The US audio brand Klipsch has announced two new loudspeakers and a series of premium headphones to coincide with High End Vienna 2026.

The Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn is a fully horn-loaded revamp of Klipsch’s 1946 patented design, while the Klipsch Rebellion is a premium stand-mount speaker.

Both arrive as part of Klipsch’s 80th anniversary celebrations, which kicked off at the start of 2026 with a new feature-packed range of its Fives, Sevens and Nines speakers.

The limited-edition Klipschorn will be limited in production to just 280 pairs worldwide.

It has a two-way design, using an active crossover to split audio between a 38cm K-33-E woofer and a 10cm compression driver coupled with a new K-5-K high-frequency horn. Klipsch promises “explosive dynamics, lifelike detail, and room-filling presence”.

We don’t yet know how much the new Klipschorn will cost but it will be available to order from authorized Heritage retailers, with further information available on Klipsch’s website.

As for the Klipsch Rebellion, the company’s latest standmount speakers promise “crystal-clear highs” courtesy of a horn-loaded K-702 tweeter and “deep, impressive low end” from a K-81-EP woofer. In a company first, a rear Tractrix flare port has been included in the speaker’s design for further low end reinforcement.

The Rebellion features a black cloth grille and will come in Klipsch’s standard finishes of American Walnut and Black Ash.

A limited-edition Tigerwood finish will also be available in celebration of the company’s 80th anniversary.

Klipsch hopes the Rebellion will be available in North America by July 2026, at a suggested retail price of $2599 per pair.

The new Atlas Series headphones expand Klipsch’s over-ear range for the first time since 2017, when it released the HP-3.

The new range will include two headphones: the Atlas HP-2, a closed-back headphone aimed at the “bass-forward enthusiast”, and the Atlas HP-3, a semi-open-back audiophile option, which Klipsch claims will deliver “spacious, speaker-like presentation”.

The Atlas HP-2 and HP-3 are expected to become available in Europe by autumn 2026, with pricing yet to be confirmed.

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Onkyo and Klipsch are both celebrating their 80th anniversaries this year, and both audio brands have launched new ranges at CES 2026: the Onkyo Muse streaming amplifier series and Klipsch's second-generation powered speakers.

Despite hailing from two different corners of the globe, Onkyo and Klipsch fall under one parent company, and have joined forces to tease a whole bunch of upcoming products. Details, specifications and prices are sparse at the moment while these projects are in the conception stage, but it gives us a good idea of the direction that both brands are heading in, and what we can expect to see from them in the coming months.

For now, we have a few tantalising details and images to whet our appetite until these concepts become a reality.

Let's start with Klipsch. The American speaker brand is teasing three new ranges of premium loudspeakers for hi-fi and home theatre use. First there is the next iteration of the established Reference Premiere speaker series, while Klipsch is expanding into more premium hi-fi territory with the Reference Signature Series (see the bookshelf model concept image above) and what is currently nicknamed Project Apollo, through which the brand aims to "dig its roots deeper into the world of high-performance audio".

Klipsch says both new ranges feature an "elevated industrial design", new engineering based on the brand's legendary horn-loaded acoustic technology and is tuned "specifically for audiophiles and enthusiast listening". We're expecting select speaker models from these new line-ups to launch later in 2026.

More concrete is a new range of Atlas headphones, which consists of three over-ear models. This marks Klipsch's return to headphones after a lengthy absence – in fact, since the Heritage range launched at CES a decade ago.

At the top of the range is the HP-3, a semi open-back premium model designed for audiophiles, promising a "spacious, speaker-like presentation". This pair features a wide cushioned headband, Alcantara materials and perforated earcups for ultimate comfort and luxury.

The HP-2 is a closed-back "hi-fi option" that is tuned to go big on bass, while the HP-1 is a wireless over-ear model with active noise-canceling and a lightweight and portable design. Klipsch has also teased that spatial audio and "hearing compensation" features will be supported by a third party.

Moving on to Onkyo, the brand is launching 80th anniversary limited edition versions of its Creator Series GX-30 and GX-10 powered speakers (pictured above). These models pay tribute to the Onkyo D-200 speakers from the late 1980s, with the new desktop models featuring PVC walnut cabinets, silver trim rings and textured black baffles for a blend of professional and lifestyle aesthetics.

Designed to work as computer speakers, TV speakers or to pair with your turntable, these limited edition Creator speakers are set to launch in summer 2026, along with a special 80th anniversary edition of the new Muse streaming amplifier.

Adding to the Creator Series is an all-in-one tabletop wireless speaker, that aims to offer "room-filling clarity in a compact, elegant footprint". The design highlight is a large, central volume dial that offers a tactile interaction with the speaker – the volume control looks similar to the one seen in Onkyo's new Muse streaming amplifiers.

This tabletop speaker concept, also due in summer 2026, brings Onkyo into serious competition with the likes of Sonos, Audio Pro and Ruark Audio, although we have yet to find out what features it will have.

Those attending CES 2026 at Las Vegas this week will be treated to a first look at these concept products, and we hope to bring you full details of every product once they're ready in due course.

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US audio brand Klipsch has unveiled its next generation of powered standmount speakers at this year's CES showcase: The Fives II, The Sevens II and The Nines II.

Arriving as part of Klipsch's 80th anniversary celebrations, the new generation promises to blend Klipsch's signature sound with precision engineering provided by sister company Onkyo.

The updated range features a re-engineered acoustic system Klipsch vows will elevate its performance "to new heights" courtesy of even greater detail and dynamic headroom. The speakers all feature a new BMC baffle with Klipsch's own 'Tractrix' horn design, as well as wider sonic dispersion and a clearer, more defined bass signature from the brand's redesigned woofers.

Speaking of drive units, the smaller Fives II house a 25mm titanium tweeter alongside a 13cm Jet Carametallic woofer, while The Sevens II also feature a 25mm titanium tweeter with a larger 16.5cm Cerametallic woofer. The Nines II, meanwhile, boast that same 25mm titanium tweeter with a 20cm version of that same woofer.

The new generation has been designed to slot into an AV system as well as a purely audio one, with Klipsch promising a "full immersive audio experience" with Dolby Atmos support across the range.

The Nines II offer DTS:X surround tech, while the Sevens II and Nines II both provide Dirac Live room correction for adjusting and correcting room anomalies in real time.

Wireless streaming across the range comes courtesy of Google Cast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect, while standard Bluetooth connectivity is also on the menu.

All of the new models are Roon Ready, and all offer hi-res audio playback for files up to 24-bit/96kHz. Further, the Sevens II and Nines II feature an optional wireless connection to link the left and right speakers, as you might find in the rival KEF LSX II.

Physical connections come courtesy of HDMI 2.1 and HDMI eARC alongside optical, coaxial and analogue inputs, while a subwoofer output is on hand for anyone seeking a bit more bass. All models include a built-in phono stage for integrating a turntable, while the Nines II go one step further by offering XLR inputs.

According to Vinny Bonacorsi, Klipsch's COO: "The Fives II, Sevens II, and Nines II pair Paul W. Klipsch’s legendary horn-loaded American sound with a new Onkyo-engineered electronics platform... to create a high-performance speaker system that is bigger, clearer, and more immersive than ever".

The updated range is controlled via the new Klipsch Connect Plus app, a platform from which you can access the likes of sound customisation, Dirac room control and input selection.

If you prefer physical controls, each model offers a top panel with metal controls, including a volume wheel and source selection buttons. There's also a remote control provided across the range, too.

The new Klipsch powered range will be available in Spring 2026 in red oak, walnut or ebony finishes. Prices are as follows:

- The Fives II: $1399 per pair
- The Sevens II: $1999 per pair
- The Nines II: $2399 per pair

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US audio manufacturer Klipsch has announced its latest desktop speaker system, the ProMedia Lumina. Designed to “meet the demands of gamers, content creators, and casual listeners,” the new system promises “legendary” sound combined with a range of connectivity options and customisable listening modes.

The two-way speakers deploy Klipsch’s 25mm tweeter coupled with the brand's ‘MicroTractrix’ horn, designed for low audio distortion alongside “pinpoint clarity” and more controlled sonic dispersion.

A 7.6cm midrange teases “dynamic, powerful detail” from the middle frequencies, while a ported, slimline subwoofer with a 16.5cm side-firing driver has been designed to bring the bass and maximise lower-end quality in tight spaces.

The ProMedia Lumina system has been designed for versatility and ease of use, promising to accommodate a wide range of use cases via its Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C and a 3.5mm auxiliary connectivity options.

Further flexibility comes from Klipsch’s various provided listening options. The Lumina offers ‘Music’ and ‘Movie’ sound modes, as well as a six-band EQ and a ‘Virtual Surround’ mode that delivers an enhanced spatial effect for a more immersive gaming experience.

A neighbour-friendly ‘Night Mode’, meanwhile, controls the bass and reduces the overall volume to more considerate levels.

Each ProMedia Lumina satellite speaker features five ambient LED Light Modes. Users can also use the on-board Klipsch Control App to personalise the lighting to their particular taste.

According to Vincent Bonacorsi, Klipsch's COO: “With modern connectivity, intelligent controls, and our signature horn-loaded clarity, the ProMedia Lumina proves that true high-performance sound belongs everywhere – even on your desk.”

The Klipsch ProMedia Lumina is available now in the US, priced at $380. The system is listed at £369 / €399 / AU$899 in further regions, with global availability arriving in January 2026.

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Legendary American audio brand Klipsch is updating two of its most iconic high-end Heritage models, the Klipschorn and La Scala horn-loaded speakers.

The new Klipschorn AK7 and La Scala AL6 feature an updated version of Klipsch's proprietary Tractrix horn drivers, updated compression drivers and a brand-new finish.

The Klipschorn is one of the oldest speakers in production, with the speaker originating in 1946 when founder Paul W. Klipsch first started the company; the smaller La Scala was launched in 1963.

Both modern speakers are three-way, horn-loaded designs, where each driver is coupled to a "precisely engineered" horn, and designed to deliver a clear, wide soundstage with a flat frequency response. High efficiency and low distortion are other hallmarks of horn speaker designs.

The new speakers feature a modified version of the K-406M Tractrix midrange driver, with a shorter 2-inch 'throat' for better time alignment between the drivers, while Klipsch's Mumps technology ensures an even frequency response to the horn's edge. The result, claims Klipsch, is "a more natural, immersive sound experience."

