Review! The Klipsch R-51M Loudspeaker!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Lately, I've gotten into the habit of featuring a couple sound clips at the end of my reviews. This review doesn't have em' because, quite frankly, the copyright situation has become downright ridiculous. My videos will have to go without until I figure out a worthwhile solution to the problem. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

[@ItalianCJM8232]

Zero Fidelity bummer but the rules are the rules I suppose :(

[@HoomanR17]

Funny I wanted to ask you what were the clips you used on this review because they sounded really nice on my system.. I think its the first time I'm listening to your review over my 2channel system.

[@scottyo64]

Love your reviews!

[@JorgeRodriguez-fy1kj]

Honestly we all have different speakers or headphones so the accuracy in sound will change... Maybe adding a list of songs that will display it's strengths and weaknesses that will help us audition a particular product

[@mutantbaby1672]

Separate video for sound samples. Main won't get demonetized or taken down.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Hey Sean, you nailed it!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks! And thanks once again for hipping me to Klipsch's latest efforts. Good stuff. Hoping to check out those 600's at some point in the near future. Meanwhile, I cannot wait for you to get your hands on those S400's. Fun times! :D

[@evgenistoyanov103]

After watching this video I am confused if I should buy an old Wharfedale Diamond 3 recommended by Steve or this new Klipsch recommended by both of you, if not mistaken. I would love to hear your opinion! (my amp is NAD 304) Keep up the good reviews, both of you! Big ups from Bulgaria!

[@smites6116]

I dont know what's more impressive, the speakers, or the 7 minute monologue with ZERO cuts. Not this guy's first review. Well done sir

[@evgenistoyanov103]

I was thinking the same.. well done indeed!

[@foolsnkings]

I took a chance and bought these speakers a few months ago. As a musician, I must say they have turned my apartment into a concert hall! They especially shine with acoustic instruments...jazz and symphonic ensembles sound phenomenal, and these bring out amazing detail in bass solos as well. Paired with a subwoofer, they are a pure joy to listen to...I'm a believer!

[@pierrejefferson505]

Hope your still enjoying your Klipsch book shelf speakers! I ordered them today hopefully I will be totally satisfied like you.

[@bachplucked]

I bought these after watching your and Steve’s review. I am not an Audiophile but enjoy good clean sound. The first track through them I couldn’t believe what I had been missing. I listen to classical and light jazz and could hear the bow strike the strings on the violin and the subtle sounds of the timpani. Added a subwoofer which gave it a little richness. Great review keep up the good work.

[@OnTheMarkGetSetGo]

I really like that you explain audio jargon as you go, I’m new to this and many reviewers seem to just pull random words out of a thesaurus. You use precise terms, and you explain exactly what you mean by them. Much appreciated.

[@ShiroKage009]

I got these, and I love them. They're on my desktop. I use them for a mixture of gaming and music and other stuff like media consumption. I love them so far. Never really tried to get a quality pair of speakers, so I was kind of shocked at how good they sounded when I first got them.

[@midniteoyl8913]

Picked up 2 pairs of these to replace my surrounds. They match near perfectly with my 25 y/o KG5.2's (Original owner). I know they had some falling out with people (and probably deserving so) during the early 2000's, but I gotta tell ya, I'm really liking these things. I'm glad to see Klipsch making an effort again. They've always been my fav company since being a kid.

[@bryanjordan8876]

I got these babies yesterday and WOW. I don't have that large of a room, couch sits about 8/9 feet away from the speakers, and they are face melting. I paired these along with the Klipsch r-10sw sub and got a 65in. 4k tv, and my livingroom came to life like something I've never seen before. I'm a music dude, and I felt like I was at a live concert. We really rocked the whole house with these babies. And the movie audio quality? Oh, It was nasty! I'm so glad I went with these things.

[@tsapetro2618]

I'm looking for the same setup like u. A pair of Klipsch r 51pm and a Klipsch subwoofer paired with them. Are u satisfied with movies?

[@bryanjordan8876]

@@tsapetro2618 100%. I've never thought I would have cenima grade sound in my own home lol. I'm still impressed with these babies 8 months later.

[@alandelgado798]

I am working on having a decent home theater set up, other then just buying another sound bar, just buying one thing at a time. As of right now I have a 2.1 system & just ordered a center speaker, & I am actually using these speakers for my right & left channel. Bought them for $183 for open box in excellent condition at best buy. & I love these little speakers, they get loud & sound good! I think I am headed in the right direction with these klipsch speakers!

[@alvarofsalazar]

Just starting to look at a new set of speakers and here you are with a great Review! I appreciate your sharing some of your experience helping everyone have a win-win experience. I will definitely follow your Zero Fidelity channel. Gracias!

