SuBXeRo Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 (edited) Klipsch, you have made many wonderful products over the years but my peeve has always been in the PC 2.1 department. My GMX set (thankfully discontinued) was....lackluster for a klipsch product both in sound and quality. The promedia series is better and i'd say worth the $150 you pay for it. My gripe has always been with the capabilities of the satellites while the subwoofer has always been adequate to very good and that the amp always seems to have problems. I think that you are really missing something with the WB-14's. I've tested the RB-10, RB-52, RB-5 and RB-5 for near field and the RB-10's were OK but the rest were just not near field material at all. I bought the WB-14's for my computer because i wanted something more than the promedia series could offer. Amp unreliability is rampant and once you get them cranking, the horn starts to show its limits which is really disappointing. I went and bought an HSU downfiring sub and an emotiva a-100 to power them. The amp is solid, the subwoofer is great and the speakers....more than i could ever ask for in a near field position. The clarity and openness of these speakers, and really the entire Icon W line beats any klipsch speaker i have ever owned and i think that really says something. They were always overppriced and only bought them on close out through newegg when i felt they were priced properly for what they are. Klipsch, you could do a higher end computer set. Base it off of the WB-14, do a less nice veneer, pack a quality plate amp in the sub, beef up the sub slightly, include some fitted & angled isolation pads and you'd have a set worth $300-$350 that people would pay for. Just my $0.02 for your product development. Always a fan, Ian Note: Monitor is 32" monitor Edited April 5, 2015 by SuBXeRo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I always said the Icon series from 2011 had a nice sound due to the horn geometry. The WB are a bargin when sold for the deep discount price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoCables Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Or at the VERY least, bring back the original quality of the ProMedia 2.1 system. I've read posts here and there that say the new versions don't have as good of a sound as the old ones, even on the stock satellite speaker wires. Another thing that I would absolutely LOVE to see happen to the ProMedia 2.1 is, a change to an 8" subwoofer. 6.5" is ok, but 8" would probably be PERFECT for this system. I still don't understand why a 6.5" sub was used. Even some of the ProMedia 2.1 manuals I've downloaded say that the subwoofer is 8", so it was obviously considered. I would also like to see the speaker wire connectors on the satellites be changed to match what you had on the ProMedia 5.1's satellites. The 3.5mm connector is OK, but not as good as the red and black spring-loaded connectors. Of course, it would be even better to have connectors that are even better than this, but I don't want to be unreasonable since it's not supposed to be THAT good of a speaker system! Really though, I'd love to see more options for computer speakers; BETTER options. Options that would make audiophiles happy! Do you know what I'm talking about, Klipsch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy W Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) Don't be shy... post what you want, and more importantly how much you would pay. I will tell you that revamping the PM2.1 and making a high-end 2.0 (powered bookshelves) or 2.1 have been considered MANY times and it all comes down to making the business case. How much will it cost? Where will it be sold? (i.e. will the retailers take it and put it on the shelf) What will people pay for it? and How many will we sell? We did it once, it was called the iFi. My son still uses mine on the gaming computer he built. I always thought the high end was a little lacking, but I was overruled when it came time for the final EQ. One of these days, I'm going to take mine apart and re-EQ it... one of these days... when I have time... We though we had a commitment from one retailer for the iFi, who will remain nameless, but a few months after launch, they cancelled the orders and brought in their own system. Didn't last much longer after that. We did it recently with the Stadium, although that's not a computer speaker. We also have the Jamo P404, and at one point there was the Jamo P102 and the Jamo i300. None of them have sold in big numbers. (That is the key) I've always wanted to take some of the smaller HT sats and put them with a sub, but I've never been able to convince anyone (like the Quintet sats or even the less expensive HD Theater sats). The XB-10 sats were probably the best sounding sats I can remember and those would have made a KILLER 2.1 setup... but I guess I'm not much of a saelsman. The XB-10's weren't cheap though. The point of using existing sats is to avoid a lot of tooling costs. I've pitched it a number of times. The current version of Quintet speakers would make an excellent little 2.1 system. P.S. I've been here since the beginning of the PM2.1 and there was never a plan to put an 8" in the sub. Edited April 10, 2015 by Andy W 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I would just get a quality USB DAC then run it into a desktop 2 channel amp with a set of KSB 1.1's and a powered 8'' sub. That would be an awesome setup right there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironsave Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I will say that I've owned 2 PM 2.1 sets. The original set (my ex got them) was really good (~2002?). Its what got me into Klipsch. The second set was equally good. I happened upon some RF52's cheap (~$70). I initially paired them with the PM 2.1 amp (mounted in the sub). WOW what a difference. This was a bedroom PC system btw..... Soon after; the PM2.1s were sold. I still have the RF52s; powered by an HK AVR 500 in our Master Bedroom (different house)..... Point of my story.... The PM 2.1s got me started into this. There are systems by Creative; Logitech; etc at every retailer. There's so many gaming systems with high end sound