Are Klipsch ProMedia amps prone to failure?

SkaarjMaster said:
I finally cleaned all my connections and no change. Same ol' headphones work and sub does the going back and forth between working and very low bass thing. Before I totally give up on this Klipsch sub, is there anything besides the fuse (not completely out so fuse is probably still good) on the inside that I can tinker with (of course I'll leave it unconnected from power for a day before I start)?

wonkman, so instead of having three cords coming out of my Audigy2, I only need one digital out? Is there any reason I would want to still have 3 with this setup? Any advantages to letting the Audigy2 decode vs. letting the receiver decode?
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I'm not 100% certain, and maybe someone can correct me on this if I am wrong, but I believe you will lose Audigy features and formats like EAX and Audigy specific effects if the receiver decodes the signal. I'll mess with this tomorrow and confirm.
 
OK, also check the last thing I added to my previous post. I'm assuming that if I do decide to decode through the Audigy2, then I'll still be able to get the right cables:
Front speakers > stereo minijack on Audigy2 to two RCA connectors (L-R)
Back (indicated as surround on 503) speakers > as above
Center speaker > stereo minijack on Audigy2 to one RCA connector (center)

Of course, one advantage of decoding with the receiver may be that it takes some stress off the Audigy2 and it might last longer. I would think if I was more interested in music, then it would be a no-brainer and I would go through the receiver. But I'm a gamer first, so I'll have to see how it would affect my gaming experience (mostly UT games....UT, UT2003, UT2004).
 
bjornb17 said:
i gave up on computer speakers a while back. I had altec lansing ALC641 which are still working great (2 sets actually), and those seem to be really sturdy.

however, i then decided to buy some z680s (who's amp fried after about 20 mintues of light us), and then i swapped them out for promedia ultras who died after about a week. I then bought home theater speakers and a decent receiver and will never turn back :)
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Smart move. I really regret not buying a Theatre system in the first place. Most HTIB are not all that good. Especially the sub. But if you go with the Dayton sub and then keep an eye out for deals on a quality receiver and speaker, you can put together a nicer system for about the same price as the Ultras (at least the $399 original price that I foolishly paid.) You just have to educate yourself a bit instead of buying a package or MM system.

It is a bit tougher to beat the Z-5500 since they are selling for around $220 at some places. I just don't trust the reliability of MM speaker anymore. (Although kudos to Logitech for offering a 2 year warranty. A mouse/keyboard company has the guts to offer a 2 year warranty while Klipsch, an audio company, only offers only one.)
 
SkaarjMaster said:
OK, also check the last thing I added to my previous post. I'm assuming that if I do decide to decode through the Audigy2, then I'll still be able to get the right cables:
Front speakers > stereo minijack on Audigy2 to two RCA connectors (L-R)
Back (indicated as surround on 503) speakers > as above
Center speaker > stereo minijack on Audigy2 to one RCA connector (center)

Of course, one advantage of decoding with the receiver may be that it takes some stress off the Audigy2 and it might last longer. I would think if I was more interested in music, then it would be a no-brainer and I would go through the receiver. But I'm a gamer first, so I'll have to see how it would affect my gaming experience (mostly UT games....UT, UT2003, UT2004).
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I didn't try analog so I don't want to confirm that, but it makes sense to me. I actually bought both analog and a digital cables. I hooked the digital up first and decided to return the analog cables.

I read in another thread in avsforum that you can connect both at the same time and switch back and forth from analog and digital in the Audigy 2 software. So games you could let the Audigy decode and the receiver could decode for movies and music. I do notice the center channel is much much better in movies with my new setup doing the decoding. Dialogue is much better.
 
OK, that makes sense, so now I'll have four cables coming out of my Audigy2 card. I'll check my Audigy software to make sure that it's not just the ZS and higher that has this option. I'll do that and probably order everything today and tell Parts Express to e-mail me when the stock is in. I'm assuming I can order it still and I won't have to be home to answer the e-mail before they send it out. I'm still not sure about new vs. refurbished on the Onkyo though.