[@BrightMOON5]

I bought these as a surround speakers based on your review and they are amazing.

[@VitorBBMV]

I'm thinking about doing the same. What would be the diference to a wired speaker ?

[@professortruth56]

Wow, many thanks for an outstanding review. Klipsch should have this on their website!

[@MrSilviut]

Hey Sean, I appreciate you making this review. I just bought these as my first “nice” speakers. I thought the sound was a little colorful and came here to see what others said, and you explained it well! Well balanced review, thanks again.

[@kevonfootball6472]

Would you recommend pairing these with an old Pioneer sx-434? Trying to get some new speakers to pair with the amp I found on the street as a kid, and these seem to be a good fit efficiency and style wise? Love listening to music, but I don’t know much about treble tilt or anything like that, I like listening to old rock records like Queen, Zeppelin, Beatles, and Elton John. Thanks!

[@garrapaterorulez5017]

Killer review man! I am a proud owner of these babies I have 2 pairs (4 speakers) in different rooms and all I can say after a year and a half of usage SUPERB!!!! perfect compliment with audio technica LP120 and ONKYO receiver model TXNR626..... never had to remove the grills. Extremely happy. cheers \,,/

[@XD-cr3du]

Made my first plunge into the hifi world today after enjoying a cheap 2.1 home cinema set for the last 5 years. Here to say I bought two of these because of your video, and bought an Onkyo A9010 to go with them. I can't wait to check these out, and how they will compare to my old set. I hope they will wow me and usher in a new fun albeit probably expensive hobby. Thanks for the great review!

[@rcpdox11]

Wonderful review as always. Keep these coming - lack of sound clips is not a deal breaker by any measure. Carry on Sean!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks man!

[@panteraowns2515]

I have r 28f . and I love how warm and like the person is in your living room singing to you. I love it

[@ItalianCJM8232]

Love Steve. He’s how I found out about your channel a year or more ago. It’s cool that you’re featuring common man gear. It’s cool to hear your opinion since you’ve heard so many products. The audiophillac turned me on to the Klipsch RP150M which is one level up on the totem pole. Regardless I sold those and have a new house and more space and have moved on to the JBL Studio 580’s....id love it if you reviewed those JBL’s. Being one of the last speakers designed by Greg timbers the JBL studio 580 series has a quasi cult following. Keep up the good work and love your content!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Steve's a top shelf dude! Just as nice off camera as he is on camera. And yeah man, JBL knocked it out the park with the Studio series. An insanely good value when you treat em' right. Harman really lost a great asset when they let Greg Timbers go. Happy listening!

[@carminedesanto6746]

I’ve got the the powered version ...placement as usual is KEY. Especially for near field listening.

[@neil45845]

I bought the R15m just as the new range was been released so i got a small discount, i was worried about them, but having them for approx 6 months now, i really really enjoy their sound, they are not bright, very warm infact - I have also head the forte iii's just the other day - and i think klipsch speakers have the most natural sound you can get, I dont feel they go as loud as they say they can but not really going to push them to much. If the R15's are as good as i think they are - this new range is going to knock their brand out the park!

[@53patsfan]

Another effect in the taming of the horn loaded tweeter is the baffle. They changed from a hard plastic to a rubber type material and from what I have read it made a big difference.

[@svalbard01]

Great review, appreciate the content! As others have mentioned, it's awesome to have such in depth reviews of affordable gear. Lots of us just getting into the hobby. Thanks!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks Erik!

[@doomtomb3]

Klipsch is very HiFi sounding speaker. It’s very energizing and engaging.

[@blech71]

Steve G is pretty rad. Now that I have given his channel some views I like his delivery and generally his objective take on audio gear. He also has a unique way to unfurl and expose snake oil where it’s due.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Steve is a good dude. The fact that he uploads so much valuable content, damn near every day, for free, blows my mind. I'm glad he made the decision to join the YT community. We're all the better for it.

[@SpikeoutBattleStreet]

The tweeter is aluminum according to spec. Good to see another entry level speakers review. Thanks!

[@ZeroFidelity]

haha F***, you're right!! Thanks for pointing out the mistake! I was looking at another speaker right before filming this review, a speaker that just so happened to use a titanium tweeter. :D

[@SpikeoutBattleStreet]

@@ZeroFidelity However, it does not make this review less awesome!

[@MichaelLivingston-me]

Thanks for your honesty. Going back decades, Klipsch, Altec Lansing, JBL, and Bozak were the audiophiles choice primarily due to their efficiency and tube amplifiers which were low power. All of those speakers were huge. There are so many good choices for reasonable priced speakers, now. It's a good time to get decent sounding gear.

[@rigorhead01]

Great video! I only wish you had also reviewed these as surround speakers. I think a lot of people will utilize them this way.

