The first impressions of this system come immediately when the box is opened. The aesthetics of the system are impressive enough before even listening to them. When the subwoofer is lifted out of the box...then the anticipation is definitely felt for what is to come (it's shear size/mass speaks for itself).

The test was started by listening to mp3's played through Winamp. The quality (or lack of) of the .mp3 format is very apparent on this system. Due to the high quality sound put out by the Klipsch system, flaws in the .mp3 format are found easily. The low frequency cutoff in mp3's makes many 128Kbps files sound distorted and scratchy. The high frequency cutoff also adds to the decreased quality. Obviously this is a problem inherent with the encoding process of the mp3, and not the speaker system's. To contrast, many mp3's sound excellent, as long as the music does not push the upper and lower frequency ranges.

Next in the test was Audio CD's. This is where the Klipsch begin to shine. With a high quality recording (unlike mp3's), the 5.1's are not hindered. All types of music were used, including classical, big band, Latin jazz, 70's and 80's pop, and metal. The Klipsch accurately reproduced all music types without problems. Not only can these speakers play LOUD enough to cause ear ringing and painful cringing from the listeners (recall the 113dB max from the stats above), but they do it very well. Distortion has not been encountered...not due to speaker limitations at least (only from mp3's or poor recordings). The midrange and high frequencies are very balanced and do not struggle to keep up with or overpower the sub. The imaging of the speakers is well balanced (all 4 satellites are exactly the same, which helps). The sub produced tight, accurate bass, unlike many "boomy" subs. The dual 8" subs compliment each other and help produce impressive volume, if needed.

The surround effect is very effective and with a little tweaking for personal preferences (via the Control Pod), the listener can have as little or as much surround effect as desired. The system maintains rich sound even at low volumes. Sensitivity of the sub and satellites allows good response regardless of volume level...unlike other systems that need a particular volume level before the bass "kicks in".

The final test was viewing various DVD movies. Movies used were: The Matrix, Mission: Impossible 2, and Blade. Both 4.1 (no center channel) and 5.1 (center channel) settings were used to judge how well the center channel speaker added to the sound experience. Results of this test may be different depending upon the sound card used, as each card decodes 5.1 a bit differently. The center channel did work as expected, producing the proper directional sounds from the front (dialogue and specific sound effects), as compared to the non-directional 4.1 mode. The one complaint is that with 5.1 mode enabled (sound card specific), the overall crispness and quality of the sound decreased compared to that of the 4.1 mode. This is entirely the sound card's issue, but unfortunately there was not another 5.1 card available to test.

The movie effects were very realistic, with deep, rich bass and crisp mid/high tones. Action scenes did not produce any distortion (regardless of volume) and the amplifier did not experience "clipping" due to lack of power with intense action on screen.

The new Promedia 5.1 multimedia system is a great improvement over even the recent Promedia 4.1 system. The overall sound quality is better, the appearance is impressive, and the build quality is typical Klipsch...professional and solid. The high price tag of $400 is justified as soon as this system begins playing for the listener.