Klipsch T5 Wireless
You might expect Klipsch to try something a little different, and here the company delivers a high-quality listen, together with a very cool Zippo-style case.
Klipsch is an American speaker company which plays on its heritage (the firm was born out of an Arkansas tin shed in 1946), but that hasn’t stopped the company stepping up to the true wireless plate and taking a swing at the new age of wireless with its first set of true wireless buds.
Some things are notably Klipschian. The charging carry-case is in brushed metal, so that it weighs nearly 100g (about three times as heavy as the Apple AirPods’ case), but the effect is striking, like a Zippo lighter case, and in the US you can get this engraved both on top and along the side (see right); sadly this option isn’t available here.
The buds themselves are black with rose-gold coloured branding on top of their housing, and the neck of each unit is quite long, worth noting because while some users will prefer the deeper fit of the buds, others may find it uncomfortable.
Three tips are supplied, and as befits this rather manly design, they come with the largest size pre-fitted. and these are Klipsch’s patented oval ear tips, which Klipsch calls ‘ultra-comfortable’ (and we’ve always agreed). They’re water-resistant to IPX4, and have good battery life: eight hours from the buds alone, another 24 from the case.
The process of connecting and pairing wasn’t entirely snag-free, however, despite voice prompts claiming they were ready to pair; a true wireless reset was required to get them paired to our smartphone.
Once connected, the buttons on each unit perform the usual functions such as pausing a track and call-handling, but also connecting to a voice assistant. Again here there’s a bit of learning between short and long presses — the morse code of true wireless!
Klipsch promised an app to go with the T5 Wireless after launch; it wasn’t available during our review but we’re told it is now imminent for both iOS and Android. It was trailed as adding abilities like firmware update and battery feedback.
Klipsch has also carried its sonic experience over into these wireless buds. Vocals came through clean, clear and precise in Audra Mae’s cover of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young — adeptly conveying the soft lullaby, capturing the insightful and tonally emotive performance. The banjo strings here sounded warm yet crisp and full, their timing tight and snappy. Their presentation also has an impressive dollop of detail and separation; indeed their detail is notably ahead of the pack, perhaps an indication of the bonus you can get when you have a longstanding audio company behind even the latest technology. There’s plenty of bass too, subject to the secure seal from those oval tips — they produce a heavyweight bass performance, but one that’s in no way flabby.
The price is higher than many, but full marks to Klipsch for offering something different and so largely on-message for its brand, and yet a quality listen as well.