[@bedriven6836]

Your reviews are great! Finally started my journey as an aspiring audiophile. Got the rs 51m's, Yamaha 301s, and the klipsch r8sw. Didn't think I'd like the horns but damn

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Man you have really been reviewing some speakers with awesome price points! Awesome. That really is a great looking speaker. I still have my Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 speakers hooked up to my Parasound Halo gear. Great work on this review, as always. Great info given out about these speakers. Happy New Year man!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks man! Yeah, I've actually had a lot of fun reviewing all of this (relatively) affordable gear! 2019 will see a lot more focus on real world hi-fi. That said, I won't completely ignore the high-end, as I love that stuff just as much. :D

[@mzondi1970]

@@ZeroFidelity that's great to hear that means I'll get to enjoy more reviews on your Channel

[@juliandaube3081]

Oh man, thanks dude. I was searching for this. You helped me a lot dude

[@timmotel5804]

Update 10/2024: I use these speakers in a bedroom sized room. They are excellent. Yesterday I played "Big Things Going Down" by Dan Patlansky through them, using a 15 year old Denon 95W AV amp. Wow. If you want to know what bass response that these speakers are capable of, this recording will blow you away. They are an all round fine performing speaker at a great price. Klipsch did OK with these. Once again. I bought these because of this review. Thank You & Best Regards.

[@timmotel5804]

2/2024: Hi from the Future. I just got a pair of these speakers. Just what I wanted. $200 and I'm very pleased. Thanks for this review. This is why I got them.

[@andrewhoward4570]

2:28 Just a quick correction. Only the Reference Premier lineup has a Titanium diaphragm whereas the reference lineup (like the R-51m and the late R-15m) use an aluminum diaphragm. Great review nonetheless! Hopefully I have your attention because I have a serious question lol. I have a pair of RP-250F towers and RP-250C for my LCR and i'm finally ready to permanently set up some side surrounds. Since you have recently heard a Klipsch speaker and a Polk Signature speaker, would you ever recommend mixing them? I ask this because the Signature S10 is quite a bit smaller than even the R-41M and i really need discrete rear channels as I have a very small and oddly shaped living room. I'm not concerned with the ~7db efficiency difference as I can easily make that up by adding more volume to the rear channels with my AVR.

[@MisfitSkrat]

What a great review. Thank you for taking us beyond the basics and subjective opinion. Very much enjoyed watching.

[@ericelliott227]

Ah, hey, your back Sean!....ok, actually, your front...ha ha ha! Seriously, good to see you back at it. Glad to know that Klipsch is trying to address some of the inherent downsides to horns even though you can't defy the laws of physics. I like that you mention "setup" in regards to toe-in. Yes, facing bright speakers outward instead of toed-in really does wonders to tame things. Thatg worked wonders with my Paradigm Monitor 6000fs for my second vintage based system. I like tight, clean, musical, articulate bass like you do as opposed to heavy artillery cannons. Having them toed in produced enough treble to tear my ears off. Having them straight out not only tamed that, but gave a locked center at a nice width and made off-axis listening astonishingly good. So it isn't always horns that can be annoying like that. As for song clips, yeah......Not worth it. It doesn't really translate well anyway because people listen to their computers with all manner of things, near-field monitors, cheap PC speakers, headphones, etc. so they are hearing whatever they are listening with and not the speakers being demoed. However, the other person's suggestion of songs to use , is a great idea! By the way, Parasound gear finally coming in next week to casa de Elliot (or dom eta Elliott in Russian..chuckle). Yeah, super fresh new P6 and A23+. If I get a buzz off the smell of super fresh new gear before install or power up, I could just go ahead and highly recommend the items just for that. LOL! Yeah, delayed because they actually ran out of the P6 and then there was a strike or something at port delaying it another week. Apparently, Parasound is that good. Knowing and having seen the design of the Halo line, much less the other lines, I am not surprised. Soon, I will get to hear it!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Hey Eric. Congrats on the Parasound gear! Excited for ya. :) Looking forward to your feedback.

[@David25522]

I own 4 pairs of these speakers. I’m using them for my heights speakers and rear surround speaker plus side surrounds. I have a 7.4.4 Dolby Atmos setup. They sound grea to me!!! I picked them up at BB for $160 a pair on Black Friday. Great video!!!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks, and congrats on the kickin' surround setup!

[@robertschuster312]

What amps are you using to power all of your speakers, I assume you either have separates or another amp to power your atmos speakers. I have a Denon X4500h to run my surrounds and atmos, but have an Emotiva to run my LCRs, seems like it adds a lot more punch upfront.