.......just went into my Audigy2 settings and this is what I found:

Start/All Programs/Audio-Video/Creative/Sound Blaster Audigy 2/Creative Audio HQ
Under Device Controls and Decoder options I found two choices with the first one checked as well as all its items
1. Dolby Digital (AC-3) Decode with three items checked (enable dynamic range compression, enable dolby pro logic and enable dolby digital EX)
2. SPDIF Passthrough (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital Out) (Note: External Decoder required)

Also, right now under .....Device Controls and Sampling Rate the Digital Output Sampling Rate is set to 48 KHz and has another option of 96 KHz. I'm guessing this has to do with a possible external device like a receiver as well.

My guess is I choose 1. for games and 2. for music and video/movies once I have the receiver and sub hooked up.
 
Actually, you'd never want to do decoding on the card, then. Games don't come in Dolby Digital.

Just check the S/PDIF passthrough, and uncheck any decoding options.

The Audigy should then continue playing everything through the analog 5.1 outputs, except Dolby Digital (and DTS - there is a page for those settings) signals, which will not get decoded (when that is disabled), and will just get passed through the S/PDIF output (when that is enabled).

IOW, you won't have to change anything on the soundcard side when switching from analog to digital, just remember to change modes on your receiver.
 
So, I wouldn't lose any EAX sound features or Audigy-specific effects in any games with only the digital out coming from the card?
 
uhm, the digital coming out would only be Dolby Digital or DTS sources. You'd be on 5.1 analog for everything else.
 
My above question still remains. Do I need the other 3 jacks coming out of my sound card or not? :confused:

Wait a minute........I think everyone is still saying I need all four connections on the sound card, is that right? If so, then I don't even check Dolby Digital (AC-3) Decode at all or any of its enabled settings, but only check SPDIF Passthrough in the Audigy2 settings. Leave these alone and only change the output settings on the receiver or remote when I'm ready to switch from games to movies/music or from movies/music back to games. Is this right?
 
SkaarjMaster said:
My above question still remains. Do I need the other 3 jacks coming out of my sound card or not? :confused:
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Here is the options for games:
- Use the 3 analog jacks, get surround sound
- Use the digital output jack, get stereo only

Here are the options for movies:
- Use the 3 analog jacks, and have the Audigy/X-Fi/whatever decode the movie's Dolby Digital/DTS track itself, and output that out the 3 analog jacks in surround sound
- Use the digital output jack, and have the Audigy/X-Fi/whatever simply 'pass through' the pre-encoded content to your receiver (IE., do nothing to the signal itself), which will then decode it to an analog signal at the receiver.

If you just go entirely with the analog option, you just need to run the 3 analog connections from the Audigy/X-Fi to the receiver, and that's it. You get 5.1 surround sound in games and movies.

If you want to go entirely with the digital option (just the one digital line to the receiver), you get 5.1 surround sound in movies, but only stereo in games.

If you want to go with digital + analog (3 analog and 1 digital line to the receiver), then you get 5.1 surround sound in movies (across the digital), and 5.1 surround sound in games (across the analog lines). You just have to remember to switch the receiver back and forth between the two modes, depending on what your sound card is sending out at the moment.

IMHO, the best option is "analog only". The DAC on the Audigy/X-Fi is really just as good as the DAC is most "home theater" receivers (dunno about that Onkyo one, however), so you don't really lose anything by doing that. Except another cable and having to switch modes all the time.
 
I'm using only the digital connection but I am getting sound from all 5 speakers. Is a stereo signal being matrixed into 5 speakers?
 
wonkman said:
I'm using only the digital connection but I am getting sound from all 5 speakers. Is a stereo signal being matrixed into 5 speakers?
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In games? Yes.

(Unless you have a Dolby Digital Live card - the HDA Mystique, Turtle Beach Montego DDL, or nForce2 motherboard. Those can encode a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio stream on the fly from non-pre-encoded surround sources, like games.)
 
me thinks wonkman needs more connectors.;)

I'm looking at the back of the 503 and the front (white/red) and surround (blue/gray, rear actually for 5.1) have dual (L-R) connectors. The center (green) only seems to have one connector. I'm guessing whether in games, movies or music, I don't have to plug anything into the other purple subwoofer connection (the non-preout connection below the center green one). Is this correct? If I'm wrong, then the subwoofer pre-out is like a speaker connection and the subwoofer also needs a multichannel input connection for analog and the center only connection includes the subwoofer and is a dual (L-R) connector also.

Have I totally confused anyone yet? I'm looking here at the back of the receiver:
http://www.shoponkyo.com/gallery.cfm?id=312#

Right now the subwoofer multichannel connection is the only thing I'm not sure about. Anyone want to take a stab at this? :D
 
dderidex said:
In games? Yes.

