Klipsch RSB-14
A PRESTIGE BRAND AT A PRESTIGE PRICE.
WHILE KLIPSCH DOESN’T quite have the brand power that some of the other brands in this round-up do (at least in Australia), this 2.1 channel Dolby Audio soundbar and 8-inch subwoofer combo boasts a robust, full-bodied cinematic sound. Like most soundbar packages nowadays, the RSB-14 can act as just one part of a multi-room speaker system via the DTS Play-Fi system (which supports brands including Pioneer, Onkyo and more). While it supports Wi-Fi functionality, accessible via the Klipsch stream app, it’s likely only of interest if you’re partaking in multi-room setups: HDMI for TV and Bluetooth for music is perfectly convenient. We enjoyed a pleasantly balanced sound across both film and music playback using Bluetooth (for music), HDMI and optical connections — most impressively, the bass was silky but never descended into crackle, playing nicely off the treble even during the most complex Aphex Twin tracks.
This unit doesn’t boast anything fancy on paper: it’s a 2.1 channel setup and Dolby Atmos isn’t even a distant concern. Even so, the virtual surround sound does a good enough job of simulating the cinema experience. The unit boasts two three-quarter-inch horn-loaded textile dome tweeters with 90 x 90 Tractrix horns (Tractrix is Klipsch’s proprietary acoustics technology). It’s not cheap, but it ticks every box more than satisfactorily, and while it’s true that Klipsch doesn’t have the profile of your Sonys or Samsungs, it’s a brand generally known among people who care about audio fidelity.