The K-771 compression driver, meanwhile, combined with a new phase plug should deliver "greater clarity" and a "wider, more consistent soundstage" than before. Meanwhile, the new 3-inch KT-1133-HP midrange compression driver is a whole inch larger than the previous models, and this allows the driver to increase the sound pressure to the horn in a more efficient manner.

Additionally, the La Scala AL6 speakers feature a vented design for the first time to extend and enrich the low frequencies. The 12-inch K-281 woofer with folded horn design is fitted in the enclosure, promising "richer and more robust bass" no matter where the speakers are placed.

Another key upgrade comes in the form of a separate, optional Heritage Active Crossover module. After the success and "overwhelmingly positive" reception of its inclusion in the flagship Klipsch Jubilee speakers, this advanced crossover aims to improve the speakers' overall sound with regard to time and phase alignment, offer balanced EQ and more.

As standard the new speakers are passive, but you can improve the performance further by adding this active crossover. You will of course need additional power amps if going active.

A new panel design on the Klipschorn AK7 and La Scala speakers now includes passive and active inputs, making it easier to switch between the two configurations and allowing users to plug in the Heritage Active Crossover with minimal fuss.

"While we are thrilled with the performance of the passive crossover, the Heritage Active Crossover unlocks performance enhancements that are simply unattainable with a passive design," says Roy Delgado, Klipsch's chief audio engineer. "While the crossover frequencies remain fixed, users can adjust the gain of the LF and HF sections of the DSP active unit in order to compensate input sensitivities of different types of amplifiers."

All these updates aim to advance the Klipshorn AK7 and La Scala AL6 speakers' performance even further, while still delivering "all the detail and emotion of a live concert hall" as the founder originally intended.

The Klipschorn AK7 speakers cost $17,998 / €25,998 per pair, while the La Scala AL6 is $14,998 / €19,998 per pair. Both are available in American Walnut, Black Ash and a new American Auburn finish.

The Heritage Active Crossover module is available in the Black Ash finish only and costs $3499 / €3999. The speakers will be available in Europe in May.

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The new Klipsch Flexus Sound System, which was previously demoed at CES 2024, is now available to order in the US.

The Flexus range includes two soundbars, a wireless subwoofer and wireless surround speakers. The system is described as being a combination of 'American sound and Japanese precision' and marks the first partnership between Klipsch and its sister company, Onkyo.

The first available bar – The Flexus Core 100 soundbar – is described as an entry model 2.1-channel soundbar incorporating Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, and USB-C. It features dual 2.25-inch left and right drivers and dual 4-inch built-in subwoofers in a compact enclosure measuring 28 inches in width.

The Flexus Core 200 bar includes the same drivers as the 100, however, it also adds some extras. It measures 44 inches in width and comes loaded with dual 2.25-inch midbass drivers and a 0.75-inch horn-loaded tweeter which works as the centre channel. It also includes dual 2.25-inch upfiring drivers for Dolby Atmos audio.

The Sub 100 subwoofer is roughly square, measuring just over 13 inches in height, width and depth. It houses a 10-inch cone in a sealed enclosure, putting out 80W of Class D power RMS (160W peak). As well as being a wireless unit, the speaker also offers an RCA input if you prefer a wired connection to your soundbar of choice.

Lastly, the Flexus Surr 100 50W wireless surround speakers feature a 3-inch paper cone and measure just over 4 inches in width and depth, and almost 7 inches in height. They also have a threaded insert on the rear for wall-mounting.

The whole system can be controlled and configured using the new Klipsch Connect Plus app. Users can control input selection, EQ presets, firmware, and feature updates. The system also comes with a pre-paired USB transmitter, included with the surrounds and subwoofers, allowing the Core models to quickly connect.

This is the first time we've seen Onkyo branding in a while, with the TX-RZ70 receiver announced just over a year ago. This AVR came after Onkyo filed for bankruptcy around two years ago, so it's good to see the Japanese brand making a mark where it can, despite its troubles.

We haven't reviewed these products yet but are keen to get them into our testing room to see how they fare against comparable systems.

We have reached out to Klipsch for UK pricing and availability, so stay tuned for more information when it becomes available

Pricing

• Flexus Core 100: $349
• Flexus Core 200: $499
• Flexus Surr 100: $249
• Flexus Sub 100: $299

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Listening bars and audiophile cafes can trace their roots back to post-war Japan. The country saw a rise in demand for communal spaces playing music through top-notch equipment during the late 1940s and 50s. 

Nowadays, hi-fi bars can increasingly be found in almost every corner of the world, boasting seriously impressive music systems in welcoming surroundings. 

While these types of venues tend to serve a range of food and drink and function as normal cafes, bars and restaurants, the difference here is that the real focus is the music. The room layout and choice of hi-fi components should be tailored to suit the space and show the music in the best light possible. 

We have picked out a handful of listening bars and cafes from around the world that we have visited or have on our wishlist. Got a better suggestion? Let us know in the comments below.

Waxflower – Brunswick, Australia

Waxflower is a self-described wine bar, which also serves food and local beers on tap. And it's also an audiophile listening space boasting some fine hi-fi equipment.

The bar’s music program, which features DJs and artists playing live on most nights, focuses on helping to curate an eclectic range of music that might not otherwise find a platform. 

Waxflower had an issue with the visual identity of loudspeakers. Most models look like they either belong at home or on stage. What about an in-between? So, channelling their shared love of classic speaker designs such as JBL’s 4355 and the Klipsch Klipschorns, Pitt & Giblin created a bespoke loudspeaker system for the venue. 

Each speaker has two 15-inch bass drivers, a 10-inch midrange, and a 1-inch compression driver, and is connected to a Hypex NCore integrated amplifier offering 1100W of power. 

System components

Speakers: Custom-built Pitt & Giblin speakers
Amp: Hypex NCore integrated amplifier
Mixer: Isonoe London hand-built Mixer - ISO420
Turntables: Technics SL1200 MK3D

Spiritland – London, UK

Opened in 2016 in King’s Cross, London, by Paul Noble, Spiritland is a cafe, bar, radio station and production company rolled into one venue, and created around a love of sharing music. 

Matching food and drink with great music, Spiritland is a cafe during the day and a bar at night, all built with listening at the heart. 

The system at Spiritland plays all day, every day. The venue put together a collection of top-class bespoke components built by Living Voice in their factory based in Long Eaton.

With DJ sets on most evenings and weekends, alongside regular album playbacks, Spiritland is a venue that can be experienced at pretty much any time of the day and throughout the week. 

System components

Speaker: Living Voice speakers and crossovers
Amp: Atelier du Triode valve amplifiers
Mixer: Brass panelled Isonoe rotary mixer
CD players: 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS2
Turntables: 2 x Isonoe modded Technics 1200 turntables, Kuzma XL DC turntable

Clutch Bar – Bangkok, Thailand

Situated on the second floor at The Warehouse shopping and art space in Bangkok, Clutch Bar is a listening space that features a pair of imposing JBL speakers mounted to the wall behind the bar.

The warehouse used to belong to a prominent business that specialised in gearing machines, hence the name of the bar.

Clutch Bar retains much of the old character and soul of the warehouse and its previous purpose. The space contains a few long sofas dotted around the bare concrete walls and building framework. It’s quite an open room but also appears quite cosy and relaxing as well. The focus is the bar, or more importantly, what’s behind it. 

At either end of the wall behind the bar are the aforementioned beastly JBL 4350 WXA speakers bi-amped with a pair of McIntosh 2300 power amps. You'll also find a pair of Technics SL1200 turntables, plus a range of other sources, including Tascam reel-to-reels and a Nakamichi tape deck. 

System components

Speakers: JBL 4350 WXA
Amps: McIntosh 2300 Power Amplifiers bi-amped
Mixer: Alpha Recording System 9100B Mixer
Turntables: Technics SL1200 MK3
Other sources: Tascam BR-20 Reel-to-reel Recorder/Producer, Tascam 32 Reel-to-reel Recorder/Producer, Nakamichi 1000 Tape Cassette Deck

Unkompress – Berlin, Germany

Unkompress is a social space designed for enjoying an eclectic spread of analogue audio along with wine, beer, or coffee.

The venue has collaborated with an expert wine sommelier, sake sommelier, and mezcal author to ensure Unkompress always offers an impressive bespoke drinks menu – that should help ensure the music hits the spot.

The venue offers a range of events including album listening sessions, live podcast recordings, magazine and album launches, and DJ sessions. 

System components 

Speaker: Klipsch Cornwall IV (a childhood dream and ode to Mancuso & The Loft)
Amp: Custom Elekit TU-8600S 300B Tube Amplifier
Mixer: Resor 2533 Discrete class-A rotary DJ mixer
Cables: Ojas custom RCA cables
Turntables: Modified Technics SL1200 MK2 (Custom RCAs, Isonoe feet), Nagaoka MP110 cartridge

Dante’s HiFi – Miami, USA

Described as an intimate and soulful space for music enthusiasts, Dante’s HiFi prides itself on being the first vinyl listening bar dedicated to “analog audiophile music culture” in its area. 

Inspiration for the bar came to one of the owners, Sven Vogtland, while on a trip to Tokyo hopping around listening bars with the band Khruangbin.

The venue houses an extensive library of records from resident music director Rich Medina’s personal collection. The bar is open to the public, but if you find yourself wanting to book your favourite seat, there are membership opportunities available for reservations and exclusive events which take place at least once a month. 

System components

Speakers: Klipsch Cornwall speakers, Klipsch Spatial Fills and Subwoofers, Altec Lansing 5 Panel horns
Amp: Cary Audio valve amp / Line Magnetic
Mixer: MasterSounds  Radius Four-Valve mixer & FX
Turntables: 2 x Technics 1200 on Isonow Isolators

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Premier audio manufacturer Klipsch has announced not one but two new powered speakers: the Klipsch R-40PM and the Klipsch R-50PM. Being powered speakers, both models integrate amplification directly, meaning you won’t need to hook them up to an external amplifier.

Instead, each can be plugged easily into a power outlet and then joined together using the supplied cable. Speaking of connectivity, there’s streaming via Bluetooth, as well as connection to additional sources such as a CD player, 3.5mm, optical and USB. Better yet, the R-40PM and R-50PM both come with a phono preamplifier, allowing you to connect a turntable and get your records spinning perfectly from the get-go. Convenient. 

There are some impressive numbers under the hood, too. Alongside that useful phono preamp and integrated powered amplification, both speakers house premium drivers: the R-40PM comes with a 100mm TCP woofer and a 25mm LTS aluminium tweeter, while the R-50PM has a 130mm TCP woofer and the same 25mm tweeter.

