ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black)

After many years of beautiful sound, my Bose Companion 5 system gave up the ghost. It was a very sad moment. I loved those speakers. The sound was exquisite. Unfortunately, the Companion 5 system is no longer available new, only used. So, I set out on a lengthy search to find something I felt I would appreciate as much as the Bose system. I read and watched tons of reviews for various speaker systems. I stuck to established brands that I've known for years. I've never had Klipsch speakers before, but I've heard various sets of them since the 1980s and have always been impressed by them. I don't want to write a long-winded review, so I'll just say that while I don't feel like they present the same expansive soundstage that my Bose Companion 5 system did, they are EXCELLENT. And they cost considerably less than the Bose Companion 5 did. They produce a very pleasant and dynamic sound, whether I'm gaming, watching a movie, or just listening to music. For music, they're well balanced, in my opinion. They sound good with Classical, Jazz, Rock, whatever. That's not always easy to find in a speaker system. I've been enjoying them for nearly a year. As others have noted, they are very loud. When I first set them up, there was terrible distortion. Turns out, the output from my computer was just too high. I turned down the Windows volume level to 20% and that completely resolved that issue. I just control the volume from the knob built into the right speaker. Speaking of controls on the right speaker, I REALLY appreciate the subwoofer volume control being on the right speaker instead of on the subwoofer itself (as it was on my Bose system). It's nice to be able to adjust the bass without having to crawl under my desk. To be honest, if I could have bought a new set of Bose Companion 5 speakers, I would have. And I never would have discovered these Klipsch speakers. Do I think they're as good as my Bose? No. But I do think they're excellent speakers at a very good price. I'm pleased and would make the same purchase again. I should note that the very good price to which I’m referring was $117.50 almost a year ago.

I just got this and Installed it on my wife's computer. Will say that it is Thunderous. Her office is in an aprox 14'x12' room. So it really fills it with sound. She had a real old cheap 5 speaker system that I had kept fixing and tinkering with. Basic $ 50 sound system with splices in the wires and basic crap. She wanted something better. The old one had a hum and buzz at times. So I started to investigate something better. I kept looking at this one but also others. For us, a 5 speaker system was kind of impracticable because we have 3 cats and they have beds on top of her cabinets/filing cabinets...etc. So placement would have been an issue. But, I kept coming back to this one. I'm 57 and Klip has always been a better product and good quality. So, I bought it. You have to remember at times... you get what you pay for and cheaper is usually what you get.... This is a really nice Plug and Play speaker system. Great sound quality. Really good Bass, Deep and loud if you want it that way. The satellites produce a very nice sound and are well above what I think you would need. Here are a couple of things I found out about it I wanted to mention. Each Satellite speaker has about 8 ft. of wire to attach to the subwoofer. So placement is a factor or you will have to splice onto the existing wire to extend it, which I did not want to and did not in the end. The main wiring harness has EVERYTHING you need to run this. And this will save you $10 to know this. Nowhere did I find in the description or reviews did I see that the 1/8 headphone wire plug is included. So I ended up buying one thinking it is not included....it IS included. This entire system is Plug and Play. The main wiring harness off of the subwoofer is about 6ft long to reach your computer, then about 8 ft. of wire to each speaker. If your computer desk is basically uncluttered and organized....LOL, not my wife. Then this is a no-brainer 10 min max install. Mine took me about 30 min to get through and around some of her crap to hide the wires and make it look "tidy". Also, the control module is connected to the main wire harness and it splits off of it so it lays on your desk for volume and base. If I were to "knock" this in any way it would be the module. Its made to be either mounted under a shelf (no hardware / clip provided) or laid on the desktop. If it's laid on the desk the words are upside down. Volume and Bass. separate control knobs. But that is really ticky tac and will be easily learned. There is a headphone and a mic jack on the module. I got the headphones to work well but did not test the mic jack. She doesn't have one. One note on the headphone jack that I found was that if you use the headphone jack you may have to increase the volume up a bit. So remember that when you pull out the headphones....you may get "hit" with a Thunderous wall of sound because the sound was turned up for the headphones...not the speaker system. All in all, we are pleasantly surprised and happy with it. It offers superior sound and quality at an affordable price. Would not hesitate to buy another if the need requires it or if somebody asked.

