Klipsch Heritage
Klipsch The Fives II Powered Stereo Speakers with HDMI ARC, Built-In Phono Preamp, and Bluetooth — Pair
Klipsch The Fives II Powered Stereo Speakers with HDMI ARC, Built-In Phono Preamp, and Bluetooth — Pair
Klipsch The Fives II Powered Stereo Speakers
A complete, high-performance music system in two boxes — with the inputs, the amplification, and the Klipsch horn sound that no mass-market powered speaker can replicate.
At a Glance
- Horn-loaded 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter delivers the dynamic efficiency and transient speed Klipsch is known for
- 5.25-inch copper-spun IMG woofer crosses over at 1,500 Hz for clean, precise bass and midrange
- Built-in Class D amplification — no receiver or external amp required
- HDMI ARC input connects directly to your TV with one cable and works with your TV remote
- Built-in moving-magnet phono preamp — plug in a turntable and play records immediately
- Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX for high-quality wireless streaming from any phone, tablet, or laptop
- Subwoofer output for easy system expansion when you want to go deeper
- Optical digital, analog RCA, 3.5mm aux, and USB-C audio inputs also included
- Remote control included
- Available in matte black and walnut finishes
- Sold as a pair
What They Are and Who They're For
The Klipsch The Fives II are powered bookshelf speakers designed to serve as the centerpiece of a modern living room or desktop audio system without requiring a separate amplifier, receiver, or preamp. If you have a turntable, a television, a phone, a computer, and a streaming device, The Fives II can connect to all of them simultaneously. They are not a budget convenience product. They are a serious loudspeaker with real Klipsch engineering — a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter mounted in a Tractrix horn, a 5.25-inch copper-spun IMG woofer, and a Class D amplifier section that delivers enough clean power to fill a medium-sized room without strain.
The buyer for The Fives II is someone who knows what they want from audio — clarity, dynamics, bass weight, imaging — but does not want to build a rack of separate components to get it. They may be setting up a home office system, a bedroom system, or a compact living room rig. They may be coming from a soundbar and want to understand, for the first time, what a real loudspeaker sounds like. Or they may be a seasoned listener who wants a secondary system that is still uncompromisingly good. The Fives II serves all of these use cases. The Gen II update brings a refined crossover, updated driver voicing, and a cleaner amplifier implementation compared to the original Fives, making this the version worth buying if you are starting fresh.
The Engineering Behind the Sound
The most important thing to understand about any Klipsch speaker is the horn. Every Klipsch loudspeaker, from their most affordable bookshelf models to their flagship Heritage line, uses a Tractrix horn to load the tweeter. This is not a styling choice. Horn loading dramatically increases the efficiency of the tweeter — The Fives II are rated at 96 dB sensitivity, which is extraordinarily high for a speaker of this size. High sensitivity means the tweeter needs far less power to reach a given volume level, which reduces distortion and compression at normal listening levels. The result is a sense of effortless dynamics that sealed-dome or waveguide designs in this price range cannot match. Transients — the crack of a snare, the leading edge of a plucked guitar string — arrive with a speed and precision that makes the music feel live rather than reproduced.
The 5.25-inch woofer uses a copper-spun IMG (Injection Molded Graphite) cone. Graphite composite cones are rigid and lightweight — the combination that defines ideal piston behavior in a woofer. The copper finish is not purely cosmetic; it is Klipsch's standard marker for drivers built to tighter tolerances within their product lineup. The woofer crosses over to the tweeter at 1,500 Hz, keeping the horn-loaded tweeter out of the upper-bass frequencies where phase anomalies can smear imaging and muddy the midrange.
The amplifier inside The Fives II is a Class D design — switching amplification that is highly efficient and produces very little heat, making it well-suited to the enclosed cabinet environment. Klipsch does not publish the wattage specification in a way that allows direct apples-to-apples comparison with separates, which is common across the powered speaker category, but the real-world output is sufficient for any reasonably sized room at normal to loud listening levels. More meaningfully, the amplifier is voiced to complement the speaker's sensitivity and the horn's character — you are not mixing a generic amp module with a purpose-built loudspeaker. The system is designed together, and it sounds like it.
Connectivity: Why It Matters More Than the Spec Sheet Suggests
The Fives II includes HDMI ARC, an optical digital input, an analog RCA input, a 3.5mm aux input, USB-C audio, Bluetooth 5.0, and a built-in phono preamplifier for moving-magnet cartridges. This is a more complete input suite than most integrated amplifiers at twice the price, and it is the feature that makes The Fives II genuinely useful as a whole-room solution rather than just a music speaker.
The phono preamp deserves particular attention. The Fives II can connect directly to any turntable with a standard moving-magnet cartridge — an Audio-Technica AT-LP120, a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, a Rega Planar 1 — without any additional hardware. The built-in phono stage performs well above expectations for a powered speaker and is entirely competent for casual to serious vinyl listening. Audiophiles running a very low-noise cartridge or a high-output moving-coil may eventually want an outboard phono stage, but for the vast majority of buyers, the built-in stage is the right and complete starting point.
