Klipsch, The Fives, Powered Monitors, Walnut

These are my first Klipsch speakers. In the past I have used Logitech, kitsound, Sony and edifier speakers. Currently I have the Sonos Arc.I spent much time reading about these speakers and watching various review of the “soundbar killer” which these have been dubbed by several reviewers. When I saw them available for per order from amazon for £630 I thought this must have been a mistake but hit purchase any way. The worse case scenario they cancel my order if it was an error or I get the bargain of the month! Anyway, they arrived to my surprise so even before I opened the box, these speakers had made their way into my good books!Set up took about 3 minutes once everything was out of the box and I made sure to run the latest firmware update via Bluetooth using the mobile phone app. I went for a arc connection set up with my LG CX 48 television which was a breeze and allows the tv remote to control the volume, but you will want to keep the Fives remote at hand in the first few hours of use while you work out the sub settings.So far I’m really happy with these speakers and enjoy the way they sound, they seem to make you want to listen to them to hear how they transform the audio of your games, movies and music. They add a really nice rumbling bass without distortion and the bass also scales nicely with the volume so even with the volume low you get good lows.Games like the last of us 2 sound brilliant with these, just fire your gun and it sounds so realistic. The sound is so immersive it seems to give you a surround feel even though they are in stereo, this is surprising when you consider their size. It just goes to show how good quality hardware can make software solutions less important. Need for speed is another game I tried which really makes good use of the deep bass which helps get you into the game. Streets of Rage 4 sounds fantastic, you really need to hear it!I rewatched Captain Marvel with these speakers and they completely transformed the sound into something else, everything was so loud and clear and the only way I think I could get a better experience would be by going to the cinema. You really don’t need anything else to supplement these speakers.I don’t yet have a subwoofer but will try one as I have heard connecting the sub to the fives will cause them to transfer all the lows to the sub which in turn will allow the mid range to expand in some way. I’ll update the review if/ when I do this (right now I’m thinking a sub is not necessary).I should mention I bought the walnut colour and I can tell you they look as fantastic as they sound and the build quality is incredibly solid. The photos of these speakers don’t really do them justice as they look much better in real life. Even my wife who doesn’t like me buying speakers commented how good they look, at her own volition. She also listened to some songs on them which was also a first.I also own a Sonos Arc with the sub 3 and can say the Fives seem to excel in the areas where the Arc is struggles such as offering a much better sound stage, however the Arc does this speech enhancement which sounds brilliant, so it took me a while to get used to the way the fives produce speech in its own way.If your looking for a soundbar you should definitely consider these speakers. They don’t support Dolby Atmos but when the hardware is this good they don’t need it and the speakers offer full immersion by themselves (having experienced Dolby atmos on my Sonos arc). The Fives connect to you tv via arc instead of earc, but you aren’t missing anything by them not having earc because earc does nothing for stereo 2.0 or 2.1 set ups, so don’t worry about it. You also have lots of other connections to chose from making them ideal for lots of devices.Are they soundbar killers though? To be fair the Fives are capable of blowing much of their competition out of the water (or off the bookshelf), soundbar or not. They are just seriously very good and enjoyable to have in your home.The Klipsch Fives gets five out of five.Update:I have tried these speakers with the KEF T2 subwoofer and they work brilliantly with it. All the bass comes out of the sub which allows the speakers to focus more on the minds and highs. It sounds much better but I would say you would need a very good sub if you want to improve the upon the already very good bass from these speakers. I went with the KEF T2 sub because I needed something slim in size and thankfully goes well with the fives. If you do attached a sub make sure you set the bass to 100% on the speakers then reduce it to the desirable level. Also the bass from the sub with scale with the volume so it will remain present at a low volume without becoming overbearing.

Great speakers perfect for what I want sound great just a little pricey but you get what you you pay forVery happy with them

As soon as I unpacked The Five’s I was struck by their excellent build quality. The true walnut veneer is beautifully crafted and the whole design is retro cool with a modern twist. The general fit and finish, from the speaker cones to the metal controls are all first rate. The speaker units have that reassuringly dense feel given their modest size and tank like build.However don’t be fooled by their size, they sound absolutely fantastic. A real wide sound stage with great imaging, layered midrange and a solid low end. Vocals are sonorous and palpable, they’re a joy to listen to. The speakers are tuned for enjoyment over absolute accuracy, and I’m thankful Klipsch went this route. With 80 watts per channel they really sing when turned up loud. They like to go loud!I have them around 2.5m apart and 0.2m from the front wall. To get the best out of the bass you need to give them at least 0.5m gap from the wall otherwise the sound is far too boomy. To counter this I have bunged the rear ports at the expense of some low end but there’s still enough presence left for a good sound. When I’m in the mood I bring them forward and un-bung them to unleash the deeper bass.Primarily purchased for enhancing my movie nights, they deliver in spades. Full bodied sounds from action scenes and they provide a vast sound scape thanks to the distance between the 2 channels. Dialogue is loud and clear and they emulate a good centre channel. I usually say if the speakers are good at music they’ll be great for movies, so no surprises here. I went with the optical connection as I didn’t want these to be on with the TV all the time. HDMI with CEC is available if you do.When listening to music I use my phone to connect via Bluetooth 5 and the AptX HD codec which my phone and the speakers fully support. The connection is stable and the quality is great. The included remote is a good size, very light, tactile buttons and easy to operate. Long press the ‘SUB RESET’ button to turn on and off the DYNAMIC bass EQ. My only complaints are I wish the remote had bass adjustment levels +/- and my other gripe is the LED light on the Primary speaker is too bright for dark rooms when watching a movie. I cover the light to remedy this.All in all I was a little hesitant in purchasing The Five’s given the cost. They had to perform not just in sound quality, but they had to look and feel the part if I were to keep them. They did not disappoint, in fact they went above and beyond my expectations. A great purchase with no regrets with a seal of approval even from the Wife!

I am not entirely devoid of reservations about these speakers, so let's get those out in the open:(1) the wood veneer is somewhat dried-out, and has a somewhat 'unfinished' feel to it - not sure how this is going to wear;(2) fabric grill is very, very flimsy - one has to take enormous care with it, to avoid damage;(3) high frequency response is a little muted.But, otherwise.... I love these speakers. Bass response just keeps coming - usually clearly defined, only with some music a little muddy. Great stereo definition. Easy to set up and pair with bluetooth devices. Bags of power.

Very dissapointed & surprised that at this price point & after all the good reviews I read I was left so underwhelmed by these speakersThe mid range performance was almost non existent, sound was muddy/muffled even after updating the firmware several times adding the bass cut which was a nightmare in itself as the manual is shocking, took me at least an hour searching through forums for the correct firmware update fileCompared to my 20 year old Mission 731LE's which cost alot less these just didn't hold up & were sent back for a refund