Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System

Purchased these this week, and had them replaced with another set - which exhibited the same flaw.
Two may be a curse, but they both did the same thing so I would be wary. 
 
When on standby, the speakers issued a very low sounding 'ticking' sound (every 3 seconds or so), and the subwoofer exhibited a medium-frequency humming noise.
(no, not interference - tried with computer off / router off / different rooms...same deal).
 
I expect that this is a build flaw, but for the price, not something I was going to put up with.
Also - given there is no way to power down the system from the control (besides from unplugging from the wall), it was unacceptable.
 
Now - when actually on, the speakers were actually pretty good. I would say "pretty" good, as the soundstage wasn't as bright as I would have expected, given the size of the drivers. It certainly wasn't immersive.
 
The speaker wires were also those cheap 1mm black / red wires - I would have expected something slightly better for this level of speaker.

I owned a pair of these. My uncle also bought them. They sound ok for the price. For people concerned with actual fidelity and resolution, you'd be much better off with entry level 4 or 5 inch powered studio monitors. Presonus' Eris 4.5 is a 4.5" stereo studio monitor setup that sounds much better than the promedia- especially with a good source like a decent USB DAC, or even a high end soundcard like an Essence STX. Of course, these don't have a sub. So if you're a basshead and all your music is at a terrible 320kbps or lower, stick with the promedias. If you listen to FLAC/ALAC/WAV or CD's and you want better sound, look at a 4.5 or 5" stereo studio monitor setup. I don't recommend the (strangely popular) Audioengine A5 as an alternative as that speaker is very poor for the price.
 
Basically, at any price point, there are better speakers out there than the Promedias for the "broke audiophile". For people without good hearing, or who don't know what good sound is, or who are bassheads, the Promedia will be fine for you. However, if you want truly good sound quality out of your computer in a one-time purchase, consider tripling your budget and getting the KEF X300A which is a stereo setup consisting of two nice bookshelf speakers which each have their own internal DAC and class A/B amplification. Those sound like true entry level HIFI. You won't get that out of any computer speaker. 
 
In the end, as all audiophiles know, computer speakers are crap. Why? Simply because the manufacturers can get away with it. The average user doesn't expect much from their computer in terms of sound quality. Those of us in the know, know that you can hook a $50 000 HIFI up to a computer and get incredible sound if you do it properly. All computer speakers from $20 logitechs all the way up to $500 AudioEngine's are crap. Some are more crap than others, like the Corsair SP2500 which is monumentally terrible... but none are good. The only truly good computer speakers that ever existed were the short-lived Klipsch iFi which used two actual HIFI satellites (RSX3) and a proper entry level HIFI subwoofer for really mind blowing sound. They were about $500 back in 2005-2007. Exceptional. These days though it's all gutter grade.
 
Save up $700 and get the X300As. 

Over the past 6 years I've had 4 sets of these speakers and I'll say the older model's are by far better than the newer series in overall quality but the newer models retain enough value to consider them over other brands.  My biggest grip with all my sets is the noise you can get when turning the volume up or down and I've finally found a nice and easy fix.  Take the knobs off the controller and spray a little WD-40 or similar electronic oil safe spray and all the issues will go away.  I just don't see myself moving to another brand and when I do it'll be to some sort of actual hi-fi setup with an actual stereo head unit.
 
I can't recommend these enough.  :thumb:

I'd been looking for some speakers for a while, I just never wanted to commit to any until I was sure what I wanted. I had read a few reviews about these before I bought mine, and it was pretty much nothing but good about them.
 
Now that I've had them for about a month I can honestly say these are the best speakers I've owned. The sound quality is great, the bass is amazing.
 
The speakers themselves are a little big, but I honestly don't care.

I picked up a pair of these speakers while I was going through college. I used them in a dorm room for my laptop. Being that they weren't terribly expensive I wasn't sure what to expect. They sounded amazing. The bass was always very present and responsive and the mids and highs were all well articulated. These speakers were a dream until the volume control on the unit failed. I eventually found a replacement unit on the Klipsch website (surprise, they revised it a little) it wasn't the same replacement part. So far I've had no problems with this revision of the volume control.
 
