Klipsch The Fives Powered Bookshelf Speaker Review

[Sheriff1972]

Do you also have problems when switching to the app? Every time I maximize it it says “disconnected” and “getting latest data”, then after a few seconds it reconnects (even though the music is still playing). I think a lot of the app stability is still to be improved, hopefully through future updates!

Not seen this myself

 

[Toyava]

Do you also have problems when switching to the app? Every time I maximize it it says “disconnected” and “getting latest data”, then after a few seconds it reconnects (even though the music is still playing). I think a lot of the app stability is still to be improved, hopefully through future updates!

Yes, it says “disconnected”, but never seen «latest data» sign. But it not only plays music, but also responds for setting changes despite the label.

 

[Fedebelga]

The HDMI supported by Klipsch is just a few inch too short to connect to the television. Is there anything I should consider when buying a longer HDMI cable (2.0, 2.1, Dolby Atmoz, HDR, Ethernet,...)
Ik don't know anything about the specs of the HDMI cable included by Klipsch...

Could these be any good?

Monoprice

Ugreen

 

[Fedebelga]

Not seen this myself

I can post a video if you want. Currently running latest iOS version on my iPhone and updated the Fives with the new update. Happy though to have the Bass cut mode off and the possibility to Eq myself, keep up the good work!!!

 

[Sheriff1972]

I can post a video if you want. Currently running latest iOS version on my iPhone and updated the Fives with the new update. Happy though to have the Bass cut mode off and the possibility to Eq myself, keep up the good work!!!

Please send me a PM. Thanks!

 

[tnxd]

Set to -6dB. This is equivalent of the retired bass cut mode. The DSP has not been changed so the previous EQ settings in this thread will work

bass cut mode in firmware 5.8.0 is equivalent with the -6dB (Corner) setting in the room placement setting + EQ Flat (bass 0, mid 0, treble 0) ???
I can't get back the previous Bass quality after the update.

 

[Sheriff1972]

bass cut mode in firmware 5.8.0 is equivalent with the -6dB (Corner) setting in the room placement setting + EQ Flat (bass 0, mid 0, treble 0) ???
I can't get back the previous Bass quality after the update.

Hi, Apologies for the delay.
I will do some digging and get back to you on this now the team are back in the office.

 

[Sonny1]

These are way better than I would have thought. Great work, Erin. Thank you for another well don’t review!

 

[Keithdd]

In Canada msrp has just leapt to $1450 a pair. From $1099 I think. Have been in sale for $800. Seems a bit excessive.

 

[PepegaSimulator]

Hi, Apologies for the delay.
I will do some digging and get back to you on this now the team are back in the office.

Did you ever manage to figure this out? I got a pair myself and I'm confused on what settings I should be using to match the EQ settings found in this thread. Is the now depreciated bass cut setting the -6db corner adjustment or simply turning off the dynamic bass option? Should the dynamic bass option be turned off regardless? Thanks!

 

[blisk]

Did you ever manage to figure this out? I got a pair myself and I'm confused on what settings I should be using to match the EQ settings found in this thread. Is the now depreciated bass cut setting the -6db corner adjustment or simply turning off the dynamic bass option? Should the dynamic bass option be turned off regardless? Thanks!

From what I understand it is the -6db corner placement setting and the dynamic bass setting to off. The dynamic bass seems to add a lot of bass, so if more bass is needed I would adjust the speaker placement options in the settings first.

I have mine a few weeks now. They replaced my Adam Audio T5V. A few observations, the T5V had a lot of hiss, The Fives have none. It is a cleaner and better looking setup now with less cables. With the T5V I had to EQ the highs all the time. The Fives sound good enough out of the box with the settings above. I only EQ them when listening to music connected to the usb. I use these EQ settings in SoundSource.

 

[PepegaSimulator]

From what I understand it is the -6db corner placement setting and the dynamic bass setting to off. The dynamic bass seems to add a lot of bass, so if more bass is needed I would adjust the speaker placement options in the settings first.

I have mine a few weeks now. They replaced my Adam Audio T5V. A few observations, the T5V had a lot of hiss, The Fives have none. It is a cleaner and better looking setup now with less cables. With the T5V I had to EQ the highs all the time. The Fives sound good enough out of the box with the settings above. I only EQ them when listening to music connected to the usb. I use these EQ settings in SoundSource.

Thanks for that information. I've switch to that configuration and the bass is much more to my preference.

