In this review, we will be comparing Sonos Five and R-41PM, 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-41PM 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-41PM 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-41PM are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Sonos Five |
Klipsch R-41PM |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3 x 0.8-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 2.75-inch
|
1 x 4.0-inch
|
Sonos Five features a 3 x 0.8" Dome Tweeter and 3 x 2.75" Cone Woofer . On the other hand, the R-41PM features a 1.0" Aluminum LTS Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 1 x 4.0" Copper-spun IMG Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1770Hz.
Frequency Response
Sonos Five has a frequency range of whereas R-41PM has a frequency range of 76-21k 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-41PM's min frequency of 76Hz.
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-41PM 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-41PM 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-41PM'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-41PM has external dimensions of 281.0 x 147.6 x 241.3mm ( 11.0625 x 5.8125 x 9.5inch) .
Sonos Five is 79.4mm shorter and 66.7mm less deeper than Klipsch R-41PM but it is also 215.9mm 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-41PM is approximately 356.2cm2 / 55.2inch2. The Sonos Five requires 78% more surface area than the R-41PM which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.