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2.1 setup (Klipsch Promedia 2.1) - does it make any sense?


radosuaf

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HI, I'm considering changing my speaker setup. As I need rather narrow speakers, I was considering a 2.1 setup to get decent bass. The problem is, I don't have too much place for a subwoofer. It looks like this:

 

20150303_205747_1.jpg

 

Free space is 26cm x 26cm (10in x 10in), which would accomodate the Promedia sub but as you can see:

a/ on the left it would be actually almost touching the printer

b/ on the right it would be 2-3 inches from the couch

c/ at the back there would be approx. 10 inches space

d/ front will be basically almost touching my legs

e/ it would not be standing on the floor, but on a fairly thin piece of metal

 

In this case - is it even plausible to think about the 2.1 setup, or will I be better off with 2.0 speakers?

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HI, I'm considering changing my speaker setup. As I need rather narrow speakers, I was considering a 2.1 setup to get decent bass. The problem is, I don't have too much place for a subwoofer. It looks like this:

 

20150303_205747_1.jpg

 

Free space is 26cm x 26cm (10in x 10in), which would accomodate the Promedia sub but as you can see:

a/ on the left it would be actually almost touching the printer

b/ on the right it would be 2-3 inches from the couch

c/ at the back there would be approx. 10 inches space

d/ front will be basically almost touching my legs

e/ it would not be standing on the floor, but on a fairly thin piece of metal

 

In this case - is it even plausible to think about the 2.1 setup, or will I be better off with 2.0 speakers?

 

Remember two things:

  1. The subwoofer driver is NOT magnetically shielded
  2. Subwoofers are omnidirectional, just as long as they aren't in a corner

So, be creative with your placement, but also make sure to follow Klipsch's guidelines of placement for the ProMedia 2.1's subwoofer:

 

Place the subwoofer under your computer desk. The subwoofer must be placed on the floor near a wall with the rear panel toward the wall. Do not cover up the sub driver or front port of the enclosure and be sure to provide enough ventilation to the rear of the subwoofer. It is normal for this panel to be warm to the touch. The subwoofer should be at least 3 feet (1m) from the computer monitor to avoid interference.

 

So, I wouldn't place it on that shelf if I were you. I mean, I'm assuming that the reason why Klipsch says that it must be placed on the floor near a wall is so that you don't end up with thin and weak-sounding low-end (bass). I would imagine that placing it on that shelf would result in seemingly poor performance from it.

 

Can you take a photo from farther away so that we can see the entire area that surrounds the computer desk?

 

While we wait for the new photo, would it be plausible for you to place the subwoofer on the floor behind that bottom shelf?

Edited by TwoCables
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So, I wouldn't place it on that shelf if I were you. I mean, I'm assuming that the reason why Klipsch says that it must be placed on the floor near a wall is so that you don't end up with thin and weak-sounding low-end (bass). I would imagine that placing it on that shelf would result in seemingly poor performance from it.

 

Can you take a photo from farther away so that we can see the entire area that surrounds the computer desk?

 

While we wait for the new photo, would it be plausible for you to place the subwoofer on the floor behind that bottom shelf?

 

 

That's what I though about it in the first place... I can take the photo but there really is no space in any other direction...

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So, I wouldn't place it on that shelf if I were you. I mean, I'm assuming that the reason why Klipsch says that it must be placed on the floor near a wall is so that you don't end up with thin and weak-sounding low-end (bass). I would imagine that placing it on that shelf would result in seemingly poor performance from it.

 

Can you take a photo from farther away so that we can see the entire area that surrounds the computer desk?

 

While we wait for the new photo, would it be plausible for you to place the subwoofer on the floor behind that bottom shelf?

 

 

That's what I though about it in the first place... I can take the photo but there really is no space in any other direction...

 

 

Aw man. Then you would either have to place it on the floor behind the bottom shelf (pull the desk forward just enough to accomodate it), or place it on the shelf and see what the result is.

