3DsoundSurge Reviews: Klipsch ProMedia 4.1

Klipsch ProMedia 4.1

Mark Muschett - Last updated July 30, 2001

Important Info:

Speakers By : Klipsch
Price : $299 MSLP
Power Output: (400 watts RMS total)
Subwoofer: 160 watts RMS
Satellites: 60 watts RMS x 4
Frequency Response: 29Hz - 20kHz

Minimum/Recommended System Requirements

Sound card or other audio device with 4 analog channel outputs

Reviewer PC:

Mark
- Win98
- Celeron 333a o/c 416
- 128MB PC100 ram
- Creative TNT
- Creative Voodoo Blaster 12 M
- 6.1 and 13 GIG EIDE HD
- For headphones comparison testing I used a set of Sennheiser HD525s headphones. For sound card testing I used the following cards. A Sound Blaster Live, Sound Blaster Live 5.1, Hercules Game Theater XP, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, Siren Audio 5.1, Philips Acoustic Edge and Digital Audio Labs Card Deluxe were used for testing. All my testing was done in Windows 98 on a BX motherboard.

Specifications

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:	29Hz - 20kHz
MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT:	110dB SPL
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE:	4 ohms
ENCLOSURE TYPE:	Satellites—sealed, Subwoofer—bass reflex
AMPLIFIER:	BASH Digital linear hybrid amplifier; discrete MOSFET output power section
INPUTS:	Four-channel soundcard; twin miniplugs; MP3 two-channel soundcard miniplug
OUTPUTS:	Headphone
TWEETER:	0.75" Poly compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN:	90° x 40° MicroTractrix® Horn
HIGH FREQUENCY CROSSOVER:	5kHz
WOOFER:	3" Fiber-composite cone
SUBWOOFER:	Two 6.5" (16.51cm) fiber composite cones
SUBWOOFER AMPLIFIER:	160 watts
DIMENSIONS:	Satellite: 8.5" (21.59cm) x 4.2" (10.67cm) x 5.67" (14.4cm) Subwoofer: 9.25" (23.5cm) x 10.25" (26cm) x 13" (33.02cm)
WEIGHT:	Satellite: 2.1 lbs. (0.95kg) Subwoofer: 17.5 lbs. (7.95kg)
ENCLOSURE MATERIAL:	Satellites: ABS Subwoofer: Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF)
FINISHES:	Black
ACCESSORIES:	RB-1 Stand, WB-1 Bracket (each sold separately)
VOLTAGE:	110/120 VAC
EXPORT VOLTAGE:	230 VAC
YEARS BUILT:	2000 -

Introduction

In the summer of 1999, Klipsch, L.L.C., a leading manufacturer of loudspeakers for professional and home entertainment applications, announced that they had joined with Compaq Computer, to introduce the first THX^® Certified speaker system for multimedia applications in the form of the ProMedia V.2-400. The speakers were a smash hit before anyone ever-laid ears on them. This was due to the allure of THX, even though it's the much less stringent multimedia speaker version of the certification, and an even now unmatched 400 watts RMS. If the specifications were not enough to make PC owners salivate, the ProMedia’s price was the icing that pulling in those playing hard to get with its amazing list price of $249.95 for the first THX certified 4.1 multimedia speaker system. The first reviews started to hit the web the excitement continued to build. Review after review, both web and print, heaped praise onto the ProMedias. However, after the initial excitement started to wane, some flaws in the original v.2-400 started to appear. First there were complaints of hiss - an issue Klipsch quickly addressed through release of a new gain modified preamp that was first offered free to all v.2-400 owners and later incorporated into all new systems coming off the line. Later as the v.2-400 was subjected to more critical listening tests it became apparent that there was a flaw in the systems midrange, apparently the result of some interaction between the systems MicroTractrix Horn and the midrange driver. Klipsch took this feedback along with other user wish lists and went back to the drawing board. The result was two new systems that strive to build on what they started with the original ProMedia v.2-400.

One is what Klipsch proudly declares as the world’s first THX®-Certified three-piece computer audio system, the ProMedia™ 2.1 that we have also reviewed. The other is an updated 4.1 system that incorporates all of the improvements featured in the new 2.1 system while maintaining the powerful subwoofer that gamers have come to drool over for a price of $300, $50 more than the original v.2-400. It’s this updated 4.1 system that on top of the reworked crossover now also features an amplified headphone jack and a power standby switch that we take a detailed look at in this review.

With the list price at $300 the ProMedia 4.1 is in a price bracket with only one other direct competitor being Monsoon’s MM2000 Planar Magnetic 4.1 system that carries an identical $300 MSLP. The Altec Lansing ADA890 at $350 is also in the same price range if you factor in the fact that it has an integrated hardware Dolby Digital decoder. In North America the VideoLogic Sirocco Crossfire carried a MSLP of $450 so it’s really in another price bracket in the North American market. Despite that we will also look at how the ProMedia 4.1 fares against its more expensive competitor. We will also compare against a few other 4.1 systems that I have tested in the $200 range to see just what it is that you get for the extra money. While it would be of interest we have not yet tested the Altec Lansing ATP5 or ADA890 so unfortunately can’t offer much in the way of comparisons with those two popular systems.