cards; etc; you can't design a great sounding speaker system for these pcs? Why hasn't Klipsch responded; as this will lead to other speaker sales...... You're telling me that a $225 system can't be created that will blow the doors off of the competition? The amp reliability thing (and volume knob issue) can't be addressed (finally) over 10 years later? I too am disappointed. I'd buy a set right now for the kids PC if they were available; but the current iteration needs an update and redesign. Klipsch; I love your products.... get with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Don't be shy... post what you want, and more importantly how much you would pay. I will tell you that revamping the PM2.1 and making a high-end 2.0 (powered bookshelves) or 2.1 have been considered MANY times and it all comes down to making the business case. How much will it cost? Where will it be sold? (i.e. will the retailers take it and put it on the shelf) What will people pay for it? and How many will we sell? We did it once, it was called the iFi. My son still uses mine on the gaming computer he built. I always thought the high end was a little lacking, but I was overruled when it came time for the final EQ. One of these days, I'm going to take mine apart and re-EQ it... one of these days... when I have time... We though we had a commitment from one retailer for the iFi, who will remain nameless, but a few months after launch, they cancelled the orders and brought in their own system. Didn't last much longer after that. We did it recently with the Stadium, although that's not a computer speaker. We also have the Jamo P404, and at one point there was the Jamo P102 and the Jamo i300. None of them have sold in big numbers. (That is the key) I've always wanted to take some of the smaller HT sats and put them with a sub, but I've never been able to convince anyone (like the Quintet sats or even the less expensive HD Theater sats). The XB-10 sats were probably the best sounding sats I can remember and those would have made a KILLER 2.1 setup... but I guess I'm not much of a saelsman. The XB-10's weren't cheap though. The point of using existing sats is to avoid a lot of tooling costs. I've pitched it a number of times. The current version of Quintet speakers would make an excellent little 2.1 system. P.S. I've been here since the beginning of the PM2.1 and there was never a plan to put an 8" in the sub. I would think that there is vicious completion in the PC market and many people want to pay less than $200 at Best Buy or the like. E.g., this is made of plastic and can be sold off the shelf of BB and are small compared to the typical monitor (from years ago). Of course you know price points. Maybe $300 is the top of what anyone would pay for a better system in that type of sales situation. Maybe there is a market for a $500 system. I was looking at RM-14 which are a little large for a "next to the monitor" system but not so large for people running larger screens these days. The smallest Klipsch sub seems to be the SW-110. The total of those two are $500. However, the buyer would need some sort of amp and USB interface. But my point is that a super PC system could be cobbed together (almost) out of existing components. WMcD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironsave Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Don't be shy... post what you want, and more importantly how much you would pay. I will tell you that revamping the PM2.1 and making a high-end 2.0 (powered bookshelves) or 2.1 have been considered MANY times and it all comes down to making the business case. How much will it cost? Where will it be sold? (i.e. will the retailers take it and put it on the shelf) What will people pay for it? and How many will we sell? We did it once, it was called the iFi. My son still uses mine on the gaming computer he built. I always thought the high end was a little lacking, but I was overruled when it came time for the final EQ. One of these days, I'm going to take mine apart and re-EQ it... one of these days... when I have time... We though we had a commitment from one retailer for the iFi, who will remain nameless, but a few months after launch, they cancelled the orders and brought in their own system. Didn't last much longer after that. We did it recently with the Stadium, although that's not a computer speaker. We also have the Jamo P404, and at one point there was the Jamo P102 and the Jamo i300. None of them have sold in big numbers. (That is the key) I've always wanted to take some of the smaller HT sats and put them with a sub, but I've never been able to convince anyone (like the Quintet sats or even the less expensive HD Theater sats). The XB-10 sats were probably the best sounding sats I can remember and those would have made a KILLER 2.1 setup... but I guess I'm not much of a saelsman. The XB-10's weren't cheap though. The point of using existing sats is to avoid a lot of tooling costs. I've pitched it a number of times. The current version of Quintet speakers would make an excellent little 2.1 system. P.S. I've been here since the beginning of the PM2.1 and there was never a plan to put an 8" in the sub. I would think that there is vicious completion in the PC market and many people want to pay less than $200 at Best Buy or the like. E.g., this is made of plastic and can be sold off the shelf of BB and are small compared to the typical monitor (from years ago). Of course you know price points. Maybe $300 is the top of what anyone would pay for a better system in that type of sales situation. Maybe there is a market for a $500 system. I was looking at RM-14 which are a little large for a "next to the monitor" system but not so large for people running larger screens these days. The smallest Klipsch sub seems to be the SW-110. The total of those two are $500. However, the buyer would need some sort of amp and USB interface. But my point is that a super PC system could be cobbed together (almost) out of existing components. WMcD I agree; except one point..... Gamers will want a pc speaker system they can plug and play; not try to assemble on their own. Make it sound PHENOMINAL; make it under $300 and make it simple. "If you build it; they will come"..... (hehe.had to throw that in). