Ok, so this Klipsch The Fives and the Sonos Arc article may be the craziest comparison article I have done so far! Putting a set of speakers up against a soundbar! I thought this could be fun and if you are undecided if you should get a set of speakers like the Klipsch The Fives for your entertainment center or a soundbar like the Sonos Arc then this may help you make a decision. Look, this is going to be a tricky comparison to make, but by the end of it, I am going to pick a winner and share with you which one of these I feel is better.
The Price
Of course, we have to start this Klipsch The Fives and Sonos Arc battle out by looking at the price. This round was way more interesting than I thought it would be. The reason I say this is that it has actually been a few months since I looked at the Arc and the price sure as hell has changed!
Klipsch The Fives:
There are two different versions of the Klipsch The Fives that you can buy. The thing is, the price actually differs depending on the color, apart from the color, the speakers are identical. However, the black speakers are a bit cheaper as they come in at $529.99. There is also a walnut color of wood, but these are listed at $599.99 (as of writing) I think that an extra 70 bucks just for a different color of wood is a bit nuts. If you decide to go the eBay route, you can save some money as I have seen these go for around the $500 mark on there.
Sonos Arc:
For ages, the Sonos Arc was pretty much $799.99 where ever you would find it. Both the black and the white version had this same RRP and it held its price consistently, last time I looked at it which was at the start of the year, it was still that same $799.99. Well, things have certainly changed as on Amazon as it is listed there right now for $1,339.99! Even on eBay at the moment, this is going for over a grand! I guess there must be a shortage of these at the moment.
The Verdict:
If you have read anything that I have written about the Sonos Arc before, you know that I freaking love it, it is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars that you can get. However, the way it is basically being scalped right now disgusts me as I hate scalpers! So, with that in mind, I have to give this round to the Klipsch The Fives. It does make me wonder if the Arc has been put on the back burner by Sonos as they have something new planned.
The Design
How do you compare a set of speakers to a soundbar? Well, that is the task I have on my hands here as we head into the design round of our Klipsch The Fives and the Sonos Arc showdown!
Klipsch The Fives:
While there are two versions of the Klipsch The Fives out there, the black design is what I am specifically talking about today. These are some awesome looking speakers and when you take them out of the box, you will be very impressed by the incredible build quality of them. These are a good size coming in at 9.3 x 6.5 x 12 inches so they do not take over an entertainment center or look too big when on the wall or something like that. The black wood they have used is something I really do like as it gives the speakers a real 80s kind of vibe that I am a massive fan of. The speaker grill that Klipsch has gone for here is pretty cool, it has a silver effect to it and it is a style that compliments the black wood very well and the little Klipsch logo is the icing on the cake. The first time I looked at the Klipsch The Fives, I was not sold on this grill, but the more I look at it the more I like it. On the top of one of the speakers, there is a dial for the volume and input selection, this is the one area of the design I am not super cool with.
On the back of the speakers, we have our connection options, well one of them does, but you know what I mean. I think that the Klipsch The Fives are stacked when it comes to connection options. You have your typical stuff like your aux port, optical port, phono in, and USB port. However, what made me think of putting these up against the Arc is the fact that there is also an HDMI Arc port on the back of here too. You get a pretty cool little remote control with The Fives. It is a solid feeling remote and it gives you direct control over the speakers and at the end of the day that is all you can really ask for.
Sonos Arc:
I have lost count of the number of times that I have talked about the Sonos Arc, but that is only because it is such an awesome soundbar. Before I share my thoughts, check out this Sonos Arc – Unboxing, Test, and Impressions video to see it in all its glory. I love the design of the Sonos Arc and while I have only seen the white version, a black version is also available. It has a very curvy design that gives it a real elegance and a sense of style that is just so cool. It is one of the most modern looking soundbars on the market and it would be a real showcase item in your home theatre. It has a strong looking plastic grill on the front which I love as it wraps around the soundbar. The dimensions of the soundbar are 45” x 3.4” x 4.5”, so you do need quite a bit of space for this to sit on. Of course, you could also mount this on the wall if you prefer.
