I have been an audio technician/sound engineer, and a musician for over 40 years now. Yes, I'm an old fart :>) If you will bare with me for a few paragraphs, I will try to pass on some knowledge I have gained over the years.
You might not know this, but the Promedia 2.1 Klipsch speakers are a favorite in many pro recording studios around the country. We use them during finalizing to test a mix through similated high end home audio systems. The promedias are that good. I use them in my home studio for the same reason, but I have also used them for complete final mixes. A year ago, I mixed an entire Christmas album through the promedias while the power amp that drives my unpowered studio monitors was getting repaired. They worked beautifully for this, and even surprised me.
The trick with the promedias is EQing. These speakers have a very flat response if a little minor EQing is applied. There simply is nothing else out there in this price range that can match these speakers, in a 2.1 setup, in my opinion.
There is a stigma out there about using high end computer speakers such as the Klipsch promedias for home studios, or as high end PC speakers. Many folks will be advised to buy studio monitors. In reality, studio monitors, even very high end sets, are not good at all for performing, and listening. They basically are for mixdowns, where unexagerated sound is prefered. The truth is, any high quality speakers can be used as studio monitors if they can be EQ'd for a flat response. While performing and/or listening, a more enhanced sound is not only preferred, it is required if you are to simulate the base, the crash of a cymbal, or the thump of a base drum, in a live performance setting. What studio monitors put out, is anything but a realisted live performance similation, and they weren't meant to. If you go to Yamaha's website, and lookup their top recording workstations, guess what they recommend, and sell for them? A 2.1 system, with a 40 watt sub. The reason I mention this, is because the promedia's ability to similate both studio monitors when flat, or live performances when the base is boosted through the sub, makes them very versitile.
I ran across your article while browsing the web, and wanted to add a viewpoint on these speakers from somebody who works with them for a living. One important thing I have learned over the years - any speaker system, no matter how expensive or how accurate they may be technically, will get different responses from different people. You can take the highest quality speakers available, and I guarantee you that some will love them, and others will hate them. This is even true with studio monitors. You can buy three different brands of the best out there, the top of the line models, and all three speakers will have a different sound quality to them. They are all flat as a pancake, and clean as a whistle. Technically, they are the same, but yet, they sound different. Which speaker is the most realistic sounding? They all are! That is because what you think is great, may be different than what I think is great. So these promedias you are knocking, probably do not sound good to you. To somebody else, they might be the best small speaker system they have ever heard. Since NO speaker can replicate an exact copy of a recording, then it comes down to personal taste.
Hope this helps anybody out there wondering about what speakers are best to use for a certain purpose. Look a the specs first. Make sure they are technically up to the job. After that, it's all up to your own ears to decide what's best, not somebody elses.
P.S. I have spent many hours of my life wearing headphones as a musician/engineer. I am developing Tinnitus now because of it. Please be careful with headphones. It takes very little to damage your ears while wearing phones. The bad part is, you won't know your damaging them, until the damage is done. It cannot be reversed. Once the ears are damaged, you will live with a ringing in your ears the rest of your life. There is no cure, no remedy. Use headphones sparingly.
BigMike