The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 sound overall far better than Logitech ANYTHING, Harman Kardon computer speakers (new or old), and way above and beyond iPod earbuds (for reference). This is definitely one of the best sounding sets of computer speakers I have listened to. I have tried using high end audio systems as outputs for my desktop, but the downsides of that is the input is so sensitive it picks up electrical interference. Nice features: -These Klipsch speakers handle the interference very well, I was only able to get a low pitch hum/hiss when it was above 75% volume ( which is just about enough to blow your eardrums out when playing music). -Bass knob REALLY controls bass. You can go from a complete 0% (which is a rarity) to seemingly infinite bass. I found that around 20% is a good leveled bass for my music, but if you want to rave throughout your house you can still turn it up. -The fidelity is through the roof for this price range (these days). This is far above the cheapskate speakers market, Klipsch really put some effort into a good stereo at an affordable price. If there was anything to complain about, it'd be that the subwoofer is easy to set too prominent and it is a detriment to the wonderful speakers in this unit. Thinks to consider before purchasing: -These speakers are almost TOO sensitive. I use mine with the volume knob around 30%, but I had to turn Windows volume down to 20% in order to do it! (this is a real good thing though, since it means the speakers are pretty efficient) -One initial complaint I had was the lack of a power switch, but in reality it is to make the unit sound better by keeping the amplifier from getting cold. If you really need to turn it off that bad, put it on it's own power strip. -The speakers sound MUCH better if they have 1-2 feet of space behind them. -Also, when placed on your desk, they seem to sound better (read: more even sound) when pointed around your body, rather than directly at you. However, this caused the sound to become too stereophonic (like headphones), so I used a Stereophonic-to-binaural DSP for my music to blend it a bit before it comes out of the speakers. No more listening fatigue! Obviously, this problem is nonexistent if you move your speakers further away, because you can let the sound muddle together more naturally. Things I am NOT a fan of: -The included grips DO NOT stick very well onto the metal stands. In fact, I am having trouble with the replacement set as well. There is a strong tendency for the grips to slowly slide off over a period of a few weeks. I wish the coating on the stand was not as textured on the bottom as it is on the top. -The dust covers muddy the sound a bit too much. I leave them off almost all the time now, because they kill too much of the high frequencies. Thankfully, they are easily removed and replaced (toolless). -The green LED is a bit on the bright side, it won't light up your wall but it hurts to look at when its dark. I point the speaker away from me when I go to sleep. I would have appreciated an LED that is flush against the surface so it is not as bright from any direction. -These speakers made me realize how much of my music is not high quality. On my old Logitech speakers, you couldn't tell the difference, but with these listening to low quality music will tire your ears out quickly, while listening to great music will give you an eargasm (unless you've heard better, but you're probably not buying these if you're a true audiophile, or are you?)