One of the big upgrades over the previous R-41PM and R-51PM designs is enhanced bass for both of the new kids on the block, with the R-40PM capable of reaching down to 60Hz, and the 50PM able to sink even further to 55Hz. In terms of power, the R-40 supplies 70W of total system power, in comparison with the R-50’s hefty 120W. There is also a Dynamic Bass Equalizer that “optimises bass performance in real time, ensuring perfect bass regardless of the volume level.” 

To help elicit a deeper bass response, Klipsch has increased the cabinet depths of the new models. The R-40PM is 28 per cent deeper than the outgoing R-41PM, whereas the new R-50PM adds 27 per cent, and although height and width have barely changed since the previous iteration, Klipsch assures us that the new designs are perfect for space-deprived areas such as desktops and shelves.

Both models boast an upgraded, edge-to-edge proprietary Tractrix horn design for improved coverage, bandwidth, and directivity control, so you can essentially direct where and how sound presents itself within a given room. Sounds clever. 

The new powered speakers are available to purchase in the UK, with further information available at www.klipsch.com and www.henleyaudio.co.uk. Prices for the R-40PM start at £499 / €549/ $499, while the more expensive R-50PM will currently set you back £599 / €649/ $599.

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American audio band Klipsch is releasing four brand-new subwoofers designed to match the power, performance and aesthetics of its Reference Premiere speakers. These new subs are described as by Klipsch as "hyper-efficient with the optimal balance between amplifier power, driver capability and cabinet volume", and each model differs in both power and price, meaning you can pick the one that best suits you and your system.

All four subwoofers use a front-firing spun copper Cerametallic driver, which Klipsch claims will provide remarkable depth into the lower frequencies while avoiding distortion. These new subs also include an integrated high-efficiency amplifier with an analogue preamp design that features an original signal path. Klipsch states that this allows for a cleaner, true-to-source reproduction.

Onto the Class D output stage, which Klipsch has designed to ensure optimal efficiency and which in turn produces "maximum output, detail and low-frequency power". As part of this, Klipsch has included its proprietary internal geometry, including a new Aerofoil slot port, which the audio brand reports will help to lessen port noise, and therefore produce cleaner and less distorted low frequencies. 

Finally, Klipsch highlights the pair of inputs on these subs, with both an RCA physical connection and WA-2 wireless input that can be used in tandem. This means you can connect one of these new subs to multiple speaker systems in a room – talk about versatility. 

Out of the four new subs, the RP-1000SW is the entry-level model, coming in at £899 / $749 (around AU$1630). This features a 10-inch woofer that is capable of outputting 600W peak power.

Next is the RP-1200SW, which costs £1099 / $999 (around AU$1990), and sizes up to a 12-inch woofer that can drive up to 800W peak power.

Upgrading again to the RP-1400SW, which retails for £1399 / $1399 (around AU$2540), gets you a 14-inch woofer and 1000W of peak power – are we starting to see a pattern?

Finally, there is the top-end model, the RP-1600SW. This sub costs £1849 / $1799 (around AU$3350) and features a 16-inch woofer with 1200W peak power.

All models apparently feature a high-quality build and premium materials. They're all finished in an anti-scratch ebony vinyl finish that gives the impression of real wood and covers the rather suave-looking rounded cube design. This is accompanied by shock-absorbing rubber feet, steel grille posts and a woven cloth grille that gives these subs the premium look and feel that you'd expect from the price. We can expect this quartet of new subs to hit store shelves in the UK via Klipsch's exclusive UK distributor, Henley, later this month, with further availability expected in April.

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Jamo has launched a new series of passive speakers as part of what the Scandinavian brand is referring to as its 'rebirth', including two surround sound packages. The new Jamo Studio7 range comprises six models: two sizes of floorstanders (S7-27F, S7-25F), two types of bookshelf speakers (S7-17B, S7-15B) and a pair of centre channel speakers (S7-25C, S7-43C), all with a 7° time alignment tilt.

Each cabinet is mounted on an angled plinth that houses the speaker crossover. According to Jamo, the striking incline is designed to ensure a coherent sound stage and time-align the acoustic centres of each drive unit to help minimise timing anomalies.

The range features refreshed driver technology, too, with an updated 25mm tweeter using a faraday ring for improved sensitivity and reduced non-linear distortion, while its high-frequency waveguide has been optimised using the brand's COMSOL software. Jamo says that the tweeter and surround have been designed to produce a non-fatiguing yet detailed sound. 

At the low end, the woofers feature “Thor’s Hammer” embossed paper cones and motor assemblies incorporating aluminium inductance shorting rings to enhance power handling and lower distortion by acting as a heat sink.

Inside, the cabinet walls are thicker than on previous models (15mm MDF with 18mm front baffle) and braced. This, Jamo claims, will allow for more low-level detail and increases resolution when playing at different output levels compared with models from other manufacturers.

Each cabinet rests on a sealed plinth that houses its crossover, a location which Jamo says minimises the possibility of any interaction between the powerful bass driver magnet and the inductors in the crossover. All speakers in the S7 range have a two-way reflex design, and the crossover uses components carefully chosen by the brand, including Mylar and non-polarised electrolytic capacitors, along with iron and air core inductors, and 25W resistors.

The Jamo Studio7 range is available in two vinyl colourways – Blue Fjord and Grey Cloud – to echo 'the chromatic palette of Scandinavian landscapes'.

The Jamo S7 floorstanders are priced at £950 (around $1060/AU$1656) for the S7-27F and £800 (around $894/AU$1394) for the S7-25F. The bookshelf models start at £450 (around $502/AU$784) for the S7-15B and £550 (around $614/AU$958) for the S7-17B; the S7-25C and S7-43C centre channels are priced at £300 (around$335/AU$523) and £330 (around $368/AU$574), respectively.

All the S7 loudspeakers are rated for 4 ohms. The largest floorstander, the S7-27F, sports a 25mm vented tweeter with a fabric dome and dual 17cm woofers for a claimed frequency range of 67 Hz - 21 kHz and peak SPL of 107.8 dB. Stepping down to the S7-25F, the same tweeter is partnered by two 14cm woofers producing frequencies from 69 Hz - 21 kHz and a peak SPL of 107 dB.

Meanwhile, the S7-17B bookshelf speaker has a 17cm woofer paired with its 25mm tweeter for a response of 64 Hz - 25 kHz and a peak SPL of 104.2 dB. The smaller S7-15B swaps this for a 14cm woofer and a range of 71 Hz - 22 kHz, with a 102.6 dB peak SPL.

Finally, the S7-25C centre channel boasts dual 14cm drivers on either side of its 25mm tweeter for an 82 Hz - 21 kHz response and 107.2 dB peak SPL, while the slimmer, but more expensive S7-43C has four 8.4cm woofers flanking a central tweeter for a frequency response of 123 Hz - 21 kHz and peak SPL of 108.2 dB.

Two bundled home cinema sets are available: the S7-17HCS priced at £1300 (around $1446/AU$2264), comprising a pair of both bookshelf speakers and the lower profile S7-43C centre channel, or the S7-27F costing £1500 (around $1670/AU$1612) and containing a pair each of the smaller floorstanders and bookshelf speakers, with the larger S7-25C centre channel option.

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Klipsch has unveiled the latest iteration of its high-end Reference Premiere series featuring significant upgrades across its comprehensive 11 model line-up. With prices ranging from £459 / $499 (around AU$803) to £2999 / $2998 (around AU$5250), the line-up includes models suitable for two-channel hi-fi and flexible multi-channel home cinema applications.

Now in its third generation, Klipsch's new Reference Premiere range retains the brand's typical style with ebony and walnut cabinet finishes housing its distinctive copper drivers and Tractrix horns. As there have been several notable technical upgrades, Klipsch has added two numerals to each product name to help distinguish them from their predecessors. The improved Reference Premiere range comes after the company also recently overhauled its more affordable Reference series of ten models, ranging from £275 ($299, AU$499) to £1499 ($1799, AU$2598). 

The new Reference Premiere series uses updated, larger versions of Klipsch's proprietary Tractrix horn technology which the company says will enhance high-frequency response and extension while producing a wider soundstage. 

Klipsch's signature copper Cerametallic woofers feature an all-new design with voice coils that are 70% larger and new aluminium shorting rings for improved power handling and reduced distortion. These drivers use a new motor structure that Klipsch claims delivers a better response with greater speed and accuracy, while extra bracing and division within the cabinets has been added to minimise unwanted vibrations. Klipsch says that these modifications refine aspects of the range's sound while retaining the key elements of the company's distinctive sonic signature that make it a cult favourite among its loyal fans.

Alongside these upgrades sit core components of previous Reference ranges, such as Tractrix ports with inner flares to reduce turbulence for bass frequencies and Linear Travel Suspension (LTS) titanium tweeters.

The new line-up consists of four floor standing speakers (RP-8060FA II, RP-8000F II, RP-6000F II and RP-5000F II), two bookshelf models (RP-600M II and RP-500M II), three centre channels (RP-504C II, RP-404C II and RP-500C II) and two surrounds (the dual aspect RP-502S II and the multi-purpose RP-500SA II).

The system is particularly suited to those interested in adding Dolby Atmos to their home cinema, whether starting from scratch or upgrading an existing set-up. The flagship RP-8060FA II floorstander includes integrated up-firing Atmos-enabled speakers, while the RP-500SA II module with a switchable crossover can be used as both an up-firing speaker topper or a wall-mounted rear surround.

All models in the Reference Premiere series are available now in the UK with prices as follows:

RP-8060FA II – £2999 (around $3775, AU$5250)
RP-8000F II – £1699 (around $2138, AU$2974)
RP-6000F II – £1449 (around $1824, AU$2535)
RP-5000F II – £1249 (around $1572 ,AU$2185)
RP-600M II – £729 (around $917, AU$1275)
RP-500M II – £599 (around $753, AU$1048)
RP-504C II – £729 (around $917, AU$1276)
RP-404C II – £549 (around $691, AU$960)
RP-500C II – £459 (around $577, AU$803)
RP-502S II – £899 (around $1131, AU$1572)
RP- 500SA II – £689 (around $867, AU$1205)

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Klipsch has launched a 220W desktop speaker system that apes the mid-century design of the company's iconic Heresy loudspeakers. 

The ProMedia Heritage 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System comprises a pair of satellite speakers (2 x 35W) and an 8-inch wired subwoofer (150W). The fabric grilles match the company's Heritage speakers, while the luxe "wood grain vinyl" finish comes in black or walnut.

