Our take on the Klipsch R-3800-W

by Loren Barstow

The Klipsch® R-3800-W delivers rich, room-filling sound for both music and movies without taking up an inch of floor space. It features a hideaway in-wall design and a paintable grille for seamless integration into just about any room. Install multiple R-3800-Ws in your family room for a clutter-free home theater, or use a pair in your bedroom, den, or home office for stereo music.

This speaker's rigid 8" woofer produces strong bass and punchy mid-bass. The pivoting horn tweeter lets you direct clean highs toward your favorite listening spot, for a broad soundstage with well-defined imaging. And a tweeter level switch helps you tailor the sound to suit your personal taste and room's acoustics.

Horn technology for room-filling sound
Because high-frequency sounds are more directional than bass frequencies, it's especially important to target them right toward your ears. Klipsch places their aluminum tweeter inside a flared opening, known as a "horn," which disperses the highs evenly across your listening area. This design brings out details in everything you listen to, while reducing reflections that can color the sound. The horn also improves dynamics and efficiency, for powerful, "front row" sound that remains crystal-clear at all volume levels.

An optional in-wall bracket is recommended for installing the R-3800-W in new construction.

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Highlights:

pivoting Tractrix® horn with 1" aluminum tweeter
8" IMG woofer
handles up to 100 watts
frequency response 46-20,000 Hz (±3dB)
sensitivity 93 dB
8-ohm impedance
treble attenuation switch
IR receiver knock-out for remote repeater systems
paintable aluminum grille
cutout dimensions: 9-1/4"W x 14-3/4"H
mounting depth: 3-3/4"
lifetime warranty

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Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs


Enclosure Type Loading...	In-wall
Video Shielded Loading...	No
Tweeter Loading...	Horn-loaded dome
Midrange Size Loading...	---
Woofer Size Loading...	8
Woofer Composition Loading...	IMG
Woofer Surround Loading...	Rubber
Power Range (Watts) Loading...	10-100
Sensitivity Loading...	93 dB
Impedance (Ohms) Loading...	8
Frequency Response Loading...	46-20kHz
Connector Type Loading...	Spring posts
Bi-Amp Inputs Loading...	No
Parts Warranty Loading...	Ltd. Lifetime
Labor Warranty Loading...	Ltd. Lifetime

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

Rectangular in-wall speaker
White metal mesh grille
Plastic paint mask
Cardboard template
Owner's Manual (Eng/Fren/Span/+ 5 other languages)

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features
Mounting Options

Features

High Efficiency: The high-efficiency design of the Klipsch in-wall speakers allows you to get much more output than most in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. Due to the long speaker wire runs that are common in whole-house audio systems, the power coming from the amplifier is significantly reduced by the time it reaches the speakers. The 93dB efficiency of this speaker means it will play much louder at low power than other less-efficient speakers.

Drivers: The R-3800-W is equipped with the following drivers:

Tweeter: a 1" Aluminum dome compression tweeter mated to a 6" square, pivoting Tractrix Horn, which disperses the sound 90° horizontally and 60° vertically into the room. The horn design dramatically increases efficiency by enabling the speaker to produce more output using less energy. The horn-loaded tweeter allows you to point the sound to a specific location, and has more controlled directivity than a conventional dome tweeter.
Woofer: a copper-colored 8" IMG (injection-molded graphite) woofer

Speaker Terminals: The speaker has a gold-plated pair of spring-loaded binding posts that can accept up to 12-gauge wire, single banana plugs, or pin connectors.

Tweeter Attenuation Switch: If the speaker is installed in an acoustically bright room, such as a bathroom or a kitchen, you can attenuate the tweeter by -3dB, using the Tweeter Attenuation Switch, located inside the basket.

Frame: The R-3800-W has a sturdy ABS frame, which can be painted to match any decor (a clear paint mask is supplied to protect the drivers from overspray). The metal mesh grille is also paintable.

Power Specifications Note: The manufacturer has specified the maximum power handling of this speaker as 50 watts RMS (200 W Peak). Klipsch has also published a recommended amplifier power specification as 100 watts. For the purpose of matching the speaker with the best amplifier, Crutchfield is listing the power specification as 100 watts.

Mounting Options

Installation: The speaker can be installed in new or existing construction. It requires a cutout of 9.25" wide x 14.75" high. For new construction, purchase of the IK-800-W installation kit (item # 714IK800W) is highly recommended. For existing construction, the speaker should be installed in drywall (or other mounting surfaces) at least 3/8" thick.

IR Knockout: A 1/2" diameter knockout panel is provided in the lower left hand corner of the speaker frame for installing an IR sensor.

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5 out of 5

Klipsch R-3800-W

Written By Anonymous, Brooklyn, NY on Sunday, March 31, 2013

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Great sound

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5 out of 5

Klipsch R-3800-W

Written By Roger, Boulder on Friday, December 14, 2012

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I put 4 of these into the walls of our great room. It is a lot of space to fill with sound and the Klipsch speakers do a great job. Typically you don't get much bass response from in-wall speakers, but these produce what I would call very, very good bass and sound fantastic with Jazz, Classical and Rock and Roll music. I don't listen to heavy metal or Hip Hop Rap, so I cannot say on these. The build quality is excellent, and installation is a breeze in hollow walls. I had to navigate a firebreak 2x4 in one wall, but that can be done with a long drill extention and a fish tape, and some patience. I have also had the Polk Audio MC85 in this room and the Klipsch are a noticeable step-up in sound and build quality. The Klipsch are more expensive than the Polk Audio speakers but I think they are very much worth it in a big room.

Pros:

Sound, bass response, clarity, fills a big room with sound, reasonable good value.

Cons:

none

2 out of 2 people found this helpful

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