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Well, maybe that is what they want right now. Gamers are very prone to tinker and will buy high priced motherboards and processors and add cooling systems and over clock. Maybe they have to be educated to get away from of the shelf at BB sound systems. WMcD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoCables Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Well, maybe that is what they want right now. Gamers are very prone to tinker and will buy high priced motherboards and processors and add cooling systems and over clock. Maybe they have to be educated to get away from of the shelf at BB sound systems. WMcD They do. In my limited experience, I always find it to be very difficult to convince someone that they would be much happier with some speaker system that ISN'T made by Logitech or Corsair or some other overly-popular brand and product. They fall for things like the 10" subwoofer and high power rating of the Logitech Z-5500 or the clever wording of the product pages for such speaker systems, including the Corsair SP2500. When people like me speak up and tell them that even the ProMedia 2.1 can produce a better sound, they respond in disbelief, almost as though it's impossible to beat these other speaker systems because they are more popular! One argument they use is that these professional reviewers say that such speaker systems are extremely awesome. heh Of course, then you have the word of mouth and the fact that all of their friends are using these silly speaker systems. You just can't compete with that or convince them that something better is financially within their grasp no matter how much of an audiophile you are. Some gamers are even like, "how would you know? You're not a gamer". What they don't know is, that can be exactly why they should listen because to some of us. Unfortunately, it's like trying to convince someone that a much better version of their favorite food exists and that they have access to it! You can't prove that it's better. I dunno, I think that Klipsch is in an unfortunate position because they don't have the name recognition that these other manufacturers have like Logitech or Corsair - and that's really what the stores want. They care less about selling the highest quality products and more about whether the product will SELL. With the Klipsch name on computer speakers, they don't have that guarantee because people walk right past them going, "That's not a Logitech or a Corsair speaker system, so it's probably some generic piece of crap". Y'know? Yes, SOME people see "Klipsch" and are like, "Whoa! They have Klipsch speakers here!" However, the majority already have their heart set on "Logitech speakers", because they think they're the best since that's what everyone else uses. So Klipsch, perhaps the solution is to just go ahead and create the very best 2.1 computer speaker system that you can (put all of your best people on the project and treat it with the utmost importance) without making it end up cost more than $150 or $200. Take a chance. You know? All it would take is for just a few of the most popular reviewers to try it, and BAM: word of mouth spreads like wildfire. Before you know it, you have orders coming in left and right and then you have a very good reason for stores to sell your product, and that reason is called "demand" (obviously). I mean, Klipsch, you have shown that you are capable of producing some extremely awesome computer speaker systems that don't really break the bank, so I say stop being afraid and just DO it. Ironsave wisely quoted Field of Dreams because it's true: if you build it, then they WILL come. Besides Klipsch, doesn't it bother you that the computer speaker market is being dominated by garbage? I say, I think it's time for you to FIX that problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy W Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Here is some perspective... the v2.400 hit the market at $299 in 1999 and was followed up with the PM2.1 at $199 in 2000. The iFi was launched at $399 and if we had to build that system today (it was 2005, 10 years ago) I bet it would be in the neighborhood of $800. So to give feedback to some of the repsonses... TwoCables... the PM2.1 now sells for $149 every day at Best Buy but distribution beyond that is limited. I will admit that the desing is long in the tooth, yet we continue to sell a lot of them and due to the fact that it hasn't changed (okay, only a little) we are still getting costs that we could never come close to with a redesign. So it's a hard sell for something new or different in the $150-$200 price range. Ironsave... The price range for a 2.1 system with similar "content" of say the R-10B soundbar (a really decent 8" sub plus 2-way sats with Bluetooth) is MSRP @ $599 and is on sale for about $100 less. So I would say that's about what your looking at price-wise for a level of performance that is a step above the current PM2.1. Performance might be close to the old iFi system, but would probably not be able to have as much amplifier power, but maybe 1/3 less best case? William and Ironsave... A pair of wood box speakers with a 2x50W amplifier for $500 along the lines of the R-14M or maybe even the R-15M is in the realm of possibility (without the sub though). I'm thinking that just having a single analog input woudn't cut it anymore with the variety of connectivity options people are using now. So as a followup... what connectivity would be desired? (I know what I would want, but it would probably be two different products.) Elaborating on the question... Do people want dedicated PC systems, or do they also want to hook them to TV's, gaming systems, handheld Bluetooth devices, or ???? What connection for the PC is wanted, analog, optical, coax, or USB? How many inputs would have to be there? Is wireless connectivity even a concern? Or would you rather just have the single analog input to keep the costs down as much as possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Best computer speakers ever: Monitors are 24" inches. RB-25s. Sub on the floor is an RSW-10D. Speakers are powered