When it comes to buying sound equipment, most people either buy a receiver and speakers or an integrated solution like a sound bar. But there is another. A set of powered speakers can be an inexpensive way to incorporate the benefits of both sound bars and separates.
The $499 Klipsch R-15PM offers the connectivity and stereo separation of a receiver-speaker combo as well as the all-in-one simplicity of a sound bar. Sound quality is neck-and-neck with competitors like the less-expensive Audioengine A5+, and the Klipsch's addition of a remote control, and a phono input helps mitigate the price difference.
The Klipsch does have its disadvantages -- for instance, dangling four different connections plus a power cable and a speaker output may get messy when these are sitting on stands, and adding a subwoofer is definitely recommended. However, for this kind of money the RP15PM makes it a refreshing and "proper" hi-fi alternative to the all-in-one sound bar systems you usually see.
Australian and UK pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
Design
These new Klipsch R-15Ms are a pair of powered speakers you can add to your audio or home entertainment system.
Sarah Tew/CNETGiven the similarities in the model names, you could reasonably assume the RP-150M and the R-15PM are riffs on the same basic speaker: the former being passive, and the latter a powered monitor (PM). But the R-15PM is a little less than an amp shoved in the RP-150M, though it shares many of the same technologies.
The most obvious difference between the two speakers is size. The RP-150M is a medium-size bookshelf speaker (14.57 inches high by 7.67-inches wide and 10.67 inches deep), while the R-15PM shaves off a couple of inches off at 12.5 inches high and 7 inches wide.
Both speakers do employ Klipsch's 5.25-inch "Spun Copper Cerametallic Cone Woofer" and a 1-inch horn-loaded Tractrix tweeter, but the R-15PM uses the company's older, less-fancy tweeter enclosure.
Both speakers use the brushed black vinyl wrap also favored by budget speakers like the new ELAC Debut and Uni-Fi ranges. Be aware that these mark and scuff easier than traditional wood veneer/vinyl wraps.
The system comes with a credit-card-style clicker, which is fairly easy to use for basic things such as volume and changing the input.
