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jamison
07-29-2004, 05:41 PM
I know this is a little off topic but im interested in the Klipsch pro -media speakers for the computer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AE82C/qid=1091151553/sr=8-9/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i9_xgl23/104-9298398-4213543?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000062VUO/qid=1091151553/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl147/104-9298398-4213543?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846

whats the big difference between the two?
the one is thx certified but that doesnt mean much i have a elcheapo logitec 3 piece setup that puts good bass out but no highs i want to play my games and music with some highs
also i am interested in a soundcard that has a digital out that i can connect to my main stereo. does anyone have any suggestions.

N. Abstentia
07-29-2004, 06:10 PM
The Klipsch Pro Media's are awesome speakers, probably the best computer speakers ever made. If they had a remote volume control I would have them, but I opted for a Monsoon setup.

As a side note, a buddy of mine just bought that same Klipsch set on Ebay for $60 shipped, there were bunches of them out there. They are 'open box' but I can't comment on how new they are yet. He just ordered them a few days ago and they haven't arrived yet. I don't expect any problems though.

kfalls
07-30-2004, 05:07 AM
The Pro Media are a good line, but steer clear of the GMX-D5.1 system. In analog mode the "hiss" is so loud, even at lower volume, you can hear it from across the room. I went on the Klipsch plant tour in Indy and asked the manager in of multi-media products if mine were defective. I was told the "consumer" wanted more gain from the amplifiers and with the change came more background noise. I'll bet Indiana Jones heard less hiss in the "Temple of Souls" with all the snakes. Bottom-line, ProMedia--good, GMX--bad.

N. Abstentia
07-30-2004, 10:16 AM
My buddy got his Pro Media 2.1's in yesterday..they were basically brand new. Not bad for $60 shipped!

goatspeed
07-30-2004, 10:45 AM
I'm not terribly impressed with the Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultras. Their subwoofer is probably the best part of the system...but I had the equalize the hell out of it to make it not boomy. They aren't as vibrant as a standard klipsch speaker...i swear they forgot the horn. They are pretty decent for movies, especially if in DTS. They really leave me wanting when I play music. I don't think they are worth the 350ish I paid for them.

I hate to say it but my old Bose 2.1 PC speaker system sounded better...I just didn't have the nice 5.1 surround with it. If you are looking for a 2.1 system (which it appears you are), give the 2.1 Bose system a listen if you can stomach the idea of trying a Bose product.

jamison
07-30-2004, 01:04 PM
I decided to go with the pro media 2.1 im going to look at a pair on ebay, i also found an external sound card it attaches via USB it bypasses your sound card and it includes a 30 ft fiber optic cable and rca cables. I have a gateway system an d this looks like the best route. http://accessories.gateway.com/AccessoryStore/PC+Accessories_316441/Speakers_F1_Sound+cards_316881/Sound+Cards_316885/1990544_ProdDetail

sfpassar
07-30-2004, 11:48 PM
I am strongly considering the GMX D51 because I can get it for a great price (For less than the ProMedia 2.1). I mainly intend to listen to music on it although I may use it for movies as well. My question is, would the 5.1 GMX sound better than the ProMedia 2.1? How bad is the hissing? Please let me know of you experience with the GMX D51.

Also, how do you rate the Logitech Z-680 in comparison to the GMX 5.1?

But for a little bit more, I can buy bookshelf speakers. I already have a spare receiver lying around and I'm thinking about hooking up my computer to the receiver and playing music through the bookshelf speakers. Would that be considerably better than a set Klipsch GMX 5.1 computer speakers in terms of sound output? I talked to some guys down at my local Circuit City and they told me that bookshelf speakers will totally own computer speakers.

Worf101
07-31-2004, 09:20 AM
I run sound from my puter to regular HT/stereo Amps and receivers and get to use some of my regular speakers instead of little stuff. Sound great to me and uses gear the better half would like me to throw out.

Da Worfster :D

goatspeed
07-31-2004, 12:04 PM
Would that be considerably better than a set Klipsch GMX 5.1 computer speakers in terms of sound output? I talked to some guys down at my local Circuit City and they told me that bookshelf speakers will totally own computer speakers.

Your average receiver plus speakers will sound better than anything you can do on a PC with only PC speakers. I set up a little comparison between a Yamaha YHT-440 HTIB system that retails for 4-500 dollars and a complex setup that I devised with the Soundstorm audio device on Nforce2 motherboards, an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card, and Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultras. With a Soundstorm audio device, you can do realtime Dolby Digital encoding, run that via digital coax or spdif to the Audigy card that has a decoder, then to speakers. Doing this will make it so that everything you do on your PC is Dolby encoded and decoded...from analog TV going into a tuner card to games to...whatever. I compared that setup to running the Dolby encoder and then running the spdif out to the Yamaha system. The Klipsch speakers which are supposed to be the best on the market didn't sound nearly as good as the fairly low end Yamaha speakers that come with that HTIB. The subwoofer performance was about the only thing comparable in playing DVD's. Music was no contest in favor of the Yamaha setup.

As for the Logitek z680 digital decoder enabled speaker system, I've bought that set and returned them. I thought all the money spent on them must have gone into the amp and decoder...the speakers sounded cheap. The sub was unimpressive.

IMO if you really want sound quality that isn't just "good for coming from a PC", your best bet is to get a HTIB system or grab a pair of bookshelves and plug them into a receiver.

kfalls
08-02-2004, 04:56 AM
I'm a big Klipsch fan having many of their home speakers (Kg4, KLF-C7, RS-3, KSP-3.1, KSP-2.1, KV3, SW8--------GMX-D5.1). Notice I couldn't bear to put the GMXs next to the others. To me, the hissing is so offensive I rather listen to Bose. Don't get me wrong, I love the design and the asthetics, but they default to a volume level of 30 out of 60 (I believe 60, I've never wanted to turn them up) and I always turn them down to 15 which is a good near-field listening level. Even at 15 the hiss can be heard easily across a 10' room. I asked Klipsch about it during their annual Pilgrimage, thinking I had a defective set. He was careful to pull me aside after his presentation and tell me they weren't defective. He said the consumer wanted higher gain on the amplifier which also brought up the noise level. Check out their website forum, they have a section for the GMX series. You'll find many complaints about the hiss in analog. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, except maybe an ex-artillery Sargent with high-frequency hearing loss. I'm going to see how the speakers sound on another amp. If they sound good I'll keep them. If they don't, they'll make a good Christmas present for my grandson's playstation.

chimera128
08-03-2004, 12:58 AM
I have my computer connected to my home theatre. I used to use a Bose 2.1 Lifestyle system (handed down lol.. didn't know what else to use it for) but it kept on bottoming out when I was writing music on it. That said it was better than most other computer speaker systems that I have auditioned. If you want really good sound don't waste the money.. buy a better soundcard and hook it up to your home system.