[@davekillen1581]

I have a pair picked them up for $150.00 Paired with my Yamaha RX-385 the sound is good there is always bigger and better but for the money, I am having fun listening and enjoying myself

[@akr01364]

I have a pair of the R41's coupled to a sub (a Dayton unit) out on my four season porch and have to say that the midrange issues are not present with that setup. The smaller driver isn't really a woofer in them and is more a dedicated mid than it is in the more expensive 51's and when paired with the sub, which you can buy for a little less than the 51's when all put together, sounds fairly lush. Attached to a decent Yamaha receiver I've found that some music honestly plays or in the least feels better on that unit than it does with my listening room. Which, has a pair of Cornwalls. It's not across the board. But, recordings that are just for fun from pop or a lot of the 70's rock from MeatLoaf (sorry, but, sometimes my inner fat slob comes out) or KISS just somehow work with systems like that. It also does really well with other music and would probably serve potential buyers well. Having said as much, Leinsdorf's 9th Symphony,,,,the Cornwalls. Definitely the Cornwalls. lol

[@25-8]

I wonder how much of an upgrade are the RP-600M if these are already a great value at half the price! I got the rpm for $500 on eBay plus a 15% discount from ebay this Friday they had and a $100 gift card gift that was given to me! I payed $325 total and I’m excited to put my Elac Uni-Fi UB5’s back in their box ;-)

[@25-8]

Also what are your thoughts on the Schiit Modi 3?

[@ZeroFidelity]

Congrats on the great deal!!! I'm hoping to be able to report on the 600M's. If I get a chance to, then I'll be sure to go over what you get with them over the R51M's.

[@jackjones7665]

@@25-8 Elac Uni's are some damn good sounding speakers!

[@mpitogo]

Wow, what a deal! I was looking into the RP-600M since Steve mentioned it to pair with my ACA balanced monoblocks. The ACA are warm and under powered for most of the low efficiency speakers I own. Bright and efficient speakers maybe a good match for the ACA.

[@Scarbir]

Why don't you like about the Elac's, Audiofilio?

[@1mctous]

Klipsch's lack of driver integration had kept me away from them despite their equally obvious strengths. It's time for another listen since 3 of my most trusted reviewers (Steve Guttenberg, John Darko, and yourself) agree that they've solved it.

[@markchapman1366]

Wow - thank you for taking me through that. It was really well presented, understandable and genuine. Great stuff. Thank you.

[@cnhhnc]

Thanks, I really really don't like horns and thought Steve was losing his mind, and/or hearing! This review is much more balanced. May listen to some new Klipsch but since my main sources are DIGITAL, I can't imagine I'll like them!

[@ZeroFidelity]

EXCUSES! My main sources are digital as well. :) hehe Truth be told, I was thinking the same thing regarding Steve. We all go through our phases in this journey. I figured he was going through a 'big sound' phase. Either that, or his age was finally beginning to show. :D :D Unsurprisingly though, the dude is onto something. If the R51M's are an indication of what every new Klipsch speaker sounds like, then I'd say it's time for enthusiasts to get used to the idea of them being a legit contender.

[@barneywee514]

Sean, it would be great if you could insert text into your videos "Features, Sound, Final Thoughts" etc, so that people can skip to that section for their interest. You rock man.

[@blazermdx]

Excellent review, my friend! You just earned another subscriber. Keep up the great content!

[@stevenbonkowski1280]

I really enjoy the balance that you bring to your reviews and glad to see you are reviewing again. QUESTION, what is the tube amp on the shelf in our opening scene. Are we in for a review in the future?

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks man. So that is a little integrated amplifier that was sent to me for personal evaluation (and not for review at Zero Fidelity). There was a loose plan for me to help establish the company in North America, but that fell through.

[@stevenbonkowski1280]

Thanks for the response. I recently changed my from Rega TT and Electronics with Elac speakes and moved into a Klipsch/tube system so I'm intrigued by review of "affordable" tube amps.

[@danielmarin9860]

Sean..thanks for your "to the point" review of this speaker. Kudos to you and Klipsch!

[@LogiForce86]

Speakers and curve responses are well known and talked about, but I used a PA amplifier (Behringer iNuke NU1000DSP) with my Hi-Fi speakers once and the result was that the speakers weren't colored much but the consumer amplifiers pretty much so. So putting colored speakers on an already colored amplifier will be a real gamble, even morse so when you order online without hearing the speakers first. Which has put me off on investing in new consumer hi-fi gear to be honest. Personally I rather have a flat response on both the amplifier and speakers, and than use an equalizer or more advanced digital sound processor in the loop to tune the sound to my liking and the room the system will be used in.

[@spiritoftheletter605]

Man, this was really a great informative review. Thanks!

[@okdomino]

Thanks for the review! Just bought myself a pair.

