Klipsch the Fives is a pair of powered speakers made by the veteran loudspeaker maker, Klipsch Audio Technologies, which has decades of experience and produced many award-winning HiFi speakers throughout the years. The Fives has received plenty of positive ratings from both its satisfied owners and the discerning critics, thanks to the powered speaker’s solid sonic performances.
They may be talented speakers but they are still bookshelf speakers with a humble woofer size and most likely unable to dish out floor-shaking bass responses when we need them to. This is why you might want to connect an active subwoofer to Klipsch the Fives and supplement their low-end reproductions. To find the right subwoofer for the job, let us learn more about the Fives powered speakers.
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Sound Characteristics of Klipsch the Fives Powered Speakers
As mentioned earlier, Klipsch the Fives have rather small woofers which are only 4.5″ in size. Above the long-throw woofers will be the 1″ (25mm) titanium dome LTS tweeter. At the back of Klipsch the Fives cabinet, you will spot a rear-firing bass-reflex Tractrix port. You can place the speaker nearer to the walls if you want to make the bass delivery more pronounced. For a more balanced overall sound reproduction, we do suggest keeping a distance between the walls and Klipsch the Fives.
For a speaker of this size, the frequency response of 50Hz-25kHz is impressive. As a powered speaker system, Klipsch the Fives has an in-built amplifier and it provides a total RMS power of 160 Watts. Without the need for an external power amplifier and together with their compact cabinet size makes Klipsch the Fives ideal as desktop speakers. Not to mention, there is also an integrated 24-bit/192kHz DAC and Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX-HD) connection, making these powered speakers well worth the price they are asking.
More Details on Klipsch the Fives at Amazon
Having a plethora of features is cool but the sound quality of Klipsch the Fives is more important. The level of clarity is as expected from any Klipsch loudspeakers, the Fives are able to deliver clean and clear sound reproduction. The treble can be rather bright-sounding and fortunately, it is not overly harsh till the point it is unbearable. Klipsch the Fives has amazing stereo imaging and separation, this allows the powered speaker system to deliver complex music passage without sounding congested and keeping the soundstage intact.
They are also able to pick up subtle details which further amazed us on how good a speaker of this price point can be. The low-end performance is surprisingly more pronounced than expected and enough to give us a punchy delivery. We find the Dynamic Bass EQ would make the bass reproduction sound bloated at times and prefer this feature to be switched off. Klipsch the Fives becomes less prominent when it reaches subsonic bass level and this might hurt your home theater experience.
If you watch movies and listen to bass-heavy soundtracks which go deep into the bass extension, adding an active subwoofer into the mix is recommended. Klipsch the Fives has a subwoofer output that you can use to connect to your sub. We will be listing out the best subwoofers you can choose to partner with your Klipsch the Fives powered speakers. You might want to take some time to set a budget first before proceeding. As an active subwoofer will take up a permanent spot in your room, you should check if you have enough floor space for it.
Klipsch the Fives Specifications
- Total RMS Power Output: 160 Watts
- Drivers: 1″ (25mm) Titanium Dome LTS Tweeters with Tractrix Horns, 4.5″ Long-Throw Woofers
- Frequency Response: 50Hz-25kHz
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX-HD)
- Audio Inputs: HDMI ARC, USB, RCA, Optical, Aux
- Audio Outputs: Subwoofer Output
Best Matching Powered Subwoofers for Klipsch the Fives
The Klipsch R-120SW will be an excellent subwoofer choice for your Klipsch the Fives as both are designed by Klipsch Audio Technologies. Since they are from the same company, they would be able to deliver a seamless overall sound reproduction where the extremely highly rated Klipsch R-120SW will produce deep and clean bass, adding more weight and authority. R-120SW is a modestly priced 12″ subwoofer with a frequency response of 29Hz-120Hz and has a peak power output of 400 Watts (200W RMS).
More Information of Klipsch R-120SW at Amazon
SVS PB-1000 Pro is another outstanding 12″ ported subwoofer but with more power and reaches deeper into the bass extension than the Klipsch R-120SW. It has a peak power of 820+ Watts (325W RMS) and a frequency response of 17Hz-260Hz. This is a powerful entry-level ported sub with the ability to shake the room with high bass output and adds rumbling subterranean low frequencies into the overall sound reproduction. The SVS PB-1000 Pro is certainly a worthy match with your Klipsch the Fives powered speakers.
More Info on SVS PB-1000 Pro at Amazon
Polk Audio PSW10 is an ideal subwoofer for listeners who have a limited budget and don’t want to compromise the bass performance. This is an extremely highly rated ported subwoofer with a 10″ dynamic balance woofer and an affordable price that will easily fit most listeners’ budgets. Polk Audio PSW10 has a clean and taut deep bass delivery, and it will match well with the Klipsch the Fives. For a ported sub at this price point, we have nothing to nitpick about the performance of PSW10 but only praises.
More Information on Polk Audio PSW10 at Amazon
When it comes to bass accuracy, a sealed cabinet subwoofer is usually a better option. The SVS SB-1000 Pro is a powerful 12-Inch sealed subwoofer and will be a suitable match with Klipsch the Fives speakers. It can deliver subsonic bass frequencies with articulation and authority. Furthermore, the SB-1000 Pro could reach down to a 20Hz bass extension, making it suitable for listening to bass-heavy music. The sealed sub uses a Sledge STA-325D amplifier where it will produce up to 820+ Watts of peak power which is more than enough for small listening rooms.
More Information on SVS SB-1000 Pro at Amazon
For listeners who are facing space constraints and still want high-quality deep bass performances then the JL Audio Dominion d108 will be an exceptional choice for you and your Klipsch the Fives. It is a very compact 8″ sealed subwoofer with up to 500 Watts of dynamic power. JL Audio Dominion d108 has a frequency response of 31Hz-112Hz (+/-1.5dB) and could even reach down to 21Hz (-10dB) which is impressive for a sub of its size. The Dominion d108 can deliver punchy bass performances with agility and tightness.
If you are using Klipsch the Fives inside a medium-sized room, you will need a more powerful subwoofer to fill the room with immense sonic energy such as the SVS PB-2000 Pro. This is a 12-Inch ported subwoofer with a whopping peak power of up to 1500+ Watts (550W RMS) and is capable of delivering down to 16Hz. The SVS PB-2000 Pro would be amazing for movie playbacks as it could produce floor-shaking and thunderous subsonic bass with ease. You can switch to “Sealed” mode for music playbacks which gives you a slightly tighter deep bass delivery.
More Information on SVS PB-2000 Pro at Amazon
Auditioning of Subwoofers
You may want to audition the potential subwoofers inside your own room as this will allow you to accurately find out how good the sub will sound when partnered with your Klipsch the Fives speakers. You can shortlist some of the subwoofers based on your room size and their price points. For a more seamless integration sonically, we suggest taking a further look into the subwoofers made by Klipsch. If you prefer performance and value then the SVS subwoofers will deserve your attention and consideration.