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 I am hesitant on that shelf with the vibration the subwoofer gives off, it's pretty thin and suspended. Mine is on the floor a foot away and you can definitely feel the vibration coming through the floor.  I wouldn't run 2.0, that subwoofer is what gives the system it's kick! If you go that way get some half decent bookshelf speakers with 3 way - highs, mids, and lows and control the ranges off the soundboard on screen display. 

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Decent bookshelf speakers (or even studio monitors, which are about the same size) would be a very good choice because they can have a much better sound, but they have a big footprint and require extra desk space and they can also cost a lot more than the ProMedia 2.1.

 

I still say that the best thing to do is, pull the desk out just far enough so that the subwoofer can be put on the floor behind the bottom shelf. Judging from the photo, it looks like there is enough room just as long as the desk is pulled out a little bit.

 

The exact dimensions of my subwoofer's cabinet are bigger from what Klipsch says it is, so they as follows (according to my tape measure):

 

D: 11"

W: 10.25"

H: 9.5"

 

So, that's 11 inches deep, 10.25 inches wide (across the front where the port is), and 9.5" high. Now, even though the cabinet itself is 11" deep, you still need to give the amplifier room to "breathe". So this means that if you were to have the front port facing forward, then I would say that the rear should have no less than 2" of open space behind it (the more the better so that the heat can freely rise off the amplifier and easily be replaced by cooler air instead of building up against a wall). Of course, you can also just have the subwoofer speaker facing out (port facing left, amplifier facing right). I honestly don't know if that would change the sound at all, but you might have no choice, and it's certainly better than placing it on the shelf. Plus, you would only have to worry about exactly 10.25" instead of like 13".

 

I'm curious: from where will you buy the ProMedia 2.1 system? I encourage you to spend some time on eBay hunting down an older model that has the plug-in satellite speaker design for two reasons:

  1. You can upgrade the stock speaker wires with something much better (like these, which are VERY nice) for a noticeably superior sound
  2. I've seen reports that these older models generally have a superior sound to what Klipsch is producing today. I have no idea why, but here are my guesses: possibly a higher-quality amplifier and a higher quality control pod. It might also be due to higher-quality speakers (like the subwoofer, mid-range woofers and tweeters).

I can tell you right now though that if you can succeed in getting one that's in good condition, then you will be very happy. In fact, here's one now for $117.99 after shipping!!!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-THX-Computer-Speaker-System-IN-EXCELLENT-SHAPE-CONDITION-/251852071938

 

Money shot: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/56kAAOSweW5U6moi/s-l1600.jpg

 

Pardon my excitement, BUT JUMP ON IT! lol

 

 

I found another one for $115.00 after shipping! It has an extra satellite speaker too for some reason:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-THX-Speaker-System-3-Piece-one-extra-speaker-/301565171795

 

If you bought this one, then I think that the extra satellite speaker would come in handy if you ended up needing any extra satellite parts.

 

I just realized though that both of these have no speaker wires in the photos. So, if they both don't come with the speaker wires, then you would be forced to buy some (which would be a good excuse to buy the $25 premium Monster wires that I linked above). I would ask the sellers because it can be fun to compare the stock speaker wires to the premium ones!

 

Anyway, for comparison, here's what I was lucky enough to get:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-THX-PC-Computer-Speakers-Mint-in-box-barely-used-complete-/331455770015?nma=true&si=8dghEviaEshqqPlULaRpEQCosAI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Scroll down and check it out in the photos! :) I'm extremely happy that I didn't buy a brand new one because then I'd be regretting that I can't replace the crappy stock speaker wires. Those wires are only 22 AWG aluminum junk. lol Compare that to 16 AWG wires with fine copper strands, superior plugs, soldered bare wire ends (using a Silver solder), and a superior and very flexible jacket. In addition to that, the negative and positive wires are wound in opposite directions: the negative wire is wound clockwise and the positive wire is counter-clockwise. I don't know WHY they're wound in opposite directions, but I'm assuming that it's to have even less resistance for the signal, resulting in an even better sound. After all, the less resistance there is, the better the sound is. The whole goal of high-end speaker wires is to get as close as possible to the performance that you'd get from a solid and thick copper wire (like coat hanger wire) without sacrificing any flexibility.

