klipsch promedia DD 5.1 review

[ohskigod]

During the whole drama of discussion of this unit, i was asked for my comments after i recieved and played with the unit by a number of forum members, hence, here it is.

This unit replaces a Rotel RSP 960AX which had Prologic for movies, and great sound quality for my music listening needs.

When i hooked up the promedia, I found the same Subwoofer level issue that others had. After some tweaking, it sounded fine. Going to Dolby Digital from the pro logic is a huge difference, basically what many of you told me to expect. Movies sounded freakin fantastic. needless to say, my ratio of music to movie viewing ratio will likely be changing.

Now for music listening, I was expecting dissapointlment based on the issues Sid seemed to have. In short, i will say i had no such issues. I was very surprised at the sound quality of this unit forr music. I would like the bass crossover to be less than 120 Hz, so a bass manager might be in my future, but overall, i'm very pleased. Very clean precise, and pleasant sound overall coming from this pre pro through my seperates. It is ridiculous for me to be this pleased with a unit that cost me a little over a benjy with shipping. I remeber someone saying it would be better to buy a sherwood reciever for 129.00 than this unit. I safely say that this unit, with the seperate amps i have, has far more sound quality than the sherwood (no disrespect intended).

Yes, the limited inputs are an issue, but what is my alternative, a thousand plus for a dolby digital preamp?, just for more inputs. I would love to have a true side by side test to compare the sound quality of this unit to other preamps put there, i know this will set off an arguement, but i think there might be some surprises in the results.

In short, I am very happy with this unit, more so than i thought when i first orderred it.

Downsides are limited inputs, 120 Hz crossover (wish i could do a lower crossover to see if i would be even happier than i am now), Small size of the unit looks strange stacked on my other components, The remote does piss me off at times, but if i throw it against the wall in anger, i'm screwed since there is no other way to control the unit. Would i pay 1-2000.00 dollars to overcome these paltry shortcomings, in a word, NO.

For now, i am a very happy boy.

A hearty thanks to Russman for being the first to point out the existence of this unit.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I tried every tweak that I could think of and just could not get that thing to work for me. Oh well!

It does awesome for movies dosnt it? lol

Very....enveloping in every sense.

How is 2 channel for you compared to what you had?

Enjoy!

Yes, Russ finds to many deals. I want to find the big speakers on the side of the road ya know?

[ohskigod]

wow, that was quick :D

As i said, i am very happy with 2 channel, believe me, after i saw the post about your dissapointments, i was very much expecting the big letdown for 2 channel, but not so for me. My other compnents seem to compliment this little unit very well. I could listen to this thing in 2 channel all day with a big smile. Speakers set on small with the sub is slightly better, which also was a surprise. I wish i could experiment with crossover frequency (locked at 120), but i'm in no rush for a bass management component due to it sounding fine as is.

I've been using this for almost a week, with no change in my initial assessment.

[ohskigod]

p.s., no one throws out infinity speakers in my neck of the woods;)

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Partsexpress has like......connectors *a crossover that can attach to the cables*. They have from 120hz-30hz I'm sure. Not sure of what they're called. RS156(?) does. That is a way to walk around the crossover issue on the cheap.

BTW - Good to hear you're enjoying it. The thing that got me was the soundstage of the Klipsch compared to the Pioneer Elite was just so small.....I just couldnt get into the music.

Another thing is, that followed with the NAD. The bass is weaker than the Pioneer Elite. But the NAD dosnt have the gap I heard with the Klipsch. So I know it's the sub this time.

Keep rockin with the Klipsch! It is worth the 112 shipped!

Only thing I have found for free was.....

Pioneer CS-E900
Pioneer SA-1280
A Pioneer Tuner and CD Player. I just picked up the receiver and speakers and reconditioned the speakers.

Russ is a lucky mofo!

[Ron-P]

ohskigod, nice review. Glad to hear you are enjoying it and are as happy as I am. I don't do 2-channel, but for testing purposes I found it equal to that of my Marantz AVR with a slight more detail.

But, this thing rocks for movies, like Sid said, the envelopement this thing creates is excellent. The thunderstorms and rain in Open Range were the best I've ever heard in my HT and any movie theater todate, just outstanding.

I added the Outlaw ICBM Bass Manager and it comes highly recommended to nix that 120Hz cut-off. Even with a total price of $392, $112 (Klipsch) and $280 (ICBM), the upgrade in sound quality far exceeds that which I spent.



Peace Out~:D

[Dr. Spec]

I remeber someone saying it would be better to buy a sherwood reciever for 129.00 than this unit.

I don't want to be taken out of context on the Sherwood issue and just want to set that straight.

My honest impression of the original DD5.1 thread was how to get into HT on the cheap - period. Not how to get into HT separates on the cheap. Big difference.

Yes, the entry level HT AVR has inherent limitations (which I also originally stated), but at least it gets you on the field with a turn-key package for a c-note.

In the face of overwhelming evidence, I publicly concede that this Klipsch unit must have some decent switch gear and the SQ is apparently very good.

Major roadblocks I see are limited BM (120 Hz xo is too high for anything but small sats) and a lack of DD-EX, DTS-ES, DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete decoding - something many HT enthusiasts consider important.

I see some are turning to the $250 ICBM to fix the BM issues, but I don't see a quick fix for the decoding.

If Klipsch could go the extra mile and offer a better BM circuit and extended DD/DTS surround decoding with seven pre-outs for maybe $250, I think they'd have a real winner in the entry level separates category.

Doc

[reeltrouble1]

I agree with Doc, the units inability to utlize all of the sound recording found on some DVD software is a major consideration. Since this is an entry level unit some may not care in the least, however, buyers should be aware of the shortfall and then make an informed decision, I would also like to know how it performs with 2 ch.

[Ron-P]

It's got it's limits, but it's also only $99. I'm sure most here have spent more on a single DVD run at one time or another.

For those of us that are on limited HT budgets, don't need anything more than 5.1 and don't want to spend 10x that for a pre/pro. This little deal cannot be beat.

As for the ICBM. One of these was always in my furter due to my Marantz's 100Hz x-over point. Buying this just pushed me off the fence faster of that inevitable purchase.

Again, for $99 you can't beat it.


Peace Out~:D

[RuSsMaN]

I saw it as a good piece for entry-level (cheap) separates, as Doc mentioned. I saw it getting use with either small sats, or just go for the larger setting. (as most of the speakers we all own can, and will do large - which is actually what Polk recommends in thier 'ht handbook' for all the Polk floorstanding / large shelf models.) It was actually shown to me as a way for someone with a good 2ch rig to migrate into home theater, without giving up the rig they love in the process.

It does limit the HT enthusiast as far as formats go, but for a guy like me, I won't ever go more than 5.1 in HT, unless the media forces me too (won't downconvert), or my current equip gives out and I HAVE to go >5.1 to replace it.

I am suprised to hear it sounding *better* than some rec's with pre-outs, though. Maybe that is due in part to the simplistic design, without all the bells and whistles you find in most receivers.

So it works for some, not others. It probably is not the best kept secret in HT pre/pro's - but it does seem to be finding it's own niche in among certain HT enthusiasts. Who knows, maybe some other companies will take notice, and manufacture a more full-featured product (better bass mgmt / surround formats / inputs etc), and offer it at a fair price.

I don't frequent any other HT forums, but in the past year or two on Club Polk, a LOT of members have had their eyes 'opened' to separates. If that's true of other venues - there's a definate market for affordable HT preamps, and separate amps.

Cheers,
Russ