Bass too boomy sometimes, overpower vocal and higher frequencies. No extra headphone jack, and no off switch.

Overall, excellent computer speakers need a good sound card with these. I would actually give these speakers a 4.5 star rating.

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Videologic Crossfire.

Just sound natural. Music sounds like music. Excellent bass extension (40 Hz flat) from small sub. Very nice midrange.

Strident when pushed hard. Highs have a hint of sibilance. Bass can tend to be slightly boomy. High price.

[PLEASE NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE KLIPSCH PROMEDIA 2.1]

My wife decided that our infant daughter needed some good tunes (lullabies and such) for her room so I, always on the lookout to upgrade equipment, decided to upgrade my computer system to the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 and let baby Claire listen to the quite competent Cambridge Soundworks Microworks system (2 cubes w/ 3" full-range drivers, 4" bandpass sub). That way all I would need is a CD player as source for her system.

At first listen, the Klipsch ProMedias weren't very impressive. But I've been through the break-in process with a number of speakers now so let good, bassy music flow for about 4-5 hours. The next day, I sat down for some critical listening (I'm a writer, not a gamer, so I use my computer for 2-channel music while I work) and was instantly quite impressed with the system. Gets loud in a hurry. Plays music about as naturally as a multimedia system can, save for the $500+ systems like Acoustic Energy's. Gets boomy and sibilant when pushed hard, but that's WAY beyond my listening level anyway. Was a little hissy due to my crappy 4-year-old sound card, but was able to work that out by toying with CD & sound card output levels. The ProMedia's preamp won't even go past 11 o'clock before sound levels are earsplitting.

At $180, these aren't cheap. Nor are they available anywhere online for less, as Klipsch seems to have a strangehold on pricing. And so I can't rate them highly for value. But for overall quality, they are excellent. So "5" in that category. Highly recommended for music lovers who spend many hours in front of their computers . . .

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Cambridge Soundworks

Best computer speakers no if ands or but about it.

No headphone jack, no center speaker

After a week of burning these suckers in I'm thoroughly pleased. For 250 American there is no way you can get a home audio system to sound this good, and no computer speaker system can touch it's raw power, crisp sounds, and pleasing subwoofer.

The speakers play loud, and play it without distortion, cackling, or breaking up (unlike a lot of other comp spakers). Nothing special about the design it's simple and practical.

The subwoofer is not boomy. It doesn't distract from the main speakers one bit, really nice looking sub; too bad I have them under the desk where no one can see em :o

Setup was straightforward and was completed within 10 mins (not counting re-positioning time to put them in optimal listening position)

Only weakness, if you can call it that is no center channel. But Klipsch and Dolby both explain there is no need for a center channel with the main speakers so close to each other it creates a phantom center :P This is yet to be seen but it would still have been nice to have a center then you can get to move the main speakers away from the monitor and towards the outer walls.

The hissing ppl complain about, the only time I heard any hissing was when you have your ears right up to the speakers :P but who listens to music that way anyhow...and the Hummmmm of the subwoofer? uhhhh my computer case makes atleast 5x the noise.

Yah this product is definitely worth it...

Value, sound.

Not high end, but not priced like high end, either.

This is a fine system, when correctly connected. It is *not* high end (the highs can be sibilant and shrill under some conditions, the bass is a little muddy and can be boomy, the mids sometimes sound as though they are in a box, there is a distinct notch between the bass and mid, caused by switching over from subwoofer to satellites - needs better integration), but for the price, it is simply one of the best solutions for multimedia sound.

Of course, sometimes reviews can be worthless and are only used to vent frustration. Perhaps Klipsch should redesign it to prevent it from being improperly connected by people who don't understand ground vs. hot leads...

A few notes:

The subwoofer back gets hot because it is used as a heat sink for a real amplifier, unlike the toy amp found in a $30 HK. That is why the amp heatsink is on the back.

If the leads are not connected correctly, massive distortion and lack of power will result. The speakers, when connected out of phase, will not perform correctly.

If you are concerned about style, be aware that all decent subwoofers are boxy, just look at *real* subwoofers found in expensive stereos.

I haven't measured the power output, although it probably isn't 400 watts - it doesn't have a big enough heat sink. But, when hooked up correctly, in phase, this system is very loud - much too loud to be played at full volume in an ordinary office space. When out of phase, it sounds very weak and distorted, as does any stereo.

Some say that you shold better buy an integrated amplifier and a pair of speakers, connect the amp to your pc, and you will have excellent music. This is a good solution. Except that an integrated amplifier costs at least what the Klipsch system does, then you have to buy speakers. A pair of speakers that will better the sound quality of the Klipsch will run at least $250 - probably more. AND, they will lack low end bass. To get the low end, you will need to add a subwoofer, at least another $100.

In addition, you have to dedicate more space for the amp, the speakers are larger, and you have to find space for the sub. Finally, you STILL have to connect them correctly or they will sound terrible.

The Klipsch Promedia are a bargain. IF connected correctly, they sound great, for the price. They cannot compete with a high end stereo for sound quality, but they only cost a fraction as much. Enjoy.

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Harmon Kardon

Very good PC PRODUCT... not to compare with home theators! Good bass, good overall sound

This sub doesnt go low, 160W RMS subwoofer? HAH! This is a joke! The Paradigm 100W RMS (PDR-10) sub BEAT IT!

