130 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021
PLAYLIST REVIEW: KLIPSCH THE FIVESmmmm
Klipsch The Fives
PROS- Smooth, refined,
sophisticated sound. - Extensive connection
options. - Extremely well built.
CONS - Bass is slightly
overemphasized, sometimes
a bit bloated. - Mids and highs are often a
tad recessed or even slightly
veiled.
PRICE
$799
COMPANY
Klipsch
sealed cabinet, and they list for $299.99,
less than half the list price of The Fives.
I placed The Fives on top of the Ai60s,
which worked out well, since the Klipsch
speakers are a bit smaller. I set the Ai60s’
EQ to a flat response and disabled The
Fives’ Dynamic Bass EQ, which sounded
better to my ear. Thanks to Tidal’s user
interface, I was able to switch between
them seamlessly.
On every track, the Ai60s sounded
brighter and more open than The Fives
with crisper highs—in some cases, they
sounded just a tad overbright in direct
comparison with The Fives. For example,
on the Scriabin piano piece, they
sounded ever-so-slightly strident. Also,
the bass was cleaner, better defined,
and deeper with no sense of
bloating. The deeper bass is
completely understandable,
since the Ai60s’ low-
frequency extension is
specified down to 35Hz, while
The Fives are spec’d down to
50Hz.
Overall, The Fives sounded
smoother and more refined
than the Ai60s, though also a
bit restrained in the high end
with slightly overblown bass.
By contrast, the Fluance
speakers were brighter and
more open with deeper, richer,
cleaner bass that was better balanced with
the rest of the spectrum. Some might
consider the Ai60s somewhat brash and
splashy, more like ear candy and less
sophisticated than The Fives, but this
didn’t bother me—in fact, I preferred the
sound of the Ai60s overall.BOTTOM LINE
The Fives are obviously a high-quality
product, derived from more than seven
decades of speaker excellence. The
sound is smooth, refined, and
sophisticated, though it’s tipped slightly
toward the bass and away from the mids
and highs. And the bass can be a bit
overblown.
The wide range of connection options
make The Fives well suited for
many applications, including
Bluetooth, computer and TV
audio, and even direct input
from a turntable. And the build
quality is top notch.
At $799 a pair, The Fives
are not cheap. But if your taste
tends toward a refined sound,
they could be well worth the
investment. On the other hand,
if you crave more excitement in
the sound of your speakers,
the Fluance Ai60 is a better
choice, and it’s less than half
the cost. ■