I am really excited about this Audioengine HD6 and the Klipsch The Sixes article that I am putting together today. These are two very interesting and similar speakers that many people are torn between. I was already a pretty big fan of the Klipsch The Sixes before I started this today. However, I had heard a lot of good things about the Audioengine HD6 and I have used Audioengine products before and have been very happy with the results. I think that this is going to be a very close battle and it will probably be tough for me to decide which set of speakers is the best!
The Price
With around 100 bucks between them, this price category is going to be a tough one to call. I think that price is the perfect place to start this comparison article as you will know how much money you are going to have to throw down for these speakers.
Audioengine HD6:
As I write this the Audioengine HD6 are listed on Amazon for $699. There are three different colors available when it comes to these speakers, but unlike The Sixes, they are all priced at that same $699. I actually prefer that as it makes you less likely to go for a color you are not super into just because it is a lower price. I am going to advise you guys to do some real homework before buying these as right now (well as I write this) there is a set on eBay for $599. That is a fantastic price for a set of speakers of this quality!
Klipsch The Sixes:
Like the Audioengine HD6, the Klipsch The Sixes come in different colors. The version that I got to test out was the ebony ones and these are currently priced at $579 which is not a bad price at all. However, the walnut veer design is a few bucks cheaper as that comes in at $549. I know that 30 bucks is not a ton of money, but I always find it annoying how Amazon does this. For me, I would have to pay the extra 30 and get the ebony design as I much prefer that. As of me writing this, I could not find any of these on eBay, but they are quite new on the market.
The Verdict:
With the Audioengine HD6 being available closer to the 600 bucks mark than the 700 Amazon are asking for it, this is a round that is very, very tough to call. However, I do feel that I have to give this round to the Klipsch The Sixes. They are a tad cheaper, but I also think you are getting more bang for your buck with them which we will get to later.
The Design
I have to say that design is going to be the most competitive round in these two speakers contest that we have going on here today. These are two awesome sets of speakers as far as the design goes, they both have a kind of 80s and 70s vibe going on (depending on the version you get) and that is something I am a massive fan of.
Audioengine HD6:
There are three versions of the Audioengine HD6 that you can choose from the version that I am looking at today are the black ones, but there is also white and walnut available too. All three designs have the same black speaker grill and Audioengine logo on silver along the bottom of them. Have a look at this Audioengine HDP6 Passive Speaker Unboxing Review video which shows off the walnut version. The dimensions of these speakers are, 7.3 x 9.9 x 11.9 inches so they do not take up a ton of space. I just love the design of these. They have a very solid and premium feel to them thanks to the thick wood they have used and the black version that I have used thanks to that silver trim has a real 80s kind of style about them which is something I think is very, very cool.
The back of the left speaker has your connections and the Audioengine HD6 is pretty stacked when it comes to connectivity options. In addition to your standard red/white ports, you have an optical port and a standard 3.5mm aux port on the back too. There is also the power switch along with a voltage switch and an antenna which I really do not like as depending on how you have these displayed it can poke out of the top! Audioengine gives you one of the most basic looking remote controls that I have ever seen with these speakers. It is compact and I dig the silver and black design, but it gives you the most basic of control over the speakers, but to be fair, being able to turn them up and down is probably enough for most people.
Klipsch The Sixes:
You get two different designs to choose from with the Klipsch The Sixes. The version that I got to play around with are the ebony design and these are the design that I would pick if I were purchasing these. However, there is also a walnut design as well if that is more your style. The size of these is not too different from the Audioengine HD6 as the dimensions are 11 x 8.6 x 16.75 inches. These have that 80 styles which I like (although the walnut version looks more 70s) and the front of the speaker is mostly taken up by the speaker grill. What I like about the front design is the little bit of detailing we have with the logo on the top right corner of each speaker and the little brass colored rectangle at the bottom with the logo and the input and power dial on it. It also has these very smart looking feet that give it a bit of elegance too. From the front, these tick all the boxes of what I want in a set of speakers.
