Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1

[Thasp]

The two speaker systems I have had, have been

a) 35 year old pair of Denon speakers($150 back then) which I salvaged from family, and fixed, which have.. um... blown up after several fixings.

b) I think $50-$150 pair of sony bookshelf speakers for a boombox, over 12 years old. Sucky.

c) TV speakers from a relatively nice 27" Toshiba.

So I was thinking, if I was to get a new audio setup, I'd like a nice sounding 5.1. I went to best buy, and they all sounded... disgusting. The Klipsch were the only PC speakers there I'd even consider.. in a totally different class from the competetion. Plugged them into my Rio, the klipsch 5.1 ultras sounded better with one speaker broken compared to the rest.

This would be soundcard http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=...a955aa6ae2db1c

And this would be speakers http://store.klipsch.com/details.asp?prodID=56

So, should I expect it to be a great improvement over my last two setups? I don't want to go overboard. My original budget was $150-$230 for a 5.1 setup for movies, games, and music, yet I raised it to $360(price of klipsch at newegg), for the sake of quality. Are these good?

Considering I don't want to spend over $400, do you have any recommendations for a 5.1 system like this that sounds better?

[The_Mac]

the Creative Labs Megaworks 550THX are an excellent value. Much smoother satellites than the klipsch, with extremely liquid mids. They lack a tweeter, so they are a little handicapped in the highs, but you really need to look for it. The sub is pretty good. Not nearly as good as the Ultra sub, but very respectible for gaming and music. The only thing it wouldn't be appropriate for is using the 550 as a cheap HTIB for movies in a large room.

the Gigaworks S700 are also an excellent speaker set. They have 2-way satellites and have the same lovely mids as the megaworks, but also have VERY detailed highs. Some say that they are harsh, but it's all a personal preference (and I think source dependant as well). The sub on these is upgraded over that of the 550's but not as good as the Ultra. It's about the same quality as the original Promedia 5.1 sub.

For music, the S700 and ultras are a toss up, the better sats on the 700 or the better sub on the ultras is your choice. And the 550 is just an excellent value if you decide that you don't want to spend $350.

[Thasp]

Thanks.

I don't have the S700 in the store, and they were a considered second choice. A few sites said the Klipsch sats were clearer with test tones and stuffs, so I thought that they were the wiser choice.

I'll have to find a place that has them on display and give a listen. Thanks.

[cmascatello]

I have zero complaints with my Ultra 5.1 set. I do not use them quite as much as I used to -- the headphone rigs are in my office now -- but I do enjoy the sound out of them. You have ot be careful and make sure that the Sub is not set too high b/c it can get boomy VERY quickly. It took me around a week to get the Sub placement and calibration where I wanted it and have not looked back since.

[The_Mac]

also, when you do get your new speakers, do yourself a favour and do not plug anything into the headphone outs on the speaker sets.

Headphones sound better straight out of the sound card rather than through the control module on your new MM speakers, and even better if you have a good headamp in the line.

[Distroyed]

PC Gamer liked the S700 better than the Klipsch series... they named it a merging of Klipsch's satellite's with Logitech's sub. I plan on getting a pair come a few years when I feel I've gotten my money's worth out of my klipsch 4.1's and have recovered from headphone purchases.
I wouldn't touch the other mentioned speakers.... they all have a tendency to sound like boomy subs with nothing else going on.

[The_Mac]

Originally posted by Distroyed
PC Gamer liked the S700 better than the Klipsch series... they named it a merging of Klipsch's satellite's with Logitech's sub. I plan on getting a pair come a few years when I feel I've gotten my money's worth out of my klipsch 4.1's and have recovered from headphone purchases.
I wouldn't touch the other mentioned speakers.... they all have a tendency to sound like boomy subs with nothing else going on.

Actually, it's more like the Altec Lansing 641 satelites and the klipsch 5.1THX sub. Or maybe the Altec MX6051 satellites.

