Klipsch R-26PF 260W Powered Floorstanding BT Speakers with Remote $400 with Free Shipping

sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
I've never been a Klipsch fan but floorstanding powered BT speakers from a major speaker manufacturer like Klipsch for $400 (reg $999) caught my attention.

https://www.adorama.com/kp1064478.html?sdtid=11705487&emailprice=t&utm_medium=

From the Adorama's Site:

Featuring a 260W integrated amplifier that removes the need for a complicated receiver, the R-26PF powered floorstanding speaker system is ready to hook up to any device within minutes of unboxing. Each speaker includes a 1" aluminum diaphragm compression driver mated to 90° x 90° square Tractrix Horn and dual 6.5" copper spun magnetically shielded IMG woofers. TURNTABLE READY BLUETOOTH®ENABLED

Key Features

  • 260W total system power
  • Bluetooth® wireless technology with aptX
  • Phono Preamp built in with ground screw terminal
  • 3.5mm / RCA analog line inputs
  • USB and optical digital inputs
  • Sub output
  • Remote Control
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
That's a fantastic deal. These have gotten great reviews.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Wow!
They were $500 for awhile.
Dropped to $450, which is what I paid, and now down to $400.

My mini-review and comments are in this thread starting at post #5:
https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/klipsch-r-26pf-260w-powered-floorstanding-bluetooth-speakers.111154/

Pros:
1) Bass management - fixed at 80Hz, but it high-passes the speakers and low-passes the sub-out!
2) Remote control with sub volume control - why can't they give me this on my AVR? I find sub-volume is (after volume) the setting I would most often want to adjust. Some mixes are bass-heavy and others are good, but this is my most frequent complaint with modern recordings!
3) Clean look - eliminating the need for an AVR and providing a BT connection eliminates gear and cabling (but you still have (one) power cord and speaker cable running from right speaker (with all 4 amps) to left speaker). These are active speakers as in the crossover happens before the amps, so there are two amps for each speaker. The speaker cable between the right and left carries two speaker signals.
4) Incorporates Klipsch's latest generation of horn technology - for me, their RF-82ii was very good, once the toe-in was properly adjusted. But this most recent generation of horns are the first ones where I can actually point the horn straight at my ear and enjoy the music!
5) Over the top good alternative to typical wireless speakers or soundbar! A pair of these with an Amazon Dot (which is BT capable or you can set on top and run the wire down the back of the speaker and leave the BT available to your phone, etc.) along with a music service can be a great option!
6) Inputs include Line, USB Audio, Toslink, and Phono for impressive versatility!
Cons:
1) Amp hiss - it is not noticeable under normal listening circumstances, but if you are close to the speaker and the room is quiet, it can be heard.
2) Without adding a sub, bass is a little heavy for neutral music, but not an issue for HT, IMHO. Once you engage the bass management, the bass is clean and tight.

Overall, if you plan to pair a sub with these, I think they are excellent! I would be reluctant to connect a typical ported sub or a sealed sub which has been tuned flat to 20Hz, because there is no EQ system for tuning the bass. I would look at Hsu's offerings which provide good tuning options or the SUB-1200 which has a gradual roll-off (typically characteristic of a sealed sub) starting around 35Hz, IIRC. I used a Martin Logan 10" sealed Dynamo with good result.

Without a sub, I think they work very well for HT, so make a very good alternative to a sound bar. However for me, it is the bass management and the sub volume control (along with great SQ) that make this an exceptional design!
 
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sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
1) Amp hiss - it is not noticeable under normal listening circumstances, but if you are close to the speaker and the room is quiet, it can be heard.
If I hadn't already blown my June toy budget I'd have bought these for my little used living room and may still.

Amp hiss is why many powered speakers need a handy off-button or automatically slip into standby mode (like KRK Rokits) when not fed a signal. Unfortunately standby mode with a startup delay isn't an Echo-friendly feature. Amp hiss is why I'm not currently using my fairly decent Monoprice 6.5" studio monitors with my Echos. Do you know if these have an effective (real) on/off on the remote or auto standby?

