Cooler Xtreme : Audio / Sound : Klipsch ProMedia 4.1

Klipsch ProMedia 4.1

Detailed Overview

The Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 includes 4 identical two-way satellites, one subwoofer with integrated amplifier, a preamplifier control pod that comes attached to one of the satellites which features separate main volume, surround and subwoofer level controls, a headphone jack and an auxiliary input. Each satellite speaker comes with a self-supporting pedestal, but Klipsch also offers accessory upgrades such as telescopic floor stands and adjustable wall brackets through its http://www.klipsch.com/ web site. The total system is rated to deliver 29Hz-20kHz with a maximum peak output of 110 dB. No parameters (e.g. +/- 3 dB) are placed on the systems frequency response and no crossover point between the subwoofer and satellites is listed in the specifications.

Satellites

The system comes with four shielded 8.5" H x 4.2" W x 5.67" D (including bracket) satellites that utilize a sealed elliptical enclosure made of high impact polystyrene. According to Klipsch, the elliptical shaped satellite speakers cabinets are designed to reduces the negative effects of internal standing waves within the enclosure and are similar in shape to the cabinets used in Klipsch’s much more expensive ($899) Quintet Micro Theater system. Each satellite has an acoustically transparent removable cloth grill (that has a plastic grid for support) and sits on short, high quality metal stands that are attached to the base of the cabinet by a screw. The control pod is as noted attached to one of the satellites offering very easy access to all the speaker controls.

The satellites use a 2-way design. A 0.75-inch polymer dome tweeter mated to a Micro-Tractrix horn handles high frequency response. The Tractrix horn shape according to Klipsch allows expanding sound waves to be released, unaltered and uncolored, through the wave-guide with controlled and focused radiation. So what does this mean? High frequency sound tends to be very focused. Dome tweeters will do a better job of dispersing the sound around the room than cone-based tweeters (or single driver systems). By horn mounting a dome tweeter using a horizontal horn Klipsch is working to direct that high frequency energy along the horizontal plain most likely to find your ears. Some have criticized the horn loaded design because it creates speakers that sound too bright. I did find that the high-end response was slightly more pronounced than that offered by the VideoLogic Sirocco Crossfire (4.1 system). This was something that might be a result of the Micro-Tractrix horn on the ProMedia 4.1 but it was not a night and day difference and certainly not something that I would point out as an issue in either case.

The mid/bass driver is a 3-inch long-throw design with an advanced fiber-composite cone and black urethane surround for reliability. Both the tweeter and midrange driver were custom designed by Klipsch for use in the ProMedia multimedia series. According to Klipsch, other than the reworked crossover network between the midrange and tweeter in each satellite, these satellites are identical to what was in the original v.2-400. One thing I noted aside from improved midrange quality is the reworked crossover network has resulted in a bit lower volume for the new satellite compared to the original v.2-400 satellite at identical output settings on the ProMedia 4.1 amplifier. However the maximum usable (clean) volume in the end is unchanged. It's worth noting here that the new ProMedia 2.1 uses the same updated crossover network as the ProMedia 4.1

Subwoofer

The ProMedia 4.1 subwoofer cabinet is 10 mm thick MDF with a black plastic wrap. The cabinet houses dual side-firing active 6.5" long throw drivers with a metal grill to protect each cone and just as with most multimedia systems it also houses the amplifiers. Unlike many, the power supply is also housed in the same cabinet.

The 6.5 inch drivers were custom engineered by Klipsch for the specific purpose of the ProMedia subwoofer which according to Klipsch is as tweaked out as possible. Using dual 6.5 inch drivers has a similar performance as a single 8" driver, which according to Klipsch would cost more to implement. It would also result in a cabinet that takes up more space and on top of that the dual side firing design conveys some additional acoustic benefits such as reduced driver excursion resulting in quick driver response.

The subwoofer cabinet has a single sixth order front flared bass-reflex port. This type of enclosure is used to improve the efficiency of the systems ability to produce low frequencies and is a great way to get more bass out of a given sized box. When the port/box combination is properly tuned, low frequency air vibrations within the port are in phase with the cone motion and output is increased (it’s also worth noting that the sub must also be in phase with the satellites). The deep bass efficiency of a ported system can be 50 to 100 percent greater than a sealed box (acoustic suspension enclosure). Klipsch notes that the sixth-order bass reflex design allows high acoustic output and low distortion bass response while minimizing driver excursion. Klipsch also indicates that the sub is capable of reaching down to an impressive 29 Hz but as noted, no +/- dB parameter is offered.

