Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/394



Introduction
Before I start talking about these speakers, I have to take a visit to the hearing doctor due to some semi-permanent hearing damage :) (kidding). Having been a long-time fan of Klipsch and their pursuit for sound perfection, I was incredibly excited to hear that they were finally getting into the computer audio market. I mean, what better organization to enter the market than one that has 53 years in the audio industry?

Klipsch was originally founded by one of the greatest audio engineers ever, Paul W. Klipsch in 1946. Hard to believe such a successful company started in a tin shed. I still reminisce, when I used to DJ using the Klipschorn line of speakers, they are fantastic speakers. In 1989, Paul sold the company to his cousin Fred Klipsch, and wife Judy. But Paul's love of audio and all that it encompasses has certainly not stopped. In January 1999, in Las Vegas, Paul was on hand for the unveiling of the Klipschorn Jubilee, which is a speaker system based on a design dating back to 1946.

Well, it's October, 1999 and we now have Klipsch speakers on our desktops. These new speakers are named ProMedia v.2 - 400. It is obvious in the design and presentation of these speakers that nothing has changed at Klipsch. The build quality, and sound quality are nothing short of outstanding. This is the first PC computer speaker system that has been given THX® certification.

THX®
THX® has been in existence now for 15 years. Some of you will ask, "What does THX® stand for?" It actually came from the first feature film by George Lucas, THX 1138. What is it? Well, to put it very simply, it is a set of quality control parameters and specifications that set the standard for quality sound and video reproduction. It first started in 1980 when George Lucas began the process of defining some standards for movie theatres, so that the movie fanatics could truly enjoy a movie in its purest form. As this standard was adopted, Lucas had seen the need for the same set of standards in the home environment. So in 1986, Lucas began the process of establishing Home THX®. 1990 marked the year when Home THX® was introduced. Today, there are over 1600 certified movie theatres and over 250 Home THX® products in existence. 1999 is yet another landmark year for George Lucas and his "Empire". July 16th, 1999 LucasFilm announced the THX® Multimedia Program. The concept remains the same - define a specification that envelopes the multimedia environment.

I don't know how many times I have heard people blabbing on about THX®, such things as "THX® is a 7 speaker system". The truth is what we have just talked about and what you can find on http://www.thx.com. So now, LucasFilm has developed this new standard for multimedia. Who was the first out the gate with the cool THX® logo pasted to is face? Klipsch. The ProMedia's are the first THX® Certified PC speaker system, which is another landmark in the PC speaker evolution.

Specifications

Total system frequency response: 29-20,000 Hz
Maximum acoustic output: 110dB SPL at listening position
Amplifier headroom: 4 x 60 watts, Satellites
1 x 160 watts, Subwoofer
Satellite impedance: 4 ohms minimum

Satellite Speakers
Sealed elliptical enclosure two-way system with 0.75" polymer dome tweeter mated to MicroTractrix Horn. Midbass driver is 3" long throw design with advanced fiber-composite cone and urethane surround for high output.

Subwoofer Enclosure
Bass-reflex MDF enclosure with front port and dual side-firing active 6.5" drivers (long throw design). Flared tuned port for enhanced bass coupling and deepest system tuning. Sixth-order design allows for high output, low distortion bass while minimizing excursion.

Amplifier
BASH® (Bridged Amplifier/ Switching Hybrid) design with high efficiency/ high output power. Discrete MOSFET power section for high current, maximum dynamic headroom.

Dimensions
Satellite (including bracket): 8.5" H x 4.2" W x 5.67" D
Subwoofer: 9.25 H x 10.25 W x 13 D

Net Weight
System: 28.2 lbs. (12.8 kg)
Satellites (each): 2.1 lbs. ( .95 kg)
Satellites w/ volume control: 3.31 lbs. (1.49 kg)
Subwoofer: 17.5 lbs. (7.95 kg)


