Replaced my cheap PC speakers with Klipsch ones, but they sound worse?

[Cyber Akuma]

Long ago I got some cheap crappy Amazon speakers as a "placeholder" while I was expecting to setup a full surround system someday, specifically these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027VT6V4/  
 
Soooo... that surround thing never ended up happening, but I still wanted better sound than what these things could produce. I was able to get the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 for sale, these seem to be some of the best PC speakers one can get without spending several hundred. Yes, I am aware one can just get standard speakers and an amp and connect them to a PC, I tried to go that route but any decent speakers were just too big, and again I got these are a pretty good sale.  
 
Anyway, I connected them up last night not really expecting there to be a giant noticeable difference from at least just watching random YouTube videos of all things but I instantly noticed it, and they just sounded.... wrong.  
 
I am not sure how to best describe it. They sound somewhat like they are... muffled? As if they are from far away? Like they are playing through a pillow or underwater or something? I am not sure what the best term to describe it would be but they sound considerably less "punchy" and clear than the previous speakers.  
 
The Bass just feels like it's overwhelming now, even when I have it set low. And it's hard to hear non-bass sounds clearly in music and general audio such as in videogames, especially the more subtle sounds. Speech on the other hand is also overwhelming. It makes watching streams with commentary, especially of games, much harder as now the commentary sounds much louder than the game audio and I can't hear some of the softer sounds the game audio has as well anymore. When listening to music the music itself sounds somewhat dull compared to the actual lyrics being sung. Games.... it's weird, some sound muffled like I mentioned, others actually sound.... much clearer now? 
 
When watching videos such as YouTube, the volume sounds low and muffled, and when when I try to listen to music it's exceedingly loud at the same volume level, with the previous speakers the same volume level generally sounded the same whether I was listening to speech or music, YouTube or anything else. 
 
I am wondering if I have set them up wrong or something. First thing I looked into is if I should have the volume on my PC set high or low. Most Google results said set it to 100%, but the instructions for the speakers seemed to indicate I should set it to 70%. Also, I have very little room here, the only space I had for my speakers was on a glass shelf that's right behind my monitor. I know that's not ideal, but it was working before. Are these new speakers somehow different in a way that would severely impact the sound if they are behind my monitor? Would it work better if I put up shelves that are ABOVE my monitor (and also above my head) or would putting them high up also not be a good idea? The subwoofer is also just sitting on the (carpeted) floor below my computer desk. Also when watching some videos I would hear a sort of vibrating buzz/hum sometimes when a character said words with a M or other syllables occasionally. 
 
I have no idea if I was just so used to the old speakers that these new ones sound weird, if I somehow set them up wrong, if I have something configured wrong, or what. Everything just sounds so weird now and I want to know if there is anything I can look into to fix it.

[rice guru]

Klipsch while not a brand I ever reccomend should have made a pretty decent pair of speakers like these. Anything THX touches these days I also just avoid. I will say setup may be an issue. I would make sure your cables are fully seated properly and they are properly co figured with your system if they are software controlled make sure to download the software as they often have drivers a lot of gear in general just doesn't work properly if the software isn't downloaded properly or configured properly.  A d yes try to reposition your speakers many good speakers are sensitive to positioning so try to mess with that as well. 

[jaslion]

Which speakers did you get?

 

Because you might have gotten some that were meant as part of a surround kit or something else like that and not meant for a pure 2.1 setup hence the overtuning.

51 minutes ago, Cyber Akuma said:

on a glass shelf that's right behind my monitor. I know that's not ideal, but it was working before. Are these new speakers somehow different in a way that would severely impact the sound if they are behind my monitor?

If they are the bigger ones YES very much so. The sattelite from your previous speakers were high tones only no bass or anything now that they are most likely also doing bass that glass plate is causing full on issues. Try them on the ground or something.

[Cyber Akuma]

12 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Open up the Realtek control panel or whatever you use and use an EQ preset or manually set it until the speakers sound right. I use the "Soft" preset because it works for my speakers, otherwise the sound comes out muffled because of the bass. I've also enabled volume normalisation to prevent the voices from sounding too loud compared to the music.

 

I don't have any software like that.

 

13 minutes ago, Caroline said:

idk to me every speaker sounds horrible if put behind a solid cover, try not to obstruct them with anything. I have mine on each side of the monitor, and the sub on the floor, that way it sounds fine to me. If you have a comically big monitor... I don't know, get a wider desk?

 

Would it work if I setup shelves on the wall above my monitor and put them on that?

 

13 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Which speakers did you get?

 

That's literally what they are called, the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1: https://www.klipsch.com/products/klipsch-promedia-2-1-thx-certified-computer-speaker

 

14 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Try them on the ground or something.

 

The ground? Wouldn't that get muffled by.... everything?

[jaslion]

23 minutes ago, Cyber Akuma said:

hat's literally what they are called, the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1: https://www.klipsch.com/products/klipsch-promedia-2-1-thx-certified-computer-speaker

My bad missed it

 

Yeah these aren't that great but sounds more like there is an eq issue here. Have you tried connecting a different device like a phone to them?

 

23 minutes ago, Cyber Akuma said:

The ground? Wouldn't that get muffled by.... everything?

Mean like try them on the ground to just listen to and see if they sound different. Just plug a phone or something into them and let them play whilst you also sit on the ground.

 

 

[Cyber Akuma]

Here is how they are currently setup if it helps:

 

https://imgur.com/a/8l703yg

 

3 hours ago, Caroline said:

Do you know what motherboard are you using? there should be some software download for it

 

Yeah, it's a desktop. A Dell Precision T3610, motherboard is identified as "DELL 09M8Y8", the audio is identified as a "Intel Patsburg PCH - High Definition Audio Controller [C1] (PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1D20&SUBSYS_05D21028&REV_06)" with the codec "Realtek ALC280". I am going to be migrating to a T5810 though, the motherboard is listed as a "DELL 0HHV7N" the audio is identified as a "Intel Wellsburg PCH - High Definition Audio Controller [B1] (PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_8D20&SUBSYS_06171028&REV_05)" with the same codec.

 

I couldn't find any downloads that aren't several years old from Dell's site for the audio of either system. When I tried to just search for Realtek drivers from Intel's site the installer refused saying the hardware was not found.

 

3 hours ago, Caroline said:

Disable stuff ilke Windows Sonic or Spatial Sound in Windows if it's enabled, in general it does more harm than good, you can check this by right-clicking the sound icon on your taskbar and opening the Spatial Sound menu.

 

None of that is enabled.

 

3 hours ago, Caroline said:

And, do you have a dedicated sound card? (a card that goes into one of the mobo slots) if not, you're using onboard audio, which is on the motherboard itself.

 

Not in this system, which I will be stuck on for a while. I am building a system that will have a Sound Blaster AE-5 in it, but that will take a while to finish.

[HenrySalayne]

You know what? If you like your old speakers more, just keep them and return the Klipsch. Absolutely no shame in that. You are the judge.

 

Reputable brands can build bad products. And something with a THX branding nowadays should ring the alarm bells. 2008 called and they want their THX logo back.

[cmndr]

How are your speakers positioned? Ideally they are NOT behind anything and they're directed at your head. 

[Cyber Akuma]

I posted an Imgur link in my last reply of how they are positioned. Seems like I will need to put some shelves on my wall so I can position them above my monitor since I have no room on the desk itself to put them anywhere else.

[Kurokushii]

Don't know if you still have them or not, but in my experience they work great but you cannot use the integrated 3.5mm cable instead you have to connect your own aux cable like in the photo below. Hope this helps someone!

 

https://imgur.com/TaCPe6S