Klipsch R-15PM Powered Monitor – Black (Pair)
$300.00
About this item The R-15PM powered monitors deliver room-filling sound without taking up much space 1 x pair of RCA phono level inputs with switch for Phono/Line input versatility (Phono Pre-amp with ground screw terminal) 1 x USB digital audio from a PC or Mac single RCA line level output for connection to sub. 1 x Digital optical, 1 x 3.5mm mini jack line level, Full featured IR remote. Bluetooth wireless technology
- Description
- Additional information
- Reviews (10)
Description
Description
From the manufacturer
Additional information
Additional information
Product Dimensions | 8.2 x 7 x 12.5 inches |
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Item Weight | 10.3 pounds |
Manufacturer | Klipsch |
UNSPSC Code | 52161512 |
Country of Origin | China |
Item model number | R-15PM |
Batteries | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. |
Customer Reviews | 4.5 out 5 |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | January 5, 2016 |
DavidGee –
Let me preface with the statement “I’ve owned other music systems”. Large component systems, phono ready, high quality systems. Each component chosen for a particular quality or ability. The last one was about 13 years ago and then gave the system and vinyl up for the more portable and user friendly MP3 format. Earbuds and costly Bluetooth speakers, tiny and thin sounding computer speakers. This summer I decided as my life had become more rooted I would collect vinyl lp’s again. Enter these klipsch powered monitors. I hadn’t had the highest expectations. I figured these would be great to start with as they have a phono in, an integrated amplifier on board and would handle my respectable digital file collection. I could get these, a new turntable and begin collecting and listening to albums. I figured they would sound good, great even but probably not like the speakers used to treat like deity. Upgrade later. Right? Good enough. Right?…I’m blown away. I’ve only yet played high quality digital files as I haven’t settled on a phonograph yet but I’m simply blown away. I remember the sound of high end, audiophile grade stereo equipment. I remember getting really big, very clear sound from my entire wall of stereo gear. I get the very same experiences from these lovely klipsch speakers; from digital files. Aretha sounds like she’s in the room, the Pistols, Rollins band and Green Day hit like I’m the very focus and of all that angst and anger and I just discovered this morning there are parts of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody I’ve missed altogether. Certain higher frequency atmospheric sounds I was completely ignorant of. Aretha’s Chain of fools raises goose bumps. Lady soul grabs you and won’t let go. I could go into numbers but others have and they’re better at it than I am but I can say the sound I’ve gotten from these is stunning. I will probably still upgrade to the rack type systems I had such fondness for as my wife has found a love for sound in these speakers but doesn’t want to muck about with turntables and switches. I will find myself with a wall of sound with another high end amplifier and whatnot but the speakers will probably always be klipsch as I’m am that impressed with these. They are a gateway drug to the audiophile.
Kingboy –
After disappointing trials of 2 well reviewed speakers from another manufacturer (rhymes with “Shedifier”), on the advice of friends I decided to give the Klipsch R-15PM a try. They do not disappoint! Out of the box I noticed these are definitely NOT desktop speakers, as they measure in at 12 1/2” high x 7” wide x 8” deep. Great on a bookshelf, but significantly larger than other speakers I tried. The trademark copper woofers and boxed tweeters look cool, although they lack the screw details of some of the more expensive models. Build quality seems average. The exterior finish looks kind of cheap, and some of the connectors don’t line up perfectly in their openings in the back. You also have to stick on the supplied rubber feet yourself. Not really a high-end unboxing experience. It’s obvious to me that Klipsch put the money in the speaker cones and circuitry, and the exterior appearance was lower priority at this price. Also they’ve ditched the speaker covers completely, so even if you wanted to cover the cool cones, you can’t. One primary driver of this purchase was the potential of ditching my dying receiver but still being able to use my prized 80’s Sony linear-tracking turntable. Set-up was relatively trouble-free. The R-15PMs have a built-in switchable preamp, so you don’t have to buy a separate one if your turntable needs it. If your turntable is already amplified or if you want to use a separate preamp, no worries, there is a “line” switch at the back of the speaker that disables the built-in amp. I plugged in an old subwoofer (straight RCA connector) to enhance the bass. I did have a little trouble with the initial Bluetooth connection, but after about 4 tries it’s working reliably. Some reviewers