nashbridges

Hey all, Like some people on this board, I have a set of Promedia 5.1 Ultras that I love to death. However, I don't love the repairs. My amp has already died once, and I repiared it through Klipsch back in 2005 (I think). The amp/subwoofer unit failed again. I bought a new surround receiver mainly because I wanted to use the satellite speakers for the TV in my office as well as for my computer, and that's all good. However, I have a perfectly good dual drive subwoofer sitting here in a great case. What to do? I considered repairing the amp unit in the subwoofer, but even working properly I'd still get back something designed specifically for analog computer miniplugs and I would have to get something to convert the output from my receiver to the input on the subwoofer amp or the control pod. The control pod was my breaking point, because input is either going through that or the sub, but it still has to be connected in order to use the sub. So for the cost of the "next" repair, I can pick up a subwoofer plate amp and do some work to fix it to my existing subwoofer box. I'm wondering if anyone here has opinions on these units: BASH 300W Digital Subwoofer Plate Amp Or: Daytona SA240 240 W Subwoofer Plate Amp I can use either one to drive the 8 inch woofers in the Promedia subwoofer box, and I get the added bonus of using the amp again if I ever want to build my own subwoofer later. Most importantly, it lets me turn my currently useless subwoofer unit into something I can plug into any home theater system. I'm new to all of this, since while the Promedia was working I just ran all sound through my computer, so I could be making a massive mistake. Anyone have some opinions on what I'm trying to do? I'm already running the satellites through the new receiver - I just want to use the existing sub for a little longer.

They are rated at 60 watts each and 6 ohms impedance, if you need to spec out an amplifier. My amp broke and I'm using the satellites on a Sony STR-DHR 500 receiver and they sound fantastic even though it's a relatively cheap surround receiver. Klipsch Promedia 5.1 spec web page here: http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/promedia-ultra-5-1-specifications/ I'm currently researching new plate amps for the subwoofer, but in the meantime I have the receiver driving a cheap 70 watt subwoofer. Since Klipsch built a great box and bridged two 8 inch woofers, I'm going to replace the factory amp with something so I can use the subwoofer with the Sony receiver. Honestly, this is an outstanding system absent the abysmal design Klipsch used for the amp. There's no excuse for failure rates like this.

I have a white macbook, which is definitely low end, but a Creative Soundblaster Xfi 5.1 USB surround card I bought for $50 was pretty easy. It has the three outputs for the Klipsch cords, but it also has TOSlink Optical Out which I am using with great success. My macbook is from work but my home laptop is a Dell, so whenever I need sound from whatever laptop I just move the USB cable. It doesn't get easier than that. Here's the product if you are interested: http://us.store.creative.com/Sound-Blaster-XFi-Surround-5.1/M/B0017QQQAE.htm Best Buy has them on sale sometimes. Worth every penny if you ask me. One caveat: at least on my Mac, in order to get iTunes to output a stereo signal through all five speakers I had to use the MIDI application (in Applications | Utilities) so it would send out a stereo signal to all speakers. Otherwise it would just use the front left and right speakers. You can read the steps here: http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t87336.html However, if you are going to switch your audio between computers, or you think you might, an external 5.1 USB surround card is a good purchase. I cannot recommed this setup enough if you want easy, cheap, and good sound. Audiophiles will insist on the optical out from your mini jack, but you have to buy a converter for it just to connect to a standard optical in and it will only work on your Mac. The only downside I've discovered so far is that your USB sound card needs to be plugged into a USB jack on the computer and not a USB hub if you are using a ton of external devices. Sound can get distorted or interrupted if other devices on the hub are sucking up the bandwidth. Hope that helps.