 

Anyway, there are a couple more ProMedia 2.1s on eBay than just these two that look like they MIGHT be the older version, but they didn't take enough photos. So, of course, ask the seller if the speaker wires plug into the satellites or if they're built-in (hardwired). Of course, you could buy a brand new ProMedia 2.1 and then replace the satellites with the plug-in ones, but my problem with that would be: what if the amplifier in the new models really is inferior to the older ones? Y'know? Not only that, but then you'd be spending extra money just to get the superior satellite speakers.

 

Whatever you do though, I hope that you can place the subwoofer on the floor behind the shelf.

Edited by TwoCables
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Decent bookshelf speakers (or even studio monitors, which are about the same size) would be a very good choice because they can have a much better sound, but they have a big footprint and require extra desk space and they can also cost a lot more than the ProMedia 2.1.

 

I still say that the best thing to do is, pull the desk out just far enough so that the subwoofer can be put on the floor behind the bottom shelf. Judging from the photo, it looks like there is enough room just as long as the desk is pulled out a little bit.

 

The exact dimensions of my subwoofer's cabinet are bigger from what Klipsch says it is, so they as follows (according to my tape measure):

 

D: 11"

W: 10.25"

H: 9.5"

 

So, that's 11 inches deep, 10.25 inches wide (across the front where the port is), and 9.5" high. Now, even though the cabinet itself is 11" deep, you still need to give the amplifier room to "breathe". So this means that if you were to have the front port facing forward, then I would say that the rear should have no less than 2" of open space behind it (the more the better so that the heat can freely rise off the amplifier and easily be replaced by cooler air instead of building up against a wall). Of course, you can also just have the subwoofer speaker facing out (port facing left, amplifier facing right). I honestly don't know if that would change the sound at all, but you might have no choice, and it's certainly better than placing it on the shelf. Plus, you would only have to worry about exactly 10.25" instead of like 13".

 

I'm curious: from where will you buy the ProMedia 2.1 system? I encourage you to spend some time on eBay hunting down an older model that has the plug-in satellite speaker design for two reasons:

  1. You can upgrade the stock speaker wires with something much better (like these, which are VERY nice) for a noticeably superior sound
  2. I've seen reports that these older models generally have a superior sound to what Klipsch is producing today. I have no idea why, but here are my guesses: possibly a higher-quality amplifier and a higher quality control pod. It might also be due to higher-quality speakers (like the subwoofer, mid-range woofers and tweeters).

I can tell you right now though that if you can succeed in getting one that's in good condition, then you will be very happy. In fact, here's one now for $117.99 after shipping!!!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-THX-Computer-Speaker-System-IN-EXCELLENT-SHAPE-CONDITION-/251852071938

 

Money shot: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/56kAAOSweW5U6moi/s-l1600.jpg

 

Pardon my excitement, BUT JUMP ON IT! lol

 

 

I found another one for $115.00 after shipping! It has an extra satellite speaker too for some reason:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-THX-Speaker-System-3-Piece-one-extra-speaker-/301565171795

 

If you bought this one, then I think that the extra satellite speaker would come in handy if you ended up needing any extra satellite parts.

 

I just realized though that both of these have no speaker wires in the photos. So, if they both don't come with the speaker wires, then you would be forced to buy some (which would be a good excuse to buy the $25 premium Monster wires that I linked above). I would ask the sellers because it can be fun to compare the stock speaker wires to the premium ones!

