Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Review

We haven’t seen a lot from Klipsch in a while. Minus some wireless products here and there, there hasn’t been a big release from them in quite some time. Now, a new product has finally reached me, their latest true wireless earphone with noise-canceling capabilities. Let’s see how Klipsch capitalizes on this new release.

What You Get

• T5 II Earphones
• Charging Case
• 6 pairs of ear tips
• USB-C to USB-C charging cable
• USB-C to USB-A adapter
• Manual

Look and Feel

As for the earbuds themselves, their style is standard for Klipsch, but unique compared to most other true wireless models out there. Their construction sill maintains an ergonomic assembly that provides a suitable fit and uses physical push-in buttons over a touch-sensitive interface. By far one of the T5 II most striking qualities doesn’t even have anything to do with the earphones themselves, but with the charging case. The charging case here resembles a zippo lighter, opening sideways and made of metal that just makes it look awesome. While listening to the earbuds I found myself fidgeting with the case quite often, flipping it open and close just because it was fun. It can feel heavy in your pocket, but the case is also small enough to not cause any issue.

Design and Functionality

Inside of the T5 II is a 5mm driver that supports a high-resolution diaphragm. There are four beamforming mics built-in for nice, clear phone calls too. With a 5mm driver, the T5 II doesn’t provide a ton of volume. I had my volume set just below its peak throughout my listening, leaving me the tiniest sliver of headroom. However, using the companion app, you can activate Dirac HD mode which gives you a bit of boost. With this feature, the sound signature within ANC mode is greatly increased, making it so no sound is degraded by the nature of noise-canceling. As for the quality of the ANC itself, it’s very good considering its competition. In this range, Sony is still king, but Klipsch does a great job giving you effective cancelation with little interference.

One of my favorite aspects about the T5 II is that when you pause your music, the earbuds automatically go into transparency mode, which helped out a lot in minimizing the amount of interaction you need to have with the earphones. Even so, the functionality is very responsive, providing easily accessible controls that perform actions immediately. Lastly, the app is a great tool for the earbuds, giving you extra features like an adjustable EQ with a good number of presets, and even hands-free interaction where you can nod your head back and forth to accept or decline calls.

Bluetooth

The T5 II provides a stable connection supporting Bluetooth 5.0 for greater range and high bandwidth. I experienced no dropout during my listening time.

Battery Life

From a single charge, you should be able to get at least 8 hours of playtime from the earbuds. With the charging case, an additional 24 hours of battery life is given.

Soundstage

One of the most interesting aspects of the T5 II is its Dirac HD support, which has a significant effect on the earphone’s soundstage. Throughout my time listening to these earbuds I mostly have this setting activated, and that’s mainly due to the fact that the imaging appears more spacious within its limited headspace. You won’t get a ton of width no matter which model you have the T5 II in, but Dirac HD brings a bit more transparency between spaces, with more discernable layers and clarity. The imaging is solidified toward the middle, but further depth is created with its identifiable positioning while still appearing full in the sound signature.

Low End

While I found the bass pretty thick and punchy, the timbre wasn’t very clean or detailed. It instead relied heavily upon its positioning, producing an emphasized tonal resonance that both makes the response fun but also on the muddy side. This is mostly a mid-bass dominant low-end, but it thankfully doesn’t bleed too much and rather sticks to a tight space. Some sub-bass starts to creep up, but it isn’t giving enough texture to be all that effective.

Mids

The midrange contains a cluster of frequencies that provide some considerable body but fall flat in certain ranges. Some of the low-mids suffer from the same problem as the bass, where some slight accentuation seems to just make the timbre a little too congested, and the fundamental midrange frequencies aren’t dominant enough to balance it out. Vocals seem to take the biggest hit, being forced into these cluttered resonances just barely cutting through the sound signature. However, the timbre of these frequencies is actually quite natural once they reveal themselves, especially when you bring up these frequencies in EQ you might actually find a quite accurate response with some nice details to boot. Instrumentals are displayed a lot more clearly, especially with acoustic guitars and pianos.

Highs 

There’s a very consistent treble response with the T5 II. It shows good emphasis on the mid-highs that add the extra crisp to certain sound elements, making for the most well-textured characteristics to the sound signature as a whole. The timbre displays just enough brightness to add a good shine to the overall tonality, but it is always performed tightly and well-balanced. No harsh sibilances can be found, but it also doesn’t roll off the end so you still get a further extension in the highs.

Summary

Although the sound signature shows a few cracks in its hard shell, the Klipsch T5 II is a very worthy true wireless due to its rich features. For its price point, these earbuds give you great ANC that is more than sufficient for travel in noisier environments. The app provides more control, and a custom EQ to adjust the timbre to your liking. It’s really worth the price and if you’re looking for a good true wireless, the T5 II is definitely worth your time.

The Klipsch T5 II True Wireless is available on Amazon.