January 13th 14 Important update: Since writing the below review I plugged this set of speakers into the audio out on back of computer (Win Vista)and they sounded much better! The ear bleeding upper midrange punch was gone and the frequency range of the satellite much wider! The bass subwoofer is cleaner and has much more power on tap. The satellites actually have a fair dinkum of bass in and of themselves now without the subwoofer on. The subwoofer is barely turned up for fear of sending thump pulse out into the neighborhood and there is still plenty of bottom end to listen too! Before in my negative review I had them set up on dining table plugged into 'line out' of portable sony walkman cd player and also tried them into 'headphone' jack of a sony ghetto blaster. Why these sound sources were so much poorer compared to audio out on back of PC computer tower is beyond me - I mean 20-20,000Hz is just that right? The only thing I can think of is maybe signal had more electrical amperage from computer and also had some sort of software tweeks in the sound card program. Anyway I withdraw any complaints I had. I still think some additional midrange would improve the sound. These are a fine set of speakers and are worth buying. They do work well as a nearfield setup to room filling sound. They are well built and precise sounding, doing great justice to the clarity of upper range. But if I personally had it to do over again I'd still go with the custom flexibilty outlined in my recommendations in my old review below: I'm letting old review stand as instruction to readers on how bad they can sound depending on if they are plugged into a computer or not. They are evidently made truly to be used with computers which as i said I don't understand the electronic reasoning behind this. OLD REVIEW: Frequency response: Satellites go from upper mid range up to treble. Treble has nice cymbal splash. What little midrange there is punches out with a spike so pronounced it'll make your ears bleed. Maddy Prior's voice in Steeleye Span made my ears hurt for the first time ever after listening to her for 30 years. So you wind up turning down the only volume control there is - unfortunately this means you simultaneously turn down the subwoofer (which does not have mid range and rightfully so as it's a good tight subwoofer) but the total lack of lower mid range and mid mid range means the overall sound output of the system has a huge hole in the middle. Sure there is a separate mix knob for just the bass but it's not a volume control. If you want to hear rich vocal timbre or the sonority of a wooden cello or the oaken overtones of a good pair of bongos look elsewhere because with this Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 setup these sounds do not exist. The goal for a proper nearfield speaker setup is to have all the frequencies available and all the frequencies being capable of being cut or boosted as much as is needed to achieve your totally rich balanced perfection at any volume level. Therefore knowing what I now know, here is what I recommend: 1. Buy a stand alone subwoofer with it's own on-board amp and volume control knob and separate bass level control knob. I just searched for some and they can be had for 100 bucks or maybe less. 2. Buy one of those new chinese mini amps for 20 bucks like the Lepai LP-2020A+.This model has separate treble and bass knobs so you can adjust your midrange and treble as you use this amp to drive - 3. A pair of bookshelf speakers. Do your own research on bookshelf speakers, bearing in mind you want the all the mid range.frequencies as well as the tweeter sounds. I'm seeing some very promising pairs to be had for 40-60 bucks. 4. A headphone signal splitter which you will plug into the headphone output of your music device which will then provide you with two outputs to plug in your 3.5mm cords, one being from the stand alone subwoofer and the other being from your 20 buck mini amp that powers and frequency adjusts your bookshelf speakers. With this setup you will have complete control over frequencies and speaker volumes for maybe 30 bucks more than the 140$ Klipsch

These are truly excellent speakers for your computer setup. They'd also be great A/V speakers in a small to medium size room. All the sound is there and it's crystal clear up high with plenty of bass on the other end. I haven't stress tested this system at very high volumes, since it has way more power than needed in the near field setup on my desktop. Klipsch recommends setting the volume control on your computer at 70% and then regulating volume with the knob in the speaker control module. I set my computer on 60% and have only got the speaker volume slightly above zero on the speaker itself. I use it for listening to music while I'm working on my computer. Subject matter is mainly classic rock, blues, and space/ambient/new age type music. I purchased them to replace an Altec ADA305 speaker system that I owned and loved for nearly 20 years. A few minor quibbles: 1) The high end is very forward. I think this is due to the horn drivers. Easily handled by just rolling off the top end using the EQ on my computer. 2) The speaker enclosures are permanently mounted on stands that tilt them up slightly. This is not ideal for my setup because my speaker location is above my head level. I worked around it by propping up the rear of the stands on 35mm film canisters (remember those?). 3) The power light is very bright. It's not a problem for me since my computer is in a separate office room, but if you set this system up in your bedroom, it could be. With no power switch or sleep mode, it's on all the time unless you cover it, use some other external power switch, or unplug it from power. Other equipment I own that forms a basis of experience for this review includes Carver electronics, Boston Acoustics speakers, and AKG 240 headphones, in addition to the aforementioned Altec computer speaker setup. Even with the small quibbles I mentioned, I still feel these Klipsch speakers deserve a rating of 5 stars. I am completely satisfied with this purchase, and hope these speakers last as long as my Altecs did. Update: After 4 months, I'm even more amazed at these speakers. Speaker burn-in is a real thing, and they are now sounding even better than when I first hooked them up. In particular, the sound image they project has much more "space," with instruments precisely located and the sound stage extending further out to the sides than the width of the speaker placement. One of the best tech purchases I've ever made! 1-year update: After living with these speakers for over a year, they continue to amaze me. The clarity and soundstage they reproduce are fantastic! You can easily locate every instrument and voice, and the apparent soundstage extends well beyond the width of the satellite speakers. Once again, a 5+ star review!

