Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker Set - $124.99 @ BB

I think the build quality has gone down quite a bit in the last several years, and even back in the day it wasn't all that great. Amp failure seems to run rampant... thankfully there is such a strong enthusiast community around these that repairs can be made pretty easily a lot of the time.

I upgraded to a set of Micca MB42X bookshelves, a Polk PSW10, and a teensy Lepai amp and have been much more impressed with the sound than I was with the ProMedias. Not too shabby for under $200.
 
TechLarry said:
This is all understood but man, you are talking about a ENTIRELY different class of speakers.

Show me another set for $125 that are any where near the Klipsh's.
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I'd say the mackie cr3 is cheaper for $99 right now at amazon. The CR4 is a tad more expensive @ 150

Amazon product ASIN B00KVEIY4E
The Presonus Ceres 3.5 & 4.5 go on sale very often for $90 and $125.


MongGrel said:
There are tons of powered studio monitors that might be better at 2.0, but yeah it's not the same as a cheap 2.1 sub setup.

Some 2.0's might even be in that price range, but I doubt the bass would be well represented.

The whole house should be vibrating as far as I'm concerned sometimes.

Some of my old mongrel long ago modified JVC's even.

I blew out the tweeters and midranges on the JVC's in the mid 80's and replaced them with a few higher end Radio Shack speakers, they actually still sound good and have been bombing along well since then.

RIP, Radio Shack.

My audio systems are kinda a result of 40 years of pissing around, somewhat :)
Click to expand...


The Klipsch's mids and highs are muddy and the bass is so over exaggerated. Up until 5-6 years ago, I was still a fan of computer speakers and accepted this type of listening - once i took the actual dive into "nice speakers", you want accuracy and clarity - not just *cue inception vuvuzela horn*. Although, my home theatre sub and pc sub would still shake it.
 
Got mine for $99 a few years back & worth every penny. Would pay $125 easily.
 
My roommate bought these back in 2000 when they first came out. When they were made in the US by a US owned company. I remember the box smelling very strongly of paint and chemicals as if they had just been made and boxed a few days before they shipped them out.

The original 2.1's had a bit more weight to them vs the Chinese 2.1 version most people have now.

I remember him playing Star Wars: Darth Vaders Death March mp3 or whatever it's called and we were just blown away. That still sticks with me today when I think about it.

I went on to buy the 5.1's from Best Buy around 2003 or 2004 for $399. Anyone else here remember the MASSIVE box they were in on the shelves of Best Buy? Sadly, my amp stopped working a few years later. I have a nearly mint condition 5.1 set that just needs the amp repair.
 
spressa112 said:
I'd say the mackie cr3 is cheaper for $99 right now at amazon. The CR4 is a tad more expensive @ 150

Amazon product ASIN B00KVEIY4E
The Presonus Ceres 3.5 & 4.5 go on sale very often for $90 and $125.





The Klipsch's mids and highs are muddy and the bass is so over exaggerated. Up until 5-6 years ago, I was still a fan of computer speakers and accepted this type of listening - once i took the actual dive into "nice speakers", you want accuracy and clarity - not just *cue inception vuvuzela horn*. Although, my home theatre sub and pc sub would still shake it.
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I sure don't hear it that way. But everyone is different!
 
SixFootDuo said:
My roommate bought these back in 2000 when they first came out. When they were made in the US by a US owned company. I remember the box smelling very strongly of paint and chemicals as if they had just been made and boxed a few days before they shipped them out.

The original 2.1's had a bit more weight to them vs the Chinese 2.1 version most people have now.

I remember him playing Star Wars: Darth Vaders Death March mp3 or whatever it's called and we were just blown away. That still sticks with me today when I think about it.

I went on to buy the 5.1's from Best Buy around 2003 or 2004 for $399. Anyone else here remember the MASSIVE box they were in on the shelves of Best Buy? Sadly, my amp stopped working a few years later. I have a nearly mint condition 5.1 set that just needs the amp repair.
Click to expand...