I would like to qualify amazing. They are definitely not going to make anyone drop their 1500 dollar amps and headphones or speakers. However, they are better than any other desktop system I've heard including the Bose computer systems. Money well spent.
 
 
I tend to take very good care of my electronics so I was surprised that I had any problems at all. I'm not going to hold this against Klipsch and planning on buying several of their speakers in the future.

Got these babies open box from ebay for a hundred smackers, can't beat it.
 
The bass is AWESOME. Notes go waaaay down low, not the tightest I've heard from subwoofers but still sounds great with plenty of subbass grunt to make anything with lots of bass sound .
 
Overall the sound is bass-slanted as one would expect from a 2.1 system with a sub this size, but the mids and treble do not suffer. Treble seems to extend plenty far enough and the mids are only occasionally overshadowed by the bass; the main low-end emphasis seems to come in mostly below 200hz so there isn't tons of midbass bleed, more just occasionally excessive boom.
 
I think these speakers sound great, they are perfect for movies and they handle all of my genres about as well as I could ask, better than I would have thought I would ever find for $100, and surprisingly the bass doesn't usually interfere with its musicality, despite the quantity; my only complaint is that it can only be turned down so much and at the volume I like the mids, the bass probably still disturbs my neighbors O_O
 
Overall, great sound, simple setup, and good deals on them all over the place; can't go wrong here.

Good luck getting a perfect pair of these with a lasting amp. But an amazing buy and way loud enough for most situations.

Before I got these, I got a 5.1 system by Logitech that was about 50$ cheaper.  They died for no reason about a week after I brought them home.  Took them back to the store and shelled out the extra bucks for a brand known for making qualilty speakers.  I was not disappointed.  They produce a far clearer sound than the Logitechs and the bass can shake the room whereas the Logitech sub was weak.  I have found that they are a bit lacking when it comes to super lows but it's understandable considering it's only a 6.5 in sub.  For example, the 12 in subs in my car can hit way lower notes, but they're twice the size and pack quite a bit more power.  
 
I have played music, watched movies, and played games through these speakers and they handled all with flying colors.  During movies I had to turn down the bass knob because it's too much during explosions and whatnot.  Also, while listening to music at reasonable volumes I usually turn the bass up to near-max (just my own personal preference) but as you increase the volume, the levels even out and I find myself turning the bass knob down.
 
Overall, I'm very pleased with the purchase and highly recommend them.

I am not sure when I bought them. It was around 4-5 years ago. Either 2005-2006. SO I have have been using these for about 3 years. I got the logitech z5500s last year because I wanted more bass so my girlfriend now uses these. And I must say. I forgot how good they sounded for their size and everything. Love the sound and sub. Very good computer speakers.

These speakers are just amazing! It's vented side firing 6.5'' subwoofer makes great room shaking bass! It has a THX certification which means it the top of the line sound quallity. These speakers have enough power to power a huge room! Highly Reccomended!

I bought this for $200 back when there weren't very many choices for computer speakers, and I've never even considered using headphones. Now they have depreciated to under $100.
 
First, at the time, they were good. They were pretty much the best PC speakers one could get short of wiring one's PC to a "serious" system. You can say I have broken ears, but they sound fine. I have no objections except for the bass. The bass module's level can be adjusted using a knob on the control pod that can be attached to either of the 2 speakers. The bass module's midbass is too strong and lower bass is too soft. No matter how I adjust it, it doesn't get to a satisfactory level. If I adjust it so that the midbass is the same level as the midrange and treble, the low bass is too soft. If I adjust it so that low bass is the same level as midrange, there's a huge and annoying midbass hump.
 
As these are the only computer speakers I've ever had, though, I can't compare them with other computer speakers. Despite the screwy bass module, it still does what it's supposed to, and at less than $100 right now I think it's still a good value.