After about 5 years owning a Yamaha Stagepas 300 PA system, one of the bass speakers cracked--not from abuse, but because the paper had become brittle. It was discovered there is no replacement available for this 6-ohm speaker. I tried to repair the crack with several methods, but the cracked progressed due to the brittle paper. I researched several days to try to find a suitable and affordable replacement without sacrificing quality. The ones in which I was interested were too expensive. The system was mainly used at home, with rare exceptions to entertain at parties for pleasure. Not wanting to spend much for what was essentially an indulgent hobby, I decided to research systems intended for computers as an alternative. When I came across this Klipsch system, I did intense research to see if this might be a suitable replacement. I was very familiar with Klipsch performance and reputation, being raised about 40 miles from their manufacturing in Hope, Arkansas. One friend from over 30 years ago had a set of the Klipsch Heresy home speakers where a kid had kicked a hole in one of the bass speakers, yet the system was still performing with zero distortion. That was the defining moment for me knowing the Klipsch brand as top-notch. I decided to try this one because of the Klipsch reputation and the fact that it had a higher power rating that the Yamaha PA system at a fraction of the cost. The explanation of how to hook up the system as hard wired wasn't too clear from the Internet research; I discovered when receiving the system that it had 2 wired options. There was a port on side for 3.5mm female Auxiliary input, and a primary 3.5mm male plug on the end of wire coming from a speaker that would typically plug into the headphone jack of a computer. I needed to connect my older 8-channel keyboard mixer to the system and only had an adapter for the RCA "out-to-tape" jacks that would go into the stereo 3.5mm Auxiliary input. That connection did not incorporate the graphics equalizer on the mixer, so I wasn't getting the quality for which I knew the system was capable. I had another adapter that would connect the 2 normal 1/4-inch output ports from the mixer to combine into a 3.5mm female connection to the male 3.5mm plug, but that was only a mono connection. I ordered a connection that had the dual 1/4-inch plugs combined into a STEREO female receptacle, and plugged in the primary 3.5mm male plug from the Klipsch system. That finally produced the sound I was expecting from this system because I could graph the sound within the mixing board. With a few tweaks to the graphics equalizer on my mixer, the sound quality produce was incredible. This very affordable computer speaker system out-performed the Yamaha Stagepas 300 (rated at 100 watts) in sound quality hands down. How can so much sound clarity come from such small speakers? My use of the system as a PA system was not what was originally intended, but I'm extremely satisfied with the results. I would strongly suggest anyone wanting to use this Klipsch 2.1 system professionally in a small venue consider this as an inexpensive and very portable alternative. You might have to purchase some poles to elevate the satellite speakers; but with all the savings, spending the additional funds for the poles would still make this more affordable than the conventional PA systems. I've put the speakers on top of the Yamaha speakers right now to get the elevation. I'll search around to see if I can find some suitable poles to give the system portability if I wanted to take it to a party. For now, this is fine for me. The sound quality is truly in keeping with the Klipsch reputation. I haven't cranked the system to anywhere near the top volume, but the test at about 1/3 volume from my mixer was enough to vibrate the walls. This system is phenomenal to say the least! I'm sure I haven't used this system to the full capability in the way I have it connected, but I don't need anything else. As they say in the old commercial "Try it; you'll like it."

