Klipsch Promedia 2.1 THX - Worth keeping??? 

Just a reminder: you will not hear the same things he is hearing. My advice: buy these speakers. It’s unlike anything I’ve had before.

these speakers are very directional so if you are looking for clear sound through out the room get something else, if you are sitting right infront of them it’s crystal clear! i love them!!!

Have had these for about 9 years. Best computer speakers I have ever had. Great sound! Been plugged in all day long for the last 9 years.

Hell yes ! I bought the 2.1 THX version abt 8 yrs ago, it is still running full steam. For computer near field listening, music is detail and punchy. Watching movies from Netflix or Amazon Prime, the 2.1 THX promedia really impressed me with the low frequency that I can feel under my computer desk. The 2.1 THX Promedia designed to be " on" 24/7 that is better for most of the electronic gear. Set your volume of your computer at the max level, so the 2.1 amp does not have to work hard. Do not overload the subwoofer by turning the bass knob all the way up to 12 o' clock ( you do not need to ) then as the review person said. By doing so, the mid-range can be localized from the sub-woofer. At 11 o'clock on the 2.1, promedia my neighbor starts to complaint. I live in the apartment by the way.

I love these speakers. I decided to move my old Logitech 2.1 Z2300 system out to the shop to use while working on my motorcycles. Although the Logitech sub is much larger and a click louder, the overall sound of these Klipsch is really something to behold- quite mellow and very accurate to my ears. These are perfect for music and an occasional movie while sitting in front of the computer monitor.

Got a pair in ~2007 or something and the amp chip in the sub went up in smoke after a few years... But I rigged it with a 12" subwoofer from Dayton and a $25 amp from lepai and the R/L speakers are still kicking and sound great

I've had mine for 15 years. Love them and they appear to be pretty much the same design. I play 'em loud and they are still holding good. I'd buy them again. I'm considering converting them to wireless which is easy / cheap to do.

About the sharp audio, to fix that, DO NOT use the aux cable that is attached to the control. Use any good AUX cable and plug it in the AUX output on the control hub.

I picked this set up on sale at Costco for $89 ... and they sound great, very loud and most of the time to loud and thats not even at 50% volume and the bass does kick hard depending what u listening to, for music is great... I use it for my PC gaming setup...I love these things

For the money nothing comes near it. I’ve owned these since 1999. Never turned them off. They are smooth and clear. Good bass. Great for music or gaming. You cannot go wrong with these.

ive had theses speaker for over 10 years. work great !

Got mine at a thrift store for $15. Had a bent pin on the output lol!

I bought this at Costco a month back and I have to say I agree 100% with your assessment. I got home and was rather disappointed with the sound quality. It just seemed kinda muffled in the mid-tones. I was also so perplexed as to why there was no OFF switch. It drives me nuts that it draws so much power from my 'kill-a-watt' meter. Not to mention the unit light is so damn bright that I wake up in the night thinking there's a spotlight on me. I decided to keep it as I've gotten used to it, but wondered if other people had similar criticisms.

Just bought these. Best computer speakers I have ever owned. They are old technology, been around for a long while. Owned the Bose Companion 5's prior, they don't hold a candle, honestly. I cannot speak for Audio engine or Edifier or even Kanto so take this with a grain of salt... Many of those speakers have a price range starting in the mid $200's and don't include a sub. This system, that can be purchased for under $150 and closer to $100 on sale punches WAY above it's minimal price range. Klipsch Makes speakers, good ones, and they haven't changed this product in damn near a decade, maybe more, why? They don't need to. I own speakers throughout the house with names like Definitive Technology and Polk Audio (older ones) and they aren't on that level but computer speakers can almost never obtain that level anyway. Perhaps for $500 bucks but these were $140! If you are in the market.... do it.