There is a guy on ebay that specializes on ProMedia repairs.

That track you are talking about is called "The Imperial March fr om Start Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) is on a CD called "Star Tracks" by Eric Kunzel and the Cincinatti Pops.

That track today remains one of the highest dynamic range and output CD's ever made. It is well known and used for testing audio systems, and will shatter the fuck out of Subwoofers not designed correctly.

There is a warning on the label LOL

I forget the MFR's name, but I smoked (literally) a $3000 subwoofer in a high end stereo shop back in the 90's testing it with that track. The Kettle Drum, hits are what breaks shit.

It is an AWESOME CD that belongs in any serious audio fans library. Just be careful with it. I'm not even fucking kidding here.

For some bizarre reason I can't get the simple URL to the Amazon CD for this to paste in, so here's a picture:

51jgIy5hFAL.jpg


I could not find the track on YouTube (and it would suck compared to the CD anyway), but I found a different recording of it. The Kettle Drum hit that has destroyed speakers for decades happens at exactly 0:47.

There is probably no danger from this flat, shitty recording though :)

 
TechLarry said:
I sure don't hear it that way. But everyone is different!
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I think that I don't put as much emphasis into subwoofer anymore and that's where the real driving difference is, really just a debate about 2.0 vs a 2.1. Looking at mids and highs, the Mackie's absolutely wreck the Klipsch speakers and for most computer applications, I think will give the majority of people enough bass. I do understand the allure of having a subwoofer though, i have an energy s10.3 as part of my computer speaker setup.
 
TechLarry said:
There is a guy on ebay that specializes on ProMedia repairs.

That track you are talking about is called "The Imperial March fr om Start Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) is on a CD called "Star Tracks" by Eric Kunzel and the Cincinatti Pops.

That track today remains one of the highest dynamic range and output CD's ever made. It is well known and used for testing audio systems, and will shatter the fuck out of Subwoofers not designed correctly.

There is a warning on the label LOL

I forget the MFR's name, but I smoked (literally) a $3000 subwoofer in a high end stereo shop back in the 90's testing it with that track. The Kettle Drum, hits are what breaks shit.

It is an AWESOME CD that belongs in any serious audio fans library. Just be careful with it. I'm not even fucking kidding here.

For some bizarre reason I can't get the simple URL to the Amazon CD for this to paste in, so here's a picture:

51jgIy5hFAL.jpg


I could not find the track on YouTube (and it would suck compared to the CD anyway), but I found a different recording of it. The Kettle Drum hit that has destroyed speakers for decades happens at exactly 0:47.

There is probably no danger from this flat, shitty recording though :)

Click to expand...



Here ya go!

 
DejaWiz said:
Here ya go!

Click to expand...


That's the one. Good catch !!!

The kettle drum is pretty strong too, but not even close to the actual CD :)

Album details

Artist Erich Kunzel & The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Album Star Tracks
Year 1984
Album DR 14
Min. track DR 10
Max. track DR 15
Track DR 10 13 15 14 14 15 13 14 14 14 12 (might not be in original order)
Codec Other lossless codec
Source Unknown
Label Telarc International Corporation
Label code
Catalog number CD-80094
Bar code 0 89408 00942 6
Country USA
 
What is this kettle drum you speak of, those are Timpani :)

Just kidding a bit, I used to love playing those, the music program I was in decades ago had 4 very nice ones.

They are an art form in their own right if you know how to play them, I was never a pro in the that department.
 
TechLarry said:
Another old set I wish was still made was the Monsoon MM700 Planar Speakers. I still have a set, and they worked great up until about 3 years ago when they developed "Ribbon Rot" and the midrange simply stopped being reproduced :(
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Hey, I'm running those now! I like 'em a lot, and they're like 12 years old now. Only problem I've had was the 3.5mm jack in the sub sort of broke loose from the circuit board and it crackles and loses signal when you wiggle the wire. Tried to fix it, but it didn't last. I just have to avoid wiggling the wire.

