JBL Simply Cinema series? SCS178 vs THX-PC speakers Klipsch ProMedia 5.1? (1 Viewer)

[TommyF]

Hi,
I was just wondering how will an amplified PC speakers, like the THX-certified Klispch ProMedia 5.1, compare with a "HT" basic microsystem like the JBL SCS series (in particular the SCS178) with a Yamaha RX-V430? Will the JBL totally kill the ProMedia 5.1 in terms of "cinema quality" sound? How about in terms of pure power/volume? I ask this because, originally I was planning to get the ProMedia 5.1 for my mini-HT PC, but then I found that for an extra $200, I can get a proper receiver+separates setup like the Yamaha and JBL SC178 I mentioned. Can anyone advice me on this decision?
Product page for the JBL SCS178: http://international.jbl.com/home/pr...nguage=ENGLISH
For the Klispch ProMedia self-powered 5.1 speakers:
http://www.klipsch.com/products/productspecs.asp?id=398
For the Yamaha RX-V430 receiver:
http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi...VR00010RX-V430
Thanks!!

 

[Jason Wilcox]

I would definetly recommend the JBL/Yamaha setup. I was in the same position as you and I chose the Yamaha RX-v420 and the JBL scs135. The benefit of this setup as opposed to the klipsch is much more versatility and more refined sound in my opinion. By the way, I've never seen or heard the scs178's, they seem very similiar to the N24s. They are very good looking speakers too.

 

[David_Stein]

i was exactly in the same boat. it was 400 dollars plus shipping (which would have been substantial). plus i needed to buy an external decoder box or new sound card, which would have been another 100-200 dollars.

so basically i just extended my budget to ~700 dollars, bought the nsp1 jbl speaker pacakge (250), pb10 (200), and got a used onkyo 575x reciever (275). all prices including shipping. im about 99.999% sure i made the right decision.

unfortunately, i cant comment on the scs178, but it certainly looks nice...

 

[Salvador]

Tommy, save yourself the trouble and don't get any of the promedia speakers. Have you ever visited the Klipsch promedia forums??? Well have yourself a look around and you'll see that they have some serious quality control problems with those china made promedias (2.1 all the way to 5.1). I myself went through no less than 4 busted sets. I've got to admit though that when i first received them i was impressed. My baseline was my yamaha YST computer speakers so there was not much competition there. But after a while the bass that was impressive at first started to hurt my head because of its boominess. I was also rather annoyed with the 'farting' sound it was making. Later on when i educated myself, it wasn't really farting but it was bottoming out. I also can't bear to listen to the satellites for too long, just too fatiguing.

I trashed the whole 'multimedia' speakers idea and just went on to connect a receiver to my computer.

And oh yeah, don't get carried away by those 'amazing' reviews you see on a lot of webisites about the promedias. Most of them are rubbish. Sort of like what you see a lot nowadays in audioreview.