If you buy multiple pairs, you can have them stream audio together or separately using Apple AirPlay 2, all controlled through the KEF Control app. But they also make much more affordable models that deliver killer sound without killing your wallet. More importantly, we spend an awful lot of time thinking about how to improve it. Their Reference Wireless 5.1, in our opinion, is one of the top packages available. On the other hand, the The Fives features a 1" Titanium Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 1 x 4.5" Fiber-composite Woofer . So if I go with the Klipsch here is my selection, I use for 99% movies and regular tvt, streaming movies. The Fives also ship with a remote control that runs off of two AAA batteries (included). Back to our High-End Wireless Speaker Picks Back to Our Comparison Table. then what would you recommend to pair with the Pinnacle fronts for the rears? With no cables save those for powering the speakers, youll have a full 5.1 wireless home theater setup in minutes. Theres also Amazon Music HD. But there are better options available right now.See the McIntosh RS250. In our opinion, it blows other single-box speakers, like the Devialet Phantom II, out of the water. The Prime Wireless Pro speakers have redesigned cabinets and woofers, a better display, and a new remote. You will obviously pay more for advanced technology, and we will be honest, the differences can sometimes be very minor. Its becoming more and more common among wireless speakers, and, unlike Apple AirPlay 2, it will not drain the batteries of the source device. If you find yourself listening to music over Bluetooth more often than not, and you want a premium pair of wireless speakers, then we recommend the Dynaudio XEO 10. Here, very briefly, are what different classes of amp mean. Base Surface Area Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Klipsch The Fives is clearly the larger of the two speakers. These services provide vast catalogues of music to listen to, and if youre intending to buy a good high-end speaker, its worth considering their pros and cons. Peak wattage, on the other hand, is the maximum amount of wattage a speaker can pump out in a short period of time. You get Bluetooth 5.0, but not having those advanced standards is, frankly, a bit pathetic. With some wide separation between the speakers, you get a wonderful spatial feel on recordings like thissomething that soundbars and all-in-one speakers cant touch. Wi-Fi streaming has better audio, but obviously requires that you be tethered to a network. Getting precise volume adjustments is almost impossible, which can make using the TUKs frustrating. Thats pretty rare, and it helps that the Prime Wireless Pro sound (predictably) terrific, with great bass. The exterior is the same, but theres a new bass management system with full user control. Loudness, after all, can be controlled. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth: Bluetooth (Version Unavailable)File Handling: Up to 24bit / 192kHz (Streaming)Roon Ready: NoWhat We Like: Confident sound and sleek design at a friendly price.What We Dont: We really wish it had Wi-Fi functionality. Given that the overly busy low end was the RS200s achilles heel, thats a good enough change to move the RS250 up a couple of spots on our list. JavaScript is disabled. SVS Prime Wireless Pro Speaker System and SoundBase 4 Things to Listen for When Choosing New Speakers. In all, this is better connectivity than some soundbars we test. What we are trying to say is: the quality isnt great, at least right now. The Devialet Phantom II is, quite obviously, the second version of the popular Phantom series, and it adds Apple AirPlay 2 as well as Roon Ready functionality. The Prime Wireless requires 47% less surface area than the The Fives which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces. Its a software protocol that allows the communication between drives and speakers, which means that you can easily play your digital files on your speaker. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. It is simple to use, and its Spotify Connect service allows it to instantly identify and stream to compatible speakers. All the same, in terms of sound quality, it utterly smokes other similarly priced speakers like the McIntosh RS200, below.See the Devialet Phantom II. Sony MASTER Series | harman/kardon AVR | Klipsch Reference Premiere | KEF UniQ | PlayStation | Mohu Leaf | hue Play | MediaLight | logitech Harmony | CyberPower PFC UPS. Its quite capable of receiving analogue inputs (from a turntable, say) but this analogue sound will need to be converted back to digital to be sent to the speakers, which can result in artifacts in the audio. Prime Wireless has a frequency range of 52-25k Hz whereas The Fives has a frequency range of 50-25k Hz. With or without the grilles, these speakers look fantasticthe surface underneath the grilles is all black, and the horns, in particular, catch the light in a lovely way. Perhaps we should say apps, plural. As good as wireless speakers are, even the best of them cant really compete with the dedicated hi-fi system; one with a set of passive speakers, a dedicated amp, and conversion components. SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker Pair. We still think that the LS50 Wireless 2s are among the best wireless speakers available, but there are arguably better options.See the KEF LS50 Wireless 2. For example, lets say you have the $1,250 KEF LSX (full review here). You need to make sure that you have an HDMI ARC or eARC connection on your speaker and TV, which will allow your TV to send audio to it. The acoustic strums are also delivered with bright, crisp detailwhat we end up with is a lovely balance. Their newly updated Five speaker proves it. I've been a contributing editorfor PCMag since 2011. Being Powered speakers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them. In this section, we are going to compare SVS Prime Wireless's and Klipsch The Fives's external dimensions. At both high and moderate volumes, they deliver a powerful, balanced audio experience. Class A Amplifiers are among the most common, and tend to offer clean sound with very low distortion. The sound quality is rich and powerful, easily on par with similarly priced wired sets. Klipsch make some of the finest hi-fi speakers on the planet, and although they arent the first choice for wireless audio, they are definitely worth considering. A higher sample rate (which is measured in Hertz, or Hz) is always a good thing, and in general, you should never settle for a sample rate less than 44,100 Hz (44.1kHz). Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. They are far better than the SVS speakers, and as a bonus, do not use the execrable Play-Fi app. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. I was not impressed with the Klipsch RP series when I listened to them. If you play a file with a larger sample rate than that, it will still play fine, but it will be compressed and you may lose a tiny amount of detail. Before that, I was PCMag's lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. RMS stands for Root Mean Square, And without wanting to get involved in the maths, it refers to the amount of power a speaker can put out over a sustained period. The Klipsch Fives are also a very attractive small bookshelf speaker that sports a nice finish (available in Matte Black and Walnut) that is at once modern and vintage looking. This is particularly true with Bluetooth, where the Xeo 10s perform much better. Thats a real shame, as it does limit the appeal of the Sonos set. Speakers with large output wattages will be more suitable for larger rooms, and more capable of filling them. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. The base surface area of the SVS Prime Wireless Pro is approximately 414.0cm2 / 64.2inch2 and base area of the Klipsch The Fives is approximately 466.6cm2 / 72.3inch2. And not just because its easier to pronounce. Devialet are best known for making the Phantom and Reactor speakers, which deliver extraordinary bass, and some of that carries into the Mania. Its also worth noting that sometimes sample rates over wireless streaming and sample rates via physical, wired connection can differ. Generally speaking, we would advise against trying to hack this. i want to hear your opinions on SVS vs Klipsch and also what you recommend for SVS ultra booksshelf speakers or prime towers with ultra for surrounds? Achieving this is relatively simple, as long as you go for a manufacturer that has taken it into consideration and designed its speakers accordingly. Its not a coincidence that most of the top end speakers on our list use it. It should also be noted that The Fives can get quite loud. Its a fascinating piece of music software. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, TVs, projectors, screens, receivers, speakers, projects, DIYs, product reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! In addition, the service has a feature known as Tidal Masters, which are albums encoded in a special format called MQA (Master Quality Authenticated). Not one but two apps are required for setup here, which is utterly absurd in our opinion. No possible. For one thing, they have full Wi-Fi streaming, which the Kanto speakers do not. Also i suggest using a Denon with them cause the room correction makes a big difference and enables a bunch of options. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. That being said, in the high-end audio world, Tidal is by far the most common streaming service. The SVS Prime Wireless Speaker System represents a seismic shift in the world of audio because it refutes the notion that smart wireless speakers can't provide a thrilling and immersive audio experience. For more information, please see our The grilles are attractive and have a retro Klipsch logo emblazoned on a medallion in the lower right corner. A forum community dedicated to home theater owners and enthusiasts. This set consists of an Arc soundbar, a Sub, and two surround One SL speakers, and is an absolute dream to set up and use. You may be able to use Spotify for free (with various restrictions, such as unskippable ads) but generally, we dont recommend it. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineermy love of recording audio eventually led me to writingaboutaudiogear. What was once a mass-produced, cheap item has become a high-end essential, as audio companies outdo each other to produce the bestwireless or Bluetooth speaker. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. While it cannot beat the Sonos 5.1 Surround Set for ease-of-use, it certainly beats it on sound. The KIN PLAY has one of the widest and most forgiving sweet spots weve ever encountered, and it is almost absurdly easy to pick out the spacing of different instruments in a song. But they are still worth bearing in mind. for the rears i will be using a amp and svs wifi accessory to connect the speakers as i cant run wires. Up top on the main speaker, there are attractive built-in rotary dial source selectors and volume controls. We have a couple on our list, and we think the best right now is the Sonos 5.1 Surround Set. Privacy Policy. There are two main ones youll encounter, and both serve to transfer digital audio to the speaker. If you were to put the Bluetooth-based $299 Klipsch The Three II against the Wi-Fi-based Sonos Five at $599, youd find that the Klipsch actually edges the Sonos speaker. At under $2,000, its surprisingly affordable, given the fact that it contains so many brilliantly designed speakers. There is, however, no Wi-Fi functionality. ago It becomes even more of a problem when you consider that the LS50 Wireless 2 are beaten, in terms of sound quality, by less expensive models like the $1,600 Dynaudio Xeo 10s. I suggest you sit in front of them for a extended period of time to form your own evaluation. Everything we do is geared towards creating bigger, better sound. Youll want to place these, ideally, at least a couple of feet away from walls. