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- Review count1
- Helpfulness votes4
- First reviewAugust 24, 2014
- Last reviewAugust 24, 2014
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
- Review comment count2
- Helpfulness votes2
- First review commentAugust 26, 2014
- Last review commentAugust 27, 2014
- Featured review comments0
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audiofile's Reviews
Use this Klipsch ProMedia 3-piece speaker system to enjoy brilliant sound when playing games, listening to music or watching videos on your computer.
Customer Rating
4
It's a long way from Hope, Arkansas to China...
on August 24, 2014
Posted by: audiofile
from San Antonio, TX
Now a subsidiary of a huge electronics holding company, this is not the birch plywood, built in Hope, Arkansas by Paul W. Klipsch product I grew up with, although I think some of those speakers still exist. Made in China, this is a well designed system executed on the cheap. MDF subwoofer cabinet with vinyl wrap and plastic housings on the satellite speakers do nothing for the sound quality and would have Paul rolling over in his grave, but given the lowly computer-use mission, I have to say I was pleased enough. They arrived well packed for round-the-world shipping and look reasonably well assembled. Bass extension on the 6.5 inch ported subwoofer is good--so much that I turned the woofer down from its recommended starting setting. Stereo imaging is weak from the satellite speakers, however. which don't sound all that great on their own--but no worse than expected. Unfortunately, after about 20 minutes of normal play at low and moderate volumes, the amplifier started cutting out...first a couple of times over a few minutes, then the left channel went out, and finally, the right channel died. Through process of elimination, we determined that the computer's sound card is fine, and the connecting cable from computer to subwoofer is fine, since headphones could still be used through the jack that is built in to the satellites, leaving something internal in the subwoofer to blame. I am taking this product back to the store, but with fingers crossed I will try another set because I think this is about as good as it gets for a THX 2.1 system. I will re-post a new review on the replacement set very soon.
My Best Buy number: 3441958947
What's great about it: Performance for the money is good for this class of speaker.
What's not so great: Questionable internal build quality of amp has me holding my breath...
I would recommend this to a friend!
Sound Quality
4
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audiofile's Review Comments
Use this Klipsch ProMedia 3-piece speaker system to enjoy brilliant sound when playing games, listening to music or watching videos on your computer.
Overall4 out of 5
4 out of 5It's a long way from Hope, Arkansas to China...
By audiofile
from San Antonio, TX
Now a subsidiary of a huge electronics holding company, this is not the birch plywood, built in Hope, Arkansas by Paul W. Klipsch product I grew up with, although I think some of those speakers still exist. Made in China, this is a well designed system executed on the cheap. MDF subwoofer cabinet with vinyl wrap and plastic housings on the satellite speakers do nothing for the sound quality and would have Paul rolling over in his grave, but given the lowly computer-use mission, I have to say I was pleased enough. They arrived well packed for round-the-world shipping and look reasonably well assembled. Bass extension on the 6.5 inch ported subwoofer is good--so much that I turned the woofer down from its recommended starting setting. Stereo imaging is weak from the satellite speakers, however. which don't sound all that great on their own--but no worse than expected. Unfortunately, after about 20 minutes of normal play at low and moderate volumes, the amplifier started cutting out...first a couple of times over a few minutes, then the left channel went out, and finally, the right channel died. Through process of elimination, we determined that the computer's sound card is fine, and the connecting cable from computer to subwoofer is fine, since headphones could still be used through the jack that is built in to the satellites, leaving something internal in the subwoofer to blame. I am taking this product back to the store, but with fingers crossed I will try another set because I think this is about as good as it gets for a THX 2.1 system. I will re-post a new review on the replacement set very soon.
audiofile
San Antonio, TX
Update...
August 26, 2014
After speaking with a salesman (who will remain anonymous, but told me he'd personally owned three of these systems which all failed in the first year) I decided to return the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 set and choose another system. Looking around Best Buy for something of better quality, I ended up in the Magnolia "sub-store" with higher end equipment,. There I discovered and bought a pair of Definitive Technology "Incline" computer speakers. These are MUCH better quality and sound, but also 3 times the price of the Klipsch. It's almost always true: you get what you pay for. It seems, at least with the ProMedia 2.1's, that you get what you pay for--and that's not much, either in cost or quality, unfortunately. I retract my recommendation and 4 star review on the Klipsch system. Definitive Technology review coming soon under that speaker listing...
+1point
1of 1voted this comment as helpful.
Learn more about Magnolia Premium Installation Transform your living room into an immersive listening environment with this immensely powerful 8" subwoofer. 300 watts of power and a frequency response of 20-150Hz ensure that movies and music come out sounding deep, rich and impressive.
Overall
1 out of 5
1 out of 5Sub went out within 60 days
By ProSub800
from California
I bought the definitive prosub 800 on Feb 3, 2012 and on March 31, 2012 I brought it back to BestBuy because God know what was wrong with it. I can not believe that a sub went out within 60 days of purchase and I never turn the volume pass 70% of it max and BestBuy was helpful by sending the sub back to th manufacter for me. If anyone considered a Prosub 800 please reconsider it.........
audiofile
San Antonio, TX
Even the best designs can go wrong...but...
August 27, 2014
When it comes to subwoofers, the frequencies involved (usually subsonic to about 80-100 hz), place incredible stresses on an amplifier due to the amount of power required to move the woofer, and thus air. And while 300 watts sounds like a lot, it really isn't. This particular sub extends a little higher up the bass range than most (up to 150hz) because it is designed primarily to work with smaller satellite speakers, which lack bass response in this range. Unfortunately, many sub users don't know where to set the volume, or how to adjust the low and high pass filters. This causes them to overdrive the sub's amp into clipping, especially on big transients (soundwaves with lots of driver excursion.) Therefore it isn't that hard to burn an output transistor or fry a driver if you're not careful. Moreover, about 99% of subwoofer setups I see have the bass balance turned up WAY too high. Since these subs have the Left and Right channels summed into mono, it becomes very obvious when they are set too high...the best measure is this: if you can tell WHERE in the room the bass is coming from, it's set too high. And keep in mind that most speaker and amp failures come from lack of power--not too much power. This is why it's best to get knowledgeable help when choosing the proper sub for your system. Room dimensions and cubic volume, as well as desired sound pressure levels and compatibility with other speakers all need to be taken into account to get a reliable match. Hope this helps if you're shopping for subwoofers.
+1point
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