I’m an OG with pc speaker’s I’ve had this set of speakers for approximately 6yrs and it’s still sounds amazing. If you don’t like the fact there’s no power button you can plug into a power strip and switch off/on power strip. I’m using an monster clean power I’ve had for yrs also. It all works flawlessly. The only thing that KLIPSCH could do better with this set is introduce a KLIPSCH 3.1 pro media system that may give you the warmer sound your looking for. And KLIPSCH is a DEDICATED manufacturer speaker brand which always is a plus! It’s not like other speaker manufacturer that make a little of everything, to me that doesn’t make it a great product. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE SPEAKERS! Even in home stereo.

Just got these speakers for $70 but they are worth the original price of $150 and no matter what price you buy them at, they will be worth it. but keep in mind the Tractrix Horn Technology is very good but it is not long-range, so stepping away from the speakers makes the highs much quieter. The sub is so powerful it can vibrate the entire house of 2800 sqr ft. When buying these speakers keep in mind to keep the actual speaker volume lower than your laptop volume and the sound quality will be much better because the built-in pre-amp will not be feeding unnecessary power and making a buzzing noise. Also, there is a Bluetooth (No THX Certification) option.

I currently own the z523 from logitech and they have served me very well for over 10 years now but theyve always been plagued by some connectivity issues with the cables. I went and bought the logitech z623 and man they are a hard downgrade unless my unit was defective. To listen to videos like this where you speak, the bass was nonexistent even at 50% which made talk videos sound like tin-cans and when the bass was present (still only at 50%) it absolutely overpowers everything else and youre forced to turn down the bass knob. It's like there is no middle ground with the z623 whereas if i keep the bass knob at about 20% on my z523 it's perfect for everything, gaming, music, podcasts, videos etc etc.... Ive been eyeing these Klipsch ones but theres a THX version and a non THX version, some have said the THX is great and some say the non THX uses the old premium components which is far superior, idk what to believe anymore.

I've had my set for about a year and a half, and they are phenomenal. I have it hooked up to a Scarlett 2i2. I originally had it directly into my motherboards audio jack, and I got some hiss, pops, and cracks with certain sounds. The bass also had a flat ceiling. After introducing the 2i2, all the issues were resolved, and they sound great. They're pretty much clear at any volume, with great sound separation. I will say they definitely are styled, and feel like old school speakers. When you look at their original launch date, and compare their audio performance to any similarly price computer speakers, they're worth it. Klipsch created a halo product that has yet to be dethroned at it's price point.

I bought a Klipsch Promedia 2.1 THX set from Costco about a month ago, and really LOVE the sound. Tough to beat that THX certification and 250 watts! But there are a few things that bother me with this Klipsch. First is the detachable main volume and subwoofer volume control unit. The unit is made to mount under either one of the speakers. But my speakers are hard to get to. So my control unit is unmounted and sits below my computer screen for the controls. Not too bad. The bad part is how difficult it is to plug in and unplug the headset into and out of the headset jack. The jack is on the right side of the unit, and it is recessed into the back part of this control unit. I use headsets a lot, but listen to the speakers a lot also. The speakers shut off when the headset is plugged in, as they should. But plugging in and unplugging the headsets is a real pain!!! The jack is hard to get to and not accomodating at all. The second problem is the heat generated by the amplifier inside the subwoofer. It is HOT. This will be a real problem during the summer here in the southwest. I don't know if there is a fix for this, but it is NOT good. The last problem is that there is NO WAY to turn off the unit. It stays on all the time. The only way to turn the unit off is to unplug it. So it sits there all night using electricity and heating up my office. An on-off switch on the volume control unit would help a LOT. So, although I really love the sound, the system, in my opinion, does have a few shortcomings. Maybe they can fix this in a third generation. I would really like that!

Yesterday's technology... I don't think so, I just bought them off Amazon. They are insane, I love it. Get it

He never said that the speakers didn't produce, they just didn't produce the way he likes. He basically said the mids are too crisp and that they "poke" instead of being warm. Klipsch is for audiophiles, most of their products are going to be top-notch for the price paid. I purchased a set from Costco for $70, getting a Klipsch sub and pair of speakers for that amount is great.

