Klipsch ProMedia Heritage 2.1 Multimedia Mid Century Modern Desktop Computer Speaker Monitors with 8” Subwoofer, Matte Black

I originally owned the standard ProMedia system, and lived with it for a few months. There have been many hardware revisions to that system since their debut over 20 years ago, with many alleging that the first- or second-generation models significantly outperform later models. That’s a different conversation entirely, but I bring it up because, if it matters, I purchased my particular set of the standard PMs this year, so they are/were the *current* revision, and so that’s what I will be comparing the PM Heritage to in this review.To start, WHY did I upgrade? Volume was the biggest reason. That’s not to say the standard PMs aren’t loud – they are, and they possess possibly unbeatable fidelity for their price – but I just needed more. That leads us in to the next question: when choosing a 2.1 system to upgrade to, why the PM Heritage instead of, say, one of the Edifer systems? For one, aesthetics – the Edifer 2.1 systems are handsome, but there is not a SINGLE other product in this category that looks like the PM Heritage. They are entirely unique in that aspect. Doesn’t help that I am a sucker for the “mid-century modern” look, and I especially enjoy that the satellites were so obviously designed to appear like tiny Heresy IVs. Secondly, I already liked so much of what the standard PMs offered sonically. My criteria, then, was basically: “I want it to sound like the standard PMs, but more/better,” and well, naturally, that brings us to the PM Heritage.Now then, on to the comparison:APPEARANCE/CONSTRUCTION:This is subjective, but to me, the PM Heritage just looks significantly more attractive, and it’s not really close. The standard PMs (the satellites, at least) look like something that would’ve come bundled with your Dell Dimension in 2004. With the PM Heritage, I feel like I actually own a “premium” product, even though these aren’t even in the same neighborhood as the actual Heritage products (for perspective, the least-expensive “true” Heritage product is the Heresy, which is ~$3000!)They also feel better, physically. The satellites and sub are heavier, and the materials they’re made of are nicer to touch. It’s not like you’ve got real wood here or anything, but it’s an upgrade over the basic ABS plastic that the standard PMs are built with. Even the satellites’ speaker covers receive an upgrade beyond just appearances. They’re made of much sturdier materials and, at the very least, it’s clear more effort went in their construction. A picture comparison is included in the attached images. On the subject of covers, it’s worth noting that the subwoofer speaker cover is also removable now. This is not the case on the standard model. Not that it matters much – I can’t imagine why you’d remove the subwoofer cover, especially since they usually live in the “accidental kick” zone.The satellite speakers themselves are not significantly bigger, but they are boxier all the way around instead of slimming down to a “teardrop-esque” shape in the back as with the standard model. The subwoofer cabinet is quite a bit larger though. It’s awkwardly taller and deeper than I expected, and along with having its bass port is on the back, you may have to be more considerate of your subwoofer placement with this model. Speaking of the bass port, it’s large enough that smaller hands/arms can reach all the way to the back of it, so I’m VERY thankful they’ve attached netting to the end so that even if something falls inside, it’ll catch and you can easily tip it out.-CONNECTIVITY/INTERFACE:The standard PM satellites are hard-wired (the current revision, anyways), the PM Heritage satellites are not, which is great because the included speaker wire is CCA, so you can upgrade that to OFC if you wanted to. Included in the box is also a 3.5mm male to RCA male cable. I’ve seen mixed opinions on this cable, with some experiencing a pretty terrible hiss, but I had no issues with mine.As for the inputs offered, there’s a slight trade-off. The best-equipped version of the standard PM has 2 analog inputs and Bluetooth. The PM Heritage has 1 analog input, 1 USB input, and Bluetooth. You lose one analog input, but gain USB. The placement of these inputs has also changed. The standard PM inputs are all found on the detachable “pre-amp/control pod,” which most people keep under one of the satellites. On the PM heritage, all inputs are on the back of the sub. I run two separate analog cables – one for the PC, one for my consoles – and so switching between them