Total Harmonic Distortion: (THD)

Harmonic Distortion is a means for measuring Nonlinear Distortion. Nonlinear distortion is a form of signal processing that creates signals at frequencies that are not necessarily present in the input. It contrasts with linear distortion, which is a form of error that creates no new frequencies beyond those that are present in the input signal. Linear Distortion changes the relationship of the size and timing of the frequencies that compose the input signal. Linear and Nonlinear distortion are directly based on frequencies present in the input signal. Noise is a form of error that is not as directly related to the input signal. You can read more about THD at PCAVTECH.com

Amplifier and power supply

The ProMedia amplifier uses a high power five-channel design that according to specifications is delivering a total of 400 watts RMS. No THD or S/N numbers are offered by Klipsch but a post from DanF (a moderator in the Klipsch Forum) talking about the original v.2-400 pointed out that "the official [THD] specification is 1%, but that is mostly to ensure that all units will do that. Typically it's much lower (probably .25% or so)". Simple listening tests revealed no noise issues with the Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 so we can assume that the S/N numbers are indeed very good.

60 watts RMS are delivered to each of the 4 satellites with 160 watts RMS going to the subwoofer using a discrete MOSFET power section for high current, maximum dynamic headroom. The amplifiers are powered by an advanced BASH^® (Bridged Amplifier/ Switching Hybrid) power supply. The BASH design means its using a digital power supply with a class A/B type analog output. The digital power supply is supposed to be incredibly efficient drawing no more power than a night lamp when the system is idling as the BASH power supply goes to quiescent (idle) the instant there is no signal to it. There are a number of HI-FI subwoofers using the BASH system including units from Klipsch and Cambridge SoundWorks. Even so, some may question the use of a switching power supply on a performance oriented multimedia system and in response Klipsch has indicated that the digital-linear design is better than the average standard switching power supply when it comes to noise. Specifically they note that the overall design is highly efficient and delivers superior sound quality over conventional switching power supplies.

This is as good a place as any to note that THX certification has nothing to do with any decoding standard like Dolby Digital, DTS etc. Rather it's an optional quality certification process developed by Lucas Films and there are several different standards. The THX multimedia speaker specification covers, sound performance, user interface and construction quality. Performance parameters include bandwidth, frequency balance, front/rear speaker matching, directional characteristics, minimum peak sound pressure level and the system's ability to play up to its rated output level. In addition, ease-of-use is evaluated, including installation, set up and operation. That a system has this THX certification means that it has met or exceed all of the necessary criteria. However, because it is an optional standard that has a fee associated with certification there will also be systems that could easily meet or exceed the criteria that won't have the certification.

Controls and inputs

The digital power supply is supposed to be incredibly efficient drawing no more power than a night lamp when the system is idling. Despite this low power draw, this is another area where Klipsch listened to criticism of the original v.2-400 and the ProMedia 4.1 has a power standby switch one the control module attached to one of the satellites, something that the original v.2-400 lacks. This is just a power standby switch though as the power supply, but not the amplifier, is still active when the system is in standby mode. There is no master power supply on the ProMedia 4.1 so if you really want the system right off you have to unplug it or use a power bar.

On the rear of the subwoofer enclosure you will also find a standard power cord. There is no external power brick or wall adapter as it is all enclosed in the subwoofer enclosure. Aside from the power you will also find two pairs of standard clip speaker wire connections and a DIN plug for the control module. It's worth noting that compared to the preamps (the original first shipping unit and the new lower gain unit shipping in later units) offered on the original v2-400 system this new preamp offers an enhanced direct path amplifier interface for lower noise, crosstalk distortion, and amplifier compression.

The satellites are connected to the subwoofer by utilizing the bare end of the provided (10 foot front, 20 foot rear) unattached light gauge sections of speaker wire (all four wires are in a single strip that can be pulled apart). The other ends are connected to the back of the ProMedia 4.1 satellites via a pair of attached mono mini-jacks, something I wish Klipsch would move away from as a found that the connections were not always clean and had to be jiggled to get an optimum connection.

The control module has a master volume control that adjusts total system volume (all satellites and subwoofer together) a surround volume control and a subwoofer volume control. Neither the subwoofer control nor the surround volume control can be set to completely off. The control module also has an amplified headphone output (1/8" mini-jack) of excellent quality and an auxiliary-input (1/8" mini-jack) that offers a 6 dB boost to the incoming signal to help with the low-level output of most portables. The input from the auxiliary input is automatically mixed in with the main sound card connection but will only come from the front channels (plus subwoofer) and there is no way to use the ProMedia 4.1 controls to adjust the levels separately.

The headphone jack does not automatically mute the main outputs and amplification works even when the main system is not in standby mode. The gain of the headphone output is up to 20 dB! The Crossfire is offering up to 17 dB of gain and the Logitech Xtrusio DSR-100 up to about 14 dB of gain. This output delivers a nice volume boost, even when using high impedance (150 ohm) headphones like my Sennheiser HD525.

Home