 

Anyway, for comparison, here's what I was lucky enough to get:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-THX-PC-Computer-Speakers-Mint-in-box-barely-used-complete-/331455770015?nma=true&si=8dghEviaEshqqPlULaRpEQCosAI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Scroll down and check it out in the photos! :) I'm extremely happy that I didn't buy a brand new one because then I'd be regretting that I can't replace the crappy stock speaker wires. Those wires are only 22 AWG aluminum junk. lol Compare that to 16 AWG wires with fine copper strands, superior plugs, soldered bare wire ends (using a Silver solder), and a superior and very flexible jacket. In addition to that, the negative and positive wires are wound in opposite directions: the negative wire is wound clockwise and the positive wire is counter-clockwise. I don't know WHY they're wound in opposite directions, but I'm assuming that it's to have even less resistance for the signal, resulting in an even better sound. After all, the less resistance there is, the better the sound is. The whole goal of high-end speaker wires is to get as close as possible to the performance that you'd get from a solid and thick copper wire (like coat hanger wire) without sacrificing any flexibility.

 

Anyway, there are a couple more ProMedia 2.1s on eBay than just these two that look like they MIGHT be the older version, but they didn't take enough photos. So, of course, ask the seller if the speaker wires plug into the satellites or if they're built-in (hardwired). Of course, you could buy a brand new ProMedia 2.1 and then replace the satellites with the plug-in ones, but my problem with that would be: what if the amplifier in the new models really is inferior to the older ones? Y'know? Not only that, but then you'd be spending extra money just to get the superior satellite speakers.

 

Whatever you do though, I hope that you can place the subwoofer on the floor behind the shelf.

 

 

Nice write up Two Cables, I have had the ProMedia 2.1 set up for about 10 years and it works flawlessly. Only one issue is that my Parrot has chewed through some of the insulation on the speaker wire. After seeing your posting about the stock speaker wire replacement set, Im going to get rid of the electric tape I have now and get a set of those off Ebay. Glad to have read your post...great job.

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Nice write up Two Cables, I have had the ProMedia 2.1 set up for about 10 years and it works flawlessly. Only one issue is that my Parrot has chewed through some of the insulation on the speaker wire. After seeing your posting about the stock speaker wire replacement set, Im going to get rid of the electric tape I have now and get a set of those off Ebay. Glad to have read your post...great job.

 

Thank you. :)

 

You will be VERY happy with these wires. The wires themselves (the part that came off a spool) are made by Monster. They're the XP wires: http://www.monsterproducts.com/Monster_XP_Clear_Jacket_Compact_Speaker_Cable

 

More details can be seen here: http://wwv.crutchfield.com/p_119XPMS202/Monster-XP-20-feet.html

 

Here are the plugs: http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/35-mm-plugs/nys226bg

 

The reason I bought them was just to hear how they compare to the wires below (which I bought first and ended up thinking that they were a pretty nice upgrade over the stock wires):

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-ProMedia-2-1-Premium-Gold-16ga-Speaker-wires-Cables-Professional-Pair-/251865320239

 

The jacket has this printed on it: "Audiopipe HWY 836 16 Gauge Speaker Wires". The plugs are the same ones as the ones above.

 

I had two reasons for not buying the Monster wires first:

 

  1. The price is lower (and the cost in shipping was even lower than what it is now for these wires)
  2. The wire itself (the part that came off the spool) isn't made by Monster.

 

At the time, I was still kind of against giving any of my money to Monster either directly or indirectly because I always believed that you can always get something that's just as good for less money (it's as though I was treating Monster as scam artists or something). Well, I was wrong in this case.

 

These Audipipe wires did make a pretty noticeable improvement to my sound quality and I was very happy with them! The mids and highs were noticeably cleaner, clearer, smoother, more natural, and the sound stage was improved as well (the chances of having "Listener Fatigue" were a lot lower). So, one tangible result was, I had to lower all the high frequencies by a couple of decibels in any Graphic Equalizer that I'm using in Windows (be it the one in my media player of choice, or in my global one) because the levels that I carefully arrived at with the stock wires were all too high now!

 

Then not more than a day later, I began noticing from the eBay picture of the Monster wires that they have superior winding (I didn't notice until I saw the other wires in person), so I was VERY curious about what difference that made and I couldn't rest until I tried them. So, I bought them.