This system sounds so good and is the best sounding system I have had so far. This system puts out clear highs and very theater like lows that will raddle your house. Now lets dive into and through the inns and outs of this system. Today we will look at four things, build quality. Second we will look at sound quality, and third we will discuss some problems I was having with my first unit. Fourth, we will take a look at my setup. Lets, discuss the build quality, so first the speakers give a modern feel to the decor of any house. The satalite speakers are very sturdy, and one thing to note is the cover of the speakers are nice, but are also very easy to come off. Another thing is the satellites speakers them self are easy to push in, so be careful not to press against the cone of the speakers. Furthermore, the way the cords are are connected to the one satellite are very good and are easy to hide if you know how. It's important to note there is no on and off switch so you either need a a power strip with a on and off switch. I am using a extension cord that has a switch. Moreover, let's discuss the build quality of subwoofer. The subwoofer is definitely sturdy and does not weigh to much at all. The subwoofer is designed very well to produce deep lows, and in my opinion when watching movies it sounds better than some theaters. Lets move on to the sound quality, for that is the most important attribute of speakers. The sub produces really nice low frequencies especially when watching movies, and I prefer this sub over the lows at the theaters I have been to, so far. When listening to music the sub shines well, and it's not at all like other subs that do not sound as low when listening to music. I have a ten inch sub in the family room and it does not sound as nice as this one. If you enjoy bass that you can feel and really like deep bass this system is for you. Next, let's look at the sound that the satalites produce. First let's take a look at the highs and how they sound with different music. Rap music by Lecrae - blessings, Steven Malcolm, Corey Paul - Pull up sound really good. Pop music and Rock is where the satellites really shine. Lets talk about the mids. The mids help so much balance the highs and lows. Now I will discuss the problems I had with my first unit. After about three days after I got my system the sub woofer stopped working on and off. The music would play out of the satellites, but not the sub. I thought at first it was my Bluetooth receiver that I got from Amazon so I could listen to music wirelessly. It turns out there was a short in the cable and in the sub itself. Amazon has a 30 day defective return policy, so I contacted Amazon and they refunded the full amount, and I bought another Klipsch 2.1 Promedia THX. It's arriving Wednesday. Finally, I'm using a Bluetooth Receiver,Aluminum Wireless Mini Bluetooth 4.1 Receiver Adapter for 3.5mm AUX for lystening to my moms IPad wirelessly. I have the subwoofer in the corner of my room next to my bed, and the satellites on each side of my bed with the speakers facing inwards toward my ears but angled a little passed my ears. I'm using a ten foot aux cable and Haiker 2pcs Gold Plated 3.5mm Stereo Jack to 3.5mm Audio Female/female Adapter Connectors. I'm using A DBPOWER 10.5 inch portable DVD player from Amazon and watching movies with these speakers sound amazing. In conclusion, we looked at the build quality, sound, issues I was having, and the setup I have. If you want something for movies and music this the real deal. God bless you I pray Jesus gives you wisdom and understanding on what to buy. I will be doing a update once my second set a speakers arrive. Update: I received my second set of speakers, and they work great no problems any more. They sound so good, and before I put them in my room I hooked them up in the family room. They sounded so good, I watched a couple of blue rays and wow never heard such great sound from such small speakers, from a 2.1 setup. In conclusion I'm very happy with these speakers, I'm praying to see if it's wise to buy some for the family room. Even though we have a 5.1 surround sound setup made by Samsung, for these sound five times as good as those. Have a blessed day I'm praying for everyone who reads this. Your awesome and wonderfully made. Update: I just bought my second set of speakers for my parents house, and they sound better than in my room. Furthermore, I am using them as Home Theater system, and they sound amazing crystal clear highs, tight deep lows. Blue Rays sound outstanding it sounds better than the theater. Music sounds really good, especially rap like from artists Lecrae, Trip Lee, KB, Derick Minor, Tedashii. Finally, if your looking for PC or Home Theater system buy it you will not regret it. God bless you, for you are amazing may Jesus bless you and provide wisdom for your descions.

