A good Klipsch The Fives upgrade? (powered, 5k max)

[pottemans]

I’ve really enjoyed my Klipsch The Fives for a while now (with EQ) but i’d love to upgrade to something better. Something similar in the basics, so powered and decent bass extension.

I’ve tried the B&W Formation Duo and really liked them sound wise, especially the extension down to 25hz. But the connectivity issues made it no-deal for me. Something similar like those speakers would be great.

Preferably bookshelf, powered and max €5K

 

[staticV3]

Full-range, bookshelf(-ish) speakers with built-in streaming:

-Devialet Phantom (I or II)
-Syng Cell Alpha
-Buchardt A10 + Platin hub
-Buchardt A500 + Platin hub
-Mesanovic CDM65 + Platin hub

If a slim tower is acceptable, then there's also the KEF LS60.

 

[pottemans]

Full-range, bookshelf(-ish) speakers with built-in streaming:

-Devialet Phantom (I or II)
-Syng Cell Alpha
-Buchardt A10 + Platin hub
-Buchardt A500 + Platin hub
-Mesanovic CDM65 + Platin hub

If a slim tower is acceptable, then there's also the KEF LS60.

Those KEF LS60 look really good tbh! A couple of
questions;

- Do they go (almost) as low as the Formation Duo with normal listening levels? Like 30hz or so?
- I don’t quite understand all the app features i’ve seen, but will I be able to boost the treble to give them a little more sparkle than neutral, just like the Formation Duo and my Klipsch Fives with highs +3 EQ has?

 

[kemmler3D]

Those KEF LS60 look really good tbh! A couple of
questions;

- Do they go (almost) as low as the Formation Duo with normal listening levels? Like 30hz or so?
- I don’t quite understand all the app features i’ve seen, but will I be able to boost the treble to give them a little more sparkle than neutral, just like the Formation Duo and my Klipsch Fives with highs +3 EQ has?

LS60 owner here, yes on both points. They won't do <30hz super-loud, but they do it surprisingly well, nominally they are almost flat to 30hz.

 

[pottemans]

LS60 owner here, yes on both points. They won't do <30hz super-loud, but they do it surprisingly well.

That sounds great. As long as they go all the way down to 30hz well, then it’ll be sufficient for me, as the Formation Duo’s start to roll of below 30hz as well in my experience.

Which feature in the app would allow for the more treble sparkle?

 

[kemmler3D]

That sounds great. As long as they go all the way down to 30hz well, then it’ll be sufficient for me, as the Formation Duo’s start to roll of below 30hz as well in my experience.

Which feature in the app would allow for the more treble sparkle?

The app has a treble trim feature if you go to to Expert Mode under EQ settings, you can add/subtract up to 3dB. It works as a tilt so not a lot of flexibility but it works well, I keep it at +1.5dB and it sounds about right to me.

I also run subs with them which really fills out the bottom octave, but if you're not a "20hz or bust" weirdo like me you might find the LS60s great all on their own. Have had them for about a year and no complaints so far. To me they sound really awesome, probably even better than my genelec desktop setup...

 

[pottemans]

The app has a treble trim feature if you go to to Expert Mode under EQ settings, you can add/subtract up to 3dB. It works as a tilt so not a lot of flexibility but it works well, I keep it at +1.5dB and it sounds about right to me.

I also run subs with them which really fills out the bottom octave, but if you're not a "20hz or bust" weirdo like me you might find the LS60s great all on their own. Have had them for about a year and no complaints so far.

Damn I might order them tomorrow then. Below 25hz isn’t really something i care about too much tbh.

What about wall distance ? Would them being close to a wall be an issue?

 

[kemmler3D]

Damn I might order them tomorrow then. Below 25hz isn’t really something i care about too much tbh.

What about wall distance ? Would them being close to a wall be an issue?

No more than any other sealed speaker, and the app does have a "wall mode" setting to help deal with boundary interference, so you have some options to deal with it out of the box.

 

[pottemans]

No more than any other sealed speaker, and the app does have a "wall mode" setting to help deal with boundary interference, so you have some options to deal with it out of the box.

You might’ve just sold me these! Thank you so much for your time

 

[kemmler3D]

You might’ve just sold me these! Thank you so much for your time

Cool! Happy to help. I think they're awesome speakers as long as you like the looks and the all-in-one approach doesn't concern you. And for what it's worth KEF support has been solid for me. I had a couple pieces missing from mine (feet, remote) because I got them as a dealer floor model, they were very helpful and sent replacements no questions asked.

Well, not "no" questions (they asked for the serial number) but you know what I mean.

 

[staticV3]

Do they go (almost) as low as the Formation Duo with normal listening levels? Like 30hz or so?

Here's their frequency response:


F3 is at 25Hz, F6 at 20Hz.

Full measurement review below:

KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Speaker Review

KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Speaker Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

 

[pottemans]

Here's their frequency response:
View attachment 429886

F3 is at 25Hz, F6 at 20Hz.

Full measurement review below:

KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Speaker Review

KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Speaker Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

That looks really good tbh. My only worry is that the treble won’t be enough for me, since I really loved the airyness, almost metallic like highs of the B&W Formation Duo, but perhaps the +3db mode will achieve that

 

[kemmler3D]

That looks really good tbh. My only worry is that the treble won’t be enough for me, since I really loved the airyness, almost metallic like highs of the B&W Formation Duo, but perhaps the +3db mode will achieve that

Worst case you can add a WiiM or Mini DSP and do more EQ that way. This is what I'm doing for room correction, but you could always dial in +10dB @6khz if you really want bloody ears.

 

[JustJones]

Klipsch The Nines might be more like the Fives with a touch more bass. JBL 4329P is another you might consider but not sure about availability in your area.

 

[pottemans]

Worst case you can add a WiiM or Mini DSP and do more EQ that way. This is what I'm doing for room correction, but you could always dial in +10dB @6khz if you really want bloody ears.

Ahhh good idea! Is 6khz the frequency where the Duo’s are boosted?

 

[staticV3]

Ahhh good idea! Is 6khz the frequency where the Duo’s are boosted?

6kHz was not in reference to the Duo's specifically, I believe.

 

[kemmler3D]

Ahhh good idea! Is 6khz the frequency where the Duo’s are boosted?

No, just an example of a treble boost that I think would be objectionable.

 

[pottemans]

6kHz was not in reference to the Duo's specifically, I believe.
View attachment 429970

Ohh so looking at this of the Duo’s, which frequencies would need a little boost?

 

[staticV3]

Ohh so looking at this of the Duo’s, which frequencies would need a little boost?
View attachment 429974

I can't judge the B&W based on that graph alone, nor can I even find it on Hifitest's website.

Is this data anechoic? What reference axis? What's blue, green, red? I don't know.

Edit:
Found the graphs at the end of Hifitest's product picture carousel ( ) , still too many open questions.

 

[JustJones]

I can't judge the B&W based on that graph alone, nor can I even find it on Hifitest's website.

Is this data anechoic? What reference axis? What's blue, green, red? I don't know.

Edit:
Found the graphs at the end of their product picture carousel facepalm, still too many open questions.

If you scroll the photos of the speaker at HiFitest the graphs are the last 2 photos.
Edit: nevermind