(Unless you have a Dolby Digital Live card - the HDA Mystique, Turtle Beach Montego DDL, or nForce2 motherboard. Those can encode a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio stream on the fly from non-pre-encoded surround sources, like games.)
Click to expand...

OK thanks dderidex. Back to Radio Shack to pick up those cables I just returned. LOL
 
dderidex, where are you? :D

The more I look at the back of the receiver and think about it, the more I get confused. The manual for the receiver doesn't seem to explain gaming setups very well either. I'm going to use the analog + digital setup and switch modes on the receiver. I know how to hook up the digital part, but the analog part is not as straight forward. The sound card has three analog outs that were originally hooked up to my Klipsch subwoofer as 1/8-inch plug out and 1/8-inch plug in as all I did was run this from my 3 outs on the sound card to the 3 ins on the back of the Klipsch subwoofer. Now I have to convert this 1/8-inch to RCA connections to plug into the new receiver and I know how to do that. What I don't know (and let's start from scratch here) is should they be dual or single RCA?

First, the subwoofer pre-out is in the speaker out section of the receiver and will always be used whether digital or analog because I'm guessing this is treated like all the other speaker out connections, so let's not worry about that for now. What I'm concerned about is what to plug into the front/surround/center 6 plugs on the receiver just to the left of the subwoofer pre-out? Is it dual RCA in all of them (front L-R, surround L-R, center-sub) or dual RCA in front L-R (white, red), dual RCA in surround L-R (blue, gray) and single RCA into center (green)? Or is it dual RCA in front L-R, single RCA in surround (blue) and dual RCA in center-sub (green, purple)? Or single RCA in all (white, blue, green)? :confused:

I believe wonkman will have to know this also. Anyone want to help? Thank you.
 
1) The cable in question is a 1/8" stereo mini to dual RCA. You'll need 3 of these.

2) The subwoofer pre-out runs to the subwoofer. That's for a subwoofer with it's own amplifier. Yes, it's always used.

3) You should have to connect 6 RCA plugs, the fronts being one pair, the rears the second pair, and the center/sub being the third pair. (Red = right) Don't forget to test the output channels to make sure it's correct.
 
I have the Promedia 2.1s for about 2 years. It has been working fine so far. Knock on wood. btw, I leave on the sub 24/7 as well :eek:
 
Ok, that and what someone said in another forum almost confirms all are dual RCA at the receiver end. One thing that was pointed out to me in the other forum is that all 3 1/8" minijacks go side-by-side into the sound card and there is only 3/8" between each plug which means each RCA-to-minijack adapter can only be 3/8" wide and the ones from Radio Shack are 15/32" wide and won't work in the Audigy2. I either need to find different adapters or get an extension 1/8" female-to-male or something like that. So one problem is figured out another arises. :(

One interesting aside is how the heck to 7.1 computer sound card people hook up to this receiver. Do the signals for the 4 surround speakers all go into the 2 surround slots (blue/gray) on the receiver?
 
SkaarjMaster said:
Ok, that and what someone said in another forum almost confirms all are dual RCA at the receiver end. One thing that was pointed out to me in the other forum is that all 3 1/8" minijacks go side-by-side into the sound card and there is only 3/8" between each plug which means each RCA-to-minijack adapter can only be 3/8" wide and the ones from Radio Shack are 15/32" wide and won't work in the Audigy2. I either need to find different adapters or get an extension 1/8" female-to-male or something like that. So one problem is figured out another arises. :(

One interesting aside is how the heck to 7.1 computer sound card people hook up to this receiver. Do the signals for the 4 surround speakers all go into the 2 surround slots (blue/gray) on the receiver?
Click to expand...

yeah, you will have 3 connections..... 2 regular minijack to stereo with a minijack extension wedged in between. you can find those at radioshack for like $5 as i did.
 
SkaarjMaster said:
Ok, that and what someone said in another forum almost confirms all are dual RCA at the receiver end.
Click to expand...
It's also confirmed on my HT setup. :D I use 1/8" mini to dual RCA x3 for 5.1 audio to my HT receiver.

