and talked with 2 people that own them.

The overall consensus from what I just gathered is they kick ass, and that's great, and fine, and dandy and... when I look at 'em they look like cheap plastic to me, but the sound quality apparently is phenomenal so when and if I get a chance to actually demo them with some high end auditioning material, I'll have an opinion on them.

Personally, I don't think I'd get 'em myself - I don't have the type of desk that allows for having a "sub" (and that's not a sub, dammit, not by my definition at least) underneath the monitor or even sitting in the same place a center channel speaker may occupy if I could set such a thing up.

I'm sure they sound great, but just the layout and design, the ergonomics, etc... it all just seems to work against them for my tastes - and let's all be honest about it: that's what it comes down to, personal taste in the hardware and the sound quality. No two sets of ears are the same so what sounds good to me might sound like absolutely rubbish to someone else.

I hear high end response with these Promedia 2.1 satellites that no other speakers have been able to pull out of the source material I use for demos and auditioning, but that's just my ears I guess.

To each his own... and let the sound quality speak for itself, in words that each of our own sets of ears can easily understand.
 
bbz_Ghost said:
I hear high end response with these Promedia 2.1 satellites that no other speakers have been able to pull out of the source material I use for demos and auditioning, but that's just my ears I guess.
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I agree with you there, the high end response of the Promedias are clean and clear. I don't think this is what the OP is complaining about. From what he described, it sounds a lot like he misses the midrange meat.
 
Yah... I'd love to see how those Swans handle my Telarc 24 bit 96 KHz 1812 Overture with digital canons. That should prove interesting someday. The Promedias can handle it but the volume won't go over about 2 or else I'd blow the damned amp.

There's hardly any soundsystem on the planet that can accurately play back that 1812 Overture, even the original 16 bit 44.1 KHz version recorded back in the early 80's. I've blown so many amps, speakers, etc with that Telarc CD it's not even funny. Anytime I get someone that thinks their system is truly the cat's meow I just ask, "Can I demo this CD I've got? I'll keep the volume down, I promise."

And then the owner - of course - brags and cranks it and I just wince and stick fingers in my ears. The look on their face(s) is priceless, and before they can really understand what I'm doing it for, it's too late and their equipment just popped all the protection circuits it has/had.

Great stuff... :)
 
bbz_Ghost said:
Yah... I'd love to see how those Swans handle my Telarc 24 bit 96 KHz 1812 Overture with digital canons. That should prove interesting someday. The Promedias can handle it but the volume won't go over about 2 or else I'd blow the damned amp.

There's hardly any soundsystem on the planet that can accurately play back that 1812 Overture, even the original 16 bit 44.1 KHz version recorded back in the early 80's. I've blown so many amps, speakers, etc with that Telarc CD it's not even funny. Anytime I get someone that thinks their system is truly the cat's meow I just ask, "Can I demo this CD I've got? I'll keep the volume down, I promise."

And then the owner - of course - brags and cranks it and I just wince and stick fingers in my ears. The look on their face(s) is priceless, and before they can really understand what I'm doing it for, it's too late and their equipment just popped all the protection circuits it has/had.

Great stuff... :)
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I've heard this track played through my uncle's system... it goes low most definitely. You just gotta watch the volume knob.
 
Pinipig523 said:
I know exactly where you're coming from as I can hear exactly what you described the Promedias to be. However I will disagree with you that you lack highs aka treble. That "hollow sound" you describe is actually a midrange suckout... not a lack of treble. If you like more midrange, you may be better off with a set like the Logitech Z2300 as it uses a single driver (less pronounced treble) and has more midrange to their sound from what I recall. Exchange your set for the 2300 and see how that goes. If that still sucks, well... it may just be time for you to move up to a bookshelf-based set up.... sorry to say.

I can't recommend the M10 because I have not heard it myself. But users have good things to say about it. When I have time free, I'll get a set to listen to and review and I'll have a better grip on the Swan M10 sound for future basis for comparisons.