I've been fascinated by the concept of powered speakers since discussing/debating the concept with TLS years ago. We don't always agree but I always respect his knowledge and opinions and we may finally be reaching the point where the concept makes sense - at least once amp hiss stops being a source of irritation. He really sold me on the concept of post-crossover bi-amplification.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Amp hiss is why many powered speakers need a handy off-button or automatically slip into standby mode (like KRK Rokits) when not fed a signal. Unfortunately standby mode with a startup delay isn't an Echo-friendly feature. Amp hiss is why I'm not currently using my fairly decent Monoprice 6.5" studio monitors with my Echos. Do you know if these have an effective (real) on/off on the remote or auto standby?

I think I understand what you are asking as "is there an auto-on feature that reacts to an input signal" and the answer to that is no.
I just checked my JBL LSR305's and I'll be damned if they don't have hiss. I need to be within a foot to hear it, but it is there (with the volume on the back at the maximum position). I've been using them steady for at least 6 months, so I won't start worrying about it now! I leave them on 24/7. They never get warm unless music is playing so I think they are a pretty efficient design.

I don't have any speakers with delayed auto startup, but depending on which room it is in, I wouldn't mind because the first thing I do is say "Alexa, play Pandora everywhere". I have an everywhere group that includes 5 echo setups and won't care if it takes 3 seconds for the music to start in another room.
If I ask a question like what is the weather, the unit within earshot will answer while the rest continue playing music.
If I receive a call in one room, I will say "Alexa set volume to zero" to mute that specific speaker while the others continue. After the phone call I will say "Alexa set volume to 5". In this case the auto system may have gone into standby, but having the music still playing from the other room somehow makes a delay acceptable.
I don't know if that would work for you, but thought I'd describe it in case yours is set up differently.

Right now, I'm toying with the idea of using a Dot with my Outlaw monoblocks which have an input auto-on sensor to power my Martin Logan electrostats! Not sure if I'll do this or not, but then I would be dealing with the type of delay you speak of. This might be an issue as these speakers are in my bedroom and that is the most likely place for me to want to ask a question or give a command after the system had auto shut off!

And on the topic of auto-on gear, This little amp from HTD seems interesting. It has an auto on/off system, and also automatically switches between two inputs. My guess is input 1 is the default and whenever a signal from input two exists, it overrides input one. However, HTD is suspiciously quiet about exactly how this feature works, so call and ask.

https://www.htd.com/auto-switching-amp
 
sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
I think I understand what you are asking as "is there an auto-on feature that reacts to an input signal" and the answer to that is no.

Sorry I took so long to get back, but between feeling under the weather and a truly massive (6k/day) spam attack on my personal email I've been a bit busy. Thankfully my mail provider's spam filters are kicking in and I'm finally down to seeing a dozen or so per hour.

My post was about as clear as mud so let me clarify. I had been looking to use Amazon Music Everywhere with the same Echo Dots that I use for Alexa commands. I'm coming to the conclusion that this won't be possible with most powered speakers due to powered speaker amp hiss. It's not a problem with the cheap Edifiers that I use with Amazon/Alexa music drown out my horrible singing when I shower. Nor is it a problem with the Edifiers that I use with a Dot as bedroom Amazon Music speakers. It's a huge problem with my Monoprice 6" studio monitors sound decent and are always on (suitable for Alexa commands) but hiss so badly that I retired them from Echo use. My solution is to setup a music-only Dot or two by blocking block the mic. I think I have a solution now - as soon as I get time to move speakers around.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
I hadn't played much with the mic-mute button.
I just checked and the mic-muted sysstem will still play music requested from another Dot, so it does what it says - just mutes the mic.
(I could see how the mic-mute button might entirely disable the Dot)
 
B

bradymartin

Full Audioholic
klipsch the sixes compared to these? looking for something without the harshness like the reference premiere series
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Amp hiss is why many powered speakers need a handy off-button or automatically slip into standby mode (like KRK Rokits) when not fed a signal. Unfortunately standby mode with a startup delay isn't an Echo-friendly feature. Amp hiss is why I'm not currently using my fairly decent Monoprice 6.5" studio monitors with my Echos. Do you know if these have an effective (real) on/off on the remote or auto standby?
DOH! Sorry, but I totally misread this question!
Yes, turning them off/standby at the remote gets total silence (no hiss)!
 

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