KlipschR-41M Reference Bookshelf Speakers (Pair), Black

I replaced a pair of JBL bookshelf speakers with these, as the JBL's had been in use for decades and were starting to sound flat and lifeless. Plus I needed to conserve some space on the shelves.I am using these in a small recording studio where I do voice overs and produce thousands of radio commercials every year. So I need something that sounds good, but not something so high end that it won't give me a realistic overview of the over all sound of a produced piece.I had been satisfied with other Klipsch speakers used in my home stereo systems. Fine clarity and nice spectrum of sound. Now, these little buggers don't sound as good as a pair of speakers costing 10 or 20 times the price, but for their size and value they are very very nice. My studio is not much larger than a typical small bedroom so I'm not pumping hundreds of watts into these. They do sound very nice and give me a respectable playback of what I can expect my work to sound like in the wild. These, obviously, are NOT studio monitor speakers e.g. you wouldn't use them a references mixing the latest production from a music studio as special designed speakers are used for this work. For voice over and commercial production I need to listen to things the way the public will be hearing them, and few people are listening to radio commercials on high end systems.These are built solid, look nice, and sound better than I expected and with a bit more clarity than I expect from speakers of this price. Bass ports on the back give them a little extra punch in the low end - and means you probably don't really want to hang them on a wall even though a keyhole for doing this is provided on the back. Other reviews are correct - there is nice bass and clear crips highs, and just a hint of a dip in midrange response but I don't find this to be an issue -- or hardly noticeable unless you're listening for it.All in all they're quite nice at this price point. They fit where I need them. I used banana plugs to connect the speaker outputs - in fact I also ordered some plugs to make up my own speaker cables when I ordered the speakers. First time I've used banana plugs that I didn't have to solder.I did take the advice of another reviewer and picked up the little Fosi amplifier to drive them - I had been using a Realistic/Optimus mini amp for the past 40 years and decided to upgrade. The little Fosi Audio TB10A amplifier sounds great with these (see my other review).You can't really miss with these little Klpisch speakers!

A couple days after i ordered these for $148, they popped up for $114...not realizing it was a different seller, i requested a refund to get them at the cheaper price, but have decided to keep them since i ordered them at this particular sellers sale price. And i am NOT upset about it one bit.I am running my Klipsch R-41M speakers through a Fosi T20 50w x2 mini tube amp with Riverstone Audio tubes, plugged into my Echo Dot using a Primedia audiophile grade 3.5mm to RCA cable, streaming Pink Floyd on Amazon Music Unlimited.Given the setup, the sound is quite amazing, the Riverstone Audio tubes are a bit warmer than the tubes the amp comes with. The mids could be a tad better, but I have absolutely zero complaints, it's a 4 inch spun copper driver, and I like to enjoy my music so I don't play excessively loud. I have foam speaker isolation pads coming Friday, they should be a nice improvement over my glass desktop.So far i have thoroughly enjoyed music from Pink Floyd, Stick Figure, Gary Moore, and Golden Earing. Everything sounds fantastic, nothing like my Klipsch KG 5.5 towers, but for bookshelf speakers with a 4 inch driver, i love these things.They look amazing, and sound fabulous. After listening to these i am upset one bit about having to pay the higher cost, they're good, very good.Use high quality, heavy gauge speaker cables to get the best sound....12 or 14 awg. I am using 12 awg now, but ordered a higher quality pair with banana plugs.Quality cables will make a difference.EDIT: Since my initial review, i have over 50 hours of burn in time on my tubes, the speakers are broken in, they are on foam isolation pads with the new 12 awg speaker cables from Micca. The sound is beyond amazing for such small speakers. I have learned that they are very picky about placement, they do best with a wider sound stage, about 6 to 8 feet apart and pointed directly at your ears while sitting at least 6 feet away. The bass is nice and tight but still offers a bit of a thump, the mids have greatly opened up, and the highs are so sweet - but can be a bit much on some songs if not adjusted right. After the break in period i set my bass to the 2:00 position and treble to the 3:00 position.I also connected these to my Denon PMA 757 amplifier, still running through my Echo Dot, and holy cow they sound incredible, but i switched back to my Fosi T20 tube amplifier because i enjoy the warmth of the tubes.Once you get these broken in, there are a couple of songs i recommend listening to that will show you just how good these are, even if it's not your cup of tea. Electrified II, Cold Flame, and Domingo, by Yello. ...the horns in Waba Duba, also by Yello, are just wild and really shines on these speakers, the song in a bit weird though, lol. If you only choose one, i suggest Cold Flame.