The HDMI ARC input allows The Fives II to connect to the ARC port on a modern television and receive audio with a single cable, controlled by the TV's volume remote. This is stereo PCM audio — The Fives II do not support eARC or Dolby Atmos passthrough, which they should not be expected to at this price point and in this product category. For television dialogue, music, and stereo content from streaming services, HDMI ARC is clean and convenient. If your primary use case is multi-channel movie surround sound, The Fives II is not the right tool. If it is music and television audio in a stereo system, HDMI ARC works exactly as intended.
Bluetooth 5.0 provides a stable wireless connection from phones, tablets, and computers. The wireless implementation supports aptX, which improves on standard SBC encoding and is audibly superior for streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, or Apple Music. To take advantage of aptX, your source device must also support it — most modern Android devices and many laptops do. Apple devices negotiate to AAC instead, which the Fives II handles without issue. There is also a 3.5mm input for legacy devices and a USB-C audio input for direct connection to modern laptops without an adapter.
How The Fives II Compares to the Original Fives and The Sevens II
The original Klipsch The Fives established this product category when it launched and remains one of the more important powered speaker releases of the last decade. The Fives II refines rather than reinvents: the crossover has been updated, the amplifier section is cleaner, and the driver voicing is tighter in the upper midrange, which is where horns can become fatiguing in lesser implementations. If you own the original Fives and are happy with them, upgrading is not urgent. If you are choosing between the two new, buy the Fives II without hesitation.
The Klipsch The Sevens II steps up to a 6.5-inch woofer at $1,999 per pair, which adds meaningful bass extension and output in larger rooms. The Sevens II is better suited to rooms above 200 square feet where the larger woofer has space to perform at its best. For most desktop, bedroom, and medium living room applications, The Fives II at $1,399.99 is the smarter starting point — it is a complete system with no meaningful compromises for its intended use case, and it is easier to place correctly because the smaller woofer is less sensitive to room boundaries and bass buildup near walls. The $600 difference between the two is real money, and for the right room and the right listener, The Sevens II earns it. For everyone else, The Fives II is the one to buy.
At All Elite Audio, we have listened extensively to both. The Fives II images better on a desk or near-field stand setup. The Sevens II takes over a room. We are glad to help you choose the right one for your space.
Placement and Setup
The Fives II are rear-ported, which means they benefit from some breathing room behind the cabinet — ideally four to six inches from the back wall. Too close to the wall and the bass will become thick and one-note; pulled out into the room, the low end tightens and the midrange clarity improves noticeably. On a media console or bookshelf, give them as much rear clearance as the room allows. Toe the speakers in toward your listening position so the tweeters aim roughly at your ears — the Tractrix horn has a defined dispersion pattern and rewards proper aiming more than a broadly radiating dome tweeter would. Tweeter height at ear level when seated produces the best imaging and the most precise stereo soundstage.
The right speaker houses the amplifier and all inputs; the left speaker connects via the included speaker cable. Setup from unboxing to music takes less than ten minutes, and the included remote handles volume and input switching from your listening position without requiring a phone or app.
Key Specifications
Type: Powered stereo bookshelf speakers (sold as pair) Tweeter: 1" aluminum dome, Tractrix horn-loaded Woofer: 5.25" copper-spun IMG cone Crossover Frequency: 1,500 Hz Sensitivity: 96 dB (1W/1m) Frequency Response: 54 Hz – 21 kHz (±3 dB) Amplifier: Class D (built-in) Inputs: HDMI ARC Inputs: Optical digital (Toslink) Inputs: Analog RCA stereo Inputs: 3.5mm aux Inputs: USB-C audio Inputs: Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX) Phono Preamp: Built-in, moving-magnet (MM) compatible Subwoofer Output: Yes, RCA line-level Remote Control: Yes, included Dimensions (each): 7.28" W × 11.82" H × 8.85" D Weight: ~14 lbs (right/amp channel); ~11 lbs (left channel) Finish Options: Matte Black, Walnut Warranty: 2-year limited Price: $1,399.99/pair
Why Buy From All Elite Audio
All Elite Audio is an authorized Klipsch dealer, which means every speaker we sell is covered by the full manufacturer's warranty and supported by Klipsch's service network. We are not a gray-market retailer or a third-party marketplace seller. When you buy The Fives II from us, you are buying a product that Klipsch will honor — and you are buying it from people who have actually listened to it and can answer real questions about setup, system matching, and whether this is the right product for your room.
Call 443-402-5055 / Text 443-402-5064 / Visit 1921 York Rd, Timonium, MD 21093. Authorized Klipsch dealer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Klipsch The Fives II and the original Klipsch The Fives?