Unrelated, but are we supposed to enable or disable audio enhancements in Windows when connected to a PC via USB or optical cable? From my understanding, it should typically be disabled but I'm wondering if doing so interferes with the speaker's DSP. I find that whenever enable audio enhancements, the speaker becomes much quieter without me adjusting the volume or any settings.

 

[Phidel]

Hello,

I bought these speakers and used the Maiky76's EQ with subwoofer to get a 8.8 score with APO but I don't feel much difference vs out of box, I don't know how to explain but I compare the Fives with other speakers and I hear it like inside in a drawer. I have the speakers at arround 2m from me and the subwoofer in the center and I have the Windows enhancements off, dinamic bass off, -6dB (in the Klipsch app) and the "flat" EQ in the app, subwoofer lvl at -17dB and phase invert on in the app but I continue feeling poor sound quality, what are I'm doing wrong? I need more "air" and "space" in the sound representation.

 

[Ilkless]

Hello,

I bought these speakers and used the Maiky76's EQ with subwoofer to get a 8.8 score with APO but I don't feel much difference vs out of box, I don't know how to explain but I compare the Fives with other speakers and I hear it like inside in a drawer. I have the speakers at arround 2m from me and the subwoofer in the center and I have the Windows enhancements off, dinamic bass off, -6dB (in the Klipsch app) and the "flat" EQ in the app, subwoofer lvl at -17dB and phase invert on in the app but I continue feeling poor sound quality, what are I'm doing wrong? I need more "air" and "space" in the sound representation.

The Klipsch has narrower but smoother dispersion than most speakers. It will sound very different from the average hi-fi speaker with less smooth but wider dispersion. In fact it can sound relatively closed-in and subdued because of that. You can try pointing the speaker towards your listening position. Listening on-axis, with the speaker directly pointing at you will help.

For what it's worth my partner and I also felt it lacked a bit of air in a room with lots of carpets and drapes at the local Klipsch showroom. We ended up going with the wide dispersion Focal Shape 50.

 

[Phidel]

The Klipsch has narrower but smoother dispersion than most speakers. It will sound very different from the average hi-fi speaker with less smooth but wider dispersion. In fact it can sound relatively closed-in and subdued because of that. You can try pointing the speaker towards your listening position. Listening on-axis, with the speaker directly pointing at you will help.

For what it's worth my partner and I also felt it lacked a bit of air in a room with lots of carpets and drapes at the local Klipsch showroom. We ended up going with the wide dispersion Focal Shape 50.

I have the 5s pointing to my head at arround 2m from me.

 

[blisk]

From what I understand it is the -6db corner placement setting and the dynamic bass setting to off. The dynamic bass seems to add a lot of bass, so if more bass is needed I would adjust the speaker placement options in the settings first.

The above does not seem correct. According to Klipsch support the previous bass cut mode is the same as the night mode in the Klipsch connect app, they simply renamed it. Turning on night mode turns off both the dynamic bass and the speakers placement options, but you can still adjust the equalizer.

 

[Ridefast555]

The Fives are not great.
The new EQ Firmware loses the settings when switched off to standby.
I keep all the Firmware updates on my computer so rollback is easy.
The default is absolutely terrible.
Klipsch is constantly updating the Firmware. Why can't they get it right.
All in all 5 out of 10.
Don't listen to the reviews.
Go listen to the speakers.

 

[blisk]

The Fives are not great.
The new EQ Firmware loses the settings when switched off to standby.
I keep all the Firmware updates on my computer so rollback is easy.
The default is absolutely terrible.
Klipsch is constantly updating the Firmware. Why can't they get it right.
All in all 5 out of 10.
Don't listen to the reviews.
Go listen to the speakers.

Yes, it was already concluded in the first post of this thread that the default is not great. But the bass cut mode (night mode now) is pretty good, just check the measurements. Mine do not lose EQ settings in standby.

 

[Phidel]

I'm using this EQ at this moment:



I think is not bad at all, but I want a more inmersive and detailed sound, I want a more plane separated sound to diferenciate better the instruments, the bass and the voice, what other EQ preset I can try to get it?

PD: I'm using it with dinamic bass off, app eq preset flat, sub lvl -18db, night mode off all with an ELAC DEBUT S10.2 subwoofer.

 

[Dodgexander]

The above does not seem correct. According to Klipsch support the previous bass cut mode is the same as the night mode in the Klipsch connect app, they simply renamed it. Turning on night mode turns off both the dynamic bass and the speakers placement options, but you can still adjust the equalizer.

Are you sure of this? I want to use some of the EQ's kindly provided in this thread but want to make sure I'm using the correct mode.
Also, are the EQ's based on the bass cut option or just Dynamic Bass off?