[@sethmontgomery5024]

Same, coming on Wednesday. Pairing them with the r-12sw sub. Very excited

[@okdomino]

bicvar carapic I have a small living room and am only using the speakers for music. I have an old NAD amp and turntable. Crystal clear sound. This review describes it perfectly. For me the speakers were a big spend, I'm not a big earner, but I'm happy. I just take the covers off and look at them sometimes...

[@anilyazar_]

which av receiver or amp to you prefer under 500$ ?

[@brucewayne2984]

Like better the R-51 M’s or the 600M’s?

[@maureenwassermann767]

Sean, you loved the Polk Sig 15. I bought a pair at your suggestion and think they are quite great for the small amount of outlay. I'd love your thoughts on the Klipsch vs the Polk for music, not movies.

[@ZeroFidelity]

That's a real good question. So when it comes to overall build quality, the Polk Sig 15's really do seem to have the advantage over every competitor I've come across so far. Those things are flat out solid, and they don't look too bad either. Sound wise, it all depends on what you want. Polk's have a richer, warmer sound. They showcase better power handling and have bass that's notably more prominent. The little Klipsch speakers have a livelier, more energetic sound. The bass is leaner and not as strong, yet it's more articulate. Same thing with the midrange. I also feel like the Klipsch speakers are slightly better at locking down a strong-center image. Ultimately, the two compete very well with each other. I think you made a great choice with the Polks though, so I wouldn't rush to swap anything out. Especially if you're happy with em'.

[@maureenwassermann767]

Thanx so much, Sean, for taking the time to respond. We love your channel here at home. We also think the Polks are WAY the hell better than they have any right to be at their paltry price-point. We bought them because of you. Great call on your part.@@ZeroFidelity

[@ZeroFidelity]

@@maureenwassermann767 Thanks Maureen! Glad everybody is diggin on the sound!

[@mariosupa4027]

Dude how's the new year going, how are you feeling Sean ? Just an update on my little system. I got the Parasound it's pretty cool. I have it hooked up with my bedroom surround front speakers Def Tech Promonitor 1000 till my Buchardt S400 speakers arrive. I swapped out the 2M Red with a Bronze and swapped out the stock tubes on the phono preamp with NOS Mullard Russian made tubes noticeable improvement. I'm also streaming my iTunes library from my iMac to the dac on the Parasound it's finally coming together. Now if only these Buchardt speakers get here soon I think I'll be happily jamming out for a while. The wildcard gamers over the weekend were awesome by the way. I'm still hoping to see my wretched Jets win a second Super Bowl one year before I croak lol. Peace kid.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Just saw your comment roll in Mario (which is funny, as I rarely received notifications). Anyways man, I'm glad things are moving forward with the system! Gratz on the Parasound. Smart choice with the NOS Mullards! Love those! Meanwhile, thanks for the well wishes. Things are moving along over here. Thankfully, I'm not hurting as much as the Jets. :D

[@Trojan0304]

Love the sound with optical hook up to my old Technics PD 9 CD player. Plugged in also my old Technics 1600mk2 turntable

[@RoguesNtheHouse]

I’ve never heard the 51Ms, but I have the 15Ms and the 280Fs. All are basically the Synergy line with a new coat of paint, same aluminum tweeters and graphite woofers. I don’t find them bright at all. In fact, they can be a little dull sometimes, IMO. Do you find tonal differences between these and the RP line? I’m really interested to see what changes titanium and the cerametallic material bring to the table.

[@Glock_4717]

Love the review man klipsch did a great job on this new Series.

[@darincoleman7072]

So a question? I have the R51pm, and want to buy a turntable, so is it better to pair it with a pre amp turntable, bluetooth turntable, or just a turntable without the extras? Thanks in advance, aI enjoyed the video as well.

[@greencraig8570]

I'm thinking about the Klipsch for my 2nd system, but I am worried about the "price point" thing. Cutting corners on quality to meet that price. If I do get them, I'm sure I'll have to get them modded.

[@hifiman4562]

I have to wonder how these would sound with a higher quality crossover using Mundorf capacitors and Goertz inductors. I may try it one day as an experiment.

[@ZeroFidelity]

If you do, be sure to report back!

[@rickg8015]

Norb U It’s not worth the outlay IMHO..The upgrades would likely cost as much as the speakers if not more.. If they are at least the Forte III’s maybe they’d be worth it.. Anyway, Mundorf sounds more suited to direct radiator (soft) domes from my experience.

[@Panos125S]

Hello , Nice Review. How Many Hours Need To Reach Max Performance ? Thanks 🙏😊

[@alirjeff3096]

I bought r51pm a few days ago and the sound quality is decent. Just that I feel the necessity of buying a sub to make it sound better. I don’t want to spend more than what I spent on r51 though. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[@mikeleahy5283]

Back in the 90'S i bought into klipsch and sold them because of them being to horn sounding. Then a year ago i got a set of the powered version of them for my dining room and wow the forward horn sound. Was not present. Looking forward to the higher end 600m if you review them as always love your reviews.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks Mike. Klipsch is doing some great things. Hope to have the opportunity to riff about the 600m's.