There have been different versions of these throughout the years. The general design of them haven't changed too much but some say the latest versions have had some cost cutting done internally and don't sound the same as some of the old ones. My versions power led is green and not blue. And the connectors to the sub for the control box has changed over the years as well. My set are at least 15 years old and still working just fine. It's important to give them a clean signal and not just jack up the sub level to max if you want these to last and sound good. They get plenty loud for near field listening and just jacking up the sub knob to max just overdrives the sub. It works far better not taking the knob past half way and they will still bump good. If you give them a good signal from a clean source such as an external DAC they can sound very good for what they are. They are not going to rival much more expensive solutions but they can do a pretty good job for what they cost.

My parents have had these ever since they came out, if you like to watch movies on your desktop this is for you the maybe all time best desktop speaker system by far. I played some songs and the two speakers jumped up and the grill fell of at max lol. So basically I completely recommend this.

just got these a few days ago and they are so amazing! especially for 69 dollars at Walmart

Got mine today and they sound amazing!

I bought these in best buy when I went to Tampa University to study in 2010. My god was the sound quality good. I couldnt get enough of them. My neighbours had to one up me and got a massive system. They blasted their music but the sound quality was shit. I took them to Spain, England, Chile, and back to Spain. The cables eventually broke and the bits are separated in storage, but I just bought the Logitech Z625 to try something new. Let's see how they compare! I would give these a solid 9/10 due to lack of features.

with the multiple heat/amp failure/power control issues posted here, I'm prompted to consider a project -- for the technically capable -- to gut the sub of its amp and replace it with a TI (Texas Instruments) TPA3116-based Class D amp board ... they're cheap, readily available and feature 2 50W amp channels for your L/R speakers and a 100W amp channel for the sub and *run super cool* at high volume levels ... there are models with Bluetooth and a handy standby control ... they also offer separate volume controls for the L/R and sub amp outputs to allow finer tone control ... I'd look to eBay for a "broken/for parts" set for this project

I had the Mackie CR3 and I liked the 2.0 setup but the office in my new apartment didn't allow me to put them how I need them because they need quite a bit of breathing air behind them otherwise the bass will just overblow anything else. I bought the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 BT (because THX is not available in 220V) and they are so much better than the CR3 in many ways, the satellites can be put right against the wall and the sub offers more than enough bass to compensate for.

My Klipsch Promedia 2.1 was dead on the sub for a very long time and I let the speaker just stay there for like a decade, today I turn it on and WOW I'm still impressed by the sound quality. Even without the sub to me it still is the best sounding small 2.0 speaker system (-sub) lol. Hands down to Klipsch

Had you done some research prior to purchasing this set, you would have found that Klipsch are known for their "sharpness". One either likes that or they do not. Simple as that. With that said, I have owned these speakers for the past 2 years now. They are ample loud, crisp and the subwoofer provides adequate bass; nothing earth-shattering, mind you, but enough where it does not overpower. so I would give these an 8/10. For the money, you get a real good quality set of speakers.

Love your way of Explaining things in Detail , Great Video , Thank you

I have this an older version its doesn't use a DB9 connector it has proprietary connector for the preamp and is a 240W peak power (120v 2a is actually 240W) the attach cable is dead so se auxiliary input is doing all the job the satellite speakers center is round not flat like yours, also I had it plug to a light outlet at home you know the ones for lamps so only when the light switch is on they are on been like that for the last 5 years no problem.

I plugged the main into a surge protector and bought a single outlet switch and plugged it into the surge protector to turn it on and off without a surge of power either way . The switch cost eight bucks. Get the grounded version. The switch has a light as a reminder.

I love this speaker one of the best ever have had for a very long time i never switched any brands just got mine last week sounds blast shake the house

I've had these speakers for many years now - and have gone through more than one 6.5" woofer replacement. And then, I had this idea! What if the subwoofer was an 8" driver?? I ordered a goldwood 8" 8 ohm woofer - with rubber (not foam) surround, and also a couple of 8" mdf spacer rings from wally world ($4 !!). Used an old can of black spray paint on one of the rings...and oh my my - what happened next was suuuuu-weeeet! The bass coming out of this setup is stronger, cleaner, less strained! Try it! you'll like it!