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth: Both (Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX HD)File Handling: UnavailableRoon Ready: YesWhat We Like: Impeccable multi-room audio with tight, authoritative sound.What We Dont: A little more dependent on Roon than we would like. 4.0 is basic, 4.2 is much better, and 5.0 is the best (so far). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Its perfectly acceptable, but can come across as a little too bass-heavy at times, even feeling a touch bloated. And somehow, amazingly, SVS are still using the DTS Play-Fi app for wireless streaming control. In a traditional setup, that power comes from speaker wire, and thats obviously not a factor here. The first is that each of your wireless speakers will need its own mains plug. Base Surface Area Comparison Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited. Those are the analog connections, but theres also a digital panel with Optical and USB inputs. SVS Prime Wireless Pro has external dimensions of 295 x 180 x 228mm ( 11.61 x 7.09 x 8.96 inch) whereas Klipsch The Fives has external dimensions of 314.3 x 165.1 x 282.6mm ( 12.375 x 6.5 x 11.125inch) . Thats nuts. Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited. Theyre expensive, for one$300 more than the original Prime Wireless, which is mad. Whatever your reason is, its a useful feature to have, and requires virtually no technological skill whatsoever. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/svs-ultras-vs-klipsch-rp.110327/. No Pinnacle with Ultra surround speakers? Both Prime Wireless and The Fives have rear firing ports. If you do want a speaker that can handle these two sources, youll need to spend even more. The first is that many digital streams are capped. The same LEDs, when you adjust the volume, momentarily become meters, gradually fading until only one is lit (when at the lowest volume levels) or all of them are (at maximum volume). Everything you need to know about headphone specs. And not just in terms of sound quality, which is authoritative and tight. Klipsch RP-280F, RP-450C, Infinity Primus P363, Hsu VTF-15H Mk1, If you are in EU then check Canton on wall speakers. But unfortunately, it has some limitations, like not being able to listen to CD quality streams through the desktoponly through the app. Both speakers house rear-firing ports for efficient driver movement and airflow. The streaming quality varies, but is for the most part very good. The SVS Prime Wireless speakers are less expensive and have a little less personality when compared to The Fives, but I have to think that a customer shopping or considering The Fives is going to put a premium on aesthetics and as such will likely side with the Klipsch. detailed comparison. The difference in performance will sound more subtle on certain tracks than others, but it's easy to switch back and forth with the remote. We reserve the right to change our opinion here, but we think that Tidal is a better and more affordable option for now. Its circuitry is just better. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy. As good as the sound is, those who desire high-end clarity may find it a little rough around the edges. Sound Experts Blogs. Premium Bookshelf Speaker Stands by Sanus (UB-SF26) This handsome Sanus steel stand is the perfect choice for the Ultra Bookshelf loudspeaker. The main speaker weighs 11.8 pounds and the secondary one is 10.7 pounds. One thing to be aware of is that AirPlay 2 does tend to drain the batteries of the source device. Using these wireless bookshelf models now is a breeze, and as a result, we think they are among the best stereo wireless speakers around. Sample rate and bit depth are a method of determining the quality of a particular piece of audio. One thing wed say though is that unless you are fiendishly devoted to the apex of audio quality, its not worth trying to reach the highest sample rate possible. We hope that will change, but for now, consider it as an added bonus. Despite only having 60 million tracks, versus 130 million for Spotify, its well worth it. On the face of it, the differences between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming are obvious. To start with, there are multiple Bluetooth versions, indicated by a number. Prime Wireless Pro has a frequency range of 42-25k Hz whereas The Fives has a frequency range of 50-25k Hz. It maxes out at 320 kbps (kilobits per second), which is about as much as you get from an old-school MP3. They offer gorgeous sound, a slick design that's at once retro and modern, and tons of inputs. Despite the cost, it has become so ubiquitous that many speakers and manufacturers advertise themselves as Roon Ready, which means that the software will automatically detect their presence on Wi-Fi and allow you to route your music directly to them without having to use services like Apple AirPlay 2. The result is superb, and as a bonus, the LS50 Wireless 2 dispenses with the multiple apps that were required to set up it predecessor. The higher the number, the more data it is able to send, which means there will be more detail in the audio. For starters, these types of speakers are generally not designed to be portable. The SVS Prime Wireless Pro or Kanto TUK speakers, below, may offer better sound quality, and the top-ranked Naim speaker may pull off multi-room too, but Sonos make it beautifully simple to connect multiple speakers across the house. "Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment not marketing slogans", Get our latest product reviews and AV stories emailed to you weekly. This makes the The Fives 22% heavier than the Prime Wireless. The audio quality is richer and