I Can Hear Clearly Now
I really must get over my belief that speakers are speakers. When I got myself set up with this new computer I went out and bought a set of headphones, then a set of cheapish computer speakers, and I was happy. Music played well, games were suitably noisy and immersive and all was well with the world. Then I was sent a set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers.

The first thing that struck me was a huge square box that didn't look much like a speaker, although it did have what looked like a speaker grill on the side. After pulling out everything else I found a pair speakers on little metal stands, some cables and some stick-on rubber feet. Once I got the two satellite speakers set up either side of my monitor and the subwoofer installed happily underneath my desk, I went in search of sound.

The obvious thing to do when testing new speakers is to play music - after all, that's what most people use speakers for. I've got a fairly expensive set of speakers for my home stereo as it is, since I use it for televisual audio output as well (read: the TV's plugged into the stereo) and they fill the room with sound very effectively. The speakers I have for my computer are simple £15 PC-style speakers, sat one either side of the monitor so I get an approximation of stereo sound, and with some funky audio processing from the sound card apparently I can get pseudo surround sound, not that I've ever heard it.

So I grabbed some of the music I've been listening to and started playing. I didn't really notice all that much difference at the beginning, so I just went about my normal work day, making phone calls, playing music, playing games and so on. I was reviewing 1nsane when I first really noticed the effect the subwoofer had on the audio coming from my computer. I was playing in Truck Class, where you drive the equivalent of large lorries. These vehicles have a peculiar bass tone and almost annoying underlying whine when revving, a sound which is perfectly reproduced in the game. I was wondering what was going on since I could apparently feel the engine revs from the vehicle I was driving. A little fiddling with the subwoofer control on the speaker and all became clear.

You see, I'd had the subwoofer almost completely turned off, thus missing most of the audio effect of this extra box sitting under my desk. I pulled out Nukleuz' Hard House Anthems 3, a CD I thought might be suitable for testing out the bass effect of these 2 point THX compliant speakers. I was struck almost immediately by an understanding of why audiophiles are so adamant about their speaker systems. I remember the first time I ever listened to one of my CD's wearing headphones and hearing parts of the songs I never realised existed since they were normally drowned out by ambient noise. With the subwoofer turned on in became apparent how much deep bass guitar and drum is used in some tracks, especially in hiphop and hard house - sounds I'd not previously heard as even my home stereo speakers aren't really set up to give out that low a tone.

The effect of a decent set of speakers on the enjoyment of games is also hard to describe. Playing Quake 3 Fortress one night I realised that the entire base I was attempting to defend was filled with a deep drone, a sound I'd never previously noticed. Other games just plain sounded different. Quake 3 and Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force are new experiences now, as you can clearly hear everything going on in the level and around you.

Like any good reviewer, I thought I'd annoy the neighbours and see what happens if I turned the speakers all the way up. Just to make sure as much sound was coming out as possible, I made sure that all the Windows audio properties were at maximum, and then turned the volume control up on the speakers. Remember, the satellites sit on little metal stands, and I had them resting on my wooden desk. I only left the volume up for about half a minute or so - long enough to notice that it was incredibly loud, it wasn't distorting, and that I could feel the bass drum beat from the other end of the house.

Compared with my original speakers these are light-years ahead, and at £169, they're not a bad deal either. The tech details for those of you interested run as follows: 3 channel, built-in 200 watt digital linear hybrid amplifier, THX-Certified, 6.5" long-throw high-output subwoofer with vented enclosure, along with an MP3/Aux jack located on one of the satellites (and the requisite headphone jack, the only niggle I really had with these speakers being this jack's placement). The control panel on the right-hand satellite also includes the requisite volume control along with a subwoofer power control, allowing fine control of the amount of bass shaking the floor.

All in all, a very impressive package.