complained about the volume level resetting after the speakers shut off. This isn’t a problem for me, and honestly I didn’t even notice it. I guess if you’re far away from your music source that could be irritating. I adjust the volume at my device or using the remote with no issues.Sound is impressive for the kind of music I listen to (mostly rock and jazz). Highs are crisp and definition is great. Bass is clear and not muddy. Keep in mind these are only 5” woofers so if you want to rock the house with earth-shaking bass you’ll need to look for something bigger. I had to turn up my sub to 7/10 to even hear it, which is fine for my needs, but I think the lack of additional amplification from the receiver affects the subwoofer performance. But I’m by no means an audio expert.Although these speakers are made in China, Klipsch is an American company that’s been around a long time and has a good reputation. I like the idea of supporting an American company.Terms like “reference” and “studio monitor” are bandied about these days, but these affordable units really fit the bill. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find better speakers with these features without spending a LOT more. Looking forward to using these speakers often and hoping they will get even sweeter after a good break-in period.Pros:1. Great sound! Tremendous, sharp highs and decent bass. (A subwoofer is recommended)2. Turntable ready- really! No preamp required, which saves at least around $20, making the Klipsch an even better value.3. They look cool with the signature copper woofers4. Subwoofer input (standard RCA which is a plus)Cons:1. No bass/treble controls (not a big deal)2. Build quality is a little lacking. The quality obviously went into the internals.3. Bluetooth connectivity is a little fiddly, but reliable once it’s connected4. No covers (nice to have, but they hide the cool cones), DIY rubber feet5. Lacks some of the latest digital connectivity; not WiFi compatible. Not a deal-breaker for me.6. Remote has limited functions (and it’s NOT the one pictured!)
detlive –
For the money, I’m really happy with the clarity and power of these speakers paired with a Klipsch R-12SW subwoofer in my home office. I spent much of last year chasing the perfect headphone/amp/DAC setup and ended up with some nice gear. Nonetheless, I really missed having decent speakers in the one room where I’m presently spending 80% of my life. The R-15PMs were ideal because I didn’t want to deal with a receiver, and can instead feed them from my PC directly via USB. I purchased these speakers fully planning to connect them with a Klipsch 12″ subwoofer that I already owned as I opted to upgrade my home theater to a 15″ sub. Given that they’re small bookshelf sized speakers, the R-15PMs do not provide a full range sound on their own – no surprise there. But with the subwoofer they sound fantastic to my ears. Bonus: the finish on the R-12SW is the same brushed satin as the R-15PMs. Others have noted that the R-15PM’s 24bit/96khz built-in DAC is lacking, but I can’t say that I’ve noticed. Thus far I’ve been listening to some rock and lots and lots of EDM, including tracks that I’ve listened to on various headphones many, many times. In a critical listening test, I fully expect headphones to provide flatter frequency response and more detail, but conversely they lack the feeling & impact that loudspeakers provide. And I don’t feel like the sound is lacking, at least not with any of the source material played thus far. I should also note that I haven’t bothered trying any of the other inputs – using USB from PC exclusively – so I can’t comment on how well they work. For $250 I’m super happy with these powered speakers.Oh, two things I want to note: (1) My speakers shipped from Crutchfield, and while they’re clearly marked as Klipsch R-15PMs on the back panel, they do not have a power switch as shown in all the R-15PM documentation/literature I’ve been able to find. The back panel looks like the one from the newer R-51PM. Not sure why as these are not remanufactured and the discounted price vis a vis the R-51PM suggests Klipsch isn’t making them any longer. The speakers power off when I hibernate or turn off my PC and the remote has a power switch as well, so this isn’t a big deal for me, but may be for someone else. (2) And speaking of the remote, it’s not like the one in the photos. The remote is fine, such as it is, except for one glaring omission – there are no controls to advance tracks or go backwards: you can adjust volume up and down, you can trim the subwoofer output, you can reset the subwoofer level, pick other audio sources, mute, and pause/play tracks, but you cannot advance or go back. I find this to be kind of annoying since I have these speakers set up on a desk opposite my work desk, and I had planned to use the remote to skip or replay tracks. My solution was to spend another $18 on Amazon to get a knock-off Klipsch-style remote like the one shown in the photos – it arrives today, and hopefully it works as expected.
