Klipsch has been making high quality audio gear since 1946, mostly catering to the audiophile and HiFi crowd. It makes plenty of speakers, soundbars and headphones for casual listeners too, and back at CES, the company debuted its first true wireless earbuds. At $199, the T5 True Wireless offer most of what you need in a pair of true wireless earbuds -- including a pretty cool Zippo-like charging case. But,they're far from perfect, and a few of their flaws could be deal breakers for you, even if they do cost $100 less than much of the competition.
Gallery: Klipsch T5 True Wireless review | 20 Photos
Gallery: Klipsch T5 True Wireless review | 20 Photos
Pros
- Attractive price
- Good sound quality
- Neat charging case
- IPX4 rated for sweat and moisture
Cons
- Awkward design and fit
- On-board controls push buds further into ears
- Don’t stay in place during a run
- Companion app is still in the works
Klipsch has a knack for classic design. The company has a rich history, and that comes through in its aesthetic choices that have retro elements without feeling contrived. The script logo on the T5 True Wireless recalls the original Klipschorn word mark -- the first speaker made by Paul W. Klipsch. While you can't go too classic with the look of true wireless earbuds, you can take that approach with the charging case.
The T5 True Wireless charging case has a side-hinge closure that resembles the iconic Zippo lighter. This case is shorter and deeper, sure, but it's clear Klipsch was inspired by that classic pocket mainstay. It's slightly too bulky to keep in your front pocket, but you can open up this earbud case with a flick of the thumb. The downside of the metal material is it will scratch if you're not careful. Lastly, three LEDs give you an estimate on how much battery is left and there's a USB-C jack around back when you need to plug in.
The T5 True Wireless have a unique design compared to a lot of the competition. The outside is a pretty common oval shape, but the part that goes into your ear is much smaller. Klipsch says this is the smallest "nozzle" available, and that it enhances overall comfort. This sounds good in theory, but for me, the smaller component felt like I was pushing these buds further into my ears. For longer listening sessions, they weren't as comfortable as those with larger "nozzles" from the likes of Sony, Sennheiser and others. Even after cycling through the included tips, I couldn't find a solution that felt super comfy.
Despite being IPX4 rated for sweat and moisture, the T5 True Wireless isn't the ideal gym companion. They stayed in place during weight training, but whenever I took them on a run, they'd eventually work their way out. And when I got super sweaty, they'd only stay put for a few seconds. In fact, the last time I took them running, I ended up just holding one because it kept slipping loose. I tried switching to a larger size of tips, but that didn't help.
Like many true wireless earbuds, Klipsch situated on-board controls on both sides. And like almost every company, it has its own take on what it thinks works best. On the right, you can play/pause (single press), increase volume (long press) or skip to the next track (double press). For the left, a single press activates your voice assistant of choice, a long press decreases volume and a double press goes back to the previous song. These are reliable, except for the volume controls. Because you have to hold the button down to make the adjustment rather than a single tap or click, I almost always overshot the intended range. The volume ended up being way louder or softer than I wanted. But hey, some true wireless earbuds don't even have on-board volume controls, so I'll take what I can get.
