Review on 🔊 Immerse Yourself in High-quality Sound with the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Computer Speaker System by Katie Gibson

I had older ProMedia 2.1 with a 10W x2 + 80W subwoofer. It was a great little system with many outriggers. There were those sub-bass frequencies that most 2.0 systems just can't. The build quality of these speakers was excellent. The sound quality was pretty good considering the size of the speakers. The biggest problem with them was that the bass could overwhelm the mids and highs quite easily. There was also a bit of hissing when adjusting the volume. Unfortunately, I blew out the subwoofer while testing a new DAC with an input that also doubles as a preamp. Oops. It's time to buy new speakers. I've researched many 2.9 and 2.1 desktop speakers. I was thinking of Mackie CR3s (which I also have and they are amazing but with no real subwoofer or bass extension), ProSonus Eris and a 50w Genius 3-way speaker. I kept coming back to Klipsch. I finally swallowed and ordered them. Only time will tell if the build quality is up to the old version, but there are some improvements. First, the left and right speakers are now 35W each and the subwoofer is 135W. It's overkill for desktop use and can easily fill a small to medium-sized room. Increasing the power of the satellites largely solves the problem of mid and high bass suppression – if you set the subwoofer volume between 9 and 10 o'clock on the rotary control. You can put the sub much higher, but I wouldn't recommend it. The connections have also changed somewhat. Now there is a mounting plug that connects to the subwoofer. This fixes the problem of the old pin connector that could bend easily. Klipsch also removed the on/off switch, which isn't a problem for me, but it means the subwoofer is always on. The LED is also white instead of green, and the system is no longer THX certified, which really is only an issue if gaming is your primary purpose. You can spend about $70 more and get the THX version, but at that price the toy can also get Mackies or ProSonus powered speakers and a powered subwoofer. I didn't go that route, mainly because I didn't have space near my desk for a subwoofer larger than the one that comes with the Klipsch. This is another advantage of ProMedia. The subwoofer is relatively small but powerful and doesn't take up as much space as most subwoofers. Sound reproduction is fairly accurate, perhaps not quite reference quality, but is clear and detailed, with more soundstage than you might expect. It's not an ultra-wide soundstage, but there's clear separation and excellent imaging. The updated ProMedias appear to perform slightly better than the old version at low volumes. High frequencies are bright but not too harsh. The transition from bass to mids is fluid. The mids may have sunk a bit, but overall the setup sounds well balanced. The bass and master volume controls are also smoother and less prone to sticking, which should effectively reduce the likelihood of static electricity. This is a subtle but significant improvement. How well ProMedias performs depends on several factors. They are great for modern pop, hip hop, rock, reggae and electronic music. They're good for jazz or classical, but if you mainly listen to those genres you might want something more like a reference monitor. You need to place the subwoofer in a corner or under a table where it will reflect properly. You'll need to place the left and right speakers far enough apart to get the best stereo separation, and also place them as close to ear level as possible, which may require you to place them on a stand. And try to resist the tendency to boost the bass enough to muddy the sound. You probably don't need to do this anyway since the network can handle more power. I would also recommend the EQ app for fine tuning as there are no volume controls for highs or mids. Overall, this system performs well above its weight. You can't get a better 2.1 system at this price point, and no active 2.9 speaker in this range will give you that sub-bass. LFE goes down to 31kHz while most 2.0 systems are around 80kHz. This is actually better than my Polk subwoofer which has a rolloff frequency below 40Hz. The Genius 3-way does drop to 20kHz, but there are issues with build quality and quality control, as well as an inadequate maximum decibel level. In addition, the Genius is 15 inches tall, which takes up a lot of desk space and may be too big for some bookshelves. Reference/studio monitor for audio mixing and editing, or when you just don't have room for a subwoofer. Sonically, they improve on the earlier version and are quite comparable to the Mackie CR3, which has slightly more defined mids. With the near-field loudspeakers, ProMedia loses something with their massive rated power of only 200 watts, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing: Firstly, they sound good even at low volume, and secondly, they are room-filling powerful sound without having to switch it on, it with full Perfomance. One thing to keep in mind is that connectivity is limited to the outputs. optical Toslink or HDMI, and you need an adapter to connect dual RCA. If you're trying to connect it to a TV, you might need a headphone jack. On the other hand, there are inputs for 3.5mm aux and 3.5mm headphones. There's also no on/off switch, but there's also no hissing when the volume knob is turned all the way down. At this price this is a 5 star speaker system. It would be nice to be able to replace speaker cables with thicker wires and improve connectivity, but it's hard to complain about what you get for the money, especially if you appreciate deep bass in a small system.