CES 2019: Klipsch announces Dolby Atmos soundbar with Alexa and Google Assistant

Klipsch will have a lot to house in its inevitably wood-themed booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

Ahead of next week’s show, the US brand has already revealed a slew of new products for spring and summer 2019 launches, including a Dolby Atmos soundbar with voice control and its first pair of true wireless headphones.

Designed to ‘look and sound more like the brand’s premium Reference speakers’, Klipsch’s handful of new soundbars sound promising - especially as they are also big on features. 

Among them is the Bar 40G, which has Google Assistant built in. Klipsch’s Bar 48W (pictured top) expands on that functionality with Amazon Alexa, AirPlay 2 and DTS Virtual:X, while the Bar 54A brings Dolby Atmos technology to the table, complete with upward-firing drivers. Prices will vary from $299 to $1599.

Those with the room and willing to invest in a new surround speaker set-up may be pleased to know that the price for a Klipsch 5.1 wireless home theatre speaker system is approximately half the cost of the first-gen version, so we could be looking at around the £2000 mark.

Four in-ears in Klipsch’s new T5 family of headphones will also make their debut, but particularly interesting is the true wireless model, which boasts a very decent 8-hour battery life, Klipsch’s patented oval ear tips and, by the looks of it, a classy charging case. As the T5 headphone prices are set to range from $59 to $199, we expect the true wireless model to be at dearer end, making them potential rivals to the five-star Sony WF-1000X.

Klipsch is expanding its award-winning line of Heritage Wireless speakers. Klipsch’s recently announced (and cumbersomely named) ‘The Three | Google Assistant’ will make an appearance in new finishes and alongside smaller, portable versions - ranging between $149 and $499, and all set for spring and summer launches.

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Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.