Does anyone else have these Speakers http://www.klipsch.com.au/promedia-2-1-computer-speakers I got these the other day, cost me $299 They sound and look good, but I'm wondering if anyone else has them, how you get the best out of them? I'm thinking maybe a New Sound card would compliment them also
Congratz, those Klipsch are great and have been around for years with no major changes required to keep them competitive. I used to have a set about 10 years ago. Forget why I stopped using them and what I replaced them with. I have blown out several woofers on hi-end hi fi and PC speakers in my lifetime [Edit update: Now I remember. There was an electrical fire in my apartment building while I was at work that started in the unit next to mine. Lots of water and smoke damage. I lost most everything I had. I had to live in a hotel while my apartment was rebuilt. Good to have renter's insurance ] If you have a good ear they definitely merit a sound card upgrade to achieve their full potential. Depends on what sound card you are currently using and how tolerant your neighbors are You will be amazed the difference a higher-end sound card will make. A few years ago I upgraded to a Creative X-FI Titanium HD card and the the difference from an OEM Realtek HD card was staggering. (X-FI Titanium HD is now no longer made, but still available on Amazon but will not be compatible with W 10 until Creative releases it's promised upgrade for the drivers and software.) But with technological, advances since then, I'm certain you will get as good, if not better ,sound from a much cheaper, non top of the line card now. Don't know what you are using now, but when I upgraded I had to buy a bunch of splitter cables as the jacks on a high end card are more and different than the typical OEM connections. Someone with a better familiarity with the names of the different type of connectors will probably come in and help here. I believe, for example, each side channel (left speaker,right speaker) required two RCA type connectors, or something like that. [OT: Woofer Blow Out Story: I have good ear for music and while in high school and college played the saxophone professionally with dance bands and combos to supplement my funds. For my 30th birthday I treated myself to a pair of Genesis Speakers at a cost back then of over $700. You old timers may recall The AR Spekers that were very popular in the 60's, 70's. These Genesis were designed by one of the founders of AR. I had a new upstairs neighbor with no carpets on his floor and he was a total a h, loud,inconsiderate and a source of a lot of aggravation. I managed to stack a bunch of storage boxes and other things high enough so that I could place these speakers flush with my ceiling and let them play at full volume from a high powered amp. Was great fun (my walls actually shook as if there was a low level earthquake happening), neighbor got the point , but I blew out the woofers. It was a costly stunt. Genesis had gone out of business and the only woofers that would fit that I could find were Radio Shack Realistics, and my speakers then s@&ked. They were tall and large and made out of light oak. Stacked horizontally one on top of the other they now serve as the base for a large nice looking thick piece of unfinished wood, which together have comprised my PC Desk and eating table for decades. ]
They still make those? I had the 2.1s and the 5.1s and they didn't last very long (the 5.1 amp fried after about 2 years and the 2.1s cheap connector broke--which I replaced--but one channel of the amp fried after about 4 years). Until they self-destructed, they sounded fantastic. Look online for ways to keep them cool. To answer your question, I removed my Sound Blaster X-fi (older than hawki's SB) since it wasn't working with Win10 (I think the driver is updated now) and I definitely noticed a difference in sound quality over the on-board Realtek 889.
Presently I have the ASUS Xonar DS. I was looking at this https://www.ple.com.au/ViewItem.aspx?InventoryItemId=616508 but last time I had Creative, which was a few years ago now, when Windows 7 came out, there was a terrible time getting the Complete software for it, Are drivers and software now available for Windows 10 with Creative ? Edit: Rolo sort of answered the Creative question, but I'd like confirmation if anyone has
I have a creative SB Recon3d PCIe and I am using the SB Recon3D PCI software. It is fantastic. When I first tried it on windows 10, windows 10 did a driver update, which killed it. I just re downloaded the software and driver that was out there re installed and it's been fine. I bought the Logitech 2.1 speakers that are THX certified, and it's an awesome system. I looked at the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1's and the reviews scared me.
It's the Creative Win10 drivers support matrix, Neo: http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=126331&h=13a
Oh gosh, I don't remember. I just googled and look at the various reviews. Also there were a lot on Amazon. What bothered me wasn't that people had problems with stuff like connectors, but that Klipsch didn't do anything to solve it, or even provide help
Why I won't ever consider that company's products ever again. Between designing the audio well but designing longevity obviously poorly and providing zero support, I can't help but infer that "engineered obsolescence" is a Klipsch core value. You know a product is fundamentally flawed when there are businesses dedicated to repairing that specific product exclusively or well documented "How to repair your Klipsch ProMedia speakers" sites compelete with part numbers to parts Klipsch should have used. The trick to unsderstanding reviews is that they are biased positively when ownership duration is short and become more accurate if the reviewer waits a while after the novelty wears off.