by Emotiva Mini-X. Way too much power, but they image very well. Not currently running a DAC on them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 i think as nice as it would be to have a all in one system, we have to be real. the OP stated he has a sub with the WB-14's and a mini-x. i can vouch as i run the exact same thing. and i just sold the monitors about 2 hours ago. it just doesn't make a lot of sense to make high end computer setups to me because not many will buy them. if people desire more sound than what they can buy they will do the same as the rest of us and buy bigger monitors with a sweet little integrated amp and a small subwoofer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 there is a good market for systems that cost a few hundred dollars. Bose has been selling their companion series for almost a decade i think now. I paid like $250 for mine back in the day and it was....well it did the trick. it was back when i didn't know better. The volume pod lacked but it was extremely reliable overall. I look at what you get from klipsch for $150...that's 2 satellites, a sub and built in amp + wiring. The sub is actually decent like we said but there is room for improvement on amp quality and satellite design. Probably, of all things, it comes down to size. Maybe this is all a dying industry trend as most have laptops and its not something that we readily see. I think they hit the nail on the head with the bluetooth stuff and has that tech gets better, so will the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shodrewken Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Knock on wood but my Promedia 5.1 Ultras are still going strong =D As much as I would love to replace them when they finally go I understand that a system like that isn't a viable option for Klipsch to offer any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoCables Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Best computer speakers ever: IMG_0959.JPG.jpg Monitors are 24" inches. RB-25s. Sub on the floor is an RSW-10D. Speakers are powered by Emotiva Mini-X. Way too much power, but they image very well. Not currently running a DAC on them... If only I had more desk space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confab Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Don't be shy... post what you want, and more importantly how much you would pay. I will tell you that revamping the PM2.1 and making a high-end 2.0 (powered bookshelves) or 2.1 have been considered MANY times and it all comes down to making the business case. How much will it cost? Where will it be sold? (i.e. will the retailers take it and put it on the shelf) What will people pay for it? and How many will we sell? We did it once, it was called the iFi. My son still uses mine on the gaming computer he built. I always thought the high end was a little lacking, but I was overruled when it came time for the final EQ. One of these days, I'm going to take mine apart and re-EQ it... one of these days... when I have time... We though we had a commitment from one retailer for the iFi, who will remain nameless, but a few months after launch, they cancelled the orders and brought in their own system. Didn't last much longer after that. We did it recently with the Stadium, although that's not a computer speaker. We also have the Jamo P404, and at one point there was the Jamo P102 and the Jamo i300. None of them have sold in big numbers. (That is the key) I've always wanted to take some of the smaller HT sats and put them with a sub, but I've never been able to convince anyone (like the Quintet sats or even the less expensive HD Theater sats). The XB-10 sats were probably the best sounding sats I can remember and those would have made a KILLER 2.1 setup... but I guess I'm not much of a saelsman. The XB-10's weren't cheap though. The point of using existing sats is to avoid a lot of tooling costs. I've pitched it a number of times. The current version of Quintet speakers would make an excellent little 2.1 system. P.S. I've been here since the beginning of the PM2.1 and there was never a plan to put an 8" in the sub. Interesting comments about the high end of the iFi. I always thought mine sounded a little rolled off, but at least that isn't as tiresome as a zippy high end. Mine are currently providing tunes for the garage. I have always wished I had picked up a couple more sets when they were on closeout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahaSHO Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Old thread, but I just happened to come across it... Back in 2004, I had a Promedia GMX A-2.1 that I really liked and also ended adding their 8" add-on subwoofer. On my current computer setup, I bought a Logitech subwoofer/satellite setup knowing the satellites were crap, but the sub was great. I had an extra set of RSX-3's and replaced the Logitech satellites with those and I am extremely happy with the setup. I've probably been using this setup for 7 years. I do wish I had the black version though. Edited February 5, 2016 by yamahaSHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy W Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) Well since the topic came back up, and since someone had mentioned powering the R-14M bookshelves for $500, and since I wasn't able to say anything... (we were actually working at the time on powering the R-15M)... We now have announced and now the R-15PM "powered monitor" speakers are available! Pair them with your favorite Klipsch sub (The R-10SW is cost effective and matches very nicely!) for a heretofore unmatched PC audio experience. http://www.klipsch.com/products/r-15pm-powered-monitors Switchable Line/Phono input optimized for moving magnet phono cartridges 3.5mm Aux input Optical input for PCM stereo (hi-res compatible) USB Audio capable for computer monitor systems - abolish the internal motherboard DAC Bluetooth wireless connectivity Edited February 16, 2016 by Andy W 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy W Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Buy them and we'll make more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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