A serious audio company based in the US and founded some 73 years ago, Klipsch makes some amazing hi-if equipment. One might not have expected them to dabble in little things like wireless earphones, but it seems they do. They recently launched the T5 True Wireless earphones with which they promise comfort with specially designed oval ear-tips, legendary Klipsch sound known for its detail and dynamism, and ‘independence’ because of the versatility added to the device. But first, they come out of a case that looks different from any other.

Just about everyone agrees that the Klipsch T5 charging case looks like a Zippo lighter. The company thinks so too, apparently. It’s a brushed steel-like device, heavier than any I’ve seen before and very interesting and elegant looking. In some parts of the world, you can get Klipsch to do an engraving on it. The T5’s case is also unique in that it flips open with the top going sideways. Just a quirk. Inside are the two earphones, a flinging copper rim and logo visible immediately. The buds slip back into the case securely enough and are easy to take lighting up immediately.

Pairing to go

I had a little trouble pairing the T5 buds at first but there’s a way to do it. You have to press and hold buttons on both earbuds for three seconds to put them into pairing mode. The blue light will flash happily once to indicate pairing is done. If for some reason, they don’t automatically pair, simply press each earphone five times and take them out of the case. If there’s the slightest confusion, just head to the Klipsch site to see exactly how to pair because unfortunately despite a long pending promise, there’s no companion app yet. It’s now supposed to be released sometime early this year.

The T5 earbuds themselves have a slight retro styling as do some the other Klipsch products. The ear-tips have a conical and oval shape. Human ear canals are oval shaped, not round. Most other earphones are round, which can be uncomfortable, according to Klipsch.Their own patented oval ear tip design aims at giving a better fit, stronger seal, noise isolation, and deeper bass. The nozzle is at an upward angle and inward tilt, meant to create a seamless entry into the ear. The stem that goes into the ear canal however is one that extends more than is typical and can actually err slightly on the side of discomfort by going too far in but seem to give less of a seal. It’s probably a good idea to try out the largest extra ear-tip to see if this improves. The stem being that long also gives the feeling of imbalance and the thought that the buds may fall out. They don’t do so that easily, but if you shake extra hard, they drop.

While these earbuds are not specifically geared to sporty activities, the company does indicate you can run with them and has even made them IPX4 rated for water resistance. But since they could fall out with very vigorous activity, one would advise testing them out at home first.

Noise matters

As mentioned, the back of each earbud is a manual button. You use this for all the basic functions including calling up Google or Siri, which works quite promptly. The assistant voice is actually unexpectedly loud, so one has to be careful if already set to a loud volume. There’s no button or combination for noise cancellation since that isn’t present on these earbuds, only noise isolation dependent on the seal. The upcoming app is nevertheless supposed to bring in a hear-through feature so the user doesn’t miss important sounds from around.

The sound from the T5 earphones, like the fit and noise isolation, is dependent on the seal you achieve. They sound good, but not stellar. They should clear, balanced and neat. Bass is present but not pronounced as is preferred by Indian users. But they do sound crisp and punchy and can really get loud. In terms of soundstage, it feels more like the sound is coming from inside your head rather than around and spread out. At the same time, it’s not strangled or confined but more intimate, feeling personal and limited to you.

Battery life is rated at eight hours on a charge and three additional charges using the case. Three little lights on the case give you an idea of where you are with battery level. You can use one earbud at a time, mostly the right side one. We’d like to thank Cinebels for giving us the chance to review the T5 earphones. Cinebels is a distributor for Klipsch products and present in several cities in India.

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