126 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021
PLAYLIST REVIEW: KLIPSCH THE FIVESA/V receivers. Basically, the level of low
frequencies relative to the entire spectrum
changes depending on the overall level
you set—the lower the overall level, the
more the bass is boosted to accommodate
how human hearing perceives different
frequencies at different levels. You can
disable this feature if you wish using the
included IR remote.
Inputs abound on The Fives, all of which
are found on the primary speaker. For
wireless connectivity, there’s Bluetooth 5.0
with support for the aptX, aptX HD, AAC,
and SBC codecs. In addition, physical
digital inputs include optical Toslink, USB-B
for connection to a computer, and HDMI
ARC for connection to a TV.
To use the ARC connection, you need
to connect the TV’s ARC input to The
The Fives incorporate high-quality parts throughout.
Fives’ HDMI input; as you may know, the
TV’s ARC input sends audio data to an
external device in addition to accepting
video and audio data from a device. In
this case, you must connect your source
devices to the TV and use it to switch
between them, and you can’t use the
TV’s HDMI ARC input as an input. If your
TV doesn’t have an ARC input, you can
use its optical digital-audio output or
line-level analog-audio outputs to
connect to The Fives. (You can read
more about ARC in fave.co/3hFaSBl.)
Speaking of which, analog inputs
include a 3.5mm stereo analog jack and a
phono input with two RCA jacks and a
ground terminal; the phono input can also
be switched to line level. Rounding out the
connections on the back of the primary
speaker is an RCA
subwoofer output,
a USB-A port for
servicing, a 4-pin
connector that’s
used with the
included cable to
connect to the
secondary speaker,
and the AC power
receptacle. A
Bluetooth button
lets you pair The
Fives to a
Bluetooth source.