- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Yes, I admit, I drooled on 'em before buying them
Pros
High clarity...Not tinny, even cranked!...Three little letters...T, H, and X
Cons
Cheap wires...Possible confusing wiring
Recommended it?
Yes
Allow me to put aside the cons about this product set for a moment and tell you what I like about it, but first, I wish to give you a little background on my purchase.
I am living with my folks while finishing school, and am also gainfully employed at a major electronics retailer here in Fort Wayne. As I was shopping around at work for Christmas presents this year, I ran across a set of computer speakers I had never seen before. The words of my father rang in my head, "With Napster and all, I really ought to go get better computer speakers..." ALAS! I had found the perfect Father's Christmas gift! And I knew he'd love the fact that they're among the best... I picked up the quite large and quite heavy Klipsch box and put it in the cart. For $204.63 (discounted), it was a good deal to say the least. (Not to mention the fact that I use the same computer as my dad!!) :o)
The box was so big, I couldn't wrap it and make it look nice, so I just covered it with a blanket and left it at that. It really was the perfect gift.
Pros:
Subwoofer
I listened to the other computer speaker speaker brands we carried at the store, and even considered a few of them which had so-called 'subwoofers' in them. This was the only set of speakers I heard which sounded more than halfway decent. They actually sounded great, in spite of being in the middle of a loud BestBuy store. I couldn't hear the subwoofer rattle like the other brands. Plus, it put out a clean, smooth sound. The sub itself has two drivers (one on either side) and a port on the front. This, in my opinion, gives it its clean sound. The lack of a plastic case (it's wood with laminate) removes the rattling that is found in cheaper subs.
Controls
The left front speaker (standard) has three controls on it: subwoofer, surround (rears), and main volume. I find, contrary to what I had originally thought, that I adjust the subwoofer a lot when listening to different songs, just because it sounds great the louder it gets, but I don't like too much bass.
Surround Speakers
The rear speakers are a great advantage, and come with a lot of wire with which to put them behind you (even in a larger room). I do not have a sound card with support for rear speakers, so in the standard setup, the rears just bleed a tiny bit off of the front speakers sympathetically, and you hear just a little out of them--there is some sound there however. The front and rear speaker systems are separate in the way they are amplified, so I ended up buying a splitter to split the signal out of my sound card to the two systems to add a little more depth. And add depth it did. I keep the knob for the rears adjusted to about half, and it sounds great.
Power
There's no actual power button or switch. If you don't want any sound, you just turn them all the way down. This is nice, and eliminates one step from troubleshooting muted speakers. I find that I really don't miss the power option at all.
Cons:
Subwoofer
The only disadvantage to the subwoofer I can think of is the port being on the front and the wiring terminals on the back. If all was on the back (minus the drivers) life would be better. My reasoning lies in the use of the port. Yes, it adds bass. Yes, it sounds great as it is...but, I have the subwoofer by my feet--up against the wall, and the port would be even more 'bass-full' if it had a wall for the soundwave/air pulses to reflect off of instead of my feet (which does feel awesome and add effect as well).
Wiring and Manual
The manual (for lack of a better term for a single folded sheet of paper) gave little reference to the way these speakers are wired. I'm glad to have had background in audio/visual fields, because it was no problem. However, for the 45 year old average non-techie guy who buys these, the wiring could be a small challenge. One may have a problem with connecting 8 leads: Red? Black? Positive? Negative? Right? Left? What is this one? Who knows!! It really is quite simple...that is, if you know what you're doing.
The Wires Themselves
The supplied 'emergency wire' these speakers came with does leave something to be desired, as other opinions have hinted. I wouldn't have minded paying a little more if it meant having some low-end Monster Cable or Acoustic Research product included. The 20 AWG (that's pretty small) wire does present a slight (and I do mean very slight) hiss in the speakers (not counting that given off by the computer), so I may make my own cable for them in the future out of better quality wire.
Overall, on features, ease of use, and quality, I rate these computer speakers at a 96%. The three cons lowered the score only a bit, but you may want to get a little help hooking them up if you're not sure what you're doing.