Good luck.

PS
On the sub, turn down the bass if it's boomy.
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Very informative post, I'm guessing that you're right about the mid-range missing, considering Klipsch's reputation the highs aren't going to be a problem with them, well too much maybe.

I've tried turning the bass down, but I think with the missing mid-range, less bass actually makes it sound completely flat. I'd gladly return these for the Logitechs but thats 50 dollars more at Best Buy where I got these.

It's not so much that theres a lot of bass, but the fact that it's boomy and muddy, speed (if that's the right term) seems to be the problem. Atleast it does certain types of rap music well. But sadly that's not all I listen to.
 
m0rn said:
Very informative post, I'm guessing that you're right about the mid-range missing, considering Klipsch's reputation the highs aren't going to be a problem with them, well too much maybe.

I've tried turning the bass down, but I think with the missing mid-range, less bass actually makes it sound completely flat. I'd gladly return these for the Logitechs but thats 50 dollars more at Best Buy where I got these.

It's not so much that theres a lot of bass, but the fact that it's boomy and muddy, speed (if that's the right term) seems to be the problem. Atleast it does certain types of rap music well. But sadly that's not all I listen to.
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Glad you found my post informative, I try to share what I know as many have done to me in years prior. It's definitely not the highs you're missing... that little midrange driver in the promedia satellite is overwhelmed by the horn-loaded tweeter and voila... hollow.

Why do you think they outfit their larger bookshelves with a similar tweeter but this time, with a 5.25" driver to handle the midrange? It's a more balanced method to Klipsch sound.

The bass will be boomy if it's turned up and I know exactly what you mean that when you turn it down, it sounds flat.... you got no midrange to back you up. And the thing is, if you don't turn the bass down, you get a boomy response.

That boomy response, believe it or not, is a trait I have found a lot of ported subwoofers (short of a REL) display - although at varying degrees as you move up budget and designs. Even an SVS subwoofer in the 800$ range had this quality to an extent.
 
I finally got the chance to setup my my old Altec's on my dad's computer. I come back and start listening to my Klipsch and it's like night and day. The altecs were full and rich, and I could be standing anywhere in the room and they sounded exactly the same.

My biggest gripe with these speakers might not even be with the bass being too loud, or lack of midrange, but the fact that they're so directional, they seriously have to be pointed right at your face for any decent sound.

I think I'm going to be returning to best buy tomorrow, and try to find a deal on the z-2300s.
 
Yeah the M10 really does well in the midrange. That is what sets it apart from every other PC speaker setup.

The 1812 overture is a lol. very, very few systems can handle it. a friend of mine insisted on building a system to play it until I showed him what it would take $$ wise lol. Klipsch Heritage series ironically enough is the least expensive speaker line to be able to play it.
 
I've had 3 complete sets of Klipsch speakers, the Promedia 2.1, the 5.1 Ultra (currently on my PC), and a bookshelf Synnergy Series setup with a KSW-12 on a decent-ish Denon receiver (don't know model numbers off the top of my head but will happily provide them when I get home if you're curious) on home theater duty.

The only one I've been a little disappointed in is the 2.1, and for the exact reasons you've outlined here. The bass is really muddy if it's turned up loud. They did seem to have a very narrow "sweet spot", though, that minimized the shortcomings.

The double drivers and slotted port on the sub with the Ultras is night and day. And the KSW-12 is awesome, of course.

Nevertheless, the 2.1's are pretty good for what they are. I haven't heard a set of 2.1 computer speakers that are even that good (I haven't looked for any in years though, admittedly). But they aren't even in the same league as my other setups. So don't be afraid to try Klipsch again in the future if you're looking for a 5.1 or home theater setup or something. In my experience at least the higher end stuff is amazing.
 
m0rn said:
I finally got the chance to setup my my old Altec's on my dad's computer. I come back and start listening to my Klipsch and it's like night and day. The altecs were full and rich, and I could be standing anywhere in the room and they sounded exactly the same.