Thinking about grabbing this since I my Corsair sp2500 sub just died after 11 years of use. Can’t find those anywhere but I saw these guys for like 79 on Amazon so I’ll give em a try.

Mine are coming in tomorrow. I'll update this comment to let you know what I think. But it sounds to me like the 'sharpness' of the speakers is actually a positive thing, seeing as the bass is so overwhelming otherwise. Should make for a nice contrast.

I find it funny that he didn't know how to adjust the sound of the speakers LOL

Just got it from Costco as a Christmas gift. Can’t wait to hook it up!

I just got these today for $70 brand new, they sound amazing. money well spent I would say.

I like how you gesture your hands at the product a thousand times like you're casting spells. You should say hocus pocus and alacadabra each time for emphasis.

Partially agree. Nobody additions stereo equipment and says they will not buy them because they use too much power. Can you imagine listening to Macintosh equipment and saying this? They would make you leave the store! It takes power to make woofers work. Maybe the standby switch would add to much cost and then nobody would buy them. I’ve used a 4 ch Klipsch system and now the 2.1 for years. With the sub on the floor in a corner, the equalizer set up properly I would say nobody is going to beat these speakers for sound quality. People at work have actually sat in my chair, in front of the pc, and thought they were home speakers. You realize the speaker stands are bent for that reason? Proper stereo separation while sitting in front of the speakers. I am going to have to buy a DAC to properly set these speakers up. Sound cards in pc’s are not the best. Good review though, you were honest.

i've had mine for over a decade. yeah, they last and are built like a tank. i have mine on a surge protector with a master plug, so it automatically turns off when my system is turned off so i dont waste power.

Thanks for the review. I did not know about the power pull. I may send it back. Daang!!

I guess you don’t know about Klipsch if you are looking for warm speakers. Klipsch was never warm to begin with. They will produce more dynamics, forward sound and a lot of detail. You can’t compare your Edifier book shelves to computer speakers. You are comparing apples to oranges. It’s not a fair comparison. I love Klipsch ProMedias, but they are far from perfect. But for the price and what is the market, you can’t go wrong. You want nice warmth sound, try Elac’s Better price for the money. I heard the Edfiers and to me they are to warm and laidback for my taste My RB-21’s and heck even my B&W 601 S3 sounds better. Plus, it shows you didn’t do you homework. this system did come out in early 2000’s. Klipsch didn’t change a thing on it tech wise. It’s a big seller for Klipsch! Plus, you have to break it in. You will notice the difference. The highs did smooth out and it’s less harsh.

Im stuck on what to buy the z625 from logi or these mostly going to be us using it for music and movies What do yall think?

May go Edifiers and use the sub from my Promedias I’ve been using for 5 years.

If I would’ve listened to your review I wouldn’t of purchased these… I am very glad I didn’t listen to your review before. I’m not really sure what exactly it is that you feel like you’re hearing or you’re not hearing but I have put these same speakers through the ringer with multiple different types of music and RU-vid videos and they are absolutely amazing sounding. Also that volume and base controller connects to the bottom of the right speaker.

picked mine up at walmart today at $70. i think its a good price for the quality.

The detachable knob panel is like that so you can swap which speaker its on. I can almost guarantee its not intended to just sit on something like shown here

Thank you for part 2.. i was going to buy it just for the sub and plug into my yamaha sound bar which has a sub out as a rca.. Klipsch get it together Put some rca and on off button and you will have an unbeatable product.

im glad the bottom part comes off...that white light looks like a mini tack light on the controls they could used like maybe green or softer color

The sound is amazing. but my issue is the audible hum from the sub with no sound playing. If you have the sub close by like under your PC desk, then the hum is audible. I disconnected the speakers with only power to the sub and it still produces the hum. I returned the unit, but bought it again a few months later as costco had it discounted. The 2nd unit has the same humming problem. The Klipsch forums has a thread where several users reported the hum, but with no resolution. Also, I do notice that the back of the units gets really hot even on idle with no sound playing. I agree with the review that they could have done better with the design. The promedia 2.1 model has been out for a long time.