####------[Review Update: March 12th, 2018]-----#### Well this is a bummer, this second set i ordered to replace the first set that was defective seems to be showing signs of failure already after putting it through hours of testing and use over the course of a few weeks. The Bass knob has developed a lot of play in it, almost wobbly feeling. The left speaker has developed a hiss that changes in frequency from low to high and will drive you nuts when trying to sleep. I checked my power in the house for grounding issues and what not, everything is wired correctly. The other set i returned before this never made any hissing noise but it did have the issue where the speaker channels were wired wrong and reversed. I tried the speaker set at a family members house and my neighbors house and it was still noisy and hissing. Also the subwoofer gets so hot that it will borderline burn your fingers. No Joke! If you have small children, i suggest you not let them near the back of the subwoofer unit where the amplifier is housed. To top things off, where it gets so hot it puts off a burnt electrical odor that smells terrible in the small room it was placed in. This product really seems to be plagued by very poor QC and it uses Very Very cheap components inside. I looked at the electronics enclosed and it's just the cheapest of the cheap straight out of China. Since it has Klipsch branding on it, you get the privilege of paying a extra $100 on what should be a $50 set of speakers. Sending these back and going with something else sadly. I will not buy anything made by Klipsch again due to the poor quality and for having the nerve to slap $150 price tag on something that clearly should be no more than $50. Adjusting my final review to 1 star and will not be ordering a third set. I gave them two shots and they failed me both times. The old third time is a charm saying doesn't work with me. I hate to say it and you're free to do as you please with your money but heed my advice and spend your hard earned money on something that has good or at least decent quality because if you're buying these then you're flushing your money down the drain. On that note i leave you with this summary..... planned ob·so·les·cence ˌpland ˌäbsəˈlesəns/ noun noun: planned obsolescence a policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete and so require replacing, achieved by frequent changes in design, termination of the supply of spare parts, and the use of nondurable materials. ####-------[End Review Update]--------#### ####-----[Review Update: February 24th, 2018]-------#### Finally got around to getting another set of these speakers. This new set is wired correctly with no swapped left and right channels. The manufacture date on the box is dated June 2017. They even seem to have a slightly better sound than the defective pair i sent back. Only time will tell how long these hold up. I'm pretty happy at the moment as they sound pretty damn good for computer speakers. I give it a solid 4 stars now and knocked 1 star off for time lost dealing with the return process of the defective set i sent back. I will update if any other oddities may arise. ####------[End Review Update]-------#### ####--------[Original Review]---------#### Defective product from seller Audio Plaza, this was a 5 star but i have since updated my review as i just now noticed after reading other reviews and through my own testing that the left and right sound channels are swapped and not wired correctly and i traced it to to the volume control box thats mounted to the right speaker where you control the volume and bass levels. Inside the volume control box are two wires that go to the 3.5mm male jack that you plug into your computer or any device with a 3.5mm female input, these two wires are crossed and can only be fixed by resoldering the wires to their correct solder points on the board in the volume control box. I can ghetto fix the speaker issue by just switching the speakers wires to the opposite channels on the subwoofer but the headphones connection on the controller box does the same thing and can not be ghetto fixed without voiding the warranty due to soldering being involved to properly fix it. If i was past warranty i would have fixed it myself as i would have no choice by then. Since it's still within the return window, i will send them back and try another pair. I will update this to show how the new set works and if the issue has been resolved. I think some of these sellers on here are getting these defective sets on the cheap and selling them full price on Amazon or could just be a bad batch considering they are manufactured in China where QC is basically nonexistent. Check your speakers though as this is something very easy to overlook like i did initially. I mean who the heck would think you would get a defect like this from a brand like Klipsch? Beware future buyers and check for this issue by adjusting your sound balance from left to right in Windows or your OS of choice. In my case by adjusting the balance, it revealed that right was left and left was right and it was the same with headphones plugged into the speakers headphone jack. The manufacture date sticker on the box was dated March 2017. Could just be a bad batch but makes you wonder when dealing with third party sellers. The speakers sounded great and functioned well besides the issue i listed above and is why i didn't notice the issue until messing with some EQ settings and adjusting the balance. Afterwards i did some digging and found other reviews with the same issue on here. bummer. i will be sending them back sadly as they sound great otherwise. Hope this has been of help to someone.