Klipsch The Fives Powered Speaker System

Take Five

I’m all about simplicity so I welcomed The Fives with open arms. A follow-up to The Sixes Klipsch introduced a couple years ago, the new speakers are smaller and take connectivity to the next level with the addition of an ARC (audio return channel)enabled HDMI port. If I had to pick one word to describe this system, it would be versatile.

The Fives can accommodate just about any audio setup. Jack in your source — or grab your phone and open your favorite music app — hit play, and you’re off. No need to deal with an outboard power amp or receiver and the system is equipped with an arsenal of connections that go well beyond that handy that HDMI input, which makes supercharging TV sound a one-cable affair. Prefer (or need) an optical hookup? No problem, it’s there along with support for Bluetooth streaming, a USB port for computer hookups, an analog minijack input, and a set of analog RCA inputs with a twist: They can be switched between line-level and phono, which taps into a built-in preamp for turntable hookups. Klipsch also includes a line-level subwoofer output, which I suspect most people will ignore because the Fives are quite capable in the bass department out of the box.

You can operate the speakers using a supplied remote control or two rotary dials — one for volume, the other for source selection — on top of the right speaker, which houses power amplifiers that deliver 2 x 60 watts to a pair of 4.5-inch woofers (one per enclosure) and 2 x 20 watts to a pair of 1-inch

titanium tweeters, each loaded in Klipsch’s signature Tractrix horn.

Build quality is beyond reproach with a nice walnutveneer finish and woven cloth grilles that attach magnetically, which makes them a cinch to remove. The Fives are also offered in an attractive matte-black finish with matching tweed grilles.

Setup

Setting up The Fives is as easy as it gets thanks to the assortment of connections and onboard power. I did my listening in two locations: an 11 x 13-foot guest bedroom with the speakers set up just over 4 feet apart on a dresser and a 12 x 25-foot living room with the speakers 4 feet off the floor and about 9 feet apart, toed in toward the sweet spot.

to start my musical adventure, I fired up Tidal, played a few CDS and hi-res files (the system supports resolutions up to 24-bit/192 khz), before spinning some vinyl.

Performance

Regardless of what track was playing, my attention was always drawn to the bass, which was rich and powerful for speakers only a foot tall. These puppies are voiced to accentuate the lows, which is good and maybe not-so-good. Good because, hey, who doesn’t love to feel the music — Mccartney’s iconic bass line on “Come Together” from the super deluxe anniversary edition

of Abbey Road (in this case, a 24/96 download) sounded just right — shockingly so. Not-so-good because The Fives have no tone controls if you want to dial it back. The system is, however, equipped with dynamic bass equalization, which works like a loudness control, boosting the bass when the volume is low. I found the effect to be subtle but, either way, you can turn it off.

The bass could be a bit overpowering on some tracks so I was curious to see how the speakers would perform in a larger space. It was a fruitful decision. The bass was still powerful, but not at the expense of the midrange, which I felt was getting stepped on in the smaller space.

I pulled up the Tidal app on my phone and played "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" from Robbie Robertson’s 1987 self-titled solo album in Hifi (CD) quality. The Fives projected a cavernous soundstage — the perfect backdrop for Robertson’s deep, mysterious voice, Tony Levin’s melodic bass lines, and those sparse drum thwacks. Everything was clear, distinct… and appropriately eerie.

Moving on to Tidal’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) playlist “Rock: Best of 2020 So Far,” I focused on new tracks from a host of artists. Among them was the raucous title track from The Pretenders’ Hate for Sale featuring an in-your-face Chrissie Hynde sounding as good as she ever did, the Rolling Stones at their classic best performing “Living In A Ghost Town,” and Pearl Jam’s “Superblood Wolfmoon” from the new album Gigaton. I was not disappointed. Streaming quality was excellent, even though my Samsung Galaxy S10+ doesn’t decode MQA.

To gauge The Five’s ability to convey the subtleties of a live acoustic performance, I cued up the 192/24 FLAC download of “Jeep’s Blues” from 1977’s Jazz at the Pawnshop, an audiophile favorite and one of my go-to test tracks. As I closed my eyes, it was easy to imagine sitting in a small club close to the stage. The ambience was lifelike and the instruments sounded real, especially the reedy saxophone and mellow vibes. I also cued up a 24/96 download of Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits, featuring remastered versions of her most popular songs, and was quickly spellbound by her effortless singing — sweet on “Blue Bayou,” raw on “You’re No Good.” I also reveled in Waddy Wachtel’s solo on Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.” His guitar sounded appropriately dry, trebly, and distorted — a perfect counterpoint to Ronstadt’s soaring vocals.

For the most part, I liked what I heard. And while volume was never an issue — The Fives can play plenty loud — harshness crept into the top end as the dial moved beyond 75 percent or so.

I was eager to spin my vinyl so I could check out The Fives’ phono preamp, which Klipsch says is new and improved. Listening to Sheffield Lab’s extraordinary 1980 recording Growing Up in Hollywood Town, featuring singer/songwriter Amanda Mcbroom and pianist/ composer Lincoln Mayorga, the harmonica and tympani strikes on “Amanda” were realistic (and thrilling in the case of the tympani), though vocals sounded slightly veiled. I switched to an outboard phono preamp (the $129 Schiit Audio Mani) and the sound brightened up a bit but the difference was pretty subtle.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a versatile speaker system that’s compact and reasonably priced, the Fives deserve a serious look. They’re impeccably built, look great, and will deliver pleasing sound with rich, powerful bass in almost any audio setup.