SkaarjMaster said:
One thing that was pointed out to me in the other forum is that all 3 1/8" minijacks go side-by-side into the sound card and there is only 3/8" between each plug which means each RCA-to-minijack adapter can only be 3/8" wide and the ones from Radio Shack are 15/32" wide and won't work in the Audigy2. I either need to find different adapters or get an extension 1/8" female-to-male or something like that. So one problem is figured out another arises.
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You can shave down the plug ends. It's just plastic, and I had to do that too. Just shim some plastic off on both sides to 3/8" and you are set.

SkaarjMaster said:
One interesting aside is how the heck to 7.1 computer sound card people hook up to this receiver. Do the signals for the 4 surround speakers all go into the 2 surround slots (blue/gray) on the receiver?
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On the Creative cards, the 2nd and 3rd analog ports can output up to 3 PCM signals, and yo would need a 4-pole 1/8" mini to triple RCA cable to get them. The Surround Back Left is on Port 2, and Right is on Port 3. You would use a cable that is commonly known as a camcorder cable. (These would have to be shaved down too, if you get them from RatShack)
 
I was just curious about the 7.1 sound cards. Mine is a 5.1. Yeh, I was thinking about shaving the sides to get it to fit. I'll ask around other places to confirm that this is a good idea before I try it. I'll still look for 3/8-in. wide adapters though. :D
 
wtf? You want pics to assure you that they're solid plastic ends? You want to spend your money, you go right ahead.
 
Chastity said:
wtf? You want pics to assure you that they're solid plastic ends? You want to spend your money, you go right ahead.
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No, I would just rather find what I need instead of shaving. Of course, figuring out if something is actually 3/8-inch wide or not could be a problem online or even in the store. I have time, my subwoofer will not even be available until the end of December. :)

............I wonder if this would work?
http://www.audiogear.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?key=Adpt2RcfMsm&preadd=action

What did you use to shim the sides off? I was thinking maybe an exacto knife.
 
Jackyl said:
sorry to hear you're having problems with your klipsch set. I've had my promedia ultra 5.1's for quite a while now and haven't had any problems yet *knocks on wood*
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Same here. Blaring mine right now, and they sound great.
 
The right channel in my PM2.1's died after about 8 months. Got them fixed fot the $60, then sold them for $130, and went and got some real speakers (Event TR monitors).
 
SkaarjMaster said:
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones then.........mine lasted 3 years and 3 months. :D
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i guess the concensus is that the promedias WILL fail, its just a matter of when.
 
Replaced mine 2 or 3 times within the first year. No its out of warranty and having the same problems. But they sound so dam good compared to my creative 6.1 .
 
I had the original Promedia 5.1s and they worked fine for just under 3 years and then the amp went. I moved up a set of M-Audio studio monitors.
 
my 4.1s were working great for about 3 years.... then one day the right rear started getting really weak, kicked the amp (i wasn't happy) and the right rear kicked back on, same thing a day later, kicked it and the whole fuckin thing died.... now i was wondering, is it worth it to send it in, and spend probably like 80-100 in repair/shipping costs or get a nice used digital reciever and go that route?
 
SeaFoam said:
my 4.1s were working great for about 3 years.... then one day the right rear started getting really weak, kicked the amp (i wasn't happy) and the right rear kicked back on, same thing a day later, kicked it and the whole fuckin thing died.... now i was wondering, is it worth it to send it in, and spend probably like 80-100 in repair/shipping costs or get a nice used digital reciever and go that route?
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start with receiver :)

Go to http://www.harmanaudio.com and get the AVR130-Z for $167, brand new with full warranty and then get some decent speakers :)
 
well i was planning on using my speakers for a while after my reciever is replaced
 
bjornb17 said:
i guess the concensus is that the promedias WILL fail, its just a matter of when.
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Indeed. :( I can only get audio through the "control pod" (or whatever it's called) by plugging in my headphones...and this thing arrived brand new. :(
 
I've had my original 4.1 promedias since winter of 1999, over 6 years now and they still work :)

I've replaced the pre-amp once.. and I think I have a small issue with the control pod, sometimes I have to tweak the knobs to make sure I get equal sound out of the speakers (I'm using them as a 2.1, since I don't have room for the other 2 speakers at the moment)

Sound is still beautiful, too :D
 
Bastards! They changed the arrival date on those new Dayton subs from today until Jan. 5th. :mad: Oh well, I guess I can wait a little longer.
 
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