If you hate the look of 'typical' PC speakers, these could be just the ticket.

Klipsch says the system works well for gamers, in concert with a TV, and as a small-footprint hi-fi system. Each satellite boasts a 1-inch soft dome tweeter on Klipsch's propriety 'Tractrix' horns plus a 3-inch woofer, so this workstation wonder should pack a decent punch. 

Bluetooth technology allows for wireless streaming from multiple sources, be it a computer, smartphone, tablet or games console. There's also a USB-A socket and a pair of RCA analogue inputs. Completing the system is a wireless remote and you also get a 3.5mm-to-stereo RCA cable thrown in too.

The Klipsch ProMedia Heritage 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System should be available now from the company's website, priced at $349, and from Costco for $240 (membership required). UK buyers can snag one online for £359 (around AU$630). 

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Klipsch has brought its reliable, best-selling Reference speakers into their seventh generation.

The new range is aesthetically familiar and yet benefits from what the US brand is calling the most dramatic upgrades since its inception, with many technologies in the higher-ranging Reference Premiere models now trickling down to these Reference ones.

Initially unveiled at CES 2022, the new Reference series comprises 10 models, ranging from £275 ($299, AU$499) to £1499 ($1799, AU$2598), and suitable across two-channel hi-fi and multi-channel home cinema applications. 

Breaking that down, there are – deep breath – three floorstanding speakers (R-605FA, R-800F, R-600F), two bookshelf models (R-50M, R-40M), two centre channels (R-50C, R-30C), two powered subwoofers (R-121SW, R-101SW) and, last but by no means least, a Dolby Atmos height module (R-40SA). The system is Dolby Atmos friendly whether you're starting an AV system from scratch or want to upgrade your current package: the flagship R-605FA floorstander integrates up-firing Atmos-enabled speakers, while the R-40SA module is designed to add overhead effects to existing surround speakers fed by Atmos-compatible receivers.

The new Reference range boasts larger and enhanced versions of Klipsch's edge-to-edge proprietary Tractrix horn driver, as well as Linear Travel Suspension (LTS) aluminium tweeters. Completing a suite of new drivers for the new series are spun-copper thermoformed crystal polymer (TCP) woofers, which have adopted steeper cone angles in the name of improved crossover integration and smoother response.

The black, wood grain vinyl-finished cabinets, meanwhile, are now better braced and, alongside metallic binding posts, sport Dolby Atmos connections that allow for easy, discrete height channel integration.

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As the official headphone and portable audio partner of McLaren Formula 1, Klipsch has announced a special edition of its The Fives powered speakers featuring design touches inspired by the team's iconic orange livery. 

The Fives are some of Klipsch's most versatile active speakers, with HDMI ARC and optical inputs, making them a viable soundbar alternative. They also include an integrated phono pre-amp for your turntable, a USB input, Bluetooth 5 and a subwoofer output.

The McLaren Edition of The Fives boasts a hand-painted matte black finish with accents, including the control panel and braided cables, in McLaren's signature papaya colour as well as the team speed-mark logo and a 'Klipsch-McLaren' paddock garage sign.

Also finished in matching papaya are the 25mm titanium vented tweeters with Klipsch's classic tractrix horns. The racing theme even extends down to the stability pad for each speaker, with a rubber material inspired by Formula 1's intermediate racing tyre tread – an interesting choice considering McLaren's Lando Norris dramatically skidded out of first place at last years Russian GP after insisting on sticking to slicks in heavy rain while the rest of the field avoided his fate by pitting for intermediates.

Each cabinet also houses an 11cm long-throw woofer made from high-excursion carbon fibre and a tractrix port at the rear to enhance the bass further. These powered speakers feature ultra-low noise amplifiers capable of high-resolution audio (192kHz/24-bit decoding) and are compatible with the Klipsch Connect app, giving users access to custom tone and volume settings.

The special McLaren Edition of The Fives are available now for £1349 (around $1823 / AU$2499), while the standard model, in Klipsch's mid-century modern heritage style, is priced at £829 ($799, AU$1599 – $1699 from March 1).

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M&K Sound has released a new version of its compact V10 subwoofer, with the dimensions of the new V10+ radically squashed from a former vertical-standing design to a new neat, tapering design that's 34.5cm square at the front and narrower at the back. 

At the same time its available Class-D power has been raised from 200W to 300W, with its lowest bass output extended to 24Hz at -3dB and a potentially visceral 20Hz at -6dB. And that's despite retaining the advantages of a sealed cabinet design, which includes easier placement together with, in general terms, a tighter and more articulate bass with punchier and lower distortion performance than ported designs.

• The best subwoofers for music and movies

The tapered cabinet here is both compact and attractive in black or white satin finishes, with a matching magnetically attached grille over the forward-facing 10-inch driver which, incidentally, employs a new stiffer treated-paper cone.

The rear panel can be rearranged but retains all the inputs and controls of the previous V10, with dual line-level inputs and looped outputs, fully variable volume, crossover and phase dials, and the option to invoke auto-triggering. 

Also retained is M&K’s proprietary fully-discrete analogue input stage, designed to integrate ideally with the enclosure, crossover and driver to deliver the company’s ‘signature’ bass performance.

The new V10+ will arrive in Australia in January 2022, priced at RRP AU$2399 (about £1400, $1700) with other regions' availability yet to be announced. 

Why M&K claims “the choice of professionals” 

If you need a backgrounder to M&K Sound, consider this. The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was mixed on M&K speakers. Stars Wars Episodes I, II and III – mixed on M&K speakers. King Kong, The Incredibles, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down – all mixed on M&K speakers. And another thing those movies all have in common? They’re all Academy Award winners for their sound. Hence M&K’s catchphrase of “the choice of professionals”. 

M&K Sound, aka Miller & Kreisel, was an American firm for three decades after its founding in 1974, and has claims on creating the very first subwoofer-satellite system, the ‘David and Goliath’ released back in 1976, and the first self-powered subwoofer in 1977, the Servo Volkswoofer. 

• How to set up your subwoofer: our expert guide to room placement and controls

Equally legendary was the birth of the company following Ken Kreisel’s commission from Steely Dan’s Walter Becker to design a tri-amped studio monitoring system, including balanced-drive 12-inch subwoofers, used for the mixdown of the Pretzel Logic album in 1973/4. 

For the last decade M&K Sound has been based in Denmark, delivering a string of successes and award winners; we still rate a Sydney demonstration of a full M&K Sound S300 system in the early days of Dolby Atmos by Lars Johansen (ex-Peerless with work on JBL, Harman Kardon, Klipsch, Jamo and other brands) as one of the top 10 surround experiences we’ve ever heard for power and purity.

Trailer alert: THX Dominus

We note also that M&K Sound has put out a brief trailer for an upcoming X+ 15-inch push-pull subwoofer that will be THX Dominus-certified. Dominus was announced in 2020 as the newest and ‘largest’ performance class of THX Certification. 

Dominus certification requires specifications that enable speakers to reach cinematic THX Reference Levels in rooms of up to 184 cubic metres and up to a 6-metre viewing distance, achieving 120dB sound pressure levels with distortion below THX minimum levels. 

Or as THX puts it in plain English, “beastly speakers that produce a massive wall of sound that’ll immerse everyone in your theatre or hi-fi listening room, no matter where they’re sitting, with beautiful, distortion-free sound”. This new THX loudspeaker category is designed to bridge the gap between large home theatre speakers and those used in movie houses worldwide.

So far the only speakers we’re aware of so certified are from Perlisten Audio, a new company teaming US engineers with none other than Lars Johansen, who exited M&K Sound in 2000. Perlisten introduced two models at the virtual CES 2021 and had planned to demonstrate a full system at the recent CEDIA Expo 2021 in Indianapolis, until Covid forced the company’s withdrawal from the event.

The M&K X+ subwoofer might therefore make the company only the second one to achieve certification in this new THX ‘beast’ of a category.   

• THX Onyx is an MQA-supporting USB DAC promising quality music on the go

Revered audio specialist Klipsch is marking its 75th anniversary with the release of the Forte IV, the newest iteration of one of its self-proclaimed "best-selling speakers of all time".

The Forte IV is a member of the company's Heritage series (which includes the recently reviewed The Fives) but this floorstanding model now boasts an all-new K-702 midrange compression driver mated to a modified proprietary Tractrix horn with patented Klipsch Mumps technology. The speaker also uses a newly designed wide dispersion high frequency phase plug.

Quick history lesson: the original Forte made its debut in 1985 but was out of production from 1996 until the Forte III was introduced in 2017. The new Klipsch Forte IV feature updated cosmetics and engineering while maintaining much of the elegant design of the originals.

Ready for specifics? It's a three-way design that uses a 12-in woofer plus a horn-loaded midrange and tweeter, with new titanium compression drivers to help deliver a smooth and powerful sound.

Klipsch says that the Forte IV has been completely revoiced compared to their predecessors, to deliver a "truer to life sound with best-in-class efficiency and power handling".

And although these towers certainly look imposing, at just 13 inches deep, they boast a relatively shallow footprint.

Each pair of Forte IV loudspeakers is grain-matched using wood veneer panels that are harvested from the same timber, too. The speakers move together through the factory and the finished product is inspected and labelled with sequential serial numbers, to ensure that each pair is a matched set. 

The Klipsch Forte IV loudspeakers cost RRP £5,100 / $4,500 (about AU$7000) per pair and are available now from Henley Audio UK in four standard finish options – American Walnut, Natural Cherry, Black Ash and Distressed Oak.

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Read our Klipsch reviews

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It’s not often we are presented with a product such as the Klipsch The Fives. They’re clearly a pair of stereo speakers, and yet we have to ask ourselves what they are actually for. That only happens when a product’s feature list blurs the lines between hi-fi and TV sound, and also occasionally the morning after the What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony.

Klipsch describes The Fives as a ‘powered speaker system’, which is about as specific as you can get. They can be used as a hi-fi system – either standalone or with a source plugged in – as desktop speakers, or indeed as a true stereo alternative to a soundbar thanks to the seemingly simple, but nonetheless shrewdly incorporated, HDMI ARC connection.

Klipsch sees this as a potential driver for many customers adopting The Fives. And, as a publication that generally favours stereo speakers as an alternative to a comparatively priced soundbar – in terms of basic audio performance for the money, at least – we don't see anything wrong with that concept.