john –
Best monitor/bookshelf speakers out there! I first saw these speakers thinking it would be nice to see if there is anything out there that would suit my needs for a replacement of some old school Altec Lansing speakers I was using for my desktop setup. I thought they visually looked well made and had a not so over the top appearance. So I decided to buy a pair just to test the audio and then return them at my local outlet store. Little did I know how much I actually would fall in love with them.I hooked them up with little ease as far as setup goes. They are selfpowered so just plug and play which made it great for me to try them on a couple different setups I have. I was blown away at the clarity when using the usb hookup. I also found it easy to control with the remote control and easy to power off when not in use. The indication lights are great as well letting me know they are on when lit purplish and lit red flashing when muted.Overall easy install good size with clarity and ease of use. The only thing I might add is a r-10sw or r-12sw sub to give my system a little more low kick. Worth the price and I purchased them on sale saving myself $100. Recommend to a person that wants to set themselves apart to the audio world for small speaker systems.
Lee M. –
I hooked these up to my PC to replace my Promedia 2.1s. I had the Promedias for about 15 years and they worked awesome. I wanted a better stereo audio listening experience as I currently do not have another spot in the house to enjoy music (I am mostly setup for movies)These are far better. I love the variety of inputs, bluetooth, usb, RCA. I use USB from my machine. These also have a subwoofer out which is awesome because without you will definitely miss out on some low end. The imaging is far superior to the Prodmedia’s. There is no grill option which I like. I did upgrade the speaker wire connecting the two to some good cable ( I am certain I would not notice if someone switched it back). You can shut the LED off which is awesome.
Frank C –
I can’t praise these speakers enough. The sound is incredible, the Bluetooth is locked in and stays locked in from day to day. The bottom end is good to 54Hz so that’s not bad for this size. The mid end is clear and the high end is bright but not brassy. I’m using these to listen to music on my Mac. I’ve also played music from my IPhone, both sound great. The power is phenomenal and more than I need for a 12×12 room. They have every conceivable jack connector and came with all the necessary cables too.The Bose speaker I replaced sounded muddy compared to these, but more importantly the Bose kept losing the Bluetooth signal. I was constantly reconnecting. BTW, I love Bose products, have a few of them and I believe their noise cancelling headphones are the best.I highly recommend them.
Derek Rowe –
USB: I RMA’d my pair of speakers because the USB port was not working. The Klipsch representative told me that this has been common with these speakers. My symptoms were that when I plugged the speakers into any of my computer’s USB 2.0 ports, I got an error from windows 10 saying that the USB device had malfunctioned. Klipsch asked that I try two different USB cables, I did so, and then they had me mail my speakers back and they mailed me a new pair. The new pair gave me the same error in my two of my computer’s USB 2.0 ports, that the USB device had malfunctioned. I can’t honestly say I remember whether or not I tried this with the original pair I received from Amazon, but I tried plugging them into a USB 3.0 port, and they worked! When plugged into USB 3.0, Windows immediately set up the speakers as my primary listening device. I encountered a similar issue with Windows 10 and my new phone, a Huawei Mate 10 Pro with a USB C port. The phone came with a USB C to USB 2.0 cable (I am assuming it is USB 2.0 because it does not have the extra 5 connectors inside the plug that you would find on a USB 3.0 or 3.1 connector). When I plug my phone into a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port on my computer, windows 10 gives me exactly the same error, claiming that the USB device malfunctioned. The only way I can sync this phone with my computer is by plugging it into my computer’s one and only USB 3.1 port, or my computer’s USB C port with a USB C to C cable. It is as if windows replaced the old “This device can perform faster” from Windows XP with a failure message and the complete disabling of the connected device. Who knows, hopefully Windows will fix this soon!Bluetooth: You have to either hold in the Bluetooth button on the remote or hold in the volume knob while already in the Bluetooth input to get the speakers to enter discoverable mode. The blue light blinks at a medium rate when you turn it on and choose the Bluetooth input, and this means it is not connected and is NOT in discoverable/discovery mode. When you hold in the Bluetooth button on the remote or hold in the volume knob, the blue light will start to flash faster, and when it is flashing at a faster rate, it is in discovery mode! Also, you may read in other reviews that you will need to reconnect to these speakers each time you want to listen to music. This was true for my iPhone 6S+, but now I have a Huawei Mate 10 Pro which has Bluetooth 4.2, and this phone will automatically connect to these speakers as soon as they are powered on, and they actually remain connected to the speakers if they are turned on but not set to the Bluetooth input.I absolutely love the sound quality of these speakers, both vocal and low frequency reproduction is stunning. I often find myself confused that there is not a subwoofer in the room.The tweeters have incredible voice reproduction. If you listen to Money by Pink Floyd, the saxophone and the coin sounds come through beautifully. I think that song is one of the best that you can use to judge the accuracy of speakers, as everyone has heard coins falling, and a lot of people have heard saxophones in person.