 

Just handling the Monster wires made it clear to me right away that they're indeed quite superior to the Audipipe wires. They're heavier and thicker, and the jacket is thicker too (so, overall, they're probably more than twice as thick). The jacket is also more flexible and smoother or something. It's hard to describe the texture, but it's quite superior. There's also a subtle rainbow-like effect when the light hits them just right. hehe The Audipipe wires are pretty nice too, but they seem pretty low in quality in comparison to these Monster wires (almost comparatively generic, if that makes sense).

 

The difference in sound compared to the Audipipe wires is even better, but I would say that it's just a subtle difference. It's not VERY subtle, but just.... subtle. I mean, I can easily hear the improvement and I'm liking it, but it's not like "OMG WOW". lol (in comparison to the stock wires though, the improvement is almost worthy of saying "omg wow"). My mids and highs are slightly cleaner, clearer and smoother than they were with the Audiopipe wires (but I didn't have to change my EQ levels this time). My sound stage has also improved just slightly, which was already noticeably improved with the Audipipe wires. The overal sound with the stock wires is comparatively cheap-sounding, or maybe it's harsher - or something like that. So of course, the improvement to my sound quality with these Monster wires over the Audipipe wires isn't nearly as big as it was when I upgraded from the stock wires to the Audiopipes, but the fact that I am hearing an improvement at all with the Monster wires tells me that the Audipipe wires aren't worth buying when these Monster wires are available! I mean, the Monster wires are only $3.01 more after shipping! With everything I'm experiencing from the greatly superior physical differences to the slight improvement in audio quality, the difference is worth much more than just $3.01.

 

I want to discuss the thickness again because I think it's worth it. To start with, if these Monster wires really are 16 AWG, then those other premium wires have gotta be closer to about 20 AWG. I mean, the thickness of the Monster's bare wire ends surprised me because they are MUCH thicker than the Audiopipe wires (probably twice as thick), and they were even a tighter fit in the wire connectors on the amplifier. I even compared the thickness of the Audipipe wires to the thickness of the stock wires, and there's not much of a difference at all. Sure, they're thicker, but not by much. So, for $27.24 after shipping, they're actually kind of a rip-off! For $3.01 more at $30.25, you can get wires that are a lot better that probably really are 16 AWG.

 

Anyway, so yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what you think when doing a direct upgrade from the stock wires to these bad boys. :)

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Ive decided to make a set of replacement cables for the 2.1 system. I have quite a bit of Monster Cable left over from my shop installation I did a number of years back. Its the XPHP Presision Cable with Magnetic Fluxtube and LPE Dielectric goodness built into it. Ill be using the Amphenol Audio KM2P 3.5 Plugs from B&H. As far as the other end of the cable that attaches to the Subwoofer Im not sure yet if Ill just slip the wire into the snap clip or go with a crimped on Gold Plated Plug. Time will tell though, should have the 3.5 plugs in a week or so.

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Ive decided to make a set of replacement cables for the 2.1 system. I have quite a bit of Monster Cable left over from my shop installation I did a number of years back. Its the XPHP Presision Cable with Magnetic Fluxtube and LPE Dielectric goodness built into it. Ill be using the Amphenol Audio KM2P 3.5 Plugs from B&H. As far as the other end of the cable that attaches to the Subwoofer Im not sure yet if Ill just slip the wire into the snap clip or go with a crimped on Gold Plated Plug. Time will tell though, should have the 3.5 plugs in a week or so.

 

If you go with plugs, then how will you get it into the amplifier's wire connectors?

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Ive decided to make a set of replacement cables for the 2.1 system. I have quite a bit of Monster Cable left over from my shop installation I did a number of years back. Its the XPHP Presision Cable with Magnetic Fluxtube and LPE Dielectric goodness built into it. Ill be using the Amphenol Audio KM2P 3.5 Plugs from B&H. As far as the other end of the cable that attaches to the Subwoofer Im not sure yet if Ill just slip the wire into the snap clip or go with a crimped on Gold Plated Plug. Time will tell though, should have the 3.5 plugs in a week or so.