This isn’t due to a lack of focus on Klipsch’s part, but part of the forward movement of the company as a whole. The company is trying to expand its reach, rather than simply throwing what it can at their speakers to see what sticks.

The Fives represent a step towards what Klipsch describes as a more global sound. The ‘American’ tuning with which the brand is so familiar remains, but some of the leanings of the European and Asian markets – typically favouring delicacy over sheer scale – have been deliberately addressed.

What we hear is not exactly the final destination, and there isn’t, we’re told, a particular sound at which Klipsch would like to arrive. But anyone on our side of the Atlantic who might have written the brand off for its sonic presentation could afford the brand a keener ear in the future.

Pricing

An open mind is preferable when approaching The Fives, as are some relatively deep pockets. At £839 ($969, AU$1599), they aren’t going to be an impulse buy for many.

That price tag places The Fives in roughly the same realm as the Naim Mu-so Qb, Sonos Arc and KEF LSX. The fact that those are three entirely different products only highlights just what a versatile product you’re getting for the money. Its rivals depend entirely on how you plan to use them; there isn’t really a direct competitor.

Features

In short, The Fives will connect to virtually anything. The HDMI ARC connection for TVs is joined by analogue RCA, 3.5mm aux, digital optical and USB inputs. Bluetooth 5.0 is also present for simple wireless playback, while a subwoofer output allows for expansion into the lower frequencies.

There is also a phono preamp built in, proving Klipsch’s dedication to hi-fi and that these are not only TV speakers, so by adding just a simple deck you really can have a tidy home entertainment system with The Fives as its mouthpiece.

The Fives are capable of hi-res music playback, while Klipsch’s Dynamic Bass EQ is designed to enhance low frequencies at lower volumes. It can be turned off as a feature, for a more traditional bass response, or you can cut the bass if it’s getting too boomy near a back wall. That is indeed a possibility, due to the rear-firing reflex port. It features Klipsch’s Tractrix horn shape, in a similar but narrower form to that found on the front surrounding the 25mm titanium dome tweeter.

Just below is an 11.5cm long-throw woofer, which appears smaller than it is thanks to the proportions of the horn above it, but is well capable of filling a small to medium-sized room without overstretching.

Build

Despite Klipsch speakers' reputation for room-filling sound, at 30cm tall and 23.5cm wide, these are relatively small bookshelf speakers; don’t expect them to project across a room the size of an air hangar. Besides, you will want to be close by to admire the design.

The walnut veneer on our review sample resonates with the price tag, but of all this almost mid-century design, the rollers on the top of the right-hand speaker stand out most.

If we were to compile a coffee table book of dials and knobs found on hi-fi kit since What Hi-Fi? was first published 45 years ago, the controls on these Klipsch speakers could easily make the first edition. The fact The Fives come packaged with a remote is almost irrelevant, given how keen you’ll be to get up and use these dials to change volume and source.

The Fives would feel like a premium product with the kind of touch panel we usually see on powered speakers such as these, but the individuality of this design should be praised – especially if it is an indicator of the attention paid to everything else.

Sound

At least we can say that Klipsch has paid equal attention to each of The Fives’ many potential sources. It’s no faint praise when we say how pleased we are that these speakers’ character is pretty much uniform, however we decide to use them; that can’t be a simple task when being asked to take material from a TV, turntable, streamer, laptop and a smartphone.

The Fives do well, all told. They offer a good level of detail that will dig out texture and timbre regardless of whether it is from the voices of a chamber choir or daytime soap. Is it comparable to a grand’s worth of hi-fi separates? Not quite – nor would we expect it to be – but it is enough to deliver a kind of sonic maturity you won’t get from a budget soundbar or wireless speaker. And as a package, they’re a neater proposition than separates.

It’s a punchy sound, too, able to take on stabbing snares and hi-hats as well as heavy artillery. A good pair of hi-fi speakers should always be able to do both, and so it transpires with The Fives. Stereo imaging is good, provided the speakers are positioned with care and placed on a solid support.

So The Fives are a pleasing listen, but they’re not perfect. We’d like a more even frequency balance with better top-end refinement. While there’s a decent amount of bass for the speakers' size and treble doesn’t sound particularly rolled off, certain frequencies tend to stick out in an almost arbitrary fashion – and, to a degree, this detrimentally affects the way these Klipschs convey timing and organisation.

Verdict

Overall, though, you do get a good return on your investment as a one-stop shop for home audio. If you want to use them for one thing in particular, you might get better value with a more dedicated component, but if it’s a do-all pair of speakers you crave, it’s well worth giving The Fives a go.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 4

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"You now own one of the most revered and highly-acclaimed loudspeakers in the history of high fidelity audio."

That sentence is on the certificate you get when you purchase a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV loudspeakers. They also have a very good claim to being the only loudspeakers that have been in continuous production for more than 50 years, because Paul Klipsch, who founded the company that still bears his name, built his first pair of Heresy speakers ‘way back in 1947. It’s the reason the Heresy model and its near relation, the Cornwall, are part of the Klipsch ‘Heritage’ Series.

Oddly enough, the model name wasn’t ‘Heresy’ back in ‘47. Neither were the speakers sold as pairs. The original ‘Model H’ as it was called, was designed as a centre-channel speaker to be used between corner-mounted Klipschorns. 

The ‘Model H’ was known as the Heresy only within the company. The Heresy name didn’t appear on a Klipsch brochure until 1964. (For the reason, see later on in this review, under the heading The Heresy: A Heresy!)

I was extraordinarily pleased to hear that, in order to pay homage to Klipsch’s heritage, the Heresy IVs are built entirely by hand, and entirely at Klipsch’s original home in Hope, Arkansas, despite the company’s headquarters having been moved to Indianapolis, Indiana following the company’s sale to Vox International in 2011. 

Hope is not only famous for being the home of Paul Klipsch. It’s also famous for being the birthplace of former US President Bill Clinton (and for producing the world’s largest watermelons).

Of course, as you will already worked out for yourself, because of that ‘IV’ add-on to the model name originally given to it by Klipsch, the model that’s available now is very much updated from the 1947 version, though from the exterior, you’d be hard-pressed to point out the differences. 

The sound quality, too, is also remarkably similar, but technological advances have enabled the frequency response to be extended at both ends of the audio spectrum, the power-handling ability to have been increased, the efficiency improved and some minor frequency response irregularities have been removed.

• The best speakers available right now: budget to premium

Equipment

This Klipsch Heresy IV model is not only completely different to the one introduced in 1957, it’s also substantively different from the III version that was introduced in 2006. One of the most significant of these changes is that it’s now a bass reflex design. This is surprising. 

What’s not so surprising is that rather than use a conventional tubular or rectangular bass reflex port, Klipsch has instead pressed into service one of its famous ‘Tractrix’ horn throats. According to Klipsch’s Australian distributor, this change alone has improved the Heresy IV’s low-frequency extension by 10Hz, with Klipsch specifying the 4dB down-point at 48Hz. 

Then there’s the tweeter, which has the same titanium diaphragm as the III, but is now fronted by a new phase plug that the company claims enables much wider high-frequency dispersion and in turn a more expansive ‘sweet spot’. 

Its distortion has been reduced because the updates to the midrange driver meant Klipsch engineers could let that driver take over some frequencies previously handed by the tweeter, so they dropped the crossover point between the two by 500Hz (from 5kHz on the Heresy III down to 4.5kHz on the Heresy IV). 

That new midrange driver is a polyimide-diaphragm K-702 midrange compression driver, which is loaded by a K-704 Tractrix horn and covers the audio band from 850Hz up to 4.5kHz. 

Take particular note of the words ‘compression driver’ in the previous paragraph because it’s a special kind of driver that is very rarely used as a midrange driver in home hi-fi speaker systems. The midrange drivers used in most hi-fi speakers are what’s called ‘direct radiators’ – a description that comes about because the back-and-forth movement of the diaphragm (which is usually a cone, but is sometimes a dome and, occasionally, a flat panel) moves the air in the room directly. 

The midrange driver in the Klipsch Heresy IV does not do this.Instead, a small 45mm diameter diaphragm (made from a synthetic material called polyimide) compresses the air in a small chamber, and it’s the resulting flow of air into and out of that chamber that in turn moves the air in the room. 

Interestingly, the older Heresy III diaphragm was made from titanium, but Klipsch says this new polyimide version “offers better clarity and dynamics.” 

Because a compression driver is using air to move air, its impedance-matching is perfect, so its efficiency is far higher than a direct radiator… indeed it’s usually about ten times greater. 

However, there’s another important element in a compression driver, called a ‘phase plug.’ It’s the phase plug which controls the manner by which the air inside the compression chamber connects to the air in the room. 

Klipsch says the midrange driver in the Heresy IV has “a newly-designed phase plug that improves frequency response, efficiency and dispersion.” 

The final component for any compression driver is an external ‘horn’ to spread the output from the phase plug throughout the room. The shape of this horn is crucial to the performance of the compression driver, and many shapes have been tried over the years, including radial, bi-radial, sectoral, multi-cell and exponential. 

Klipsch uses what it calls a ‘Tractrix’ horn shape – and has trademarked the word ‘Tractrix’ – which is a variation of the equitangential horn shape that was first used by famous English loudspeaker designer Paul Voigt. 

One of the advantages of the equitangential horn is that whereas the more commonly-used exponential horn shapes have resonances caused by reflections at the mouth of the horn that in turn colour their sound (giving rise to that ‘horn sound’ so detested by audiophiles), the equitangential horn has almost no resonances, and therefore does not colour the sound. 

The lack of resonances is due to the fact that the sound waves are almost hemispheric as they travel through the horn and, most importantly, almost hemispheric as they exit from it. 

Like all horn designs, Klipsch’s Tractrix horn also enables far higher driver efficiency than would otherwise be possible because the compression drivers are better-coupled to the air they have to ‘drive’. However, the horn also means distortion is far lower than it would otherwise be, because the higher efficiency means that the diaphragm does not have to move back and forth the same distance to deliver the required sound pressure levels as would a conventional direct-radiator diaphragm. 

Klipsch’s Tractrix horn has yet another benefit, which is that its dispersion pattern is perfectly suited to home theatre applications, because both horizontal and vertical dispersion angles are both carefully controlled, and identical: something that is true of no other horn geometry, and certainly can’t be delivered by an ordinary dome tweeter. So as well as being ideal for home hi-fi applications, the Klipsch Heresy IVs are also ideally suited for use as the front left and front right channels in a home theatre system. 