has become more inconvenient since I have to pull the sub out every time, but it wasn’t enough that I felt like I had to knock a star off. Worth mentioning that the USB port is not just for music either, it’s also how you update the system’s firmware, which is one of the first things you should do with this thing anyways. Lastly, on the back of the sub and between the USB/RCA inputs, there is a 3-pin port labelled “SDA-SCL-GND,” which is also not present on the standard model. Klipsch support confirms this is solely for diagnostics/service.As alluded to previously, the “control pod” of the standard PM is gone, and how you interact with the PM Heritage is done via remote. The master and sub volume knobs are also on the back of the subwoofer now (they’re click-able, so you can still cycle inputs if you lose your remote). I found the LED light of the standard PM’s control pod to be agonizingly bright, so I’m glad that’s gone, but I miss easy access to the inputs and physical controls for volume levels. Also worth mentioning that the IR receiver for the remote is located at the front of the subwoofer cabinet, so you really have to point RIGHT at it for your button presses to register. For this category, I’m gonna say they’re tied since they each have their own trade-offs.-SPECS:On to the numbers. Per the official spec sheets for both models, here is what you get in terms of power and frequency response:Standard PM-Satellites: 18 Watts Continuous, 26 Watts Peak-Subwoofer: 65 Watts Continuous, 80 Watts Peak-Freq. Response: 35hz – 22khzPM Heritage-Satellites: ~27 Watts Continuous, 35 Watts Peak- Subwoofer: 100 Watts Continuous, 150 Watts Peak-Freq. Response: 29hz – 20khz-Other upgrades over the standard PM:---Subwoofer is now 8” vs 6.5”---Larger wave guide for the tweeters---Beefier midrange woofer---Satellites have a significantly upgraded crossover, see the attached picsKlipsch does not actually provide specs for the PM Heritage satellites’ continuous power rating, I just guessed and subtracted 8 from the peak rating since 8W is the difference between the standard PM’s cont/peak. Seemed like a safe-enough starting point.Anyways, spec-wise, it’s an undeniable victory for the PM Heritage, but that is expected. What I didn’t expect personally was a reported frequency response of down to 29hz. For the $285 these are currently selling for, nothing else touches that, but how true is it? I used a synthesizer and some reactive graphs to test this. At a listening position 8ft away, in my ~130sqft office, I can say the bass is consistent in its presence/volume all the way down to around 33-35hz, and tapers from there. Of course, not to say that the driver won’t produce anything below that, that’s just where I found the drop-off in volume to begin. For comparison, the standard PM dropped off around 40-45hz in the same test. This probably justifies the PM Heritage’s comically larger and longer reflex port.-SOUND:Perhaps the most important category of them all, and by far the hardest to properly convey in a text-based review. All I can say is: wow. I don’t approach even half of the system’s max volume most of the time, but when I turn it up, it is properly thunderous. For the gamers, I’ve found Skyrim to be one of the best ways to showcase this system, as that game is a proper feast for the ears with its soundtrack and atmospherics. For music and movies, vocal clarity is just superb, and the subwoofer can actually be TOO much. I’ve found keeping it 3-5 clicks away from its highest setting is best. On the subject of the subwoofer, the standard PMs have a design flaw where its subwoofer can bang up against its metal cover, creating a pretty disconcerting rattle even when you’re not thrashing it. I’m happy to report the PM Heritage does not suffer from this, and its subwoofer can be pushed so, so much farther before distorting at all. I actually haven’t gotten mine to distort once yet, though it’s not like I really want to try, either.As I mentioned earlier, what I wanted was “basically the regular ProMedia sound, but more/better,” and that’s exactly what was delivered.