In this review, we will be comparing Sonos Five and R-15PM, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Sonos and Klipsch. Being Powered speakers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonos Five and Klipsch R-15PM first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Sonos Five and Klipsch R-15PM compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
Drivers
Both Sonos Five and R-15PM are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Sonos Five |
Klipsch R-15PM |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer . On the other hand, the R-15PM features a 1.0" Aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Copper-spun IMG Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1800Hz.
Frequency Response
Sonos Five has a frequency range of whereas R-15PM has a frequency range of 62-24k Hz. With a minimum frequency of Hz, the Sonos Five can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R-15PM's min frequency of 62Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Sonos Five has a front firing port whereas R-15PM has a rear firing ports. Sonos Five's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Klipsch R-15PM with its rear-firing port.
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Sonos Five's and Klipsch R-15PM's external dimensions. Sonos Five has external dimensions of 201.6 x 363.5 x 174.6mm ( 7.9375 x 14.3125 x 6.875inch) whereas Klipsch R-15PM has external dimensions of 317.5 x 177.8 x 250.8mm ( 12.5 x 7 x 9.875inch) .
Sonos Five is 115.9mm shorter and 76.2mm less deeper than Klipsch R-15PM but it is also 185.7mm wider.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Sonos Five is approximately 634.7cm2 / 98.4inch2 and base area of the Klipsch R-15PM is approximately 445.9cm2 / 69.1inch2. The Sonos Five requires 42% more surface area than the R-15PM which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.