My dad loved them, and I love them. I play Half-Life and other popular games quite a bit, and they do enhance gameplay. In fact, I'm listening to an Everclear cd on them as I type.
I am living with my folks while finishing school, and am also gainfully employed at a major electronics retailer here in Fort Wayne. As I was shopping around at work for Christmas presents this year, I ran across a set of computer speakers I had never seen before. The words of my father rang in my head, "With Napster and all, I really ought to go get better computer speakers..." ALAS! I had found the perfect Father's Christmas gift! And I knew he'd love the fact that they're among the best... I picked up the quite large and quite heavy Klipsch box and put it in the cart. For $204.63 (discounted), it was a good deal to say the least. (Not to mention the fact that I use the same computer as my dad!!) :o)
The box was so big, I couldn't wrap it and make it look nice, so I just covered it with a blanket and left it at that. It really was the perfect gift.
Pros:
Subwoofer
I listened to the other computer speaker speaker brands we carried at the store, and even considered a few of them which had so-called 'subwoofers' in them. This was the only set of speakers I heard which sounded more than halfway decent. They actually sounded great, in spite of being in the middle of a loud BestBuy store. I couldn't hear the subwoofer rattle like the other brands. Plus, it put out a clean, smooth sound. The sub itself has two drivers (one on either side) and a port on the front. This, in my opinion, gives it its clean sound. The lack of a plastic case (it's wood with laminate) removes the rattling that is found in cheaper subs.
Controls
The left front speaker (standard) has three controls on it: subwoofer, surround (rears), and main volume. I find, contrary to what I had originally thought, that I adjust the subwoofer a lot when listening to different songs, just because it sounds great the louder it gets, but I don't like too much bass.
Surround Speakers
The rear speakers are a great advantage, and come with a lot of wire with which to put them behind you (even in a larger room). I do not have a sound card with support for rear speakers, so in the standard setup, the rears just bleed a tiny bit off of the front speakers sympathetically, and you hear just a little out of them--there is some sound there however. The front and rear speaker systems are separate in the way they are amplified, so I ended up buying a splitter to split the signal out of my sound card to the two systems to add a little more depth. And add depth it did. I keep the knob for the rears adjusted to about half, and it sounds great.
Power
There's no actual power button or switch. If you don't want any sound, you just turn them all the way down. This is nice, and eliminates one step from troubleshooting muted speakers. I find that I really don't miss the power option at all.
Cons:
Subwoofer
The only disadvantage to the subwoofer I can think of is the port being on the front and the wiring terminals on the back. If all was on the back (minus the drivers) life would be better. My reasoning lies in the use of the port. Yes, it adds bass. Yes, it sounds great as it is...but, I have the subwoofer by my feet--up against the wall, and the port would be even more 'bass-full' if it had a wall for the soundwave/air pulses to reflect off of instead of my feet (which does feel awesome and add effect as well).
Wiring and Manual
The manual (for lack of a better term for a single folded sheet of paper) gave little reference to the way these speakers are wired. I'm glad to have had background in audio/visual fields, because it was no problem. However, for the 45 year old average non-techie guy who buys these, the wiring could be a small challenge. One may have a problem with connecting 8 leads: Red? Black? Positive? Negative? Right? Left? What is this one? Who knows!! It really is quite simple...that is, if you know what you're doing.
The Wires Themselves
The supplied 'emergency wire' these speakers came with does leave something to be desired, as other opinions have hinted. I wouldn't have minded paying a little more if it meant having some low-end Monster Cable or Acoustic Research product included. The 20 AWG (that's pretty small) wire does present a slight (and I do mean very slight) hiss in the speakers (not counting that given off by the computer), so I may make my own cable for them in the future out of better quality wire.
Overall, on features, ease of use, and quality, I rate these computer speakers at a 96%. The three cons lowered the score only a bit, but you may want to get a little help hooking them up if you're not sure what you're doing.
My dad loved them, and I love them. I play Half-Life and other popular games quite a bit, and they do enhance gameplay. In fact, I'm listening to an Everclear cd on them as I type.
