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Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless Speakers

Michael Brown — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:30:24 -0600

Klipsch storms its way onto our Best of the Best list

Every portable computer, from the brawniest desktop replacement to the tiniest netbook, has one thing in common: terrible speakers. There’s no shortage of powered speaker systems on the market—some of which are very good—but what’s the point of using a laptop if you have to tether it to a box to get good sound?

Klipsch has a better solution: The ProMedia 2.1 Wireless uses a USB transmitter to send audio from the host PC to the speakers over the airwaves. The speakers themselves are all hardwired, with the amplifier tucked inside the subwoofer. And lordy, what a subwoofer it is. There’s a 6.5-inch long-throw, side-firing driver housed inside a bass-reflex enclosure with a front port. The sub cabinet also houses the wireless receiver and the 200-watt amplifier that powers all three channels. Klipsch claims line-of-sight range of 30 feet and our experience backs that up. If you’re looking for a wireless audio system that will send audio from a computer in one room to speakers in another, this isn’t the right solution.

If you don't need the wireless feature, give the original ProMedia 2.1 a listen; Klipsch says the two systems look and sound alike, and the wired model is 50 bucks cheaper.

The two-way satellite speakers consist of 25mm polymer tweeters mated to Klipsch’s well-known MicroTractix horn. Mids are produced by three-inch long-throw drivers. The right-hand satellite cabinet houses a master volume control and a separate control for bass volume, a 1/8-inch headphone output, and a 1/8-inch auxiliary input. This input provides +6dB input sensitivity to compensate for the low output voltage that many portable digital media players deliver; take heed if you’re feeding it from an AC-powered source. The satellites can be mounted on either the included desktop stands or on a wall using an optional Klipsch accessory (model WB-1 wall brackets, which sell for $22 a pair).

We predict few people will go the wall-mount route. You could splice more wire to the hardwired speaker cables that connect the satellites to the subwoofer, but there’s no way to lengthen the 10-foot proprietary control cable attached to the right-hand satellite. There is no remote control, either included or available as an optional accessory, but that’s not all that uncommon for speakers in this price class.

We like our bass like we like our beef—served up in thick, juicy slabs—and the ProMedia 2.1 Wireless certainly didn’t disappoint on that score. The subwoofer was a kick with games (exploding Left 4 Dead Boomers practically pushed us back in our seats), but we also auditioned the system with a range of music (everything from Lucinda Williams to Herbie Hancock) and it managed to deliver a tight and coherent bottom end with everything. The satellites are a touch bright for our taste, but that just reminded us that we probably didn’t need to crank the volume quite so high. Most people will use these speakers as near-field monitors, but they filled our 13x9-foot media room with well-balanced sound and plenty of headroom to spare.

These are great speakers and they’re reasonably priced; they’ve certainly earned a spot on our Best of the Best list.

Klipsch Revives Popular ProMedia 2.1 Speakers with a Wireless Twist

Paul Lilly — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:51:37 -0600

For the most part, Klipsch bowed out of the multimedia computer speaker market a long time ago, leaving behind a rabid fan base hoping it would one day return. That day has come, sort of. Klipsch is back and has brought with it a new 2.1 speaker-set, or more accurately, a new twist on an existing 2.1 setup.

It's hard to believe Klipsch's original ProMedia 2.1 speakers have been around for almost a decade. The new ProMedia 2.1 Wireless purports to look and sound like the THX-certified original, only this time without the wires. Replacing them is a USB wireless transmitter that plugs into your notebook's USB port.

"Only a few simple steps are required to get the ProMedia Wireless up and running. Just plug, play, and enjoy the full sonic impact of your music, movies, and games without being tied down, "said Don Inmon, Klipsch director of product development for personal audio. "No router or installation software is needed."

Klipsch says the wireless range extends about 30 feet in a single room, making it deal for dorm rooms, offices, living rooms, or anywhere else you might tote your notebook.

The new speakers are only available direct from Klipsch for $199.

Image Credit: Klipsch

Tannoy i30 iPod Speaker Dock

Michael Brown — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:00:00 -0600

It’s been 10 years since my first Tannoy encounter. I auditioned the company’s exquisite studio monitors as an associate editor at Electronic Musician, and the acoustic bliss I experienced then lingers still. With that remembrance renewed, I couldn’t wait to hear Tannoy’s i30. Boy, was I disappointed.

It’s tough to compete with a 10-year-old memory, but the i30’s price tag is just $200 less than that of the fantabulous Zeppelin speaker dock I lavishly praised in the December 2007 issue of Maximum PC. Between the premium brand and what the competition offers, I expected the i30 to deliver a grand slam. It didn’t. Tannoy has built a very good speaker system, but it hasn’t wrought anything that comes close to being worth 400 spondoolicks.

Tannoy doesn’t publish the i30’s power output, but I can tell you that its BASH amp delivers plenty o’ distortion-free volume. I cranked the unit up while listening to Johnny Cash’s cover of the Nine Inch Nails anthem “Hurt” (from The Man Comes Around), and the thundering piano cadence at the song’s climax was enough to drive me out of my media room.

But power is only one measure of a self-amplified speaker’s quality. The i30 is equipped with just two 4-inch drivers, which deliver an audio experience that’s no better than that of the far cheaper Klipsch iGroove HG ($200, reviewed November 2006). Compared to the Zeppelin (which is outfitted with two tweeters, two midranges, and a subwoofer), the i30 sounds like glorified boom-box. Where B&W’s box delivers bass that hits you like a punch in the gut, Tannoy’s low end packs all the energy of a Wiffleball pitched by a 2-year-old.