I was impressed with the quality of these and the wood, along with the weight give them a high-quality feel to them. Around the back of the speakers, you have your connectivity options, in addition to the standard ports you would expect, you also have an optical port and a USB port too. The top of the speakers has these four holes that have the same brass color to them as the area on the front. It is a very nice touch and helps give the speakers a little bit more personality. The remote control is your standard Klipsch remote, but it gives you all the control you will need over the speakers so I cannot complain about it at all, to be honest with you.
The Verdict:
I have to give this round to the Klipsch The Sixes. I just love the overall style of these and the premium feel of them makes them feel like they should cost closer to a grand. I like the little bit of brass coloring too and the feet these sit on are a nice touch too. Do not get me wrong, I like the style of the Audioengine HD 6, but the antenna on the back is really ugly, granted, you may not be able to see it, but there is also the chance you might, depending on where you have these in your home.
The Sound
The turntable that I used for this speakers comparison is the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN. This is the main category of this thing and I can tell you that I had an absolute blast and listened to a ton of records and also streamed some music through these with my phone too.
Audioengine HD6:
One of the things that I had heard a great deal about the Audioengine HD6 was the power that they offered, especially in the bass department. With that in mind, I made sure to listen to some music that has a lot of bass. I am a huge fan of Daft Punk and they have some awesome basslines, one of my favorites is Something About Us from their Discovery album. I was blown away by the overall power and if you listen to a lot of music with big dirty bass, you are well and truly going to be in your element here with these speakers. I thought they were going to have some real kick, but they actually had more powerful bass than I thought they were going to so I was very impressed in that regard.
Of course, I tried other types of music out with these two and I have to say that the performance of these were good, but if you are listening to music in the “mid range” things are not quite as premium as I had hoped. I listened to What’s The Story Morning Glory? By Oasis and it was certainly decent enough, but I have to say things were not quite as rich and real as what I experienced with the Klipsch The Sixes, so much so I listened to this album through both speakers back to back and I could tell a clear difference. These were easy enough to connect to my phone (I have heard some people say it is too easy to connect things to these via Bluetooth) and the quality of listening to digital music via Spotify was great.
Klipsch The Sixes:
Before I give you my opinion on the Klipsch The Sixes, have a look and listen to this Money for Nothing · Dire Straits (Klipsch The Sixes Demo) video. My dad loves Dire Straits so I got a kick out of this. Anyway, these speakers are awesome and while the pair I was sent were brand new, even without fully breaking in, I was impressed with the sound quality. I was in the mood for a bit of Jimmy Hendrix so I put on my Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix record which I am kind of embarrassed to say is the only Hendrix vinyl in my collection. Voodoo Child has one of the most epic intros of any rock song so that was the first thing I played and man it was just so, so good! I do not think the bass is as impactful here as it is with the Audioengine HD6, however, I do think that overall, the Klipsch The Sixes have a more balanced kind of sound profile which makes the sound more appealing to me.
As well as listening to quite a few records, I also decided to listen to some music streamed from my phone via Spotify. One album that really did impress me was Older Fatter Still The Greatest Ever: Live From Brixton. I am a huge fan of these guys they are probably my favorite of the early to mid-00 punk bands. Anyway, the sound was great and I decided to try out a few of my favorite live records too such as Unplugged 1993: Acoustic Broadcast Recordings by Guns n Roses. To be honest with you, every type of music I tried through this ranging from rock, to rap to pop sounded great, everything was nice and balanced and that is the main thing I want from a set of speakers.
The Verdict:
While I am very impressed with the Audioengine HD6, especially in regards to the powerful bass that they can provide. I have to be honest and say that listening to these and the Klipsch The Speakers back to back, The Sixes are the better sounding speakers for me. If you are all about the bass, I could see why the HD6 would appeal to you more, however, I much prefer the more balanced and rich sound that The Sixes offer.
What Is The Best?
So we come to the end of this Klipsch The Sixes and Audioengine HD6 article and I have to pick a winner. You have probably already figured out who the winner here is and that is the Klipsch The Sixes. These are just a great set of speakers from the build quality, the way they look, and most importantly the sound they provide to your music collection. I think that the Audioengine HD6 are also a damn fine set of speakers, especially in regards to that powerful bass they offer. However, for my ears, they just do not have the same kind of clarity and richness that The Sixes offered.
