Today I am sad for my Klipsch, and now I need advice

[archcommus]

I have a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 system from March of 2003, so about 2 3/4 years old. I used them up until the end of August, at which time I went to college and left them at home. I came home last Tuesday for break, tried them out and they were still working good, however the treble seemed a bit tingy and the overall sound didn't feel as full as I was used to. However I told myself it must've just been my imagination.

Well, today I go to play a few songs, everything is good, then I go to turn them off, and I don't hear the familiar squeal that I usually hear when turning them off. Alarmed, I turn them back on and play a song, only to find that now all my sound is completely dead besides the bass. Headphones still work good in my sound card, and obviously every speaker did not die at the same time, so I'm assuming the problem has to be in the subwoofer (not the bass itself, but the connections inside the subwoofer that output to all the speakers). A sad day indeed.

So now I have a few options. I could either forget about it and stick to my headphones (although that would be sad), try to find a new sub on eBay and keep my speakers (will probably cost over $100), or just get a whole new 5.1 system. However, the longest warranty offered by any speaker manufacturer is two years, and considering that'd cost at least twice the price of a new sub, I'm not sure if that's the best route.

So what would you recommend I do at this point?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[archcommus]

From reading over at the Klipsch forums, it sounds like my amp has died?

 

[Eureka]

Probably, they have a tendency to die.

Norm

 

[archcommus]

So is my best route to get the amp replaced through Klipsch? Assuming that's the problem. It appears it would cost about $90 plus shipping.

Or would it be safer to just start from scratch and maybe get the Logitech Z-5500s?

 

[rugby49]

I also have the Promedia 5.1. That particular model had known issues with Klipsch and they sent registered users an extra 1 year warranty due to a lot of them breaking. Try contacting them to see what they might do. A bunch of the subwoofers were breaking and they replaced sets with the new ultras when they came out.
Jim Kelly

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Probably, they have a tendency to die.

Norm

yup went through 3 sets in 1 year..
now im sold on the Logitech 5500s.. way better for the dollar and sound quality than the promedias..
used to be a major Klipsch fanboy.. now on the logitech bandwagon..

 

[Eureka]

lol, Logitech does have a price value, but then again their subs are awful things. If you can get past that it's a good deal.

Personally, in the same price range as the Z-5500 I'd get the Creative G500, which are the same price and offer better sound quality.

Norm

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
lol, Logitech does have a price value, but then again their subs are awful things. If you can get past that it's a good deal.

Personally, in the same price range as the Z-5500 I'd get the Creative G500, which are the same price and offer better sound quality.

Norm

I love the 12 inch sub that came with the 5500.. sounds better to me than the "dim" bass responce from the klipsch promedia 5.1s i had...

games and movies need "PUNCH" when explosions and other big effects go off.
and Logitech definatly deleivers on bass.
it can be toned down for normal listening if you are not a bass person.
but being old and deaf i like my subs very deep and powerful.

Creatives are VERY weak when it comes to pure punch as well..
and i dont like thier mids or highs much either. they sound like a crappy system that belongs on a computer...

the 5500s and the Promediasn sound more like an Living room HT setup than a computer set.
with the edge going to Logitech for thier big bad sub and more reliable amps and lower price.

FYI i like my HT bassy too.. i have a very large velodyne powered sub for the HT as well..
I like to shake windows with bass when I watch scenes like the opening to Swordfish...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! heheh

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
lol, Logitech does have a price value, but then again their subs are awful things. If you can get past that it's a good deal.

Personally, in the same price range as the Z-5500 I'd get the Creative G500, which are the same price and offer better sound quality.

Norm

I love the 12 inch sub that came with the 5500.. sounds better to me than the "dim" bass responce from the klipsch promedia 5.1s i had...

games and movies need "PUNCH" when explosions and other big effects go off.
and Logitech definatly deleivers on bass.
it can be toned down for normal listening if you are not a bass person.
but being old and deaf i like my subs very deep and powerful.

Creatives are VERY weak when it comes to pure punch as well..
and i dont like thier mids or highs much either. they sound like a crappy system that belongs on a computer...

the 5500s and the Promediasn sound more like an Living room HT setup than a computer set.
with the edge going to Logitech for thier big bad sub and more reliable amps and lower price.

FYI i like my HT bassy too.. i have a very large velodyne powered sub for the HT as well..
I like to shake windows with bass when I watch scenes like the opening to Swordfish...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! heheh

Uh, dude, how to tell you, but the z5500s have a 10" sub.

And that bass punch you think the Logitechs have, is really boomy unfocused bass.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
lol, Logitech does have a price value, but then again their subs are awful things. If you can get past that it's a good deal.

Personally, in the same price range as the Z-5500 I'd get the Creative G500, which are the same price and offer better sound quality.

Norm

I love the 12 inch sub that came with the 5500.. sounds better to me than the "dim" bass responce from the klipsch promedia 5.1s i had...

games and movies need "PUNCH" when explosions and other big effects go off.
and Logitech definatly deleivers on bass.
it can be toned down for normal listening if you are not a bass person.
but being old and deaf i like my subs very deep and powerful.

Creatives are VERY weak when it comes to pure punch as well..
and i dont like thier mids or highs much either. they sound like a crappy system that belongs on a computer...

the 5500s and the Promediasn sound more like an Living room HT setup than a computer set.
with the edge going to Logitech for thier big bad sub and more reliable amps and lower price.

FYI i like my HT bassy too.. i have a very large velodyne powered sub for the HT as well..
I like to shake windows with bass when I watch scenes like the opening to Swordfish...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! heheh

Uh, dude, how to tell you, but the z5500s have a 10" sub.

And that bass punch you think the Logitechs have, is really boomy unfocused bass.

