Klipsch today unveiled a brand new sound bar to add to its Reference series of speakers and headphones, the Reference R-10B. Designed to grab those looking for a little more from their sound bar without the usual hit to the wallet typically brought by high-end offerings, the R-10B promises premium components and sound performance at a manageable $600 price tag.
The R-10B is a sleek little fin that offers a respectable punch of power for its size. A four-pack of speakers line the sound bar, including dual ¾-inch textile dome tweeters with Klipsch’s Tractrix horns for tight treble attack, and twin three-inch polypropylene midrange woofers. The bar is accompanied by a wireless subwoofer armed with an eight-inch side-firing driver in a handsome MDF cabinet. The full system is powered by a claimed 250 watts of total power, and frequency response stretches from 27Hz to 20kHz.
The new R-10B includes an Optical digital input, an RCA analog input, and Bluetooth connection with AptX for CD quality sound from compatible smartphones, tablets and other devices. Conspicuously missing from the list is an HDMI connection, which is something we’ve come to expect from even entry level sound bars these days. The omission isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but we’re hoping Klipsch has allocated the resources it could’ve spent on the convenient connection source to bolster the R-10B’s sound performance.
Other features for the R-10B include digital signal processing to create a 3-D surround mode, as well as the usual Dolby Digital decoding. We haven’t gotten a chance to hear the R-10B for ourselves yet, but as the first of its kind to be added to Klipsch’s Reference series, we’re hoping it will bring some serious chops into battle. If it wants to compete in this cutthroat genre, it’ll have to.
We’ll be doing a full review of the R-10B soon, but if you can’t wait, you can find one for yourself at authorized dealers today.
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