128 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021PLAYLIST REVIEW: KLIPSCH THE FIVESwouldn’t go beyond that point without it,
so I input my info. The app offers a quick-
start guide with videos, which is basically
an enhanced version of the printed guide.
As I played with the app, I discovered
that the speakers had firmware version
1.5.0 and version 1.5.2 was available, so I
performed the update. The download took
less than a minute, while the process of
updating the speaker took several
minutes. This process is far better than
downloading the update to a computer,
putting it on a USB flash drive, and
plugging that into the speaker.
Otherwise, the app isn’t very useful.
According to Klipsch, the app will be updated
with EQ and other functions later this year.PERFORMANCE
As usual, I used the
Tidal Master library as
my source material
playing via Bluetooth
from my iPhone XS.
Also as usual these
days, I started with
some Jacob Collier—
this time, “All I Need”
from Djesse Vol. 3. This
wonderful track follows
the best tradition of
Earth, Wind, and Fire
updated for the 21st Century. On The
Fives, the vocals were superclean, but the
highs were slightly veiled and the bass
was just a bit bloated. Disabling Dynamic
Bass EQ helped, but I couldn’t really hear
much difference between on and off.
Next up was “Ojos Negros,” a new
single by Paula Cendejas and Girl Ultra.
This upbeat Latin track has lots of
electronics and deep bass, which again
was slightly bloated on The Fives. The
highs were a bit laid back, but the vocals
were smooth and clear.
Another new discovery for me is
saxophonist Nubya Garcia. “The MessageThe included remote
is small and simple
with dedicated source-
selection buttons.The sturdy-feeling top-mounted controls let
you select the source and adjust the volume.
The LED source indicators also form a volume
ladder when you change the volume.