Sound Quality
If there was ever a company that, throughout audio history, have helped define "Sound Quality", it is Klipsch. The ProMedia speakers are a shining example of high-end computer audio. The speakers reproduce sound in the most clear and accurate manner I have heard to date from PC speakers. When a set of speakers come out and rival $1000+ sets of home audio equipment, people stop and listen. As usual, when testing speakers, I used a Creative SoundBlaster Live. I played probably over 200-300 songs over the past week and just can't turn these things off. I also watched some DVD movies and the speakers sound fantastic, only lacking a decoder and an extra speaker to experience 5.1 AC-3 sound. Gaming sounds nothing less than immersive. Playing games like Need For Speed: High Stakes, listening to the roar of your opponent coming up behind you, just adds that extra level of realism. With the sheer power of these speakers, the sounds in certain games, especially those in the low frequency range, are just outstanding. One of the things I noticed in all of the PC speakers I have heard is the subwoofer. Although some of them have sounded great, they still lack that punch that you can feel throughout the room and through your body cavity.

The ProMedias pack an amazing amount of power (400Watts RMS total). Now I'm sure we have all heard someone bragging that their JVC system puts out 200Watts and it's so damn loud, blah blah blah. 400 Watts RMS (root mean squared) - think about that. That is one heck of a lot of power for speakers that sit beside your monitor!. I still sit back and think about the days of having a set of 10 Watt LabTec speakers sitting on my desktop thinking, wow sound on the PC. Look at how far we have come in such a short amount of time. The PC speaker evolution has been an extremely rapid journey from tiny sounding speakers that produced no bass whatsoever to today, having 4-60 Watt speakers in your room with a 160 watt sub. Getting back to the 400 Watts these speakers put out. This is not 400 watts of distortion. As I have said, it's the most clear and accurate sound that I have heard ever in a computer speaker system. To provide the 400 Watts of power, Klipsch uses a BASH (Bridged Amplifier Switching Hybrid) design. BASH essentially modulates the amplifiers' power supply to supply a few more watts than the signal. The amplifier is located inside the massive subwoofer enclosure.

Klipsch have used their famous horn design in these speakers. For each sattelite, you have a MicroTactix horn (in my opinion, still the king in the accurate reproduction of high frequencies). You also have a 3" long throw woofer for clear responsive mid-range reproduction. Combining these, you have a very powerful clear sounding satellite. Now comes one of my favorite parts, the sub. Klipsch really did a thorough job on making sure you get balanced sound, not too much highs and mids, and not too much bass. The subwoofer consists of twin 6.5" woofers in a sixth order bandpass box and a flared tuned bass port. This gives you some extremely punchy bass that you can really feel. The frequency response you get with the satellite and sub package is an oustanding 29Hz - 20,000 Hz. In summary, these speaks provide the user with the best sound experience you can find on the PC market.


Functionality
I have received quite a few emails regarding the subject of a head phone jack being nice to have on the satellites. While I agree it is a definite plus, I still don't think it is a crucial part of a PC speaker system. The Klipsch setup is fairly straightforward. You simply have 22 gauge wire for each speaker that hooks into the amplifier using conventional spring-mounted speaker connectors. To connect to each satellite, you use a standard stereo mini-jack connector. One of the satellites connects to the amp using a DIN connector and it connects to the soundcard using two stereo mini-jack connectors. The same satellite has the main volume control, subwoofer control, and surround volume. What's missing? Treble would have been nice, but its missing on most of the competitor's models, so it's not a big deal at all. The surround volume is a nice touch. Actually, it allows you to balance the 4 speakers nicely, so you have an even sound field without too much front volume or too much rear volume.

Conclusion
Who is the king of the 4.1 speaker hill? Obviously, Klispch. No one has this kind of power and sound quality in 4.1 speakers for the PC, and at $249 US to boot. As I am sitting here writing this, I am listening to music and thinking, why couldn't we have had this a few years ago? If you have ever seen one of those charts with cromagnon man on one end walking on all fours and then someone looking more like you or I on the other upright, that is how I think of the PC speaker revolution. At one end you have two speakers that total no more than 15 Watts and then a set of Promedias on the other, totalling 400 Watts of crisp, clean, knock-your-socks-off sound.

Editor's Choice Gold Award

For their outstanding sound quality and power, the Klipsch ProMedia v.2 - 400 speakers are awarded the AnandTech Gold medal.

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