Bookshelf Speakers — Klipsch R-50PM

The Klipsch R-50PM is a powered bookshelf speaker designed to work without a separate amplifier, as a stereo pair on a desktop or in a compact room, fed directly by a source. It belongs to Klipsch's self-powered speaker systems, which sit alongside the company's traditional passive, horn-loaded designs, and it is one of the simpler models in that powered range.

Key specs that matter

Klipsch quotes 55 Hz to 20 kHz, a conventional bookshelf window without an extended bottom end. Power from the integrated amplifiers is specified at 120-240 W. Each cabinet measures 35.6 x 17.8 x 27.4 cm and weighs 11.2 kg.

Engineering and use context

Amplifier and drivers are matched as one unit at the factory, so the amplifier-matching question that a passive speaker of similar size would raise does not come up. The size suits a desk or a compact shelf and nearfield listening rather than the role of the main speakers in a full living-room system.

Pairing

No external amplifier is needed. Sources connect through line-level or digital inputs directly to the built-in amplifier, so a complete system needs nothing beyond a source and these two cabinets.

Alternatives

The Klipsch The Fives II sits above the R-50PM in the powered range, with a more developed feature set at a higher price.