deeper than other similarly priced speakers like the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo, with a blacker background and superior spatial dynamics. Base Surface Area Comparison Theres no Class C amplifier (dont ask us why), but there is a Class D amplifier. The Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo may be among the most expensive wireless speakers on this list, but they truly deliver. Here is a comparison of how Prime Wireless Pro and The Fives's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Bookshelf class. They have a much wider range of inputs and outputs than single-box speakers like the McIntosh RS250, and even include an optical input so you can use them both for home theater and hi-fi. There are very few absolutes in the audio world, but heres one for free: nobody, but nobody, does multi-room better than Sonos. The Devialet Phantom II is one of those speakers that utterly redefines what you think about audio. You can ignore peak wattage and concentrate on RMS, which will give you a much better idea of speaker power. The base surface area of the SVS Prime Wireless is approximately 248.0cm2 / 38.4inch2 and base area of the Klipsch The Fives is approximately 466.6cm2 / 72.3inch2. To be honest, they didnt impress us, and had none of the soundstage or realism of their bigger brother. It has an HDMI input that allows you to connect it to your TVsomething the Phantom lacksand it can operate in both single and stereo setups if you buy an additional speaker. We use affiliate links andmay receive a small commission on purchases. Its not the best high-end wireless speaker available, but it is the best if you plan to buy more than one. Its body is 10.1mm wider, 54.3mm taller and 122.6mm deeper than SVS Prime Wireless. Several speakers on our list have this functionality, including the KEF LSX (full review here). Cookie Notice Our take: if you can afford it, its one of the best ways to experience your music, and is as essential to your hi-fi system as a good DAC or streaming service. The biggest downside of the Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation is the control app, which you will need to listen to Tidal, as well as music taken from digital inputs and servers. It is unquestionably the most popular streaming service in the world, with over 30 million tracks and 130 million listeners. The fact the the McIntosh RS250 isnt in the top ten is more of a reflection of how other speakers offer more, for less. But we test a fair number of soundbars in this price range, and with The Fives, Klipsch aims to provide a hearty, left/right channel alternative. If you want something with more depth and power than a single box or bookshelf speaker system, then this is where you need to go. With a minimum frequency of 42Hz, the Prime Wireless Pro can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the The Fives's min frequency of 50Hz. SVS Prime Wireless Pro is 19.3mm shorter and 54.6mm less deeper than Klipsch The Fives but it is also 14.9mm wider. For the black model, the grilles have a grid-like tweed pattern, while the walnut grilles have a less geometric, more natural crosshatched tweed pattern. There are no analogue inputs, which means you wont be able to connect an external turntable or DAC. If you have an iOS or MacOS device, then Apple AirPlay 2 is the easiest way to send audio to an external speaker. I love my Klipsch RP. The sound quality is stupendous, and the design, which prioritises spectacle, is nothing short of magnificent. Not sure if these will work since you're out of the USA but Emotiva, Chane, and Ascend are often recommended here. I definitely think the Klipsch RP are better, though. Featuring an extra-large and stable base with rubber isolation feet and optional carpet spikes, dual heavy-gauge fillable support shafts with a hidden wire channel, a resonance damping and isolation . Thats because the Ferrari has more power under the hood. We would love to tell you the file sizes it can take, but we just dont have that info. Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Prime Wireless and Klipsch The Fives in scale. It can convert audio from digital to analogue through an included DAC, and it can even have its own amplifier, meaning you only need a single box solution to power your speakers. In this case, you have to make your own mind up. Later this year, Klipsch claims there will be support in the Klipsch Connect app (for Android and iOS) for The Fives, which should include EQ to tweak the sound signature. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. The Fives from Klipsch look and sound fantastic, with far more connectivity options than your standard pair of bookshelf speakers. SVS Prime Wireless Pro 2-Way Active Wireless Bookshelf Speakers (Piano Gloss White, Pair) You Pay: $899.99 Add to Cart Add to Wish List Klipsch The Fives Heritage Wireless 2-Way Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers (Walnut, Pair) (3) Shipping Free Standard Shipping Order now to ship tomorrow No Longer Available Technical Specifications Its designed by Sony, and if you can get both your source device and your speaker to use it, you will get some seriously great sound. Class B In many ways the opposite: they dont run all that hot, but can sometimes be guilty of a little distortion. Bit depth indicates the amount of information contained in each of those samples. Theres also a new phono stage, and redesigned analog outputs. Very often you will have to download a dedicated app, and if theres one thing we discovered while testing speakers for this article, its that audio companies sometimes struggle creating usable apps. Its not often that we review powered bookshelf speakers these days, and it's even rarer when they cost $799. Read our review to find out You must log in or register to reply here. We cant think of a wireless speaker that performs quite as well at such an affordable pricetag.