My biggest gripe with these speakers might not even be with the bass being too loud, or lack of midrange, but the fact that they're so directional, they seriously have to be pointed right at your face for any decent sound.

I think I'm going to be returning to best buy tomorrow, and try to find a deal on the z-2300s.
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The z-2300's are no different when it comes directional sound.

I picked up the Klipsch's from BB tonight (the price was too tempting) and so far the upper range has more clarity. I'm running them from an Xtrememusic in audiocreation mode with bit-matched playback (all mp3's are 192kbps).

I am undecided about the subwoofer. There is still some muddiness in the crossover, but better than the z-2300's i think. I'll doing a side by side comparison for a couple days to decide. Definitely a solid buy for $99.

Also picked up a G5 revision 2 :D
 
Hey sorry I haven't posted for a while. My dog split my friends lips open when they were playing together, I think he's scarred forever now, pretty gruesome. So I've spent the passed few days in hospitals, is there a more stressful place on earth?

Anyways... I went to Best Buy to see if they would exchange the Klipsch for the Logitechs straight up, considering I paid 50 dollars less for the Promedias, and they weren't having any of that.

So, instead of just returning it and starting this quest all over I decided to give my Realtek equalizer a try. I've never been a huge fan of equalizers for a couple reasons. First being I don't fully grasp how they work, and fine tuning through it just annoys the hell out of me. And I've always believed that things should sound the way they're meant to sound. But in this case I sort of had no choice.

So I messed around with the equalizer a bit, and I moved the midrange sections up a few notches along with a bit of treble and now these speakers sound much more balanced and full. Oddly enough, I didn't mess with the lower end of the equalizer and it sounds like the sub tightened up a bit and lost some of it's boomyness, not sure how that happened, might just be my perception... I don't know, but I like it.

I can gladly say that I don't mind them too much now, and this will hold me over until I can afford an amp/bookshelf setup. But there's not much I can do about the narrow sweet spot, so I guess I'll just have to live with that.

Hopefully this will help anyone who's interested in the Promedias. And thanks to everyone for their input on this matter.
 
I think the sub provides midbass too. So messing with the midrange might have boosted that a bit? Glad you can live with it and your friend was in the hospital for days? ouch.

Dog is going to be ok right? Just an accident?
 
spaceman said:
I think the sub provides midbass too. So messing with the midrange might have boosted that a bit? Glad you can live with it and your friend was in the hospital for days? ouch.

Dog is going to be ok right? Just an accident?
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If the sub controls the midbass as well, then that makes complete sense, also could be why it sounds boomy at times.

Actually I took my friend to a hospital close to my place, and it was filled with a bunch of nurses and doctors who should lose their license, they're getting shut down soon I think. Wish I knew that before hand.
They left the gaping wound on his face open and sent us on our merry way, saying we'll have to deal with a plastic surgeon because it might get infected or some horseshit. It was later confirmed at another hospital, but we got yet a 3rd opinion, and that doctor recommended stitches, which is the route we ended up taking, oh and on top of that, he has no insurance, which is another mess all together. BUT I'll stop there, since it's very off topic.
 
m0rn said:
So I messed around with the equalizer a bit, and I moved the midrange sections up a few notches along with a bit of treble and now these speakers sound much more balanced and full. Oddly enough, I didn't mess with the lower end of the equalizer and it sounds like the sub tightened up a bit and lost some of it's boomyness, not sure how that happened, might just be my perception... I don't know, but I like it.

I can gladly say that I don't mind them too much now, and this will hold me over until I can afford an amp/bookshelf setup. But there's not much I can do about the narrow sweet spot, so I guess I'll just have to live with that.

Hopefully this will help anyone who's interested in the Promedias. And thanks to everyone for their input on this matter.
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Yep, it's the midrange like I told you. Glad you got it fixed.

Sorry about the friend/dog incident. Don't worry, I can assure you that not all hospitals are like the one you experienced.
 
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