Audioengine A5+ vs Klipsch R-51PM

What You Are Choosing Between

Both are active stereo pairs with the amplifier built into one cabinet, so neither needs a receiver. The A5+ compared here is the wired version: 50 watts per channel, 5 inch Kevlar woofers, three quarter inch silk dome tweeters, two analog inputs and a remote. The R-51PM is Klipsch's 5.25 inch powered Reference pair with a horn-loaded 1 inch tweeter, a Class D amplifier, and an input panel that covers phono, line, optical, USB and Bluetooth. The Audioengine is the simpler, more musical design; the Klipsch is the hub.

Sound Character

The A5+ is known for a warm, balanced presentation with a smooth top end and surprisingly deep bass from a 5 inch woofer. It is a speaker you can listen to for hours without fatigue, and it images well on a desk or bookshelf at moderate volume. It does not play very loud before the bass thins, and it has no tone controls.

The R-51PM sounds like a Klipsch: lively, dynamic and forward, with a horn tweeter that projects detail across a room and a copper-cone woofer that punches. It plays louder and fills a larger space more easily than the A5+, and the remote's bass and treble adjustment lets you tame the brightness. Some listeners find the top end tiring at close range; most find it exciting at a distance. For a desk, the Audioengine is the easier speaker to live with. For a living room, the Klipsch has the headroom.

Inputs and Connectivity

The R-51PM's panel is the reason to buy it. A switchable phono/line RCA input with a ground screw means a turntable without a preamp plugs straight in. Optical takes a TV, USB takes a computer, 3.5 mm aux takes anything else and Bluetooth takes a phone. A subwoofer output rounds it out, and the remote switches sources from the sofa.

The A5+ wired model has two analog inputs, RCA and 3.5 mm, a variable RCA output for a subwoofer and a USB port for charging a device, not for audio. There is no optical, no Bluetooth and no phono stage. A turntable needs its own preamp or a built-in one, and a TV needs an analog output or a small converter. Audioengine's A5+ Wireless adds aptX HD Bluetooth for a premium if that is the only gap.

Size, Build and Placement

The A5+ cabinets are compact and heavy for their size, finished in painted or bamboo wood, with the amplifier in the left speaker and a rear port. They fit on a desk with room to spare. The R-51PM cabinets are taller and deeper to house the horn and the port, finished in black vinyl with removable grilles; they look like a slice of Klipsch's passive Reference line and need a shelf or stands rather than a desk edge.

Both have the amplifier in one speaker and a speaker-wire run to the passive partner. The Klipsch's remote covers power, source, volume and tone; the Audioengine's covers volume and mute.

Turntable Owners, Read This

If a turntable is your main source, the R-51PM's built-in phono preamp saves a box and a cable and works with decks such as the Fluance RT82 that have no preamp of their own. The A5+ only accepts a line-level signal, so it needs a turntable with a built-in preamp, like the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X, or an external phono stage. Neither is a problem, but the Klipsch is the tidier setup.

Value

At the listings we checked the two are close in price. The Klipsch gives you more connectivity and more volume for the money; the Audioengine gives you a more refined sound and a smaller footprint. The better value depends on how many sources you own: one or two wired sources favor the A5+, three or more mixed sources favor the R-51PM.

Who Should Buy Which

Buy the Audioengine A5+ for a desk, a bedroom or a small living room where music from a computer or a preamp-equipped turntable is the main use and you value smoothness over slam. Buy the Klipsch R-51PM for a living room system that has to handle a TV, a turntable without a preamp, a phone over Bluetooth and the occasional party. If you want the Audioengine sound with wireless, the A5+ Wireless is the version to look at instead of the wired pair compared here.