[@mundrulucky]

Hi Sean, your reviews are very authentic and love them. Could you please advise me in choosing .5.2.2 setup. I'm little confused in between, Klipsch 51m vs sony sscs5 vs polk s15. It would be very great if you can advise on the above. Note:- I have denon avr-x2600h. Thank you very much in advance.

[@TalkCafe]

Actually the tweeter, unfortunately, is aluminium, not titanium. But great review, thanks. Have you listened the small RP series speakers? If so, how do they compare to this? Do the worth the 2-2,5x price? I can't decide which one to go for for a listening. Shops here these days don't really like if you go in to listen speakers, they just want to sell them without work. So I would like to narrow the list so I can ask them to show 3-4 speakers, not 3-4 whole series of them. Every info would help, thx.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

I've done bought several bookshelf speakers and I can't find anything that sounds better to me than my Klispch KG 2.5 their large bookshelfs with dual - 6.5 inch woofer some say 7 inch but i paid 499 for them in 1997 I may need to try the RP 600 it's just the kg rock out ! even without my klispch Rw-d12 subwoofer

[@primedirective00]

these are marketed as computer speakers.. are they suitable for sitting that close to? I was considering The Fives also which have a slightly smaller footprint

[@azeissler1987]

Now I am sad that I didn't buy these speakers when they were only $110 at best buy... they are still on sale but now $189. Is that still a good value?

[@ZeroFidelity]

I'd approach the situation like this: If you really want a solution right now, then go for it. You're getting a good price for a great set of speakers. However, if this isn't a must-have, then kick back and wait for the price to drop a little bit more. Klipsch will typically run these sales (average 40-50% off) every 3-4 months.

[@azeissler1987]

@@ZeroFidelity I apperciate the feedback. I mainly want to purchase these to replace my dad's BOSE 161 speakers. I feel like these would be a much better speaker for the money.

[@ZeroFidelity]

@@azeissler1987 Dude, it'll be a huge difference. Your feelings are spot on.

[@kristofernewton422]

How Would These Work Out as Monitors Hooked Up to The TASCAM 12 PORTASTUDIO???

[@Ken-hs5yu]

Thank you for the review. I’ve been looking at this and the Polk audio ones. And right now R-51 M is $176~ at Best Buy

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

Great speaker review. Most likely I am going to purchase a pair of Klipsch stereo speakers, or left, right surrounds to my present 2 speakers. I may get the Klipsch R-51M.

[@bboydevilparis]

Very good reviews thank you ! I wish you an advice if it's possible, i'm looking for a good 2.1 system for my computer, i have choose my Amp " SMSL SA300 " and the Sub " Klipsch R100SW ", i'm hesitate with the bookshelf Speakers between 4 models " Klipsch R51M or R41M or Klipsch RP500M or RP400M ", it's very small desktop room, it's for wathching some movies and TV shows on " Netflix Amazon prime video " watching You tube and listen some music FLAC 16 bit and 24bit. What is the best value for you between this 4 models ? I wish you a great day and hello from France !

[@razorwireclouds5708]

aaaaand subscribed! thanks so much for the review, man! really helped me out!

[@Billyfromthebay]

Would one recommend using these speakers to engineer beats and music?

[@TonicofSonic]

If your thinking of buying these for a surround system, hear me out first. I have a 5.1 pioneer Andrew Jones set with klipsch r41m hieght speakers making a 5.1.2. I wanted to try a more expensive speaker, and the klipsch tweeters are great as hieghts so I tried the R52c center. Out of the box it has no bass, shallow mids and shrieking highs. After break in the bass comes around, but the mids sound....boxy. This speaker has no port, and I thought it would be a strength for my system as my center sits inside a cavern where a tv would sit.( sound treated cavern now) Indeed the r52c directed the sound in a nice forward path. Where the speaker falls short is everywhere else but clarity and separation. The men sound like boys, and when the speaker would manage to put out mids you can hear the sound bouncing around inside the cabinet. The bass was decent, but not great. The highs are raspy, and make your ears hurt, while accomplishing the task of making every detail present. So I used the R52c for three weeks, then I switched back in my pioneer sp22c and wow, that speaker is amazing. Men sound like men, women sound like women, and the sound is so natural in comparison to the r52c. This is an $80 speaker we are comparing to a speaker I paid $188 for on sale and both were tested after audessy room calibration with it turned on, and turned off. The only thing the r52c did better was clarity of subtle sounds which can be great and can be terrible depending on the movie scene or music. So I order a rp250c just to see if klipsch knew how to make a center channel. Wow, this speaker was 250$ so 60$ more than the r52c and it sounds amazing. It has all the warmth and accuracy of the pioneer sp22c, but has way lower and stronger punching lows, and the highs are beautiful, clean, as crisp as the r52c but without the shrill. Men sound like men, and it basically acts as a subwoofer where it sits, as I had to check several times whether my sub was on or off since installing it. This is the speaker you want the r52c to be. Fork up the extra cash for thr rp250c or greater center, or get a pioneer sp22c if ypu want to save and get a center 85-90% as good as the $250 rp250c. Don't worry about matching your system, even if the r52c is a match you dont want it because that means it's time to start a new path in audio.

