Samwise

I have two 4.1 sets hooked up to a Hercules GTXP in a 7.1 configuration. 2 speakers for center channel and one for all the others.

Thats right seventeen monkeys, also see innovazero's post. But if you want a really sweet system you need two 4.1 sets hooked up to a 7.1 sound card. It rules!

I got my first set 2 years ago and it is still running great. I got my second set 5 months ago and it has the infamous high pitched whine so I have to send it back.

Good point.

Some of you may already know this but I learned this in school recently and thought it was pretty cool. We were learning about the ears and how they perceive sounds from different locations. One way is just through the shape of the external ear and how it amplifies sounds from certain directions, allowing us to localize aounds along a vertical plane. Another way is though the difference in time it takes the sound to travel to one ear compared to the other. The last way is through the difference in sound pressure level for a given sound at the two ears. What I thought was really cool was the professor explained why we only need one subwoofer. The reason is that the frequency of the sound produced by the subwoofer is so low and the wavelength is so long that the same wave of a sound can be going through both ears at the same time and thus we can't localize it. A normal midrange sound would have numerous waves travel to one ear before the other even receives it just based on the space between your ears and the wavelength of the sound. I guess medical school is good for something. By the way, I have two subwoofers, obviously not for surround sound, just for the extra power.

The second set of 4.1s I got was an open box from Best Buy and it didn't have the wires included so I talked the guy down to $100 for the set. I didn't have the time (or skill?) to make the wires myself so I just ordered the 4.1 set from monster cable. I can't tell too much difference in sound quality but I think that is mainly because this new set has the high pitched hissing that some others have complained about. I have definitely determined that is not the monster cable wire either, it is the sub. I have to send it in to Klipsch. What I really like with the monster cable is that it gives me the extra length (15 feet for the fronts and 30(!) feet for the surrounds) and the connectors are really nice. I had some problems with connectors not staying in right with the ones Klipsch provides. Isn't the included wire 20 gauge from Klipsch? The monster cable set was listed at 16 gauge but they sent me 15 gauge. Not a big difference but nice none the less.

What is the best way to place the subwoofer to get maximum response? I know you should put it in the corner of the room but should the sides of the subwoofer be right up against the wall or should it be angled so the side ports have a little room to breathe?

How are you guys playing back your DVDs? I think most of the problem you are having can be attributed to a software DVD player, that is what I have noticed in my experience anyway. DVDs are really soft when I play them using PowerDVD and I have to crank the volume to around 60%. But when I hooked up the same speakers directly to a stand alone DVD player (with 5.1 speaker outputs) and watched the same DVD the sound was much louder and I wouldn't think about turning the volume above 25%.

I am wondering the same thing. From what I have heard so far is that satelites are almost as good as the klipsch and that the subwoofer is louder but doesn't go as low or sound quite as good as the klipsch. For the price though and the included DTS/DD/PL II decoding and remote make this an extremely attractive set. I was thinking of picking this up and using it with my TV and DVD player and not buying a receiver. I know this won't sound the best, but it is a cheap solution until I can afford a really nice receiver and home theater quality speakers.

I love my 8.2s! (Two 4.1 systems) I just wish that I had more time to use them. I also wish they would come out with a DDEX/DTSES decoder.

Glad I could help. 8 speakers and 2 subwoofers in a 7.1 setup truly does OWN!

I have the exact same problem. It is most likely the speakers, not the cables or the soundcard or PC. I have two sets of 4.1s. One set sounds great (extremely soft lower pitched hiss that you can only hear from about 1 inch away) and the other has a high pitched hiss that I can hear about 10 feet away when the room is quiet (even when the PC is off). I also bought the 4.1 monster cable set and it didn't help the hissing problem at all. I talked to Klipsch about this and they said 9 times out of 10 it is the sub and where you connect your speakers to it. They said to send them in and they will fix/replace them for free.

I love my 4.1s, even in music. When I first heard music through the 4.1s I was amazed. It was like I was completely surrounded by the music. It wasn't like the music was coming out of any individual speaker, it was like the music was right there in my head. And for games and DVDs you must have the 4.1s.

Is it best to have your subwoofer on an angle like that?

Wow, I do the exact same thing as pinipeg. I have a Hercules GTXP so I control the volume through there.