Klipsch the Fives II Speakers Review for Music, Movies, More (2026)

$1,400 at Best BuyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyRating:

8/10

Open rating explainerInformationWIREDPristine music playback for relatively small bookshelf speakers. Size won’t overwhelm the room. Now has an HDMI eARC 2.1 port for Dolby Atmos surround sound.TIREDCan’t compete with a soundbar for upfiring surround sound audio. Some test tracks for music lacked oomph. Game audio was not always convincing for surround sound.

A small bookshelf speaker saves space, but it generally forces you to compromise in overall sound quality. Standing at just 12.9 inches tall with 5.25-inch woofers, the Fives II speakers from Klipsch pack a ton of new features into the updated version. (The original version came out in 2020.) Key upgrades include Dolby Atmos support over the new HDMI eARC 2.1 port, Wi-Fi capability, and new electronics. You can go bigger with the Sevens or the Nines, also from Klipsch, but the more diminutive speakers are less likely to overwhelm the room in terms of size.

Sonically, this is one of my favorite Klipsch speakers you can get for less than $1,500. When I played a new album by Cut Worms, the acoustic guitars sounded fuller and warmer than they did on the original the Fives speakers I tested just a few months ago. On the song “Fire 2" by Grace Ives—complete with crushing synths that fill the room—the Fives II were in the same premium league as the Cambridge Audio Evo One.

I also tested movies and TV shows, video games, and a boatload of other new music on these speakers. The results were so impressive I ended up preferring the Fives II to several other bookshelf speakers I've recently tested (and enjoyed—just not as much).

Heavy Updates and Customization Ability

Photograph: John Brandon

I’ve noticed how the best speakers are almost always heavy, and that’s true of The Fives II. The primary speaker with the electronics weighs 18.2 pounds, and the secondary speaker weighs 15.5 pounds; the woofers are solidly built using Jet Cerametallic, a new Klipsch proprietary construction method that helps produce accurate sound.

Because they are meant to function as bookshelf speakers or for sitting on a computer desk, the the Fives II are mostly targeted at music lovers, but they also function well as home theater speakers. You can buy the matching Klipsch KS28 speaker stands for $229 a pair (factory refurbished), but I found similar stands on Amazon that cost about $50 for a pair.

It almost seems like the Fives have too many ports, but that’s not meant as a criticism—it’s good to have options. You can connect using an optical cable, HDMI (with eARC support), USB-C, USB-A (for charging gadgets), RCA phono and analog, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. There’s also a port for connecting a subwoofer, although I didn’t feel that was necessary for music.

That Wi-Fi connection is a critical new addition. The Fives II speakers now let you play music through services like Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, and Google Cast. I used Tidal to start a playlist, then turned off my phone, and Tidal Connect continued to play the high-res audio. You can pause, skip tracks, or come back later and resume the playlist quite easily.

Photograph: John Brandon

One major design change has to do with the controls on the speaker itself. The previous model had a large dial for switching between connection types, and it indicated which port was currently selected with a light. With the new speakers, you press a button to change ports, and the color indicates the connection type. I liked this approach better because, in most cases, you’ll likely select your connection type and not change it. However, it took a minute to figure out which color matched which port (e.g., orange for USB-C and purple for optical). The Klipsch Connect app makes it easier to switch between ports, since they are clearly labeled on the interface.

Speaking of the app, it’s quite helpful. You can adjust EQ (equalization) settings and make a few other tweaks, but my favorite setting is related to lip-synching. During movies and shows, if you connect over HDMI, you can use the setting to make lips perfectly match the audio. In my tests, it worked really well without any delays.

The Klipsch remote is handy, but I mostly used the app on my iPhone. You can easily switch inputs, adjust volume, pause, go to the next track, or use two custom input buttons. For example, you can map the custom button to use the HDMI or USB-C port.

The Music-Blasting Test

Photograph: John Brandon

You know you have a great speaker when you use it to play a song you've heard countless times but now experience new sonic textures and previously hidden flourishes. When a speaker makes guitar distortion sound like mush or the bass overly loud and thumpy, it’s hard to justify the higher price. Luckily, the Fives II speakers fall into the former camp of improving sound.

I started with some classic rock: Joe Walsh’s song “Life’s Been Good” made every drum fill and a scorching guitar solo come alive. On the song “Good Grief” by the indie artist Torres, the distinct cymbal crashes and drum slaps were clearer and crisper than on other bookshelf speakers I've tried. Speaking of drums, on the song “I Wish I Was Sober” by Frightened Rabbit, the drums had a pillowy, organic tonal quality that’s sublime.

Another favorite test track of mine is the song “Aurora, IL” by Cassandra Jenkins. The intro has two guitars, and on many speakers, it sounds like two electrics are playing. On The Fives II, the second guitar was obviously—and correctly—an acoustic. The speakers replicate what is actually in the digital file. Even the Focal Mu-so Hekla soundbar didn’t generate as clear of a sound on this particular track, despite it having stronger overall power and more realistic surround sound.

But, the Fives aren't perfect: Compared to other high-end speakers I've tried in the last year—some of which made me fear my Sheetrock would splinter—the Fives don't generate as powerful a sound. The high notes at the end of the song “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti” by Rosalía sounded a bit thin as well; when I played the same song on the Focal Mu-so Hekla speaker, the sound seemed to split air molecules.

I wasn’t disappointed with the sound quality for music, but the comparisons were helpful nonetheless. For the price and size, I still loved The Fives II for music.

It Won't Shake Your Home Theater, but It's Strong for the Price

For movies and shows, the new HDMI 2.1 eARC port more than justifies the higher price tag. (The original the Fives did not support Atmos and cost $800 a pair.)

In the movie War Machine on Netflix, I noticed the explosions didn’t exactly shake the room, but they did sound distinct enough. Even with two-channel audio, the Dolby Atmos support made battle scenes in the movie Unbroken on Netflix sound convincing, especially when a plane whooshed from left to right. I streamed the original Alien movie using the HBO Max app on my phone and, since that film originally used two-channel audio and not surround, I noticed the dialog was clear and perfectly centered between the two speakers.

During the movie Greenland 2: Migration on YouTube TV, a dinner scene in France had background music that sounded like it was coming from another room, improving the immersion. One minor glitch was that, during the movie We Bury The Dead on the Fandango at Home app, background dialog that likely plays on side or rear speakers in a surround-sound setup was a bit hard to hear.

For video game testing, I connected to a TCL NXTVISION art television. The game Pragmata has some early scenes where you shoot robots, and the lasers sounded convincing enough. During an early section of the game Resident Evil Requiem, the eerie atmospheric sounds didn’t sound as convincing as a full surround sound setup would. My main takeaway is that games place different sounds around the room, and the Fives II were not as convincing at upfiring those sounds using multiple audio drivers as the Focal Mu-so Hekla soundbar .

In the end, comparing these speakers to a soundbar for movie theater sound, I’d say Klipsch's the Fives II have a ways to go. But for music playback, you can't go wrong at this price point. The speakers fit nicely on a bookshelf, they don’t overwhelm the room, and music playback was organic, pristine, and loud. I ended up liking The Fives II for music more than recent bookshelf speakers from companies like Sony, KEF, and Edifier.

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$1,400 at Best Buy