Along with these impressive specs, the ProMedias are THX certified. In fact, they are the first THX certified multimedia speakers. If you're not familiar with what THX certification means, the next section explains it.

What's THX, and why is it a big deal? I think I'll talk about what THX is not first. THX is not a digital format or anything like that, but rather a certification from Lucasfilm Ltd. THX is basically a set of technical standards set by the engineers at Lucasfilm. Having a product THX certified means that the product meets some rigorous performance standards. You can always be sure that any audio product with the THX certified logo on it offer the most accurate and consistent sound reproduction. George Lucas established the THX standards to ensure that the sound in movie theaters stays true to the movies. Originally the THX certification was only for movie theaters. That has since changed and THX certification has been extended to home theatres, digital mastering, software, and now multimedia products. The multimedia certification program isn't as rigorous as the movie or home theatre ones but it still strives to bring the best listening experience to the consumer. Here's a description from their press release of what the certification involves:

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.

As you can see the specification covers all the aspects of the speakers, and the ProMedias passed all of them. Currently there are only two speakers designed for the PC that are THX certified. The first is the Klipsch ProMedia and the second is the Altec Lansing ADA885. Even though the ProMedias lack Dolby Digital and Dolby Prologic support they were still awarded the THX certification. What does that mean? That means that despite the absence of those features the speakers are still good enough to pass the rigid standards of THX.

What? These speakers don't even come with Dolby Digital and Dolby Prologic support? Yes, one of the major drawbacks of this system is the lack of digital surround sound support that you would get with most of the new speakers coming out. Klipsch's response to this question is that adding in those digital goodies along with a center channel would significantly raise the price of the speakers over the retail price of $249. Personally, I think the THX certification says a lot already, but digital output would have been nice as well. If it really bothers you though, getting a separate decoder card shouldn't be a problem.

The lack of a true center channel is also an issue for most hardcore DVD enthusiasts. With the release of new 5.1 digital speaker systems, as well as the new 5.1 Sound Blaster Live! cards, the ProMedias are losing their edge in the market. However, it may not really be fair to compare this system to these new products, but considering these speakers are the first THX certified multimedia speakers, they may not need all that fancy digital stuff. Some of the heavy duty 5.1 systems out there work better in movies than the ProMedias, but may not be as good when dealing with games or music. You rarely see a system that can do everything, but the ProMedias effectively pull it off and at a reasonable price.