Klipsch The Sixes Review
As an American brand, Klipsch has always been rugged and atmospheric, in my impression. In the home theater market, Klipsch’s subwoofer is also impressive. Not only is the low-frequency volume rich, but also in terms of control is quite good. The excellent quality makes Klipsch a place in many home theater audio brands. In this post, I will review Klipsch the Sixes speaker, an active speaker with a Bluetooth function.
When I carefully tasted its sound performance, I was even a little surprised by its sound. Klipsch the Sixes has pleasing sound and rich details and Klipsch’s consistent design style and sound taste. Magnificent low-frequency sense of volume and control.
Design
Klipsch the Sixes is an active bookshelf speaker with two units, two sound paths(treble and the bass), and a bass-reflex port-type design style. It is equipped with a 1-inch titanium tweeter. And there is a waveguide to help the tweeter spread in the front of the unit.
The critical point is that the treble horn opening is Kilpsch’s own signature Tractrix square model corner opening. Of course, audio manufacturers have their tricks when designing this horn opening. Some are designed to be flat, some are designed to be round, and some are designed to be oval.
As for which one is better various designs have their truth. This square model of Klipsch horns lies in its excellent diffusion, and the sound coupled with the shape of the horn is not sharp, and the sound is harmonious and soft.
The mid-bass is a 6.5-inch woofer. The bass is more profound, fuller, and looser. Bass reflex design, the reflection hole is at the back, leaving a little space away from the back wall when positioning.
The built-in amplifier has a power of 100W per channel, which can be regarded as a medium-power amplifier, and it is pretty easy to drive Klipsch the Sixes. According to the data provided by the manufacturer, the low-frequency extension can reach 40Hz, and the maximum sound pressure measured at 1M is 106dB.
The electronic circuits are all inside the right(main) speaker and are connected to the left speaker through a 4pin connector speaker cable. The terminal on the back panel of the right speaker shows its multiple functions. It has two sets of analog inputs, one set of 3.5mm and one RCA input.
Among them, RCA input can also choose high-level input or phono input. The former can be used to connect to any high-level output source, such as a CD turntable, and the latter can be directly connected to a vinyl turntable without the need to purchase a phono amplifier.
There is also a ground terminal on the side. In addition to analog, there are digital inputs, optical inputs, and USB type-B inputs. The former can be connected to a TV, Apple TV, or Blu-ray player, and the latter can be connected to a computer. In addition, the built-in USB DAC of The Sixes can support 24bit/192KHz signal decoding, which is suitable for high-resolution music.
It’s a pity that it doesn’t have a WiFi function. I used it very happy when I tried The Three. Unfortunately, The Sixes cannot use a WiFi connection. However, it has an extra subwoofer output. So if you feel that the bass is not enough, buy a subwoofer to form a 2.1 system, and it will be more enjoyable to watch movies.
Sound Performance
Next, it’s time to talk about the sound performance of the Klipsch Sixes speaker. Before this, I had heard that this speaker was very suitable for listening to American rock. Therefore, I only talk about the speaker’s sound from the music I am familiar with. You can say Klipsch the Sixes. The sound characteristics are very distinctive. First of all, as I said before, its sound is quite delicate, and its resolution is excellent enough to hear rich sound details.
During the listening that lasted for several hours, I played various types of music before and after, including pop, rock, light music, and even classical music. Thanks to the exquisite expressiveness and analysis of the speaker itself, basically any music can be controlled.
There is also a need to explain Bluetooth playback specifically. As long as the front-end equipment has a sufficiently high music file resolutions output, The Sixes’ performance will not be much worse than CD playback. On the contrary, the sound quality is quite good.
Another feature of Klipsch the Sixes speaker is its low-frequency power. This pair of speakers is indeed the one I have heard so far with the most low-frequency volume with such a size. With the low-frequency extension, laying a solid foundation for music, music can be produced steadily. The sound is thick and stable.
Listen to Schubert’s Trout Quintet. Generally, bookshelf speakers have the challenge to deliver this song, probably because the bass is not rich enough to show the double bass’s vast body and thick feeling. But this piece of music is easy for The Sixes.
It is not difficult to hear the double bass behind it. The sound grains that are plucked are elastic and soft, like blooming clouds. With the bass, the song sounds more contrasting and more powerful.
The last point is its output sound pressure. The speaker uses a 100W Class D amplifier with a peak power of 200W. As a result, Klipsch the Sixes can indeed output considerable sound pressure. As a small home speaker, such a significant output sound pressure is undoubtedly beyond my imagination. However, if you pair it with a subwoofer, you can believe it even if you use it to watch a movie.
Conclusion
For a long time, many manufacturers have developed different types of speakers according to different occasions and needs. They also emphasize materials and tuning styles, such as home theater speakers and Hi-Fi speakers. Desktop speakers, bookshelf boxes, floor-standing speakers, etc., are of significant difference.
Now, we can see that these differences are becoming increasingly blurred. Like Klipsch the Sixes speaker, the sound is delicate and well-resolved to be used as a Hi-Fi speaker. The role can be either a desktop speaker or a bookshelf speaker. The loud sound pressure and heavy low-frequency volume make it even when used for watching movies. Therefore, it can be said that the application is quite extensive.
Klipsch the Sixes speaker is definitely a speaker worth a try.
Klipsch the Sixes Specifications
- MAX ACOUSTIC OUTPUT: 106 dB (1M stereo pair)
- HIGH FREQUENCY DRIVERS: 1” (25.4mm) titanium tweeters on Tractrix? horns (each speaker)
- WOOFER: 6.5” (165.1mm) long-throw woofer (each speaker)
- ENCLOSURE TYPE: ported
- POWER: 100W x 2 continuous @<1% THD, 200W x 2 short term peak power
- FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 40Hz ~20kHz @ -3dB
- INPUTS: Bluetooth, 3.5mm miniplug (analog), Phono pre-amp / RCA Analog, USB Type B, Optical
- OUTPUTS: Subwoofer output
- DIMENSIONS (WxHxD): 8.625” (22cm) x 16.75” (42.55cm) x 11” (27.9cm)
- FINISH OPTIONS: Walnut
- VOLTAGE: 110/240 VAC
- WEIGHT: Right speaker: 17.74 lbs (8.05kg), Left speaker: 16.00 lbs (7.26kg)