The logitech subs are horrible. loose and boomy and just generally bad sounding. I had to make a downfiring stand for mine, stuff the inside with cotton batting, and clog the port with a balled up pair of socks just to tighten it to the point that it wasn't painful to listen to. It's really just not a good sub at all.

But the S700 are excellent.

[Distroyed]

Interesting, Mac. A lot of people rave about the power of the higher priced promedia logitech subs. I havent heard it myself... wouldnt be surprised if they didnt know the difference between clean and crappy bass though. Im certainly quite interested in the new s700 though... wish I had $500 to burn (and when I do, it's going to a headphone amp)

[gsferrari]

I doubt there is a "Promedia Logitech" sub...its the Logitech Z-640 and Z-680 that people refer to. The Bass is great for games and movies but lousy for music

The Ultra 5.1 has the best sub of all - Dual 8" and no passive radiators here!! But they say that placement is VERY important for the sub to perform well...

Creative have better build quality and better sats...the Klipsch sats are not suitable for music because of their shrillness...like Grados on steroids

[Thasp]

Shrillness?

I'm now leaning towards the creatives since they're cheaper, and more people seem to like them. Not to mention the extra 60 watts is nice.

I dislike Logitech's subwoofers. Very inaccurate, they only go down to 35 Hz too. Just, too loud.. if any site is saying that having a logitech sub is a _good_ thing, they're out of their fecking minds.

So I should go with the 700s, I presume? Now I'm all confused... I need to hear the 700s in the store. Yes yes.

[Distroyed]

Originally posted by gsferrari
I doubt there is a "Promedia Logitech" sub...its the Logitech Z-640 and Z-680 that people refer to. The Bass is great for games and movies but lousy for music

The Ultra 5.1 has the best sub of all - Dual 8" and no passive radiators here!! But they say that placement is VERY important for the sub to perform well...

Creative have better build quality and better sats...the Klipsch sats are not suitable for music because of their shrillness...like Grados on steroids

Those are promedia speakers, as a class. But yeah, I referred to it as that because I couldnt think of z-680 at the time and didnt feel like doing a google search.
I really like the "shrillness" of the Klipsch's for music; it's more of a forward treble than a shrillness... it gives it a slightly closer and headphone-like experience. Other computer speakers sound distant and hallow to me after listening to Klipsch's for so long.

[The_Mac]

okay, again a few opinions that I have to voice.

The highs on the klipsch promedia aren't "shrill" they're bright. And the Gigaworks are brighter. Some say that the gigaworks are harsh and shrill, but others say that they are bright and detailed, but almost everyone who has heard both side by side will tell you that the Gigaworks have a brighter and more detailed high end, and a warmer mirange, where the klipsch are a little recessed.

The sub on the klipsch is ovbiously a better design than the gigaworks, being louder and tighter and it goes lower. Not a lot toghter though, so the gigaworks sub is still musical, just not as tight, and not nearly as loud. It's more balanced to the system though for most types of music. The Ultra sub tends to overpower the satellites unless you EQ it down a little. This sounds lovely for gaming and movies and some music though.

All around, you may want to visit the Klipsch forums and read the comparaisons made by "TheEar".

[gsferrari]

He he

The EAR is going through hell on the forums with his newest review where he compares all these speaker systems...poor dude...

[Thasp]

After reading around, I've chosen the Gigaworks.

A few reasons..

a) Better sats.

b) Comes with speaker stands, which I definately need, and won't pay more for... they should come with a 5.1 system, and if I'm paying over $350, it should definately come with them.

c) $30 cheaper.

d) Upgradeable to 7.1(if I ever care for 7.1)

e) 50 watts more(could come in handy to vibrate neighbors's windows)

f) Better sats.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

[Thasp]

http://www.guru3d.com/article/sound/113/4/

That site doesn't seem so professional, yet it's not so encouraging either... sigh. Decisions, decisions.