Low frequencies are delivered by a Klipsch K-28-E12 bass driver. Although Klipsch rates this particular unit with a diameter of 305mm, the ‘cone-alone’ diameter is 245mm. The important dimension, the Thiele/Small diameter, which is used to derive the usable piston area of the cone, is a bit difficult to measure because the driver uses a very durable, but quite old-fashioned pleated coated cloth suspension rather than a modern single-roll rubber suspension system. I estimated the T/S diameter to be around 250mm, which gives a piston area (or Sd) of 490cm². 

The cone is also a fairly old-fashioned design, being ribbed, but the ribbing gives enormous strength and rigidity. Klipsch says the cone is made from a ‘fibre-composite.’ From its appearance, I’d imagine the primary component of this composite is the lignocellulosic fibrous material traditionally used to form large-diameter driver cones. 

Obviously, the changes to the drivers meant a new crossover, with crossover points at 850Hz and 4.5kHz and, according to the company, the crossover slopes are now modelled on those used in the Klipschorn, La Scala and Cornwall.Klipsch says the cabinets of every pair of Heresy IV speakers are grain-matched by using wood veneer panels that come from the same timber so that: “each speaker in a pair is practically indistinguishable from the other.” As for the finishes you can get the Heresys in, they are Black Ash, Natural Cherry, Distressed Oak, and American Walnut. 

The Heresy: a heresy!

The reason Klipsch called the very first Heresy model a ‘Heresy’ within the company, but a ‘Model H’ in the company’s literature is all to do with religion. 

First, you need to understand that Klipsch had built a reputation for designing and building loudspeakers that were triangular. This was because they were designed to be placed in corners. The Heresy was the first speaker Paul Klipsch had ever designed that was not intended to be placed in a corner and therefore had a non-triangular cabinet. 

Early on in the design stage, one of Klipsch’s employees told him that such a design would be ‘heresy’ and the name stuck. Or at least it did within the company. The problem was that Klipsch was located in Hope, Arkansas, which is right in America’s so-called ‘Bible Belt’, so many of the company’s employees were Southern Baptists and objected to the word ‘heresy’ being used in any way other than in its strict biblical sense, that is; “a belief contrary to Christian doctrine.” 

So the model was called the Model H while they decided what it would be called. This proved to be more difficult than you’d imagine, with the company not being able to come up with a name at all, despite running three separate naming competitions, none of which delivered a satisfactory result. 

Eventually a salesman (Bob Moers) who had been hired by Paul in 1961 to improve the company’s sales figures, and had put up with the naming debacle for three years, put his foot down and told everyone to “get over it”, with the result that the company’s 1964 brochure included the “Heresy” in the Klipsch range for the first time. 

In a strange twist of fate, the model proved to be particularly popular for use in places of worship, so much so that by 1973 Klipsch was running a national advertising campaign in the USA featuring the model that was tag-lined “Heresy in the Church.”

Listening sessions

It’s rare to find a 305mm driver these days in anything but the very largest hi-fi loudspeakers, and almost unheard-of in a pair of speakers that are as small as the Heresy IVs, so when I fired my review pair up for the first time, I was fully expecting to hear deep and powerful bass.  In fact, I half-expected that Klipsch’s designers might have taken advantage of the huge cone size to over-egg the bass and make it too prominent in the mix. 

To my surprise, neither of my expectations were realised. 

Not only have the engineers not over-egged the bass response, but the bass is neither overly powerful nor overly deep. Indeed, it didn’t dig as deep as I expected and is remarkably balanced across its pass-band.  At least that was my first impression. 

Further listening confirmed the excellent tonal balance, but revealed that my initial impression of lack of bass depth was created mostly by a lack of distortion. The bass is so super-cleanly delivered that it seems a bit ‘light’ but what you’re hearing is an absence of the second and third-harmonic distortion components that are typical of loudspeaker systems using bass drivers with smaller cones. 

My comment in the previous paragraph notwithstanding, the Heresy IVs do not dig overly deep into the subterranean depths of bass… something even Klipsch makes clear with its specification of –4dB at 48Hz, which means that I would certainly be using them in conjunction with a subwoofer, even in a purely two-channel system. However, since I have yet to hear a pair of loudspeakers with which I would not use a subwoofer, that puts the Heresy IVs in good company! 

In fact the Heresy IV’s 48Hz –4dB down-point is actually a real advantage when it comes to partnering them with a subwoofer because it means there will be very little overlap at the crossover point and you’ll be able to get excellent results even with a fairly small subwoofer, since it will only have to deliver a fraction more than a single octave of the audio band… from 48Hz down to 20Hz. 

But you do need to consider how low you need to go. The lowest note playable on a bass guitar or double-bass is around 41Hz, and the Heresy IV will easily deliver this frequency. OK, so piano goes down to 27.5Hz, but composers rarely require a pianist to play anything below a bottom ‘F’, and that has a frequency of 43Hz. So if you’re not using the Heresy IVs as the front channels in a home theatre system, you may well feel you have no need for a subwoofer. 

You’ll also be able to ‘tune’ the bass you’re getting by harnessing the output from those large rear-firing Tractrix bass ports. For maximum bass, move the speakers close to the wall behind them. The ‘tilt’ of the cabinet makes this very easy. If you’d like a little less bass, move the speakers away from the wall. 

No matter how you position the Heresy IVs, you’ll never overpower the bass. Prove it to yourself by listening to Angel, by Massive Attack. The Klipsch delivers the powerful bass riff masterfully and no matter how high you turn up your volume control, the sound won’t become distorted or muddy. (Actually, the riff is so repetitive, you could use this track for speaker positioning, relative to the rear wall.)

If Massive Attack isn’t your bag, you could instead listen to Van Morrison’s Moondance which will have the advantage that you can also use this to admire the Heresy IVs’ midrange.

When it comes to midrange sound, which is where most musical (and vocal) action takes place, the Klipsch Heresy IVs sound simply amazing. Listen to any vocalist and you’ll hear not only every syllable of every word they’re singing – and every breath they take (no matter how small) – but also every single inflexion. The incredible clarity and liveness this imbues in solo singers is amazing enough, but when you’re listening to multiple vocalists, right up to a full choir, the detailing becomes incredible.

Listening to massed choirs, it seemed that I was able to follow individual voices even amongst those who were singing in unison. Indeed listening to works such as Beethoven’s 9th, the power and presence of the choir not only gave me that ‘you are there’ feeling, but also sent an actual tingle down my spine and raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

Which version to listen to? Well for this review I listened to Klemperer with the Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Choir (EMI, not the Testament version). And if you’re wondering whether an English choir could do the 9th justice, this one was assembled by Walter Legge and trained by Wilhelm Pitz, Furtwängler’s chorusmaster.

Speaking of Wilhelm, the Klemperer version has usurped (at least for the present) my previous favourite, which was Furtwängler with the Bayreuth Fest Orchestra and choir. Obviously, these have the drawbacks of being very old recordings, but they still sound pretty good. If you are one of those who values sound quality over performance quality, I’d recommend listening to Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic on Sony (516 2302). 

As for the sweet spot, let me tell you about the sweet spot. Whereas with many speakers you need to shuffle your body around to find it, and a few minor head movements will cause it to collapse entirely, with the Klipsch Heresy IVs it was more a case of finding where there wasn’t a sweet spot. Basically, you can sit pretty much wherever you like (within reason) and you’ll hear a perfectly formed stereo image and an amazingly wide (and high!) sound-stage.

But what you will also hear in this – or in any other – position is a total and complete lack of distortion and absolutely zero colouration. And whereas I thought that the Heresy IIIs were, perhaps, just a little forward in the upper highs, I didn’t experience this at all with the Heresy IVs, which is presumably one of the reasons for the switch in diaphragm material from titanium to polyimide.

I initially feared that this material switch might have affected the performance with transients, but no, the Heresy IV’s attack was still insanely quick – you won’t hear any time lag from these speakers… not even a microsecond’s worth.

As for the treble, I think Klipsch has been very wise not to use a compression driver and instead stick with more conventional ‘domestic’ technology, albeit with the addition of a horn to unify the radiation pattern with that of the midrange driver. The result is that the high-frequency sound is crisp and sharp, but never becomes edgy, and is certainly not forward, even at higher sound pressure levels.

The sound is far more ‘exciting’ than I hear from soft-dome tweeters, but didn’t have the ‘peakiness’ I usual hear when listening to metal-domed tweeters. Again, the clarity of the sound is worthy of note. Klipsch has obviously steered the high-frequency balance down a very clear sonic path, accentuating the virtues whilst at the same time avoiding the pitfalls.

Klipsch makes much of the efficiency of its speakers – including the Heresy IV – and other reviews I have read seem always to give it a mention, but I have to say that although I could hear they were efficient (efficient speakers seem to imbue a certain ‘presence’ and excitement into any music played through them) and I could hear that the Heresy IVs were more efficient than my own reference speakers, which are rated with an efficiency of 91dBSPL, I didn’t think they were that much more efficient than them. I guess it’ll be up to Newport Test Labs to prove me right or wrong, but that’s certainly what my ears (and the position of my preamp’s volume control) were telling me. (Editor’s Note: According to Newport Test Labs’ measurements, you were right.)

I also feel the need to point out in this review that you should not be misdirected about the size of the Klipsch Heresy IVs by any photographs you see of them, because every image I have ever seen of them, either on the internet or in a magazine advertisement, has made them seem a lot larger than they actually are.

Yes, I do think they look a bit boxy from the front, because of the size of the baffle needed to accommodate that 305mm bass driver, not to mention the Tractrix horns fronting the midrange driver and tweeter, but in terms of height they’re almost knee-high to a grasshopper (and in point of fact, they are literally a hands-breath over being knee-high), and will protrude only a forearm’s length from a rear wall (right up to which they can be pushed, thanks to the clever design, as I said earlier).

So if you saw a photograph and thought ‘gee, they look too big for my room’ take the time to see them in the flesh, because you’re in for a big surprise. And, since you’re taking a look, why not take the time to have a good listen as well, because I think you’ll find that experience a surprise as well… and a very pleasant one at that!

However, despite the fact that the Heresy IV’s are smaller than they look, their sound is on the big side, so don’t be lulled into thinking you’ll be able to put them in a small room and sit right up close.

My experiments over a variety of listening distances revealed that I preferred to be no closer than three metres away from the speakers, and could happily push this out to five metres. Further than five metres was also fine, but I had to chock up the rear of the speakers to have the tweeters firing a little more parallel to the floor when listening at this distance.