They had some huge 2.1 speakers posted here around last Thanksgiving/Halloween, IIRC. Big satellites over a foot tall, ugly, beige, about 17-years-old. I missed out on the 2.1's they had for like $25, and I kick myself every time I think about it. I thought they'd be a good backup for when my Monsoons finally die. It will cost me a fortune to replace these Monsoons with anything close to this good. Sooo much wanted to pick up a pair of those, I kept the link and checked it often for months, hoping they'd find some more in a corner, or someone would return them. I'd buy a pair in an instant if I could find them again! Damn. . .
 
I'm quoting myself from the previous ProMedia Speaker thread:



To be honest with you guys these speakers go on sale about every 12 months. You would be better off buying something like the Swan M50W speakers. Yes, they cost almost double but they are more than twice as good, sound incredible and are beautiful and if you keep them forever what's an extra $80 over a couple decades? Don't make the mistake of buying the Promedia speakers and not being satisfied and wasting time and money returning them.

M50w%20system-550x413.jpg


HiVi M50w
 
SixFootDuo said:
My roommate bought these back in 2000 when they first came out. When they were made in the US by a US owned company. I remember the box smelling very strongly of paint and chemicals as if they had just been made and boxed a few days before they shipped them out.

The original 2.1's had a bit more weight to them vs the Chinese 2.1 version most people have now.

I remember him playing Star Wars: Darth Vaders Death March mp3 or whatever it's called and we were just blown away. That still sticks with me today when I think about it.

I went on to buy the 5.1's from Best Buy around 2003 or 2004 for $399. Anyone else here remember the MASSIVE box they were in on the shelves of Best Buy? Sadly, my amp stopped working a few years later. I have a nearly mint condition 5.1 set that just needs the amp repair.
Click to expand...


This. Todays generation just can't understand what with Beats by Dre...
 
Gorilla said:
Can you believe that the employee discount price on these when I worked there ten years ago was like $70? I should have bought a second set while I was there, though my original set is still going strong.
Click to expand...
No they where not. I worked there about 10 years ago and the employee price was nowhere near that low it was over $100 i forget the exact amount but defiitely not $70.
 
Disposed said:
No they where not. I worked there about 10 years ago and the employee price was nowhere near that low it was over $100 i forget the exact amount but defiitely not $70.
Click to expand...

My first set was these and I bought them on special for $70, maybe the poster was confusing it with that deal.
 
Disposed said:
No they where not. I worked there about 10 years ago and the employee price was nowhere near that low it was over $100 i forget the exact amount but defiitely not $70.
Click to expand...

It was for me. I worked there about 7 years ago and 9 years ago. It may have been in the 70 range, like 76 or something, but it was definitely in that range.
 
I have had my set for around 6 years now. I have enjoyed them a lot. Sadly in the last two years I have slowly moved to using headphones more often on the desktop just to keep the noise down when everybody else is home. One of these days when I'm home alone I'll have to let it crank again now that I keep adding more lossless music to the collection.
 
Little irrelevant but Amazon is having a sale for logitech products and the Z623 is $90. Would you guys consider it a good alternative to the Promedia at that price?
 
winkyeye said:
Little irrelevant but Amazon is having a sale for logitech products and the Z623 is $90. Would you guys consider it a good alternative to the Promedia at that price?
Click to expand...

Nope. Not for one second.

Logitech speakers have NO musicality to them at all. They are set up and crossed over for gaming. Big booms at 125hz. That's where they tend to crossover to the sub, 125hz, instead of the more common 80hz. It makes music sound like shit. Muddy and loss of directional detail that does indeed exist at 125hz.

The Z5500, a $400 speaker set, was completely useless because of this. They also had a fixed 125hz crossover set on those. I have a set in the closet I finally got to retire because the back-light in the control pod went out.
 
I still have a set of Klipsch Promedia's I bought over 10 years ago and they're still rocking on... Got them at Circuit City (R.I.P.) for $99
 
Yea the Z5500s sucked for the price, I traded a pair of cheap Bose speakers for a set and was never wowed by them.
 