[@raysimon1368]

I have heard some good things about this brand of speakers but these are not big enough to handle my pioneer 1280 185 watts per channel the only set I have owned that did were the old home 100s I like my music sometimes loud enough to feel it I have spent thousands of dollars on speakers trying to get a set that suits me can you give any advice

[@isaiahfurrow7414]

After watching this, and another video you did about a pair of Polk speakers of similar size, I think I might have to try some Polk speakers first. Hopefully I will get a chance to listen to some first, but that is tough as I live in a rural area at least a couple hours drive from a store that would have any for demo.

[@davidgreen1504]

I just changed my polks for these better clarity hook up with subwoofer polks were bland to me.

[@Slickman2006]

This review and RP-600M review are almost exactly the same, so which is better?

[@erikluchtenburg]

Recommend them in combination with IOTAVX?

[@marsh5953]

I am looking for some speakers to put on my desk for use with my personal PC system that I spent around 4-5 hours per day at. General use, movies, gaming, music (I'm not an audiophile though) and I think I've narrowed my search down to 3 speakers. My budget is £300. 1. Klipsch R-51 (£249) 2. Bose Companion 50 (£299) 3. Audioengine A2+ (£239) Watching your review and the way you talk about these products (although a lot of what you're saying goes over my head as a "speaker newbie") you really seem to know your stuff. Would you mind me asking you which of the 3 I've picked out you'd recommend the most? Or if you have any other suggestions for my price point / use case? Thanks so much for your time. Open question if anyone in the comments has any thoughts as well.

[@freekcolleek323]

Have you heard the active version of this speaker (r51pm) . It has none of that klipsch shout. It’s is very smooth but still has good detail. Pair with a dac and have an audiophile system under $500 .

[@AB-KB8]

I love mine. I haven't even hooked all mine up yet. 3 sound amazing.

[@texasbuzzard4970]

I would like to hear your opinion on how they compare to other entry level speakers you’ve tested. Like the Sony sscs5?

[@ZeroFidelity]

So the cliff note summary goes something like this: The Sony Core's offer up a cleaner presentation at low to medium volumes. The top end is airy, extended, nuanced, yet smooth. Some armchair engineers bitch about the super tweeter, but it really does set the Sony's apart from the rest of the competition. Now, when you feed the Sony's high quality recordings and keep them the reasonable volumes, the sound is just as good if not arguably better than more expensive offerings from the likes of Polk, Elac, or Klipsch. At least from an audiophile perspective. However, the limitations are noteworthy. The Sony's won't be able to handle demanding music at loud volumes very well. The cabinets are quite thin, and it's easy to pick up on that during bass-heavy music, especially at higher volumes. And their balanced presentation may come off as a bit 'flat' to some listeners. Still, for what they are, they are pretty damned good. The Klipsch R51M's will showcase a livelier presentation that's more colorful and confident. The Sony's are all about clarity, whereas the Klipsch speakers are all about capturing the energy of a musical event. I think the midrange on the R51M's is a bit fuller while the bass is unquestionably stronger, more confident, and more tonally accurate. The R51M's also do a better job of sporting a great center image, fair better with a wider variety of music, and can play at slightly higher volumes. They do need some distance for everything to 'come together' though. It's also completely up in the air as to whether or not you'll like the accentuated top-end. At the end of the day though, both speakers are great for what they are. It's just a matter of selecting what's important to you.

[@texasbuzzard4970]

Wow! That’s one heck of a reply. Thanks for taking the time to write that up. U da man

[@rayflexentertainment1545]

lovely video, whee did u get those desk stand ?

[@OverkillTBP]

You know what my father spotted right after he heard my system with them bookshelf's before I bought the floor speakers, he goes, "hey why not do this, and he turned the speakers away from me to the back of the walls of the basement, and it sounded amazing. But For music it was awesome, but I'm a gamer that don't doesn't normally use a headset, so I need that directed front sound too. So I bought the floor's and going to use the bookshelf's for sides I have a sub and was going to buy that expensive center.