 

If you go with plugs, then how will you get it into the amplifier's wire connectors?

 

Good question... somewhere  in my " stash"  and I mean somewhere; I have a bunch of left over Gold Plated Plugs I got at Radio Shack years upon years ago.Ive searched for a couple hours the past day or so and I cant seem to find them online so I hope to find them here in my " stash ".

 

What I really liked about them is that you inserted about 1/2" of stripped wire into one end which was just a round hole... then you crimped down real hard with a vise grip or channel lock to secure the wire. Once you did that ; the other end of that plug ( where the wire was crimped into ) had about a 3/4" long post that stuck out. The width of that post was only about 1/16" wide and it will easilly fit into the snap clip on the back end of the Subwoofer.

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Ive decided to make a set of replacement cables for the 2.1 system. I have quite a bit of Monster Cable left over from my shop installation I did a number of years back. Its the XPHP Presision Cable with Magnetic Fluxtube and LPE Dielectric goodness built into it. Ill be using the Amphenol Audio KM2P 3.5 Plugs from B&H. As far as the other end of the cable that attaches to the Subwoofer Im not sure yet if Ill just slip the wire into the snap clip or go with a crimped on Gold Plated Plug. Time will tell though, should have the 3.5 plugs in a week or so.

 

If you go with plugs, then how will you get it into the amplifier's wire connectors?

 

Good question... somewhere  in my " stash"  and I mean somewhere; I have a bunch of left over Gold Plated Plugs I got at Radio Shack years upon years ago.Ive searched for a couple hours the past day or so and I cant seem to find them online so I hope to find them here in my " stash ".

 

What I really liked about them is that you inserted about 1/2" of stripped wire into one end which was just a round hole... then you crimped down real hard with a vise grip or channel lock to secure the wire. Once you did that ; the other end of that plug ( where the wire was crimped into ) had about a 3/4" long post that stuck out. The width of that post was only about 1/16" wide and it will easilly fit into the snap clip on the back end of the Subwoofer.

 

 

Oh wow, that would be an absolutely ideal setup for a frequently-moved system! Not only that, but even for an infrequently-moved system, the times you DO move it will be easier due to the greater ease of taking the wires out of the wire connectors and putting them back in.

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Seems like I have 12 inches... Still, the rug is quite soft + there would be a few objects on the way from the sub to my ears, while the satellites would be right in front of me... I know that <80 Hz sound is non-directional, but with the size of the satellite speakers I suppose the crossover is set higher. Will I get a balanced sound?

 

As far as the purchase goes, as I live in Europe I'm kind of limited to European offers only.

Edited by radosuaf
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Seems like I have 12 inches... Still, the rug is quite soft + there would be a few objects on the way from the sub to my ears, while the satellites would be right in front of me... I know that <80 Hz sound is non-directional, but with the size of the satellite speakers I suppose the crossover is set higher. Will I get a balanced sound?

 

Absolutely. Even if you don't, there will always be ways to get the subwoofer to sound perfectly balanced with the satellites. One of those ways is by increasing the subwoofer's volume. Unlike increasing the Bass (or any of the low frequencies in a Graphic Equalizer), this doesn't change the tone that the subwoofer produces. Instead, it just makes it louder, independently of the main volume. Failing that though, you can also increase the Bass. Or if you have a Graphic Equalizer in Windows or in your favorite media players, then you can increase like say 30-125 Hz, with 60 Hz being the peak of that range.

 

Also, again, I highly and sincerely recommend buying one of those used ProMedia 2.1 systems through eBay. Or, a different used one if you can find a better one (and one might be available by now). They will have a superior sound to any of the brand-new ones that you can get these days, even with the junk stock satellite speaker wires (that is, if the one you end up buying comes with them - always ask the seller).

Edited by TwoCables
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