I got this promedia kit for almost 9 months. At first i was pleased by their sound. But i'm a bass freak and i needed so much MORE. I don't want to say that the Promedias offer poor sound. For a PC product, they are simply the best that you cannot hear. Great dynamics, great punch, good bass... but the bass didnt shake my windows or all my furnitures. Also, the bass begin to be poor quality bass at 40-45 Hz. You can hear a lot the air which come out from the front flaring port. I didnt like that too much. In more, my house is huge / big and my bedroom is big too. So the bass cannot fill a big room. Medium or smaller rooms only. After 9 months, i began to be unsatisfied of what i got. So i decided to take my money and to get a 2000$ home theator. I went to many stores and i listened to many loudspeakers... and SUB baby! :) After many stores, i fell into Paradigms line. Oh my god! Theses subs are so LOUD, incredebly powerfull and unbeleivable. For 400$, i bought the Paradigm PS-1000 subwoofer... those who have one can say to me: it is boomy. Yeah maybe but this is one of the most "hit hard" one. I know this is the most boomy Paradigm sub heehe, but set it more properly for much more thighter bass. And you will find that never you can have a sub under 1000$ that hit SO HARD, so deep, so rich, and powerfull sound. I can play 40 Hz with absolutly NO DISTORTION. You can feel the waves and if you wear glasses, they will shake. This sub can pump up bass at 1/4 the volume of the Klipsch sub max volume!!! And guess what, this is a 180W RMS sub. So its why i DONT BELEIVE, absolutely DONT BELEIVE the fact that klipsch promedia subwoofer has 160W rms output. Dont be disapointed if a 100W rms PDR-12 subwoofer can get louder than the Promedia one!

Finally, thats a VERY GOOD PC PRODUCT and the price of it is very very good. Unfortunately, i cannot put 4 or 5 stars because it can be beat by true home theator with powerfull sub. I warn you, don't be sad if you don't get the bass you want if you're a bass freak like me. If you are a bass freak, spend more... it's necessary.

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Many subs... sony, jbl, B&W, panasonic, cerwin vega, etc...

Superfluous Dynamic Range.... Great Bass

No headphone jack.. very evident hissing ..especially rear speakers .. no decoder

the best multimedia speakers out right now.. but may be caught by competitors offering more features

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none

Nice treble. Good balance. Dynamic Range is tops.

Muddy bass. Has good output but not as punchy as real subs. High is not as sharp as I'm used to. No earphone jack.

As good as it gets if you are looking for computer speakers. Not as accurate as real speakers, but good enough for MP3s, LQTs and the occasional CD. It is surprisingly loud for PC speakers- almost blew the speakers when I set the volume to 50%. Amp is bit noisy, but is easily remedied by turning the volume to 25% which is good for casual listeing.

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not one

look at the review

This pc speakers really suck, the subwoofer back parts gets so hot after 20 minutes, the speakers have a lot of distortion even at less half the power, i have connected them like the manual says and they don´t work good, i think a pair of h/k of 30 dollars work better and sound better and more powerful, the subwoofer is boxy, how can you say they have 400 watts, i don´t think so, and klipsch doesn´t gives me an answer, because maybe the product is working good, but for me, the one i bougth sucks. You shold better buy an integrated amplifier and a pair of def techs speakers and connect the amp to you pc, and you will have excellent music.

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harman kardon speakers, infinitive, jbl, sony, altec lansing and boston acoustics

Excellent sound, rocking bass, best sound you can get for your computer

None.

[note: this is for the Klipsch Promedia 2.1s]

I just got these today--they've inspired me to listen to all my music again so I can hear it the way it should be heard.

Basically, these speakers are incredible. They work best as a desktop solution, not a 'fill the room with accurate sound' solution--they have a very defined sound stage. But they do carry all over my house even at a moderate volume.

Before I bought these I read every review on them I could find--pro and user. I think most of the legitimate complaints about the original v2 speakers have now been addressed properly, and theres nothing I feel is lacking from this latest release.

Some people ("audiophiles") have complained that the high end is a bit too loud, or harsh. I think that's just because those people are used to every other computer speaker system out there, which in my opinion all have weak high ends. These are the first speakers on a computer that I've heard which DON'T sound like computer speakers--they sound like real speakers--and good ones at that. So kudos to klipsch.

Anyway, highly recommended, and if they sound like crap you're probably doing something wrong or you have a damaged system.

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Various PC speakers, high and low end.

Rock solid kick ass bass crystal clear highs great mids the klipsh thx certified

are you kidding of course none

I could sware these are the best speakers i've ever heard i mean it has kick ass bass, really clear highs, and great mids what more could you ask for. I dont acually have these yet but i've heard them and im getting them next week on wed. (I also love the little THX emblem)(minor plus) these speakers are so well disgned the satelites are really classy and sleek looking, and the sub is so beautiful looking I love the way these speakers look and most importantly the way they sound. I dont see how anyone could not like these speakers.These speakers will practically peel the paint off your walls (P.S. and your naighbors walls). Theirs not much more I can say about these speakers except that they kick total ass esspecially on RAP music(TRY JAY Z'S BIG PIMPIN) that song really kicks ass on these speakers.Go buy them now Please I urge you to buy them now if you dont already have them!!!

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