As for the maximum size room in which they could be used, I found that the larger the room I used them in, the more airy and more spacious the Heresy IVs seemed to sound.

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Verdict

Just as some car marques are classified as ‘royalty’ in their sphere (Lamborghini, Ferrari) as are some exotic motorcycle marques (NCR, MV Augusta), so it is with loudspeaker marques, with Klipsch being one of the premier ‘royals’ amongst them. 

The Klipsch Heresy IV has a lineage that can be proved by DNA testing, a look that’s barely changed over half a century, and unlike many famous marques that are trading on their former glories, the Heresy IV is still manufactured in the good ol’ USA, in Hope, Arkansas. 

The only thing that has really changed is the sound... and that change has been for the better. So if you ever wanted a chance to buy a piece of hi-fi history, now has never been a better time to do it. 

Full lab test results

Graph 1 (below) shows the in-room frequency response of the Klipsch Heresy IV that was measured by Newport Test Labs.

You can see that it’s very linear, such that across the frequencies encompassed by the graph, the trace is within ±3dB from 70Hz right up to the graphing limit (10kHz for this graph). 

The high-frequency response of the Klipsch Heresy IV is shown in detail in Graph 2, with the detail provided thanks to the gated measurement technique used by Newport Test Labs, which delivers the exact response that would be obtained if the speaker had been measured in an anechoic chamber (i.e., no room effects). 

The first thing to note is that the response is almost identical no matter whether the grille is fitted or not, so Klipsch has done a superb job with the grille material and the design of the grille frame. I rarely see a result as good as this. 

You can see that the frequency response extends from 700Hz (the low-frequency graphing limit for the gating test technique in this case) out to 6.8kHz ±2.5dB, after which there’s a tiny dip that, whilst visible, would not be audible. 

Above this, the response extends within ±2.5dB out to around 18kHz, after which there’s a fairly sharp roll-off. Given that there are very few people over the age of 30 whose hearing extends up to 18kHz, I really can’t count this against the Heresy IV. 

Although the response rises again immediately after the dip, Graph 5 shows that it continues rising only up until it reaches around 22kHz, after which it rolls off to a minima at 25kHz before rising again to 35kHz then rolling off to 40kHz (the highest frequency for which the test microphone is calibrated). Phase is very nicely controlled, mostly remaining within ±30°.

The tuning of the Heresy IV’s bass reflex port is unusual, as you can see in Graph 3. As measured by Newport Test Labs, the port’s output peaks down at around 28Hz, though you can see that the work ‘peak’ is not strictly accurate, because the port delivers substantial output all the way from around 18Hz up to 90Hz. 

This result would suggest to me that where you place the cabinet with respect to the wall behind it is going to have a considerable effect on both bass level and bass extension. 

As for the bass driver itself, its output is within ±4dB from 400Hz down to 62Hz and rolls off smoothly to a minima at around 38Hz.

The impedance of the Heresy IV design (shown above in Graph 4) lies below 8Ω all the way from the lower measurement limit (10Hz) all the way up to 280Hz except for the two resonant peaks (at 20Hz and 71Hz), reaching a minimum impedance of 4.2Ω at 133Hz. This means that although Klipsch puts the nominal impedance at 8Ω it should – if it were rated according to the European International Electrotechnical Committee’s guidelines – be rated with a nominal impedance of 5Ω. 

So, since manufacturers for some reason don’t like using ‘odd’ numbers in their impedance specifications (3, 5, 7, 9 etc), I think Klipsch should have gone for 4Ω as the ‘nominal’ impedance rather than 8Ω. You can see evidence of some system resonances on the traces particularly at around 125Hz, but also at 500Hz and 800Hz. 

The electrical crossover point for the high-pass and low-pass sections of the crossover is at 1.2kHz. You can see that the Heresy IV’s impedance starts climbing steeply above 550Hz, suggesting to me that Klipsch has padded down the midrange and tweeter.

Overall, the frequency response of the Heresy IV measured by Newport Test Labs that’s shown in Graph 5 is 70Hz to 17kHz ±3.5dB. 

As for the Heresy IV’s efficiency, using its standard stringent test methodology, Newport Test Labs reported sensitivity as being 93dBSPL at one metre for a 2.83Veq input. 

Although this is a massive 6dB shy of Klipsch’s claim of 99dBSPL, it still makes the Heresy IV the most efficient loudspeaker the laboratory has tested in over a decade, so it’s a very efficient loudspeaker indeed and will be able to produce very high sound pressure levels with even the lowest-powered amplifiers, including single-ended-triode designs. 

Overall, it would appear that Klipsch’s engineers have had to walk a tight-rope in order to extract more performance from this new Klipsch Heresy IV whilst remaining true to the original design, as well as pulling off the near-impossible trick of using the same low-frequency driver in the same-size cabinet while changing the alignment from being sealed to being ported. They’ve done remarkably well. I was very satisfied by the performance of the Klipsch Heresy measured by Newport Test Labs.

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If you feel like you might have seen Klipsch's The Fives before, bravo and well remembered; we first mentioned them in February at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. 

This good-looking pair of active speakers features HDMI-ARC and optical inputs (thus making them a viable soundbar alternative, but one that can also work with your turntable) and they were expected to make a spring debut – but that was before the impact of Covid-19. Now, they are finally available in the UK. 

To quickly run through the connectivity options that Klipsch The Fives present, you'll get:

– 3.5mm aux-in (for connecting an older music player that doesn’t support Bluetooth, or an Alexa Echo you’d like to add to your hi-fi system, say)

– Bluetooth 5.0

– HDMI-ARC (to connect your speaker to your TV controls) 

– Optical digital (ideal for non-HDMI equipped AV systems, including older games consoles) 

– Phono/Line analogue input (a built-in moving magnet phono stage means that The Fives are turntable ready. This input is switchable between PHONO and LINE, so it’s a case of plugging in and flicking a switch) 

– Subwoofer output (to add a powered subwoofer to The Fives’ driver array) 

– USB digital (The Fives support 192khz/24-bit decoding, meaning high-resolution audio tracks from digital devices, including PCs and Macs, is on the menu).

Basically, you can hook them up to almost any source – a TV, turntable, CD player or smartphone, for example.  

In addition to the connectivity, The Fives feature their own custom engineered amplification, so you won't need an external pre- or power amp to build a hi-fi system around them. Ultra-low noise amplifiers are bi-amped to drive the two speaker cabinets, each of which employs a 25mm titanium TLS vented tweeter with tractrix horn – a common design trait of Klipsch speakers – and an 11cm long-throw woofer. The rear of the cabinet features a tractrix port, borrowed from Klipsch's premium Reference Premiere speaker line, to further enhance the bass. 

While we haven't had the pleasure of listening to them yet, the finish does look quite splendid. The Fives are part of Klipsch’s Heritage Wireless series, so there's a choice of matte black or walnut finishes, with metal switches and a ‘mid-century modern’ design.

The Klipsch Fives are available now in the UK, priced at £829 ($799, AU$1599).

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Klipsch has revamped a couple of its classic Heritage speakers and they're now available to buy through Klipsch Heritage stockists in the UK.

The three-way Heresy dates back to 1957 but the latest version, yours for £3500, has been completely re-voiced and re-worked for this fourth iteration.

Heresy IV uses a titanium diaphragm high-frequency driver sat above new midrange compression driver with a polyimide diaphragm mated to a Tractrix horn. Bass comes courtesy of a 12in woofer. Inside there's an all-new crossover and internal cabling from Audioquest. The new design also sees a rear port appear on Heresy for the very first time which Klipsch claims allows for better bass extension.

The handcrafted cabinets come with a book-matched wood veneer finish. They're slightly taller and narrower than their predecessors and there's an updated grille design too. The base is removable to increase flexibility.

Heresy IV is the entry-level speaker in Klipsch's flagship Heritage Series and is available in either American Walnut, Natural Cherry, Satin Black Ash and Distressed Oak.

The Klipsch Cornwall IV loudspeakers launched back in 1959 and got their name from the fact you could position them either in a corner or up against a wall.

They're also a three-way design that uses horn-loaded compression drivers for midrange and treble with a 15in woofer for low frequencies. They're the largest 'compact' Heritage speaker in the range. This updated version gets a brand new crossover and again includes internal wiring from Audioquest.

The Klipsch Cornwall IVs cost £6500 per pair and are available in American Walnut, Natural Cherry and Satin Black Ash.

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You have to hand it to Klipsch and its promotion of these Reference X20i in-ear headphones: in places, there’s more front than a seaside town.

The US company is certainly not being coy when it presents these comparatively premium-priced earphones, referring to their high-horsepower woofers and super tweeters. “The X20i sets a new standard in headphone acoustics by breaking all barriers,” it says.

However, Klipsch’s confidence should be high, buoyed by the performance of its second-generation R6i in-ears, What Hi-Fi? Award winners and class leaders in a hard-fought area of the market.

Build

The Reference X20is don’t quite reach such dizzying heights, but in many ways they justify their £425 price tag quite comfortably. Certainly you can be confident a good chunk of your money has gone into their design and careful manufacture.

Delivering the music is a two-way driver design, combining the company’s KG-926T Balanced Armature Woofer and KG-125B Balanced Armature Super Tweeter. Klipsch is particularly proud of the latter, designed to expose every element of the lossless recordings you’ll want to be listening to on headphones such as these.

Comfort

It also claims to have designed one of the smallest and most durable pairs of two-way headphones currently on the market, thanks to the use of surgical-grade stainless steel for the main chassis and slim ear tips.

“After extensive research, our surveys lead to the conclusion that ear canals are even narrower than we had expected,” Klipsch says, by way of an explanation for the design of the eartips. 

Our caveat to that would be that not everybody on the team found it easy to get the right seal with the range of tips supplied. The worst-case scenario for any prospective buyer with this issue is likely to be only the purchase of some different earbuds, but it's worth bearing in mind.

Get that fit right, though, and in many sonic aspects it becomes immediately apparent you’re listening to a relatively high-end pair of in-ear headphones.

Sound

The most striking of those is in the space and detail on offer. The Reference X20is are admirably transparent, spotlighting the timbre of each instrument and the intricate textures. These are not merely headphones for the casual listener: Klipsch has delivered enough insight that it can often feel as if you’re peering into the instrument, as much as having it played to you.

The potential for analysis is helped by a pleasant balance, impressively even but not without natural warmth, the neutrality of which allows us to observe the frequency range as a whole, rather than our attention being unduly drawn to any section. 