-UNDER THE HOOD:Take off the back panel of the PM Heritage and you’ll find a plate amp that’s…shockingly a bit less dense/populated than the standard PM, even with the Heritage’s integrated “preamp” section that the standard PM houses in the separate control pod. You’ll have to refer to the attached images for this section. There’s not even a heatsink for the amplifiers inside of the Heritage version, and even after extensive/loud listening sessions, the back plate is cold to the touch. The standard PM could get uncomfortably hot in comparison, and strangely enough, the standard PM has a power supply rated for 240W, compared to the 100W power supply of the Heritage version. Don’t let the bigger number fool you – sonically, the PM Heritage outperforms in every way – I must’ve underestimated just how efficient amplifiers have become, and Klipsch must be saving them for only the Heritage version. We’ve already mentioned the crossovers inside of the PM satellites, too – no doubt a surprising upgrade over the standard PM, but of course.-CRITICISMS:-Compared to its similarly-priced peers, it is quite lacking in # of provided inputs. At bare minimum, we should have two analog inputs.-IR receiver should’ve been placed in one of the satellites, or at least attachable to one of them, instead of inside the subwoofer. Would require an extra cable/port on the back, and maybe that’s why they didn’t, but I personally wouldn’t mind.That’s it. Those are the only “bad” things I could say about it.-TO CONCLUDE:The PM Heritage is the only one of its kind as far as appearances go, and there is a LOT of speaker here. At $285, it’s tough to beat, and it is a worthy upgrade over the standard PM. I’ve no regrets with my purchase, and plan to use them for many years to come.-NOTES:-This reviews was thoroughly rewritten on 9/15/24, roughly a month and a half after the first review, to better compare the two models.-All images, with two exceptions, were taken by me with my own standard and Heritage ProMedia systems. The two exceptions are the image of the standard PM’s crossover, taken by Klipsch Forum user “Lorien,” and the image of the PM Heritage Plate Amp, which comes from eBay user "GreenCells." I just didn't feel like taking mine apart to get those to particular images.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I bought the Klipsch R-51PM speakers first (much too large for a computer set-up) and then found these! These are absolutely amazing and I hope Klipsch brings back another option like these! They blow the R-51PM speakers out of the water for the same price (plus with BASS and LOTS of it!)Range:Absolutely spot on in range! High trebles and LOUD heart thumping bass without any feedback, static, or distortion! Absolutely amazing sound from such a small set of speakers!Sound quality:I thought my prior set of computer speakers sounded good until I got these! Now I'm a snob when it comes to choosing between listening to streaming music or listening to the news in the background while working on 1 of my 2 computers! If I need to hear something CLEAR, regardless of whether it is a remote Zoom / Teams meeting or just rocking out for pleasure, I really ENJOY the quality of the sound produced by these (especially anything with BASS - and boy do these produce!)Ease of setup:VERY easy to set up - just wish the cables were just a bit longer between the speakers and the subwoofer for better placement where I want them.Works well:Once I figured out how to keep them from "sleeping," these have never missed a note! Wish they were still available to replace the old speakers on the 2nd computer so I didn't have to choose between the 2. Hint, hint Klipsch! :)

Way better than my previous Klipsch THX Promedia 2.1 speakers.For those suffering from "hiss," you're likely running your input signal too low and speaker volume too high. For example your PC input signal should be at least 80-100% and adjust the speaker/subwoofer volume accordingly. If you're running your PC at 25% volume then you'll need to turn the speakers up way too high which is why you hear a hiss.

First one I ordered was dead on arrival. Second one showed up and sounded pretty good. I used it for 18 months and then one day it just died. No warning. It worked the day before and then it was dead the next day. Contacted Klipsch and they wouldn't replace it because it was outside the 1 year warranty. They wanted to sell me a $120 controller board and to perform the repair myself. When I told them I didn't want to mess with that, they offered me a 20% coupon to use on their website for my trouble. No thanks. As much as I liked the look of the unit, I didn't care for the limited connectivity and I hated the fact that you had to play audio on your pc for like 30 seconds before the system would wake from sleep. Countless YouTube videos had to be rewound in order to hear what you missed while waiting for these to turn back on. (I had the firmware update).Before this, I had a Logitech system that lasted me 12 years. I plugged it back in and guess what? It still works. Definitely going with Logitech for my next one.