Klipsch has been a stalwart of the home audio arena since its inception over 70 years ago, and holds the distinction of making a speaker that has been in continuous production for the longest of any in history. While a lot has changed for Klipsch since the Klipschorn was patented in 1946, certain principles, such as the pursuit of power-efficient designs, have always remained. The Klipschorn bears very little resemblance to a modern floor speaker like the RP-5000F, but the horn-loaded design that allowed Klipsch to create such an efficient sound delivery mechanism is still present in the form of the Tractrix Horn. This horn-loaded tweeter design is present in this and every other Klipsch speaker category, and they’re part of why the RP-5000F can deliver such clear, precise audio without a ton of power. The Klipsch RP-5000F is capable of delivering great audio in a very broad range of categories, but it also showed some signs of weakness that I will discuss in the sound quality section. These issues were fairly easy to overlook given how downright enjoyable the RP-5000F is to listen to in most scenarios.
Design: Slender and high-quality
The Klipsch RP-5000F is a moderate-sized floor speaker measuring 36.2x8.2 x14.4 inches (HWD). It’s definitely not a small speaker, but it’s fairly slender for a Klipsch floorstanding speaker, as there are several models above this that are far, far larger. The cabinet weighs in at hefty 37 pounds, and every bit of it feels solid as a rock. This is clearly a very solidly built cabinet. The whole speaker is supported by cast aluminum feet that also feel well assembled. I couldn’t feel any flex or give anywhere the entire time I was unpacking and setting up these speakers. This kind of build quality is extremely welcome, especially given the friendly price point. They look just fine with their mesh grills, which span the full length of the cabinet, but they look a whole world better without them. The signature black-and-copper color palette just feels so premium, and really makes a statement in a room. Some buyers will want the grills for dust protection, but I couldn’t help myself. On the front of the speaker, you’ll find a 1-inch titanium vented tweeter with what Klipsch calls a hybrid cross-section Tractrix Horn. Below this you’ll see two 5.25-inch spun copper cerametallic woofers. With Klipsch’s hallmark focus on efficiency, this pairing allows the RP-5000F to achieve a 96dB @ 2.83V / 1m sensitivity. If you want to learn more about the implications of this, check out the Lifewire article on speaker sensitivity to get the details. If you just want the abbreviated version: 96dB sensitivity means you only need 1 watt to produce 96dB of sound levels at 1 meter from the speaker, and that’s a lot of sound for not a lot of power. The Klipsch RP-5000F uses a dual binding post / bi-wire connection input type. If you don’t want to bi-wire (using two sets of speaker wires per channel, one set for high frequencies and one for low) you can just use a single wire. The benefits of bi-wiring are hotly debated, and I don’t want to get in the middle of it, but if you want to dive in, start with the Lifewire primer on bi-wiring speakers. Then perhaps you can head over to Wikipedia and read up on Intermodulation. I’d have an easier time deciphering alien glyphs, but don’t let me hold you back.
Sound Quality: Fantastic sound
The Klipsch RP-5000F is honestly a fantastic sounding floor speaker, especially given the price. This is also aided by its efficiency of course, which makes it really trivial to get great, loud sound without investing in a powerful amplifier. These speakers are perfect for house parties and movie nights, delivering tight, deep bass across every genre I tested them with. They also delivered a great deal of clarity and character in vocal music, able to draw details out of the mix that made listening sessions feel a lot more alive. Listening to Emliana Torrini’s largely acoustic album “Fisherman’s Woman” was a pleasure. Her vocals jumped effortlessly out of the recording and sat right at the front of the soundstage. The guitar aired a little more on the bright side than the warm side, as it did with other speakers, but for this particular album it worked very well. What I will say, however, is that they left out some details on the more delicate, fragile tracks that I listened to, such as Nils Frahm’s solo piano album “Screws”. I struggled to hear some of the finer elements of the recording like the sound of the hammers hitting the strings of the piano. This wasn’t true on every receiver and amp pairing that I tried them with, but it did show a bit of a potential weakness in the otherwise wonderful performance of the RP-5000F. Overall, I walked away very impressed with the sound of the Klipsch RP-5000F. It has a lot of versatility and character that kept me reaching for new things to listen to. If you get a chance to give them a listen, I’d highly recommend doing so.
Price: Great performance for the money spent
Officially, the Klipsch RP-5000F can be had for $434 per speaker, or $868 a pair, but I’ve spotted them online for closer to $650, which is a fantastic deal. If you can score a pair at or around that price I wouldn’t hesitate. Closer to the official MSRP though, and I’d maybe wait it out a little. There is more competition towards the top of the price tier, and there are a lot of other options to consider between $800-$1200, like the oft-recommended Q Acoustic 3050i or the recent favorite DALI Oberon 5.
Klipsch RP-5000F vs. Dali Oberon 5
The catch, of course, is that the Oberon 5 costs closer to $1100 on a good day, and therefore isn’t really in the same ballpark as the Klipsch. For that price, you could step it up to the more substantial (60 lbs) RP-8000F and its dual 8 inch copper cerametallic woofers. Ultimately it comes down to your budget, both monetarily and in terms of space. The Klipsch RP-5000F is a wonderful sounding, reasonably priced, great performing floor standing speaker that is sure to impress. There may be some minor shortcomings, but for what a great value it is, it’s hard to complain too much. Klipsch continues to earn its sterling reputation in the audio world.