It's extremely tough to beat the sound quality that comes out of these little guys for the price. I had the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 for over 12 years and only recently upgraded to $500 bookshelf speakers + $150 subwoofer. Was the sound quality better? Yes, but it was not a huge difference as I had expected. That just means this thing is way better than I had ever imagined them to be. Getting this as a first pair of speakers for a PC is a no brainer. Although if you listen to music more than game or watch movies, I prefer the $80 Swans M10 2.1 speakers over the ProMedia. The M10 has a lot less bass, but an overall cleaner, crispier and detailed sound with great instrumental separation (which the ProMedia lacks). Plus, it's cheaper!

I had a set of these for over a decade. Got rid of it for: PC > USB > Lexicon Alpha interface (for USB to RCA conversion) > RCA > SMSL SA-36A Pro > Monoprice 12" active subwoofer > Micca MB42 bookshelf speakers. Waaaaaaaay happier with this rig.

I've had mine for 14 years now and it has a power switch right on the back to turn them off when not in use LOL. I've been turning mine on and off for 14 years now and they still work fine so not sure what you are going on about that it's not recommended LOL

These are BT as well guy. How ever much they draw when "sleeping" is worth it for the longevity of the speakers.

totally agree with the energy efficiency concern. It killed it for me.

this is very honest rewiev. that sub. can have some trouble for small house or room

Minus the negatives of the constant on power draw, bright light and lack of inputs, which sounds better...the Klipsch 2.1 vs Logitech Z625?

Because it ain't broke! For $89, it is awesome, from Costco. My Altec Lansing's 2.1 have been in use for more than 10 years, they draw very little power.

They are good if you like not being able to turn them off, a very bright white light that stays on, a constant hum and crackling after a month or 2. And I never cranked them up. Enjoy!

Not sure where you got your unit, but mine has a power on/off button in the rear of the sub. And mine is 10 years old.

This was a very nice review which had me reconsidering. Might go for the Bose Companion 50 instead for my PC setup!!

There's no Optical input because it is sold as a computer system you plug it in and control the volume from there most times optical is used for TVs and stuff while they can be used on computers they usually use for a TV and therefore when you do that you will need a remote to control the volume so they dont put it in because there has to be a volume control

How is the sound compared to Edifier speakers in background ?

Try the Dolby Access app for Windows 10. It will bring these speakers to life! Also giving you multiple EQ choices and media selections with the object based sound and surround courtesy of Dolby Atmos.

This series is awesome 👏, I have it sounds better than any regular stereo or receiver , perfect design frequency THX power and very reasonably price !

These are some of the best desktop speakers I have so far BUT…GOTT DAYEM!! IT HAS NO ON AND OFF BUTTON. HAVE TO PLUG AND UNPLUG THE POWER EVERY TIME.

Agreed, usually computer speakers are designed beginning with lots of sacrifice. This klipsch thx system seems to be among the top choices in the pc speaker market, though it does have it's cons and you should be aware of them before you it. The subwoofer is a 6.5in driver so that's the first sacrifice. A proper subwoofer should be closer to 12in and up, 6.5in belongs in bookshelf speakers. You're spot on with the 3in drivers too, but of course they have to design them this way because size. Overall, for pc speakers, this is one of the top choices regardless considering it's quality and price range. I recently bought these for 60 used on fb market and I can say they are good enough, but if you have anywhere near similar level of experience with higher end audio, you will feel that you're going to eventually replace it with a proper setup such as bookshelves with 6in mid range driver and a subwoofer that's 10-12in all plugged into an AVR/amp setup. I was recently using an AVR with large floor standing tower speakers and down grading to the klipsch was very noticeable. It's good enough for now as I'm tight on room, but once I switch this setup around, I'm going back to a proper speaker system like I had before it. If you have to buy computer speakers for space constraints, the klipsch are still the ones to get though for the price. I'm highly interested in the edifiers though.