10 or 12 it makes no diff... they still hit way harder than my promedias ever did and fill my entire 3 br home with vivid sound..
as for unfocused you must not know how to place a sub in the room to focus your soundfields.

the speakers are wonderful.
they have gotten VERY high marks in every single review on them on the web and in magazines.

DTS and DD decoders are very well done and work wonderful with PC/DVD/XB360 all hooked up at once.

Optical and COAX inputs are also a very welcome addition to these speakers.

promedias just cant stand up to all the features price and performance the Logitechs offer..
and ive had both..

 

[Eureka]

Shh, don't ruin his fantasy... let him believe that Logitech has nice subwoofers.

Norm

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Shh, don't ruin his fantasy... let him believe that Logitech has nice subwoofers.

Norm

have you actually had a Logitech 5500 system in your home set up properly?

I ddint think so fanboi...

dont talk till you have had both installed and compred them apples to apples..
you cannot judge them by how they sound in the store.

I went through 3 promedia sets for bad amps.. they were good speakers but more focused on the highs and mids than the lows..

logitech have a boomier sub and still great sounding highs and mids..

Just becasue Logitech doesnt have a long history of Audio doesnt mean these epeakers suck..
do a quick search on google for Logitech 5500... you will see nothing but super high reviews from users and the press.

and usually directly compred to the promedias and Creatives..

sorry man but yall really need to take the blinders off and look around.. there are other wonderful products out there that you people dismiss just becasue it doesnt have the brand name you usually like the best..

 

[archcommus]

Well I haven't called Klipsch yet, but considering the system is 2 3/4 years old, I doubt they'll replace anything for free. From what I read it'll cost $90 plus about $35 shipping so around $125 total to get the amp replaced. However, for twice that amount I could get a brand new set of the z-5500s. But I've always loved the sound quality and bass and punch of my Klipsch. I don't want to be disappointed by a Logitech set.

What to do?

 

[Eureka]

CVSiN, you know you just proved yourself about the Logitech subwoofer problem.
"logitech have a boomier sub"

You don't want a boomier sub, you want a tighter sub.

However, I will give you that they do offer a better deal, especially with the decoder.

In any case, try calling Klipsch's customer support and see if you can get a waiver on the fees or something.

Norm

 

[archcommus]

Well I called and it was pretty simple. I said I have a ProMedia 5.1 THX that is outside the warranty and I think has a dead amp and he said $90 flat rate for any repairs, simple as that.

Not sure how to proceed. I doubt I can get that for free.

 

[Eureka]

Hmm, well there's always sweet talking, or making a big deal. How far are you outside the warranty anyway?

Other than that, the call's up to you... you could pay to get a new amp, but then that would probably die too in due time. You could get a new set of speakers, but that's also up to you.

Norm

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If it's about $100 to get the Klipsch repaired, I'd go with that. Don't buy a whole new set of speakers if you have some that are better than you'd be able to get for the repair cost.

If you really want something that's going to last, save up your money until you get get a real speaker system rather than a computer speaker set.

I'll just add to the Logitech vs Klipsch debate going on that as a logitech owner and playing around with placement quite a bit, my Logitech sub was quite boomy an although loud and able to rattle things, it didn't really sound good. Definately a good deal for the price and better than the vast majority of computer speaker subs out there, but yeah it was boomy and not the best.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
If it's about $100 to get the Klipsch repaired, I'd go with that. Don't buy a whole new set of speakers if you have some that are better than you'd be able to get for the repair cost.

If you really want something that's going to last, save up your money until you get get a real speaker system rather than a computer speaker set.

I'll just add to the Logitech vs Klipsch debate going on that as a logitech owner and playing around with placement quite a bit, my Logitech sub was quite boomy an although loud and able to rattle things, it didn't really sound good. Definately a good deal for the price and better than the vast majority of computer speaker subs out there, but yeah it was boomy and not the best.

That's the thing, I don't know if the my Klipsch set really is that much better or not than the z-5500s. All I hear about them is good things and I certainly wouldn't call myself an audiophile.

It would be around $125 to repair the Klipsch, but then what am I left with - I spent half what the Logitechs would cost me, and I still have a 3 year old speaker set with no warranty on anything. If the replacement amp or the sub goes later on down the road, I'm sunk.

 

[archcommus]

Would going with a "real speaker system" be better to make it easier to work with individual components down the road?

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Would going with a "real speaker system" be better to make it easier to work with individual components down the road?

It wouldn't be a bad idea, especially considering the increase in SQ.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: archcommus
Would going with a "real speaker system" be better to make it easier to work with individual components down the road?

It wouldn't be a bad idea, especially considering the increase in SQ.

I guess I have to consider how much of a sound buff I really am.

I do love my music, however I mostly have 128 kbps MP3s, and they sound fine to me, unlike many people here. I do not have a huge movie collection but I do get a lot of enjoyment out of watching a high-quality DVD on a really good sound system with awesome punch and clarity. And I love having great sound for immersion in games. Should a person like me be considering a real system? But I'm sure the minimum cost is not something I can bear.

 

[Eureka]

Sure... I mean an entry level HTIB is $300.

Norm

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Sure... I mean an entry level HTIB is $300.

Norm

Yep, if you don't want to spend more than $300, there is this.

 

[jkresh]

I was under the impression that most entry level HTIB are not as good as high end pc speakers (megaworks/gigworks/kplipsch/logitech), though I know onkyo is considered to be the best of the low price ($500 and down, realy $1000 and down), currently have z680's for my PC and getting the ht-s780's for my home theatre.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Sure... I mean an entry level HTIB is $300.

Norm

Yep, if you don't want to spend more than $300, there is this.

Would those be better or at least as good as a brand new Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 Ultra set?