Cons: Pricey, flakey speaker connections and volume control pots.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended, despite some weaknesses. Very good sound quality, but you should definitely know about some of the product's flaws.
americanbear's Full Review: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 2 Speakers
Klipsch's Famous Horn-Loaded Speakers, Computer Style
Klipsch is famous for horn-loaded speakers. In simple terms, this means that in addition to normal drivers, Klipsch speakers have horns in them, which are nice and directional and excellent for high frequency drivers. I'm not an audiophile, and I don't know all the details of how they work, but that's the simple version. What makes these speakers really special is that Klipsch maintains that tradition of top-quality (though overpriced) horn-loaded speakers; only they miniaturized them into computer speakers.
These speakers consist of two 55W (yes 55W) satellites with a .75" tweeter and Klipsch's MicroTractrix horn, along with a 3" "woofer" (more of a midrange). They also feature a 50W 6.5" "subwoofer" (more of a woofer/subwoofer halfway).
Okay, so who cares?
These Klipsch speakers feature many elements of good loudspeaker design, only miniaturized and with a built-in amplifier in the subwoofer box. I definitely consider them to be the best computer speakers I have heard. They provide a nice clean high end and good crisp bass (boomy by most standards, but not for computer speakers). The place these speakers really lack is in the midrange. It's not terrible, but it's definitely not overly fantastic like the rest of the speakers.
These speakers will satisfy their ended use - as computer speakers for gaming, incredibly well. They're also suited to use as a replacement for a stereo when used in a bedroom with a computer and software such as iTunes. But they're not a replacement for the living room stereo by any means...
Connection Time
Normally I'd put this earlier in the review, but it's not as applicable to computer speakers because they all share the same basic connection to the computer - a 1/8" stereo miniplug. These speakers have a subwoofer enclosure with the amplifier built in as well as the connection to the satellites. The volume controls (sub and main) are on a pod mounted below one of the satellites. This Pod contains sub and volume controls, a headphone jack, an aux input jack, a captive input cable with a 1/8" on the end (for the computer), and a captive link cable to the sub enclosure). The sub enclosure has a jack for said link cable, a captive power cord, and spring-type connectors for the speaker cables.
All great so far (okay, captive cables aren't great, but they are a fact of life), right? Yup. Unfortunately, the good news ends. The computer end of the speaker cables terminates in a mono style 1/8" inch plug. The included cables have a really flakey connection on this end which causes buzzing and crackling. I highly recommend replacing these with higher quality cables (or rather better connectors). They have a "premium" cable set they must be trying to sell... but I just got some connectors at a well known mall store and made up a couple cables with some speaker cable I had lying around. Connect the ground to the sleeve and the hot to the tip.
Okay, so I'll be happy with these as a typical non-audiophile computer user?
Yes, you very well might be, but your pocketbook almost certainly won't be. These are the most expensive 2.1 channel computer speakers you can buy, clocking in at $179 when I bought them, now down to a mere $149! That's an insane price for computer speakers. Also,
You might not be happy for two long. These are solid, heavy speakers, but the pots (potentiometers) in the control pod have a reputation for being a bit flakey, my volume one is starting to go, but I've had the speakers for a few years now. Others report much shorter life-spans. That's unacceptable on such an expensive product. Mine still work, they just get flakey and crackle while adjusting the volume.
Also, as noted above, you'll want to make or buy new cables to the satellites.
THX Certification
You may have noticed that these speakers are THX certified and be wondering what that means... here's the answer: absolutely nothing! Okay, it means the speakers meet a fairly minimal quality standard and that Klipsch paid a lot of money (passed onto you) to get that THX logo on the product. So what it really means is that they're more expensive...
Overall Experience
Computer speakers have a reputation for being poor quality and of no musical merit. These are quite possibly the best sounding computer speakers you can buy, but they're still computer speakers, never forget that! My overall recommendation for these speakers would be for someone like me - a college student who wants nice sound in a cramped apartment. They may be expensive but compare to the cost of computer speakers and an equivalent sounding stereo - they're quite the value in that context.
One other computer speaker set I'd consider is the JBL Creature set - they're scary looking, but I've heard them and they sound good. Not like these, but still very good - and amazingly small. I didn't buy them because they weren't as good, and quite frankly they would've scared me they're so freaky looking.
So, in conclusion, while they're pricey - it is a case of getting what you pay for.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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