I asked over at the Amazon Product page about the update which Creative promised for September and got mixed responses. Only one out of four peeps who responded said that the Update was working as intended.
I had been using the Logitechs for the past two years and they indeed are awesome and a great value. Some reviews knocked the most recent iteration as sounding "tinny." I believe they misinterpreted clarity for tinny They have achieved Iconic Status, but according to many reviews, the new "King of the Hill" became the Corsair SP2500 High-power 2.1 PC Speaker System. Fine, if you want to spend twice the cost of the Logitechs I moved recently, and for a variety of landlord and neighbor related issues I am now using Bose Companion 20's, which are totally amazing given their size and no subwoofer. Their base is as low and powerful, but not as tight, as the Logitechs and overall lack the clarity of the Logitechs. (This may be due to not having my X-Fi installed-currently using an ASUS ROG GR20J and if you open the case it automatically voids the ASUS warranty-brilliant policy for a gaming PC ) But recently I have been tempted to say F@7k it! and take the Logitechs out of the closet.
This is one of the most respected speaker manufactures in the audio business. My guess is they are very good. I would encourage anyone who uses Klipsch products to get the very best equipment they can come up. The cables are probably RCA pin connectors usually used in Audio
Honestly, my opinion is that if the one included in your PC isn't utter trash, they're all going to perform pretty much the same. If you do want to get another sound card though, the Essence STX is supposed to be pretty nice. The Creative ZX series is supposed to be nice as well. I will point out that I don't actually have experience with these, but I did look into them a bit when I was looking for a sound card. I personally have a Scarlett audio interface since I have a pair of studio monitors. I went with this instead of the Essence STX because it has balanced audio outs (which only matters if your speakers can use it, the Promedia's can't), a volume knob (I didn't have a keyboard with media keys at that point), and it has extra inputs and outputs which come in handy for multiple audio sources (I have a turntable I use with mine) or if you want a nice xlr mic. I'd recommend checking them out as they're cheaper than some of the nicer soundcards and have a lot of nice features. Additionally, you might get a lot of benefit from spending some time tweaking the positioning of the speakers and sub.
I walked in to Best Buy a couple of months ago to pick-up the Logitech set-up Pete references above and settled on the Klipsch since they were sold out. Tell ya what-- for the size of the speakers and the price point (roughly $140), these speakers kick arse with a beautifully spacious three dimensional sound stage presentation. Especially with movies--> cell phones in a restaurant, traffic noises a blck away, a knock on the front door, a gun shot nearby, a baby crying in the next room, the flapping of birds' wings fading in the distance, etc. These speakers can strut their stuff in placing various sound effects apart and distinctly separate from each other like I never would have imagined as I stared at these gems boxed up on the store shelf. Definitely a keeper.
Dunno what model you are referring to, but I have owned three sets of Bose Speakers, 2 stereo 2 speaker sets, and one set with a subwoofer, and none of them connected by USB and definitely did not by pass the sound card. I can't imagine any speaker maker doing that. I have a set of Logitech G930s headphones that connect by USB and by pass - but never have seen speakers connect by USB.
I agree with your disagree (speakers have a wide spectrum of sound quality...more so than amplifiers) except that I don't know what the type/cost of the PC matters. A low-grade sound card will still sound better with quality speakers than with cheap ones. The biggest problem with run-of-the-mill consumer stereos is that they bundle them with cheap speakers...replace those and you'd swear it was a completely different amp. I also agree with @Lagavulin16 ; my experience with the sound reproduction of the Klipsches was superb as he described, and with volume. Until they had problems. Save your receipts and such in case you do. Now if McIntosh would only make some computer speakers...
My Bad Think that's a first. I had used the Original Series Bose Companion 3's / 3 piece with sub-woofer. That's what distorted my thinking. They had a standard connection. Worst thing about Bose PC speakers is that round flat controller. Half a teaspoon of liquid on it that finds its way to the rubberized edge and it leaks inside and it shorts and the system is lost forever. Drying does not fix it. I have seen that Companion 5 in a Best Buy, but never gave it a listen cuz of the price.
Astonishing isn't it It's almost 2016 and still it gets off topic, unless some of you are completely blind! or just Ignorant, I asked about Klipsch, I'll say it again just in case your dyslexic KLIPSCH... not Logitech or Bose or anything else for that matter Maybe I should have called the thread Klipsch Pro Media 2.1, but Ignore that and discuss something else
Uh... I didn't mean the speakers that come with it. I meant the DAC. We're on the same page here. As I said, I have a pair of studio monitors that I actually purchased after owning a pair of the Promedia's.