This post just made me realize my set it almost 8 years old, I think August '08 I picked a set up for $100. The sub went out after a few days, got a replacement at BB right away and they have just been great. I wouldn't mind if they lasted another 5 at least...
 
I have a set. Had them for a few years now. They are pretty good. They dont like to go very high. I have a amplified sound card and they max out quicker then my cans do. Id love to have a set of 5.1s
 
TechLarry said:
That track you are talking about is called "The Imperial March fr om Start Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) is on a CD called "Star Tracks" by Eric Kunzel and the Cincinatti Pops.

That track today remains one of the highest dynamic range and output CD's ever made. It is well known and used for testing audio systems, and will shatter the fuck out of Subwoofers not designed correctly.

There is a warning on the label LOL

I forget the MFR's name, but I smoked (literally) a $3000 subwoofer in a high end stereo shop back in the 90's testing it with that track. The Kettle Drum, hits are what breaks shit.

It is an AWESOME CD that belongs in any serious audio fans library. Just be careful with it. I'm not even fucking kidding here.

For some bizarre reason I can't get the simple URL to the Amazon CD for this to paste in, so here's a picture:

51jgIy5hFAL.jpg
Click to expand...

Man. I remember, back in the early days of CDs, those Telarc CDs were the best recordings available. I remember being in a high-end stereo shop and guy there used a Telarc CD recording of some symphony or another doing Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg). Same situation. One of the timpani parts wouldn't even be heard at all on some of the cheaper subs it was so low. Very cool.
 
TechLarry said:
There is a guy on ebay that specializes on ProMedia repairs.


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I heard this and pretty much immediately bought star tracks 1 and 2. with a 25 bucks gift card, cost 2.20 with shipping.

errr.. the one listed below that post.. the actual eric kunzel one.
 
I have this set. It's great.

I replaced the wires in and coming out of the speakers with larger gauge pure copper wire. It seriously increased the sound quality. It was easy and cheap.

While I was in there I noticed some soldering points weren't that great. It's a quick touch up job if you have the ability. I'd recommend doing it.

I now use this set with our television and it's awesome. Way better than the built in VIZIO speakers and the desktop has headphones now.
 
Mackintire said:
There's a guy.....whom you can find on ebay and I will link to, who fixes the Klipsch Promedia amps and modifies them to what they SHOULD have been.

Cost for a full (the works) refurb on my 5.1 ultra was $140. All MOSFETs are now on sockets, Caps/Resistors replaced with mil spec or uprated as needed. Internal fan was also added. The fan runs at 40db and sits on the amp internally and is powered by the mains, you can't hear it externally. Output FET tempurature drops from 180 degress to 112 in a 78 degree environment. Expected design life after changes is 7-10 years. Acoustic improvements over factory are N/A.

Basically Klipsch designed the promedia series to thermally fail in 3-4 years average use.

Contact him via e-bay if you want/need his services, he'll either create a e-bay listing for what you're looking for, or you can negotiate offline. Klipsch 2.1 Amplifier Subwoofer Upgraded ProMedia THX $15 Refnd Speaker Warranty
Click to expand...

I did this repair for my Promedia Ultra 5.1 from a guy on [H] iirc -- all I had to do was unscrew the amp from the subwoofer and ship it. Well worth it.
 
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I love my Klipsch ProMedias. I bought a 4.1 almost 2 decades ago. Beat any other computer speaker setup at the time. Currently running 2 sets of 2.1s (on different computers). Still an outstanding sound/value. The only way I could beat it would be a dedicated amp and speaker setup...which I have on a third computer (see sig). A Denon x4100w driving a 5.1 Polk RTi setup, which is my home theater.