While it is the front of the Sonos Arc that captures all of your attention, the back also has a very smart and sleek design as well. Sonos has kept things nice and simple on the back of here. You just have your power port and also an HDMI port as well, this is designed around Dolby Atmos, but it does also come with an HDMI to optical cable converter if you do want to connect this via an optical cable. As far as the remote control goes, there isn’t one! This is the major gripe that I have with the Sonos Arc if I am being honest with you. You need to download the Sonos App to control the bar, but I do feel they should have included a basic remote as well.
The Verdict:
It is so hard to pick between the Klipsch The Fives and the Sonos Arc. These are two devices that I really like, but they are completely different products with completely different styles, making it really hard to pick between the two. However, I have to pick a winner here and I am going for the Sonos Arc. It is the most premium (as of now) offering from Sonos and I just love the curvy style that it has.
The Sound
Our final round in this two speaker comparison contest is looking at the sound. This is one of the most interesting sound categories I have ever done. These are two very different products so it is going to be hard to do a direct comparison, but I am going to give it the good old college try.
Klipsch The Fives:
I have listened to a ton of music with the Klipsch The Fives, but for the sake of this article, I have gone the movie route as it takes on the Sonos Arc. If you want to take a deeper dive into what these are capable of, check out this Klipsch The Fives with Audio Demo – Heritage Style with Modern Day Features video. These sound great for music and I was actually even more impressed with the way they sounded when watching movies, I watched the original Transformers with the help of these, a movie I have seen many times. It sounded great, I was very impressed with how clear all the little noises and sounds were, but it was the vocal clarity that really did make me say wow. Movies like this need to be loud and even when loud, you will not notice any kind of sound quality dip with these speakers.
Now, you clearly are not getting anything like Dolby Atmos or surround sound with the Klipsch The Fives. However, as far as cinema quality stereo sound goes, these really do a fantastic job. A movie that does not get enough love is the original live action, Hellboy, this is just such a fun movie and once again, I was very impressed with how it sounded when pumped through the Fives. I just hooked these up to my TV via the HDMI port and had no issues at all, but I have heard that if you are using something like a Roku or a Fire Stick, you might have to play around a bit to get these to work, but I cannot comment on that as I just used the movie apps on my TV like Netflix, Disney Plus as well as my Blu Ray player.
Sonos Arc:
There is a reason why the Sonos Arc regularly features on many best soundbar lists that you will find online. This is just a tremendous soundbar and over time, it has become a real favorite of mine too, especially as Dolby Atmos has become the norm these days. A recently released (well in the last year) movie I watched with the Sonos Arc was Ghostbusters: After Life which was a fun movie, but it also has a great Dolby Atmos track and it sounded phenomenal. The way that the Arc fills a room with sound really is spectacular and the Dolby Atmos effect is one of the best you will find in a soundbar at this price range, well the RRP of $799.99. If you are in the market for a Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Sonos Arc simply has to be on your list.
The raw power that the Sonos Arc has is truly spectacular, it doesn’t even have a subwoofer in it, but it still offers a decent amount of bass. Sonos does offer their own subwoofer in the epic, Sonos Sub Gen 3, but this is a very, very expensive subwoofer. There really is nothing that the Arc cannot do when it comes to movies, TV shows, and so on. One of my favorite movies of all time is Forrest Gump and the 4k release of this is just gorgeous. Anyway, this movie really does show off just how good the sound capabilities of the Sonos Arc is. From the softly spoken words of Forrest to the action that goes down in Vietnam to him and LT Dan shrimp fishing. I know it sounds like such a cliché and a hard sell, but this truly does do everything that you want a soundbar to do.
The Verdict:
Look, side by side, there is no comparison here, the Sonos Arc is the clear winner. While the Klipsch The Fives does a great job when it comes to movies and of course music. The Sonos Arc is just another level entirely, with the way it handles Dolby Atmos and fills a room with sound, this truly is something special and pretty much everyone who has tried one of these out agrees!
What Is The Best?
I know that this Klipsch The Fives and the Sonos Arc has been one of the more unusual battles I have done, but it has been a lot of fun. I have to say that when it comes to movies, the is the Sonos Arc way to go. As much as I like the Klipsch The Fives, they just cannot match what the Sonos Arc is offering. If it is just for music, you go for the Fives, but as you are looking at a soundbar article, I assume you want something for movies and when it comes to movies, there are few better than the Sonos Arc!
