We rarely review traditional bookshelf speakers intended to connect to stereo receivers, but the $399 Klipsch R-41PM, sold as a pair, are only traditional from the front. For starters, there's no stereo receiver required—on the rear panel, you can connect directly to a computer via USB, or to a Blu-ray player via Optical. But the real selling point is integrated Bluetooth, so you can easily play music from just about any sound source. In addition, the speakers look quite handsome, and they sound fantastic. You don't need a sub to get rich bass depth from them, though adding one would provide the sub-bass rumble the speakers lack on their own. Either way, these are some of the most versatile bookshelf speakers we've seen.

Design

Available in black, the left and right speakers each measure 9.8 by 5.9 by 7.5 inches (HWD) and weigh a healthy 18.7 pounds. The front cloth grilles are removable, and underneath, each speaker has a handsome 1-inch tweeter (situated in a 90-by-90-degree horn) and a 4-inch copper-spun woofer. The Klispch Reference logo appears on the lower part of the tweeter, and the speakers look undeniably classy, grilles on or off (they snap into place magnetically). Klipsch includes eight silicone pads for the bottom corners of the speakers—especially if placing them on a wood surface, using the pads is advisable as it will keep them stabilized and also help control some of the bass vibrations.

The system delivers a frequency range of 76Hz-21kHz, so while you won't be getting much in the way of sub-bass from the pair alone, the crossover is built in for sub compatibility. And the woofers still manage quite an impressive output despite not digging down to the deep lows—combined, the system output is 70 watts. An included cable connects from the left to the right speaker's rear panel, where the main connections for the system are located.

On the right speaker's back panel, there's a master volume knob (which works independently of any connected Bluetooth device's volume) that doubles as a source selector when pressed. Next to this is a ground connection for turntables, and there's a switch for toggling between typical line signals and a turntable phono signal, as well as the required RCA inputs for connecting the turntable—no cable is included for this input. Near these, there's a 3.5mm aux input and the aforementioned subwoofer output. To the left of these, there's a USB connection for digital output from a computer—a long, sturdy cable is included for this—as well as the Optical input and a micro USB service port. Both speakers also have a ported area on the rear panel. The included power cable connects to the back of the right speaker.

Not all remote controls are essential, but you don't want to lose the one included here. Its rubber buttons handle power, volume, subwoofer volume (should you connect one), mute, play/pause (for Bluetooth), and Bluetooth pairing. There are also dedicated buttons for the various sound sources: Aux, Optical, USB, and Phono. There's an LED button for disabling the status LED and a sub level reset control. The remote runs on two included AAA batteries. The only thing missing here are track navigation buttons, but that isn't a huge issue. If there's complaint to be made, it's that the remote has a little bit of delay at times when playing or pausing Bluetooth tracks.

Bluetooth pairing is a little clunky. The speakers do not automatically re-pair with your phone or tablet when they are switched to Bluetooth. So every time you want to use Bluetooth, you have to manually connect. It doesn't take long, but it's annoying.

Performance

These are powerful speakers and they get quite loud. At top, insane levels, of course you can encounter distortion, but at safe listening levels that are still very high, we heard nothing of the sort. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the speakers deliver powerful bass depth. As mentioned, the sub-bass realm isn't really part of the R-41PM's repertoire, but they still deliver everything above 76Hz with power and accuracy. Adding in a sub would create some lovely added depth, but it is not essential to enjoy tracks with powerful bass response. Beyond the bass presence, the mids and highs are dutifully represented—this is a bright, crisp sound signature with rich anchoring in the lows.

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Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the R-41PM's general sound signature. The drums on this track can sound thunderous and unnatural on some bass-forward systems. Here, they sound full and round but not quite as deep as they would if the speakers could summon some of those sub-bass frequencies. The drums don't feel weak, but they would sound fuller with a subwoofer attached. That said, Callahan's baritone vocals get some lovely added richness in the low-mids—and thankfully there's plenty of high-mid and high-frequency clarity to provide his vocals with treble edge and the guitar strums with some crisp attack.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives an ideal high-mid presence, accentuating its punchy attack. The loop also receives some added thump in the lows, but nothing over the top, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with solid bass presence. But again, nothing that conjures the deepest lows like a subwoofer would. The vocals on this track have excellent clarity and there's no real added sibilance.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound wonderful through the R-41PM. The lower register instrumentation is handled with grace—there's some subtle boosting, but the stage belongs to the higher register brass, strings, and vocals. This is a balanced sound signature, and most of the low-frequency presence on a track like this resides in the range the R-41PM can cover without a sub.

Conclusions

Even without a subwoofer, the Klipsch R-41PM speakers sound fantastic. At $400, they're not cheap, but if there's one thing that feels like we're missing from the all-in-one wireless speaker era, it's the beautiful stereo separation you get from well-placed bookshelf speakers. Here Klipsch takes modern connectivity and applies it to the old stereo template with great results, which will be well worth the money for some. In the stereo speaker department, we're also fans of the Audioengine 2+, the Audioengine A5+, the Edifier R1280T, and the 2.1 Edifier S350DB. Each pair has its strengths, but the R-41PM is a worthy competitor.

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