Klipsch Quintet SL

Some people are into clean lines - they don't just want a speaker that looks good, it's got to be the right shape. With the advent of flat panel displays, wall mounting, and the "ultra clean" look, floorstanding speakers have begun to look a little out of place. These new "high tech" living rooms demand a new "high tech" speaker. The Klipsch Quintet SL home theater speaker package attempts to satisfy the delicate sensibilities of the modern decorator without offending the ears of the audio inclined.

The front three speakers of the Klipsch Quintet SL package are of an MTM "D'Appolito" design with a horn-loaded 3/4 inch aluminum dome tweeter flanked by two 3.5 inch mid-bas drivers. Outside of the woofers are two ports. With the grills on, the three speakers should outline three sides of a flat panel nicely. The rear speakers use the same horn-loaded tweeter and one of the 3.5 inch woofers (these are the same speakers that are included in the Quintet III speaker package). While we have found that orienting the center channel vertically will give you better overall sound quality, we're willing to bet that your better half won't let you. But we suggest you try just in case.

The build quality of these speakers is up to the high standards we've come to expect from Klipsch. The stands once again double for wall mounts which is a nice touch as it negates a potentially expensive add-on that other companies are more than happy to stick you with. The 93db@1watt/1meter for the fronts and 91db@1watt/1meter for the rears sensitivity is crazy high for any speaker much less speakers of this size. There isn't a receiver or amp on the planet that should have a hard time driving these speakers to their limits and beyond.

The use of similar drivers in all the speakers and the identical speakers up front insures that you'll have a seamless soundstage. Pans float effortlessly around the room with no dropouts. We suggest that you limit these to no larger than a medium sized room for the best sound. You can put them in a larger room if you want but you'll be pushing them pretty hard and you can expect the sound to thin out considerably. In a medium sized or smaller room, these performed admirably to loud volumes with no signs of strain.

While the price tag of $950 is a little steep in this market (especially considering you don't get a sub with the package), you are definitely getting some quality speakers. Physics dictate that a small speaker package like this is limited, but Klipsch provides a very good speaker. If their aesthetics appeal to you, and your significant other has placed extreme restrictions on your speaker options, you owe it to yourself to give these a listen.

For more information, please visit www.klipsch.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.