[@milenggonzales8266]

Where did you buy your r-51m speaker stand? What are the specs?

[@alexanderscott3790]

Tube integrated with these toed just outside your hear should be just fine! Infact, i think thats probably a great budget way to do a music movie system with these, looped into a surround processor in a small to medium sized space

[@karast2000]

Thinking of putting up in a desktop setup in my pc with my Nad 3020 amp. I need some change from my wharfedale diamond 10.1. Love klipsch for my hard rock listening! Great review! 👍

[@skip741x3]

I have some older klipsch sf-1"s... those puppys were Bright on the top..so much so that the horn dominates the entire speaker ..I see that today, klipsch has listened and taken into account the feedback from their listeners...these you show here are Nowhere near as harsh,midrange forward sounding as their predessors were...its as if the early designs were made by people with hearing loss themselves and who boosted their speakers to make the mids and topend run extra hot so they could hear it! just seems that way! with my old sf-1's, I added in a nonpolarized capicitor to the positive wire of the tweeter and it tamed that hot top end while still allowing the highs...a resistor would also work... result is a horn speaker that doesnt fatigue or cut ur ears to shreds...

[@fariddean6468]

Hi , Thank you for the awesome work ! Quick question, I'm trying to decide between Fives+Sub (like the Jamo to match the design/colour), or R-51PM+ 100W Kliptch Sub. I don't need the HDMI ARC port (as I'll be using Bluetooth or other streaming) + I like the design of R-51PM better. But what would you chose just based on sound features? Thank you in advance, Cheers !

[@cookieman4903]

Go for the Klipsch RP-160M if you have space, seriously! I have both the R-41M and the RP-160M. I know there's a big difference in size between these two, but you can get lots of discounts on RP-160M's these days. You can also go for the RP-150M if you want the same size as R-51M. Here's the thing: the reference premiere series is like another brand compared to the reference series. You may read lots of critics about Klipsch speakers lacking depth, this pretty much doesn't apply to the RP series. Much more depth, A LOT better mids and lows. If you go for the RP-160M, you don't really need a sub unless you want really high bass.

[@mikepzep]

Do you think a 25 watt amp will be powerful enough to power these speakers?

[@docgify]

SEAN, im really wanting to buy the JBL L-100 classic with the orange or maybe blue baffle i love ‘em but at over 8000$ aud im only going to dream or save for a long time… i think im going to save cause i really want them but in the interim i bought a pair of PAIYON P-F8 8 inch full range speakers im not sure if this is a good buy and the shipping was more than the speakers but stupidly i bought them i wonder will they be even a bit decent i already own the Klipsch R-41M THE 4 INCH CONE….LITTLE BROTHER to the r-51m!!!

[@Vnikas67]

Can you help to decide between Klipsch r51m vs Sony ss-cs5 ? Pros and cons between them?

[@thefluentone]

I have these as my rear surrounds in my klipsch 7.1 system. I love you're detailed review, thank you and subbed.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks!

[@Dave-in-France]

An excellent video that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I have a question about horn speakers : back in the day I was big into music and hi-fi - LINN LP12 etc and in the UK we didn't really see horn-based speakers ; now I'm coming back to vinyl and I'm wondering some form of horn speaker might suit me, I'll be buying a decent belt drive t-table and a simple valve amp - any thoughts?

[@ZeroFidelity]

Usually my favorite horn experiences involve vinyl and tubes. You get this big, open, warm sound that still has energy to it. The overall combo can make for one hell of a fun listening experience! Of course, I cannot say for certain whether or not it's something that you'd go for. What I can say is this however... you have the ideal foundation in place, so if you find yourself in a position to try a good set of horn speakers out, then I'd encourage ya to do so!

[@ruilim98]

hi, great video! just wondering where do you get those speaker stands from? :)

[@510MyTube]

What the differences between this, 500m, 600m?

[@sav7568]

Power and size of the cone. This is 85w, 500m is 75w and 600m is 100w. The 600 has a bigger cone.

[@morbus74]

Thanks for great review.. Would you recommend these R-15M's to be used as surrounds..? I've been looking for new surrounds and i already have RP-8000F's as fronts and also have R-115SW as sub, so i guess these 15M's could work really good with them.. What do you think?

[@ZeroFidelity]

I think they'd fit in perfectly with your system. :)

[@MrBigjack71]

I use them as surrounds and they are great 👍

[@lvm111]

Yeah, except a square box isn't as cool looking as a real surround speaker! Yes Klipsch's surround speakers are more expensive than these. But they are real bi-polar surround speakers, and having 4 angled speakers naturally are going to cost more.

[@jameskiely5518]

You should have links to purchase the product