Ernie V.Ernie V. –
These will leave you Breathless! I have been buying Klipsch for over 25 years. I was a DJ back in the day, so good clear sound and big bottom is a must. I have these paired with the Klipsch R-12SW Subwoofer, connected to my American Audio VMS 5 DJ Controller and a 2 channel 15 band x 2 EQ. The sound is INCREDIBLE!!! I feel like i am back in the DJ booth. I was reading the reviews and seen some negative comments, all I can say is ignore them, seems to me they didn’t connect it properly, for the money these monitors with the sub are a MONSTER! Very Happy, the sound is crystal clear great mids and highs and the sub really pounds. Your neighbors will HATE you!!! LOL …. Happy Listening ; )Yes the volume resets when you turn it off (SO WHAT)!! I really can’t beleive someone would leave a negative comment because they have to adjust the volume (Amateurs)! The remote is great, you can adjust the volume and the sub from it.
Francisco Leon –
I did a ton of research into bookshelf speakers to go with my wife’s turntable and just to be overall good speakers before settling on these, and I was not disappointed!These speakers arrived in a box with the Klipsch logo proudly printed on the outside, as well as the phrase “Keepers of the sound.” I could not be more pleased with how Klipsch backed up that tagline, because the sound from these are crisp, clear, and clean. I tried them first by themselves, and even then, I was blown away by the balance of clean highs and powerful lows. Since then, I have added a subwoofer, but trust me- you’ll do just fine without one.To start, the build quality is fantastic, and the speakers look gorgeous. The copper colored cone is bold but not overbearing, and the matte black box is subtle and understated. The LED is inconspicuous, and changes color depending on the input selected. It can also be turned off with the remote.Setup is, to use a trite phrase, a breeze. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) you need is included, although the ease of using Bluetooth almost makes the other connections redundant. But it is so nice to have all those other options, because as I mentioned, I bought this to use with my wife’s turntable, which requires a phono input. These perform wonderfully and I can’t imagine using anything else. everything is plug and play, and they can be wireless as well. Bluetooth pairing is a snap. As easy as using any other Bluetooth speakers.The remote is kinda small, but honestly, it’s perfect. It has all the buttons you ever need, with power, volume (including a separate control for sub woofer gain if you have one hooked up like I do), buttons for all the different inputs (no more scrolling through them-just one button push!) pause/play, back/forward buttons, and even a button that controls the LED on the speaker (if you’re like me and sometimes want them on at night without the light).In summary, these speakers are exactly what I wanted and you will be getting value for every cent you spend on them. I have had them for almost a year now and I still fall in love with the sound quality every time I use them. It elevates your music listening experience and makes it joy to put on your favorite track. It’s like listening to it for the first time again. Thanks Klipsch!
MO MO –
I first experienced the quality of Klipsch products about five years ago when I purchased a 5.1 Synergy Series setup. Since then I have been closely watching the evolution of the brand and admired the constant innovation they have produced. The R-15PM’s are the perfect example of their persistent progression. These speakers will allow you to experience Reference quality audio with a myriad of input options at a competitive price. I was raving to someone after my purchase and told them I planned to pair them with a sub. They responded saying the speakers must not be that good if you are required to buy an additional subwoofer. Make no mistake these monitors do not require a sub but the fact that you can add one is another reason why they rock so hard.UPDATE 11-28-16I still am in love with these speakers and have no complaints. These are now a must buy with the price where it is at. I also mounted mine and wanted to show them off.