I had a Promedia 5.1 back in the day. Couldn't shut it off and so one hot summer day it burned up and I was out a very expensive sound system. A very bad flaw in the Promedia can't shut it off. What rocket scientist came up with that intelligent idea?

PLEASE can you do a Quick Edifier vs Klipsch comparison !

Didn't they use to have a model that had the power on the control . Power, bass, treble.??

Sounds really good.

Putting the subwoofer on the floor makes a big difference, of course.

Thanks. Just bought mine, on sale for $60.00 at Costco.

dude, got the 4.1 thx system with an actual Alienware (none dell) in 2000. 20 years later i had to find a system in great condition for my studio... still by far the best pc sound system.... Compare it to the new Razor systems (modern) and not even close... the old high end system had a bigger woofer with a 8" woofer on each side, and 4 satellites each with detachable 3.5mm.

You can add a on/off adapter switch to the plug BindMaster 3 Prong they are a cheap price on Amazon

These speakers are the fucking truth. I have my 3rd set coming in the past like 10 years.

I would use a power strip with an on/off switch to power this setup and not worry about long term heat damage to amp.

Weird I have same speakers edifier sitting next to klipsch on my shelf right now.

I loved the moment of pure irony when he taps on it and says how great the build quality is while turning it around to reveal the "Made In China" sticker.

Music Symbol Jack is Audio Input, not Output. Headphone is Output. This is to plug in another source like your phone, tv, without unplugging the main from your PC

Just ordered these,I have a Asus monitor and a PS4,how will I be able to hook these bad boys up

Had to find out for myself because 16 W on standby sounded a little unbelievable. Turns out it uses about 9.7 -9.8 Watts on standby. That's about 1/3 less than what you claimed. That makes the whole video questionable.

How can this not have an On / Off Button for the speakers? Who in the right mind would ever design something you cant turn off. If i would of known i cant turn these off i would never of bought them.

perfect review bro... buying one b/c of this vid.

Sound is great. Have to keep the subwoofer at the white mark. Otherwise, too much bass.

Hey mate, I can see Edifier Bookshelf speakers, I bought the same from Amazon for about $200 with shipment to my country. My Question Do these Klipsch sound better than Edifier?

Can you connect Klipsch bookshelf speakers to the subwoofer itself? My speakers went out and I’d like to keep my sub. I have an extra set of R-41M sitting around the house!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks

I agree with you the kids seem under powered and the bass is to strong . What speakers do you recommend instead . The edifier 128 db.? Do they have enough power?

The sub is a badass amp for any other 4ohm speakers btw

Have had for three days, agree with everything you say. Returning.

Went from the Bose companion20 PC speakers to the next Gen of Klipsch. I thought the Bose were awesome, these Klipsch 2.1 sound crisper and with the LFE they sound incredible. They easily fill a decent size living room with great clear sound and at 70 USD they blow Bose away for price to performance. Although the Bose do sound amazing but the Klipsch just produce such a crisper life like sound. I also have a Klipsch Home theater set up, it was between Klipsch or Paradigm speakers, the Klipsch sounded equal to Paradigm and were about 1500 USD cheaper so I went with Klipsch that was 15 years ago and I'm still using them as my main Home theater setup with No degrade at all, every new PreAmp I buy they sound even better.

These speakers sound great. I use a dedicated power strip to turn them off when I'm not using them.

Can you please compare the Klipsch to the Edifier you have? The Klipsch looks significantly smaller, but it has a subwoofer. I also have the Edifier, so I'm very curious to hear your opinion.

Wow those sound just like the Logitech speakers. I am listening thru

How much watts does the 2 speakers without the sub draw? The s the sound as good as Aiwa mini component speakers? Thanks for the recommendation to skip a sub that blows up when switching on and off. 😮 switching on and off the 2 speakers is fine, though?

Is it possible to use different subwoofer that draws less power with these klipsch left and right speakers? One user said, he refurbish the subwoofer and installed something to replace the pre-amp.. Is that possible? just curious.

Optical input is digital, seems unnecessary to add a DAC to the system to support optical. This is a purely analog system and that's fine with me, amazing system for the money.