The Klipsch 4.1 is gone. It lasted a long time. I really don't remember why/how I got rid of it. One of the 2.1s failed after 5+ years. It was the resistor which is a known item in the community. I ordered a 5 pack of uprated (1 amp) resistors for 17 cents each. An hour of disassembly (very simple), soldering, and re-assembly, and my 2.1 has been going strong for 7 years more. I still have the 4 spares resistors...just in case. ;)

DId I say I love 'em?

:)
 
Still have my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 from like 15 years ago. Still haven't found anything better for 2.1 computer speakers.
 
I had been using Logitech z680s for a decade before the amp died. Called Logitech and they gave me a half off discount on the z906, I was less than impressed.

I did get a set of the promedia 2.1s for my wife @115$ and she adores them. I think eventually I am just going to build a proper surround system with a receiver when the 906s crap out.

Pro tip: you can build a bad ass surround system on Craigslist out of old bookshelfs and towers from the 80s-early 2000s, just make sure the foam on the woofers is rubber or has been replaced. I see people practically giving away really nice speakers cause they upgraded to something newer.
 
There's dead as in no longer useful and dead as in no one has posted in the thread. This thread is still in the later category.
 
Friend had these but the Logitech z5500 I bought 6 years ago for 150 from mwave can not be beat. I don't even use all 5 speakers just 2 and these things rock. Tried pro media as well cuz my friend swore by them but the z5500 are hands down better. Max volume no distortion, nothing the sub is rock solid. I blew out the main panel once when I unplugged it directly from wall 3 years ago and Logitech sent me a whole new set and only asked for the control module back.

Wish they still made those. I have no idea how I got them so cheap because even after that they were going for 2-3 times she cost. Just amazing set of speakers. I was about to buy these back when I bought logitecgs but the deal on the Logitech was just unreal.

with that said If these are quality I would like a smaller fuckin sub. The logitech sub is fuckin huge and I really would like to clean up my room a little lol.
 
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There are multiple promedia systems.
The more common variations are the 2.1, the 4.1 and the 5.1 Ultra.

The 5.1 Ultra plays twice as loud as the 2.1 and the sub reaches a full octave lower. That sub is also 3 times larger than then one with the 2.1 system.
 
Owned the 2.1 set years ago, got 'em for $20 from a neighbor that ripped the DIN cord/jack apart moving the speakers around and was about to trash 'em. Fixed 'em with a plain old DIN plug and jack from a PS/2 keyboard setup and the only issue with them for 6+ years was of course the scratchy volume control. Why Klipsch chose that shoddy potentiometer is simply beyond me and many others, sold 'em for $100 a few years back.

One thing that I've always wanted to own is a set of ultra rare (pun intended) Promedia Ultra 2.0 and I've yet to find a set in good working condition anywhere, not even eBay and I do check for them pretty regularly. Damned things did exist 'cause I saw 'em years ago at Best Buy but decided against buying them because I already had the 2.1 set, guess I should have snagged 'em when they were available. ;)

DOH, just found a set on eBay literally seconds after posting this message... now to see what I've got in PayPal. :p
 
NKD said:
Friend had these but the Logitech z5500 I bought 6 years ago for 150 from mwave can not be beat. I don't even use all 5 speakers just 2 and these things rock. Tried pro media as well cuz my friend swore by them but the z5500 are hands down better. Max volume no distortion, nothing the sub is rock solid. I blew out the main panel once when I unplugged it directly from wall 3 years ago and Logitech sent me a whole new set and only asked for the control module back.

Wish they still made those. I have no idea how I got them so cheap because even after that they were going for 2-3 times she cost. Just amazing set of speakers. I was about to buy these back when I bought logitecgs but the deal on the Logitech was just unreal.

with that said If these are quality I would like a smaller fuckin sub. The logitech sub is fuckin huge and I really would like to clean up my room a little lol.
Click to expand...

I have a set in the closet I'd happily give you if you were near me. The Z5500 may be ok for gaming, but they are deplorable for music because of the fixed, non-adjustable 125hz crossover Logitech used. Horrible design decision.

Oh, and they have the infamous Control Panel backlight issue that Logitech never would admit to or fix.
 
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