Among the best multi media speakers!
Written: Feb 12 '05 (Updated May 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice price point,
Deep accurate bass,
Solid mids and highs for multimedia speakers
Cons: Center channel bracket not lcd friendly,
No remote,
No internal decoder
The Bottom Line: These are one of the best multimedia speakers money can buy that is why you should go out and buy these.
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| sc03979's Full Review: Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 5 Speakers |
Even though there are 14 reviews for this set of speakers I felt inclined to write a review because I don't see too many recent reviews written in the last year about the new ProMedia Ultra 5.1 which debuted in 2003. These are an upgrade to the previous ProMedia THX 5.1.
Klipsch dropped the thx certification to save money to add more value to their speakers. Since 2003 Klipsch has improved the sub, in the past there were heat problems. I was in the market for some pc speakers so I hunted around a few forums and ultimately was sold on the ultras.
I hooked these speakers to my pc which includes: 3.2 p4, 1 gb of ram, audigy 2 ZS sound card.
Specs: You can get these from Klipsch or any online retailer.
Appearance:
Satellites- The ultra satellites are a dark charcoal grey with black covers. They are enclosed with Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) and are small enough in size to fit on your pc desk. The satellites have 25mm mettalized tweeters and 3" fiber composite midranges. They sit on metallic stands that are directed up. The center channel has a stand that allows it to sit horizontally that can be directed down for those with CRT monitors, but not up for those with lcds. Overall the satellites are an attractive speakers.
Control pod- The control pod is a light plastic box with a digital display denoting the volume. It has a small foot print and is a combination of dark and light gray in color. The control pod is light weight and seems kind of cheap. However it does the job with it's big volume knob, head phone jack, input jack (for outside media players), and rear, center, and sub db adjustment buttons. Overall it gets the job done despite it's deficencies.
Sub- The sub is the same color as the satellites and is quite heavy. It has center/sub, rear, and front inputs. It has outputs for each of the five satellites and another subwoofer as if you would need another. The sub has dual, that's right dual 8" side-firing fiber composite drivers. This thing is heavy and eats up alot of real estate. This thing screams quality.
Also includes- 3 audio cables to connect to a sound card and 18 gauge speaker wire
Sound: disclaimer- 100% subjective, this is only my opinion
Satellites- The satellites sound very good for speakers of this size. The highs and mids are fairly clear. I compared the satellites with sony's latest cheapest about $50/pair book shelf speakers. The book shelfs had more range but were not as clear in the highs and mids department but were much better in the low end. I based my sound critique off of listening to classical, rock, rap, trance, half life 2, and movies such as Return of the King, Alien vs. Predator. To get a better sounding speaker you might have to look at an entry level bookshelf like athena, jbl, or one of klipsch's offerings and give up some desk space.
Subwoofer- This sub is amazing. Not a whole lot to say about it except that it is deep and accurate, not the least bit boomy.
Upgradibility: This system is completely upgradeable. You can add at least another sub plus you can hook up any speakers you want because they amp has regular speaker wire output connections.
What I don't like: My major gripe about the promedia is that it doesn't come with a remote control, and it doesn't have a lcd user friendly center channel bracket.
Conclusion: For multimedia speakers these things really do the job. To get a comparable sound system using a receiver, 5 speaker set, and a subwoofer you would have to spend at least $600 and you would have to find space for receiver. These speakers almost are as good as midlevel home theatre in a box speakers.
Some final thoughts: If you watch movies or play alot of games that take advantage of 5.1 and you want quality multimedia speakers these are the best or are at least the equals of creative and logitechs premier 5.1 systems. These are not designed to be your sole home theater system. The ultras are best used 3 feet from you head.
For those that want to hook up your gaming console I wouldn't recommend the promedia ultras since it doesn't have an internal decoder. The Promedias don't have all the extras that the other 5.1 sytems have but Klipsch put all it's effort into the sound of the speakers.
UPDATED: Updated the comparison of my cheap sony bookshelf speakers. I didn't have the sound configured right.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sc03979
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
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