The Fives II is a refined second-generation version of the original Fives, not a ground-up redesign. The core architecture — horn-loaded tweeter, IMG woofer, Class D amplification, full input suite — is carried forward from the original. Klipsch updated the crossover network in the Gen II, which improves the transition between the woofer and the horn-loaded tweeter in the critical 1–2 kHz band where many listeners spend most of their musical energy. The amplifier section is also updated for lower noise and better channel separation. The original Fives remains a very good product; the Fives II is simply the better one to buy if you are starting fresh.
Does The Fives II include a cartridge or turntable?
No. The Fives II are loudspeakers only. They include a built-in phono preamplifier to accept the signal from a turntable with a moving-magnet cartridge, but the turntable itself is sold separately. If you do not already own a turntable, All Elite Audio carries a full selection of compatible options — from entry-level Audio-Technica models to the Pro-Ject and Rega lines. We can put together a complete turntable-and-speaker pairing recommendation based on your budget and how seriously you want to pursue vinyl.
Do I need an external phono preamp to use The Fives II with a turntable?
No, not for a standard moving-magnet turntable. The Fives II has a built-in MM phono preamp connected directly to the RCA inputs. If your turntable has its own built-in phono stage — many entry-level decks do — you will need to set that stage to bypass mode before connecting to The Fives II, otherwise the signal runs through two phono stages and the result will be distorted and over-bright. If your turntable does not have a built-in stage, connect it directly to the phono input on The Fives II and you are ready. Moving-coil cartridges require a dedicated MC phono stage, which The Fives II does not provide.
What does the HDMI ARC input do, and does it support eARC or Dolby Atmos?
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) allows your television to send audio back through an HDMI cable to The Fives II, so you can use the TV's remote to control volume without a separate audio receiver. The Fives II supports standard ARC, which carries stereo PCM audio from your TV. It does not support eARC, which would be required for lossless Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio passthrough. For stereo music, streaming service audio, and standard television content, this is not a practical limitation — HDMI ARC delivers clean digital audio and integrates seamlessly with most modern televisions.
How do The Fives II compare to The Klipsch Sevens II?
The Sevens II uses a 6.5-inch woofer compared to the 5.25-inch driver in The Fives II, which adds meaningful bass extension and increases maximum output in larger rooms. At $1,999 per pair, The Sevens II represents a $600 step up from The Fives II at $1,399.99. In rooms above 200 square feet, or for listeners who play music at consistently high volumes, that step up is worth it. For desktops, bedrooms, and medium living rooms where near-field or medium-field listening is the primary use case, The Fives II is the right call and the better value for the application. Come into All Elite Audio and we will walk you through both.
Can I add a subwoofer to The Fives II?
Yes. The Fives II includes a dedicated RCA line-level subwoofer output that allows you to connect any powered subwoofer. The subwoofer crossover is managed by the sub itself, so you will set the sub's crossover point to blend with The Fives II's bass output — typically somewhere between 60 and 80 Hz works well for most rooms and most music. Adding a subwoofer is not necessary in most listening environments, but it is a genuine and well-implemented option if you want deeper bass extension for music, movies, or both.
What Bluetooth codecs does The Fives II support?
The Fives II uses Bluetooth 5.0 and supports the aptX codec in addition to standard SBC. AptX provides lower latency and higher bitrate wireless audio compared to SBC, which is meaningful when streaming from services like Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music HD, or Apple Music. To take advantage of aptX, your source device must also support it — most modern Android devices and many laptops do. Apple devices use AAC over Bluetooth instead, which The Fives II handles without issue, though the connection will negotiate to AAC rather than aptX with Apple sources.
Is the volume control on The Fives II analog or digital?
The volume control is digital, managed through the amplifier's DSP section. This is standard across powered speakers in this category and has no meaningful audible downside at normal listening levels. The included remote control adjusts volume through the same digital path, and Bluetooth volume is integrated into the same control system. Some listeners accustomed to analog attenuators in separates notice a subtle difference in behavior at the very lowest volume steps, but this is not a practical concern at typical home listening levels.
How should I position The Fives II for best sound?
The Fives II are rear-ported, so they perform best with at least four to six inches of clearance behind the cabinet. On a desk, position them as close to the front edge as practical. On a media console, leave as much rear clearance as the room allows. Toe them in toward your listening position so the tweeters aim at your ears — the Tractrix horn has a defined dispersion pattern and rewards proper aiming more than a broadly radiating dome tweeter would. Tweeter height at ear level when seated produces the best imaging and the most coherent stereo presentation.
Where can I buy Klipsch The Fives II and get expert advice?
All Elite Audio in Timonium, Maryland is an authorized Klipsch dealer with The Fives II in stock at $1,399.99 per pair. We are not an online-only retailer — you can visit us, hear these speakers, and make a fully informed decision before you buy. We are also available by phone and text for remote orders and pre-purchase questions. Call 443-402-5055, text 443-402-5064, or visit us at 1921 York Rd, Timonium, MD 21093.
