Helder

Finally, after almost 1 year, Klipsch released an upgrade addressing the issue! You will need to do the upgrade in 2 steps, via USB and then via a specific App. Install the "Klipsch The Fives Updater" and follow the instructions over there. After that "Klipsch Connect" should be the only App to use for future updates. With the update, the App now has an EQ with Bass, Mid and Treble, I would prefer to have seen 5 bands instead but this is already good, the Vocal preset solves the voice issues when watching TV/Movies and with custom I can adjust for when listening to music. I was losing hope and regretting the investment, but now sounds much better and starts to fit my expectations! Well done Klipsch, just maybe too slow for current times.

I believe bass is no longer the issue with these speakers, specially with the latest software/firmware upgrade where you have 3 levels to select from. Personally, with my current setup where they are 25cm away from the wall, I have bass on the max level and cannot complain on the bass, it is actually one of the great features of these speakers. Also I don't think bass is muffling the mids/highs, I don't hear significant improvements on the voices by cutting the bass. It looks clear that by using EQs (external or on the source) we are all achieving great results but sacrificing functionality and/or needing to make an additional investments. Truly believe the only way for Klipsch to solve all of these is to incorporate EQ functionality on the App, not only it would solve the mids/highs issues but would also give everyone the chance to adjust to their personal taste.

Just got a message from Klipsch, as I purchased these in Portugal, sending the tweeters for replacement or full direct exchange is not possible, I would need to contact the local dealer/distributor, so I don't think it will be an easy process just to find out at the end that the issue would persist 😞 We are in "violent agreement", I don't really suspect from the hardware, it must be the Firmware or Software. What EQ App can you suggest for iOS? I really want to help us prove Klipsch they must do something on the App to resolve this!

I finally got an answer from Klipsch (was waiting since Jan!), they suspect from faulty tweeters and are proposing sending these to replace. I am not inclined to this root cause, but when I read others very happy with the sound including TV voices, I will give it a try. Will bring any updates asap.

I don't think the bass issue is directly causing the tribble issue, so we may have two separate things over here: Bass There are several options to play with if this is an issue 3 bass levels on the speakers (with the latest firmware update) Speakers location (distance from front/back wall, listening position, stands, etc) On my situation, wall stands on the side of the TV cabinet solved the over bass issue (my bass sounds great even with the highest pre-set level) Tribble/Voices This is the one I am still struggling There is no adjustment on the speakers (like for the bass) I have tried all possible speakers and listening positions, from inside the TV cabinet, outside, different heights, close/away from front wall even on the floor! Tried different sources, HDMI, Bluetooth, Optical, Analog It is specially noticeable at low volumes, where I struggle to understand regular TV broadcasting voices (movies, news), but also different genres of music, voices/highs sound muffled My wife keeps turning to the TV built in speakers whenever watching 😞 and I tend to do the same (850 unused euros 😞 ) External EQ is a great solution, but it kills the overall idea of the clean setup, we lose the HDMI ARC functionality and spend extra money to solve an issue that should not be there at this price range Still waiting from Klipsch Customer Service where I reported this, three weeks passed, I am becoming nervous with this investment!

I thought about an EQ as well, but the main reason I went for the Fives was precisely to avoid any extra devices and have a clean easy to use setup (w/ the HMDI ARC I don't even need to worry about turning them on/off). The same way Klipsch already released a firmware upgrade to cut the bass, I believe they could release another one to "open" the tribble. I have contacted their customer support end of year, still waiting for an answer/solution.

Again, completely the same issue here, bass is not really the issue, kind of like it, and was one of the reasons I went for these speakers. HDMI ARC definitely ignores any TV sound adjustments, and cutting the bass on the speakers settings does not improve the voices. Having a "voice" mode on the speakers settings as suggested would probably be a good thing, I just thought that as announced they would be good for TV (broadcast, movies, news, etc) by default.

Thanks for the tip, if fact it works even if the other cable end is not connected and the bass really disappears. Anyway, cutting the bass does not really revolve the voices/highs issues.

I am soo much aligned with you Kalam, in a way it is a relief, I was starting to think it was just me being too picky 🙂 Regarding the bass, in fact placement is key. I first installed them on my TV cabinet shelves and had to use the Bass Cut all the time. Bought wall mounts, attached them to the sides of the cabinet and now I can used them with the default Bass EQ, which I actually enjoy. As for the voices/highs I am still not happy, for this price I was expecting better. And again I agree with you, this issue is more noticeable on low volumes.

Tested left/right yesterday, could not perceive difference. Living in Portugal, not sure how easy will be to replace/return them, but I contacted global Klipsch support and waiting for an answer.

I have tried that yesterday, could not perceive difference between left/right speakers. Honestly, at this price and specially with the Klipsch tweeter/horn technology I was expecting a lot more in terms of voices, so I keep suspecting of something wrong with the internal amplifier.

Understand, I could test the main speaker alone by disconnecting the slave, but not sure how could I test the slave alone.

What do you mean by both speakers? I just have one pair.

Once I select HDMI ARC as output on the TV, all sound effects become disabled so I there is nothing I can configure. I have also tried Bluetooth from my iPhone and optical from a CD player, and still the voices seam a little muffled, I miss clarity/crispy sound. Do you think there can be any speakers manufacturing issue?

Yes, they both work, I just cannot understand why voices are so muffled/low (even with "Bass Cut") compared with my TV built-in speakers, meaning I need to raise the volume to understand voices but when music or effects start the overall volume is too high and need to decrease it again.

Thanks for the tip, but with the latest software there are 3 levels of base ("Dynamic Bass EQ", "Flat" and "Bass Cut"), and I have tried them all. Even when selecting the "Bass Cut" (where base almost disappears) voices continue worst than my TV built-in speakers!

Yes, the HDMI cable is working fine. Please note the issue is not only with the HDMI input, it persists via Bluetooth, Optical, Analog or even USB inputs.

Why suspicious? Maybe I can clarify.

I am quite disappointed with the sound of my recently purchased The Fives. Hopefully I am just doing something wrong, wondering if someone can help to find out what 🙂 I am not an experienced audiophile, so not comparing to any high end system. In essence, currently my only reference are the built-in speakers of my smart TV. Sound Issues Movies The sound has for sure a lot of base, but there is no clarity on the highs, especially for the voices, where I need to raise the volume to understand during movies, and then it becomes too loud when music or effects start This is severe to the point that I had to turn them off and go back to the sound from my TV internal speakers Music Again a lot of base, but lack of clarity on the highs, where voices and some instruments are muffled My base setup Connection via HDMI ARC to my TV LG SM9010PLA Firmware: 1.5.2 Software: 5.7.5 What Have I Already Tried Reviewed the sound settings on the TV, setting sound output to PCM, Pass Through and Auto and turning on/off the eARC Adjusted the bass to "Dynamic Bass EQ", "Flat" and "Bass Cut" modes (on Flat and Cut gets slightly better on voices but still poor) Played videos from different sources HDMI Set Top Box Apple TV (LG App) Apple TV (via HDMI) Netflix (LG App) Youtube (LG App) Plex Server (LG App) Played music from different sources Apple Music via Bluetooth Youtube Music (LG App) LG Music App CD Player connected via optical cable and via analog output Placed speakers on different locations (inside my bookshelves, outside away from walls and on the floor) Could not perceive any huge difference between all the above experiments in terms of highs and voice clarity. What can I be doing wrong?