[The_X]

I remember a few years ago, before I got into Head-Fi, I'd heard my friend's set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's and was really impressed. I loved how powerful the bass was and wanted a pair for myself but the price was too high.

I ended up getting a pair of Altec Lansing ACS295's off eBay a while back. They're an old model from the the late 90's I believe, and pack one 3" and a 1" driver into each satellite plus a 6" driver in the subwoofer. For the record they sound fantastic. Though the sub is only 20 watts RMS it has quite a good kick and is surprisingly accurate.

Right now I'm in my dorm and I've been using a Tivoli Model One hooked up to my laptop for music. Awesome compact setup... really amazing, smooth, intimate and warm sound in such a small package. Anyways I saw a few days ago that Midnightbox.com was selling open-box Klipsch 2.1's for just $55 shipped. I remembered how much I liked my friend's set back in the day and I jumped at the heavily discounted price and they arrived yesterday.

My impressions so far have been.. WOW! I was impressed by this? The bass is ridiculously bloated and inaccurate. It is the absolute definition of one-note bass. Basically all it does is thump and rattle the things on my desk. I suppose it would be good for rap or club music but that's about it. I have the bass turned down to just 1/4 volume which makes it less overbearing, but still basically one note. The satellites are thin and shrill-sounding. Both mids and highs are scratchy, rather than smooth like the Tivoli. Also, the crossover between sub and satellites isn't well blended and so you get the distinct feeling of listening to two sets of speakers rather than one uniform body of sound. I remember hearing a set of Tivoli Model Two with Subwoofer which I think was quite a good system. All three components blended really well so you would never be aware of whether sound was coming from the satellites or sub.

I suppose I've been spoiled by my Vibes and ER-4P's and Model One too much. These things just don't cut it for me anymore, and this is one of the first times I've really noticed how far I've come in terms of appreciating good sound quality. I'm keeping the Promedias just for when I have people over drinking or whatnot, but I'm leaving the Tivoli connected for regular listening or background music. I just thought I'd share this experience which was pretty interesting to me.

 

[lator]

Thanks for sharing. I think many of us have been there too.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Before Head-fi, I had a set of the Klipsch 2.1's, and I though they sounded amazing, probably only because they sounded better than the POS Aiwa 400W bookshelf system they replaced. Post Head-fi, they sounded awful, just as you've noted, so I tolerated them for the sake of desk space as long as I could, then finally shipped them off in favor of some proper studio monitors.

 

[spacemanspliff]

yeah me too. I replaced them with some paradigm monitor 9s I picked up locally on the semi cheap.

just a slight improvement lol

games pretty much sound real now.

 

[EnOYiN]

I gave away my logitech 2.1 set. I simply couldn't stand it anymore. I have yet to get me some other speakers for when some people come by.

 

[megamanwich]

I feel your pain. I'm still sitting on my 5.1s from a couple of years ago. At least they're okay for movies.

 

[Gopher]

yeah... i used to have promedia 2.1s and 4.1s--never really impressive, but you've gotta recognize their function. Its not the backbone of a high end audio setup, but it does add another dimension to gaming on the cheap. Also, not bad for those pressed for space using their computers as theaters.

It will never be a component system, but for $55 shipped.. *shrug*

 

[lini]

It's quite a pity that JBL doesn't produce their Control Media set anymore - simply a powered version of the well-known Control 1G in computer grey-ish colour with a 2 x 20 W amp section (with output for an optional subwoofer) and a fairly trustworthy sized and heavy external power-supply brick - and that it was a bit on the pricey side to begin with. But that was and still is about the only dedicated pc speaker set that doesn't totally suck compared to some half-decent two-way bookshelfs...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[The_X]

Some Cambridge Soundworks computer speakers were designed by Henry Kloss.. Anyone have a pair and able to testify as to how good they are?

 

[Lockout]

I know what you mean. I have the ProMedia 2.1s, and I really liked them prior to buying my HD595s.

It's been about a month since I bought them, and I've only used the ProMedias once. They sound horrible by comparison.

 

[BadassBob]

Im a former owner of the Promedias. I upgraded to a low end stereo receiver and some cheap Pioneer bookshelves. The sound is MUCH better now. I know there is far better equipment, but hifi is an expensive hobby, so I just get what I can afford

. For the price, I dont think I could have a better setup. My bookshelves arent in MDF cabinets, but I stuffed em full of Acousta-stuf and it made them sound much better than what I paid for them.

 

[joe_cool]

I have a pair of M50s on the wall behind my workstation and they are quite adequate for a small room (spare bedroom). They have a 5" woofer, a 1" silk tweeter and a high-grade crossover. I use a 60w per channel amp and a powered sub-woofer (not really necessary in a small room unless you play rap or something).

 

[mkozlows]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_X /img/forum/go_quote.gif My impressions so far have been.. WOW! I was impressed by this?

The worst part is, THESE ARE GOOD for computer speakers. I mean, objectively they're horrid, but compared to Logitech/Altec-Lansing/Sony/Yamaha/Boston Acoustics speakers, these are just amazing.

At this point I'm saving up for Genelec 8020a speakers (I figure I'll buy a HeadRoom Desktop amp to do DAC and preamp functionality, as well as drive my HD650s), but that's sort of a different price range altogether.

The frustrating thing is that I have a NAD 314 and Paradigm Mini-Monitors sitting in the basement, and they'd be marvelous for these purposes, but I just don't have the desk space to handle them.

So yeah, I use my headphones and MicroStack a lot...

 

[Thelonious Monk]

the solution:

i think? i heard them (Eminent LFT-11 Planar Magnetic) before and they sounded AWESOME- maybe if i can get my hands on them again i can get some better impressions, that was before i developed a taste for headphones

 

[Suzuka]

Have 2.1 Promedia, I am satisfied with them as PC speakers plus they serve a good function when I am on a treadmill watching movie or just listening to music while on treadmill. Or when there is a party, they are really loud and don't distort either, I also find that I enjoy music from them, when I listen. As for rare shrillness, it can be easily alliviated by EQ.

Compared to real bookshelves they aren't in the same league but as for PC speakers, they are top sound quality in that category.

In any case there is no point upgrading speakers anyway, you'd need to spend thousands to come close to a decent set of cans.