That said, there is a decent amount of bass weight for a pair of in-ears (especially from units as small as this) and the midrange feels full without softening much around the edges.

It is also worth praising Klipsch’s ability to combine two drivers in each earpiece. Often multiple drivers can seem counterproductive when they fail to gel together – organisation being the first place to suffer – but these feel rather well integrated.

Only we’re left just a little cold by the performance. Timing isn’t the best we’ve heard, but is far from being dizzying, and the X20is are capable when it comes to dynamics; it's just that they lack a touch of punch and excitement.

Maturity is a must when it comes to spending this amount of money on a pair of headphones, but so is the need to let your hair down once in a while. At times it feels as though the X20is are concerned more with analysing the music than really enjoying it.

It can be a struggle to find that balance, especially at this price – effectively the lower limit of high-end – where the focus has to be on delivering a far cleaner and more detailed presentation than you would find in other sections of the market, but it is certainly not impossible.

Verdict

Without doubt we would recommend the X20is to those for whom insight is everything – and you wouldn’t be losing out wholly on energy or expression, either. However, those looking for a more wholesome, entertaining performance might be left just a little disappointed.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Comfort 4
• Build 5 

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The RF-7 IIIs replaced the popular Reference IIs in the US earlier this year - and now they have finally reached UK shores, along with a new, matching, RC-64 centre channel speaker.

Both speakers are the only Reference Line models still designed and assembled in the Hope, Arkansas factory where the Klipsch journey started over 70 years ago.

The speakers feature a new 4.5cm titanium compression tweeter, with an improved phase plug design (intended to enhance sound pressure linearity at high frequencies) and a new moulded rubber Tractrix horn (designed to improve high-frequency response and extension).

Below it, in the RF-7 III, is a 25cm Cerametallic woofer - Klipsch’s most advanced to date. In the RC-64 III, there are four 16.5cm woofers. The aim of its cast aluminium frame is to reduce resonance, and Klipsch says it’s been able to further improve the linearity of cone movement with a dual shorting-ring magnet structure behind each woofer.

Internally, the cabinet has also been split into two parts, allowing each driver and port to work independently from the other.

Available in a choice of black, cherry or walnut wood veneers, the RF-7 IIIs cost £3750 per pair, with the RC-64 III priced at £1450.

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It’s been a while since we tested anything from Klipsch’s home cinema line-up, but with its new Reference range hitting the shelves, it seems like the perfect time to take a fresh look.

Sitting just below the pricier Reference II Series, the new Reference line-up is made up of a standard home cinema package and two soundbars, the R-10B and R-20B.

It’s the flagship R-20B we’re concentrating on here: a soundbar and subwoofer duo wading in at a price-point to take on Dali and Yamaha in this increasingly competitive world.

Build and design

Design-wise it doesn’t stand out like the Dali Kubik One or the Focal Dimension, but it’s certainly smart, and its smaller footprint will appeal to those lacking space. That said, the Klipsch does comes with a separate side-firing subwoofer, but its wireless nature helps you be more flexible with its placement thanks to its 15m-range.

At just over one metre wide, the R-20B is probably best suited for use with TVs up to around 50in, and since it’s not overly tall you might be able to get away with sitting it underneath your screen if you don’t have a whole shelf on your rack to give up to it.

Of course, it can be wall mounted and there’s a template included in the box. Inside the slender body of the R-20B is considerable power, with four 76mm midrange drivers and two 19mm dome tweeters, supported by a 25cm bass driver in the solidly built sub.

The tweeters take on Klipsch’s tried-and-tested ‘horn-loading’ technology, which sees them connected to a horn-shaped device with the aim of more efficient sound transfer between drive unit and air in front of it.

Klipsch has also added aptX Bluetooth technology for using the R-20B to playback music from compatible portable devices, and overall set-up is admirably straightforward: you have the option of an optical or line-in connection, with an optical cable included in the box to get you up and running right away.

Using either of these connections will mean you’ll probably need to find your TV speaker settings and switch them off to ensure you’re only getting your sound through the soundbar, plus you’ll need to program your TV’s remote to control it. (The R-20B has its own rather dinky remote. It’s not particularly classy, but it is easy to use.)

No HDMI also means the R-20B won’t be able to decode the most advanced of audio codecs either but, for the majority of people and situations, optical should have you covered.

Switch the sub on and it connects to the soundbar automatically via Bluetooth. It’s seamless, finding the soundbar within seconds; an LED on its back panel lights up to show when it has connected successfully.

Performance

We start with Gravity, and one of our favourite test scenes: Kowalski and Stone colliding with the ISS.

There’s no doubting the power on offer, and even at lower volumes it does a good job of filling our test room with full-bodied and detailed sound, if not very subtly. When it comes to cranking up the drama though, you don’t have to ask the Klipsch twice.

As the pair twists towards the ISS with no brakes to cushion their fall, the R-20B jumps into life - and when they do eventually collide, there’s a real weight and solidity behind the impact.

In fact, there’s great integration between the bass and the bar that makes their partnership almost undetectable. If we’re nitpicking, we’d have the bass a tad more taut, but it’s far from a deal-breaker. What’s more troublesome is a touch of brightness that upsets the balance in the upper-midrange and treble.

Switch to Fast & Furious 6 and while there’s no doubt it’s an exciting and upfront performance, the screeching of brakes or the zing of bullets have a hint of harshness about them that can become distracting at volume.

We notice this edge softens slightly after around 24 hours of running in, but it’s still not as tonally balanced as leading rivals. There’s a 3D mode on offer with the Klipsch R-20B, and while it provides a wider soundstage when on, it’s detrimental to the sound in other ways, making it too thin and bright.

Verdict

The Klipsch R-20B is a good soundbar that just finds itself in a field of great competitors at this price. We love its powerful and upfront sound, but talented rivals top it when it comes to out-and-out balance and absolute detail.

The Klipsch Reference range joins the already available Reference II Series, and becomes the entry-level series in what will become a "tiered approach to Reference home theatre speakers to be completed in 2015".

Two floorstanders (the R-28F and R-26F), two monitors (R-15M and R-14M), a centre channel (R-25C) and a surround speaker (R-14S) make up the new Reference series, in addition to the R-10SW and R-12SW subwoofers.

[UPDATE 31.07.14] - We've now had confirmation of the UK prices for the new products: the floorstanding speakers start from £239; a pair of monitors start at £159; the centre channel will cost £159; a pair of surrounds will set you back £199; and the price point of a subwoofer ranging from £259 to £319.

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All of the Reference speakers – available in a brushed black polymer veneer finish – will boast Tractrix Horn technology and Linear Travel Suspension aluminium tweeters, the latter a feature of past Reference units.

The subwoofers are also available in a black polymer veneer finish, with front-firing drivers designed to offer deep bass and flexibility of placement, as well as "exceptionally light" Injection Molded Graphite woofers.

Klipsch's Mark Casavant commented: "It is our goal for listeners to feel the power, detail and emotion Klipsch speakers are able to bring out of music and movies, as if they are being heard or seen for the first time."

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Naming a new range of loudspeakers ‘Synergy’ is a bold move. Either the manufacturer is supremely confident of its products’ abilities, or it’s misunderstood the meaning of the word.

Here, based on previous experience of US specialist Klipsch, we guess (and hope) it’s the former.

Go to www.klipsch.co.uk and you’ll see a £1000 5.1 package comprising a pair of B20 bookshelf speakers, a pair of S10 surrounds, a C10 centre speaker and an SW350 subwoofer.

However, Klipsch has submitted the system to us with that sub ditched in favour of the SW450 – a subwoofer with 450 watts of power, a 10in downward-firing driver and unsubtle dimensions (43 x 36 x 50cm). Hence the extra £50.

Decent build quality
No one’s going to get excited about the black-ash vinyl wrap, but build and finish are decent enough and the tweeters (an aluminium driver behind square horn arrangement) add a touch of pizzazz.

The S10 rears feature a pair of tweeters and 10cm mid/bass driver for greater dispersal. The C10 centre has a foot to aid positioning.

After a lengthy running-in period, the Klipsch set-up lays its cards on the table;
it’s here to offer great big helpings of drive and excitement to your home cinema.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack to Shutter Island is delivered with attention to detail, fulminating low-frequency presence and a convincing, open soundstage.

Vigour and enthusiasm
But, fundamentally, it’s delivered with the vigour and enthusiasm you’d associate
with contestants on The X Factor.

Problems, such as they are, lurk at the extremes of the frequency range. The SW450 sub shifts some air, but it’s not as pacy as its partnering speakers and so drags at tempos a little. At the other end, treble sounds are, at best, crisp; they get harder as more volume is wound in.

But if you crave excitement and bombast (vital ingredients in a home cinema, certainly) this Klipsch has them in spades.

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It's never a good idea to second-guess speaker makers. Take the Klipsch RB-10s: as they're part of the same range as the RB-81s, seen in a past test, we were expecting a couple of brutes.

Instead, the RB-10s turn out to be very compact. Their dimensions almost insist you put them on a bookshelf, one either side of a midi system.

That would be to sell the RB-10s short, though. They're not the most capable design, as we shall see, but they're still a big upgrade on any speakers you might get with a £300-ish all-in-one.

Far from immodest sound
And while we were surprised at their modest dimensions, their immodest sound didn't surprise us at all.

We started with Boards of Canada's Music Has the Right to Children but, to be honest, your choice of source material is neither here nor there.

The RB-10s grab music by the scruff of its neck and give it a good shaking – the excursion of that 10cm driver may be unnerving at first but the Klipsches remain entirely in control, dealing out a brash, energetic and entertaining sound at all times.

They positively relish playing loud, exhibit credible dexterity when the going gets complex, and extract a meaningful amount of detail from recordings too.

Blustering bass is rather blunt
There's decent integration between the hard-working driver and the titanium tweeter hiding behind the elaborate horn arrangement, a solid soundstage and the sort of dismissive dynamic ability that's de rigueur among American loudspeakers.

A listen to Dub Syndicate's Stoned Immaculate exposes the RB-10s' blustering low end as a rather blunt, monotonal instrument that can hamper the lower reaches of the otherwise-poised midrange, and a harder sound when cranked up.

The Klipsches have cheerfully traded subtlety for bungee-jumping thrills and, for some listeners, that'll be an entirely worthwhile trade-off.

So if your budget and room dictate an affordable, dinky speaker and your tastes run to the upfront, you'll find a gregarious partner in the RB-10s.

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