Props to Tannoy for including a USB port that allows you to sync your iPod to iTunes (a feature the Zeppelin lacks), but why limit the speaker’s video output to composite? Granted, the iPod is a low-res device, but an S-video connector would definitely deliver better color fidelity. If you expect consumers to spend this much money on an iPod speaker, you’d better deliver more than a prestigious nameplate.

Editors' Note: This article was updated 1/30/2008 to reflect the correct price.

What's happened to the powered speaker market?

Michael Brown — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:22:26 -0500

Have you noticed how many speaker docks have hit the market since the iPod whipped the MP3 player market into a froth? It reminds me of the “multimedia” speaker market of the 90s, when everyone and their uncle introduced a three-piece powered speaker system for the PC. This time ‘round, it’s one-piece speaker systems with cradles to accommodate digital media players.

Smart manufacturers, including Klipsch, are agnostic about the devices they support. Klipsch’s iGroove HG, for instance, leans heavily toward Apple’s iPod, but you can plug nearly anything into it. My gripe is that so many companies that used to build great PC speaker systems have either abandoned the market or not introduced new product in an eternity. (Okay, Bose and Altec Lansing recently shipped new systems; but we didn’t think much of either.)

The funny thing is, a good 2.0- and 2.1-channel speaker system will deliver better fidelity than nearly any speaker dock. I see a huge opportunity for new companies to make a splash in this space. Audioengine is a good example: Their Audioengine 5 delivers knockout sound, and all they needed to do to make it compatible with a portable media player—any portable media—is to build a USB port (for charging the player) and a second 1/8-inch audio input into the top of one cabinet. Look for our full review in the May issue of Maximum PC.

Klipsch iGroove HG

Michael Brown — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 02:15:42 -0600

Klipsch’s iGroove HG has no Dock connector, so it won’t sync your iPod to iTunes. It has no video output, so it won’t connect your iPod to your TV. It has no LCD, so you’ll have to rely on your iPod to see which track is playing. But this powered speaker has one redeeming virtue: It rocks!

Klipsch remembered what so many other media-player speaker-system manufacturers have forgotten: A powered speaker’s most crucial mission is to amplify and project high-quality audio. Every other feature—be it data transfer, iTunes synching, video output, portability, or a fancy display—pales in significance.

The iGroove passed our punishing bass test (Paul Thorn’s “Fabio and Liberace”) with aplomb, delivering punchy lows without distortion, rattles, or other unpleasant side effects. It sounded damn fine with a variety of other sonic material, too, offering exceptional frequency response and superb stereo separation. And the amp has plenty of power on tap—this puppy gets loud.

Power and volume are the iGroove’s only front-panel controls; and the remote offers only power, volume, play/pause, and track forward/back buttons—you must rely on the iPod for everything else. But unlike all too many other docking stations, which leave the iPod flopping around like a dying flounder whenever you push its scroll wheel, the iGroove hugs the player in a tight embrace. Don’t have an iPod? Plug in Klipsch’s brilliant J-Dock and you can enjoy the iGroove with nearly any media player (although the fit won’t be as secure).
Sorry, Klipsch. You won’t be getting your iGroove back for a while—it’s just become our new reference platform.

Month Reviewed: November 2006
Verdict: 9
kickass=yes
URL: www.klipsch.com

Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 2.0

Michael Brown — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 20:15:24 -0600

They’re Klipsch. They must be good, right?

Month Reviewed: April 2005
Verdict: 4
URL: www.klipsch.com

Sometimes, you just have to ask, “What were they thinking?” As in “What was HP thinking when it acquired Compaq?” As in “What was Bill Clinton thinking when he invited Monica Lewinsky to share his cigar?” And as in “What was Klipsch thinking when it decided to offer $99 speakers?”

Klipsch has a well-earned reputation for making excellent speakers. Its products have never been inexpensive, but for people who really care about audio, cost is not usually top of mind. And so when we heard that Klipsch was offering a two-channel system that would retail for just $99.99, we were intrigued. Had Klipsch discovered some magically new, incredibly inexpensive material from which to fabricate great-sounding speakers?

Our skepticism dissipated when we unpacked the ProMedia Ultra 2.0s. The plastic enclosures are both attractive and substantial, with each housing two 2.5-inch fiber-composite cones, a one-inch polymer tweeter, and a MicroTractix horn behind removable cloth grills. An amplifier in the left enclosure delivers 15 watts (RMS) per channel, which should be plenty of power for speakers this size. Bass and power/volume controls are also on the left cabinet, along with a headphone output and an auxiliary input.

Our first impression, listening to the Blue Man Group’s The Complex DVD-Audio disc was, “Wow! These sound pretty damn good.” We heard a surprising amount of bass, and the dulcimer-like instruments from “Above” positively shimmered. But that first impression vaporized as soon as we put on Paul Thorn’s “Fabio & Liberace” (from Ain’t Love Strange) and cranked the volume past one-quarter. That tune’s thumping bass line instantly turned flatulent, and something inside the enclosures themselves began rattling in protest at what the amp was asking the speakers to deliver. Turning down the bass control didn’t help matters a whit.

We had a similar experience with games. Half-Life 2’s audio events sounded fine at low volume, with satisfying explosions and crackling machine-gun fire. But as soon as we cranked things up, everything went to hell. We tried isolating the amp by plugging in a set of headphones, but that only proved the amp was as much of a problem as the speakers themselves.

Whatever Klipsch was thinking when it designed the ProMedia Ultra 2.0s, we hope the sentiment doesn’t migrate to the rest of the product line. --Michael Brown

+ Rodeo Drive: You can put the Klipsch name on your desk for 100 bucks.

- Rodeo Clowns: You’ll want a pair of somebody else’s speakers to actually listen to.