Full Review

I bought these speakers to hook up to my Xbox with a fiber optic cable so I can hear my games and DVD's in Dolby Digital 5.1. I've had great experience with Klipsch speakers in the past, as I bought a ProMedia V2.400 400 watt speaker system for my computer about 5 years ago, which I still have, and they really sound great. The only problem with the V2.400's is they are an older design (no longer produced) that did not have a dolby digital decoder, and no center channel. The GMX D-5.1 system has all of this and more, albeit with less power. I purchased this system directly from Klipsch's web site, and got the "employee discount" price offer of $149.99, which is an incredible deal for these speakers. The speakers arrived a few days after ordering them, and were packaged well in a single large box. Setup was simple and straight forward. There are quite a few wires with this system, as there are a total of 6 speakers that need to be hooked up, but the speakers come with excellent wiring diagrams, and easy to understand directions. I had the whole system up and running in about 20 minutes. Watching DVD's with this system is phenomenal experience in dolby digital surround sound. I already have a much larger 5.1 surround sound system in a different room, and I think this GMX system actually sounds better. The sound that comes out of these little speakers is stunning - very crisp highs, and deep bass provided by the subwoofer gives the impression that this system has far more power than it really does. It's also a very balanced system, and required very little speaker volume adjustment. My experience with most surround systems is the center channel is too weak to hear voices well, and needs to be adjusted to compensate. Not the case at all with this system. While the look of the speakers is a love it or hate it kind of thing, they do sound great and offer a full range of placement adjustability by swiveling, and tilting. They are relatively small, so they are easy to place almost anywhere in the room. Optional speaker stands and wall brackets provide a full range of mounting and location options. The only drawbacks to the system: 1) there is a noticeable amplifier hiss coming from the speakers at all times, however you really only notice it if there is no sound activity and you stick your ear right next to a speaker - just listening to the system, you don't hear it though, so its no big deal. 2) The speaker wire length could be longer for the rear surround speakers - basically they give you all the same speaker wire length for each speaker. You don't need 15 feet of speaker wire for the center channel, however you could easily use more than 15 feet for the rear channels, depending on your room and configuration. It's easy to splice in more wire, however. 3) There is no remote control. While the intent of this system is to be a PC speaker system or for a gaming console, which in theory would allow placement of the volume control pod on your desktop within easy reach, thereby eliminating the need for a remote control, the reality is these speakers sound so good that you could use the system as your main surround sound system in your living room or den, and a remote control for the volume at least would be very helpful.

I'm so pleased with these speakers, that I plan to buy another set for my PC soon, once I upgrade it to a 5.1 system with a fiber optic output. For the price, they really can't be beat.