Sound & Vision (2019-04)

bass rumblings coming from

the sub underpinned the sound

effectively. At the same time,

the system’s center speaker

delivered dialogue in a clear and

focused manner.

CONCLUSION

Building a kick-ass home

theater with a limited budget

can be tricky, but the results

can clearly be worth it if you

make an effort to install a real 5.1

surround system. Klipsch has

long been a leader in delivering

lots of sound in a highly efficient

manner, and as this R-41M-

based system demonstrates,

they can do it in a compact and

very affordable package.

due to the close proximity of the
rear-facing speaker ports to the
side walls.) Aer some careful
listening, I selected a 120-Hz
crossover seing for the four
R-41Ms, and a 100-Hz seing
for the R-52C center channel,
despite it having more limited
bass extension on paper. Once
dialed in, I experienced a seam-
less blend with stereo music,
and the sub never drew aen-
tion to itself even when playing
loud action movies.

PERFORMANCE

The Klipsch system benefied
significantly from a few days of
nonstop playing, and once it
was fully broken in, I started out
my listening with two-channel
music. Compared with the glori-
fied mono of a typical soundbar,
a main benefit to a discrete
system like this is an ability
to deliver a true stereo image
with accompanying depth and
spaciousness. The title track
from Janis Ian’s Breaking Silence
album, streamed via Tidal,
demonstrated this perfectly,
with her voice sounding upfront
and intimate and the acoustic
guitars and super-dynamic
drums expanding the sonic
space past the outer edges
of the speakers and well back
beyond the front wall. The
R-41Ms have a lively, upfront
sound —just a bit bright but not
overly so—that allows them
to connect exceptionally well
with the listener. At no time did
I hear any of the dreaded horn
coloration that detractors like to
talk about. I also kept having to
remind myself that these were
$199/pair speakers, albeit ones
supplemented by a subwoofer. I
did try listening with the R-41Ms
running full-range without the
sub, and while I expect I would

become accustomed to the

lack of bass, the sound I heard

wasn’t truly satisfying or room-

filling. This would be less of an

issue in a nearfield configura-

tion like a desktop system.

Shiing gears to clas-

sical music, I played a Decca

recording of Chabrier’s España

conducted by Ataúlfo Argenta.

With the Klipsch system,

this big, colorful piece for full

orchestra had plenty of boom-

end punch and a lively sense of

dynamics, but it also highlighted

the system’s main weakness:

a slightly lean midrange that

contributed to a glossing over

of some of the rich tonal color

and articulated detail I know is in

the recording. Nevertheless, the

sound always remained enjoy-

able and exciting.

For some 5.1 sound action,

I fired up the opening scene

from Avengers: Infinity War.

As with many recent Disney

surround mixes, you need to

crank this one up to bring out

the dynamics, but then it really

comes to life. As Thanos and

Hulk fought over possession

of the Earth Stone, the Klipsch

system delivered sound with

impressive scale. Soundtrack

dialogue was clear, and the

orchestral score supplemented

the action with loads of deep

bass drum thwacks. The sense

of spaciousness and deep

envelopment I experienced

when watching Avengers:

Infinity War is something

no soundbar can deliver as

effectively as a true 5.1 system

like this.

For a more atmospheric

soundscape, I watched the final

episode from season one of

Stranger Things on Netflix. In a

scene where the police chief

and Joyce search the Upside

Down world for her son Will,

an eerie, liquid sense of space

filled the room, and the deep

test report

The Verdict

Klipsch’s R-41M speaker system

amply demonstrates how a 5.1

surround package can outper-

form a same-priced soundbar.

Enthusiastically recommended

for both movies and music.

R-41M 4 in IMG copper cone woofer, 1 in Tractrix horn-

loaded aluminum dome tweeter; 5.75 x 11.3 x 7.9 in

(WxHxD); 7 lb

R-52C 5.25 in IMG copper cone woofer (2), 1 in Tractrix

horn-loaded aluminum dome tweeter; 18.75 x 7.3 x 7.6

(WxHxD); 13.5 lb

R-100SW 10 in IMG copper cone woofer; 150 was

continuous (300 was dynamic peak; vented; RCA stereo

line-level input; 12.5 x 14.5 x 16.4 in (WxHxD); 24 lb

Specs

With a 10-inch woofer

powered by a 300-watt

amp and just basic

controls, perfomance

takes precedence over

features in the R-100SW.

(^58) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com
KLIPSCH R-41M SPEAKER SYSTEM
"The Klipsch system
delivered sound
with impressive
scale."