The Klipsch Cinema 600 is a 3.1 setup from 2020. Its balanced sound profile is suitable for listening to many different types of audio content, and its dedicated subwoofer helps reproduce an extended low-bass. It gets loud enough to use at crowded parties, and there are even a few sound enhancement features to help you customize its sound and improve vocal clarity in movies and TV shows. While it supports surround content, it doesn't provide a very immersive listening experience. Also, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content, which is a bit disappointing.
Our Verdict
The Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar is good for mixed usage. This 3.1 setup has a pretty neutral sound profile, making it suitable for listening to many different types of content, though the treble adds some brightness to vocals and instruments. Its discrete center makes it a solid choice for vocal-centric content like TV shows. However, there's no Atmos support, and its surround performance is poor.
- Gets loud.
- Adjustable dialogue enhancement feature.
- Subwoofer level adjustment.
- Doesn't support Dolby Atmos.
- No bass or treble adjustments.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar is excellent for vocal-centric content like TV shows. Its discrete center channel anchors voices to a pinpoint location in the soundstage for an immersive listening experience. Voices are reproduced clearly and accurately, with a touch of extra brightness in the treble. There's even an adjustable dialogue enhancement mode to help make dialogue clearer.
- Gets loud.
- Adjustable dialogue enhancement feature.
- Auto-volume mode.
- Not Chromecast, Apple AirPlay, or Wi-Fi compatible.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is good for music. Out-of-the-box, this setup has a pretty neutral, balanced sound profile suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content, though the treble adds some brightness to vocals and instruments. Its dedicated subwoofer can accurately reproduce the low thump and rumble in bass-heavy genres like EDM. That said, there aren't a lot of customization features available, which can be disappointing.
- Gets loud.
- Subwoofer level adjustment.
- No bass or treble adjustments.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is fair for movies. Dialogue is reproduced clearly and accurately, and its dedicated subwoofer can help you feel the rumble in action-packed scenes. Unfortunately, there's no Dolby Atmos support, and it has to downmix surround content into stereo to play it, which doesn't sound as immersive. However, you can always upgrade this setup with discrete satellite speakers if you want a better surround performance.
- Gets loud.
- Doesn't support Dolby Atmos.
Changelog
- Updated Apr 06, 2023: Added cable lengths to In The Box.
- Updated Apr 05, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.1. With this update, we've added a Mounting test and added information aboutSubwoofer Output, Spotify Connect, and Microphone Mute.
- Updated Dec 16, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 30, 2021: Changed our EQ result to make the results more clear.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar comes in 'Black', and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Klipsch Cinema 600 Sound Bar 3.1 comes with a dedicated subwoofer that produces an extended low-bass. Unlike the Klipsch Cinema 400, it has a discrete center channel for vocal-centric content. Its sound profile is balanced, making it suitable for listening to lots of different audio content. You can even add on satellite speakers, which are sold separately. However, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content like the Klipsch Cinema 800.
See also our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best soundbars with subwoofer, and the best soundbars for movies.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is a better soundbar than the Klipsch Bar 48. The Cinema 600 has a more neutral sound profile and a better soundstage performance. However, the Bar 48 is better built.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Arc or the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Sonos is a 5.0.2 setup that's better built, with a better soundstage and a room correction feature. It also supports Dolby Atmos content, unlike the Klipsch. You can also update the Sonos with a wireless subwoofer and surround satellites. However, the 3.1 Klipsch comes with a dedicated subwoofer.
The Yamaha YAS-209 and the Klipsch Cinema 600 are very similar soundbars, meaning you may prefer one over the other. The Yamaha is better-built, and thanks to its Full HDMI In port, it supports 4k passthrough, unlike the Klipsch. However, the Klipsch has a better soundstage, and it can get louder.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is a better soundbar than the Klipsch Cinema 400. The 600 is a 3.1 setup, so it has a dedicated center channel that can reproduce dialogue-centric content more accurately. It also has a better soundstage performance, and it gets louder. That said, the 400 has a more balanced sound profile out-of-the-box.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer the Klipsch Cinema 600 or the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). The Klipsch is a 3.1 setup with a dedicated subwoofer that can reproduce more low-bass. The 5.0 Sonos is better built and has a smaller, more compact design. Its soundstage, center, and surround performances are better. Unlike the Klipsch soundbar, it supports Dolby Atmos content and has built-in voice assistant capabilities.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer the Klipsch Cinema 600 or the Bose Smart Soundbar 900. The Bose is better built and more suited for watching movies. It has better soundstage and surround performances, and unlike the Klipsch, it supports Atmos content. It also has built-in voice assistant support, and you can upgrade it with a sub and satellites. However, the Klipsch soundbar's sub helps to reproduce a more extended low-bass, and it's still a solid choice for dialogue-centric content like TV shows.
The Klipsch Cinema 700 is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The 700 supports Dolby Atmos content. It offers more wireless playback options, and it has more sound enhancement features, including a 3-band graphic EQ. However, the 600 gets louder.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is a better soundbar than the JBL Bar 5.1 Surround. The Klipsch reproduces a more extended-low bass. It has a better soundstage, and it gets louder. That said, the JBL is better built with a Full HDMI In port and more wireless playback options. It has a better surrounds performance, and unlike the Klipsch, it offers EQ presets and room correction.
The Samsung HW-Q950A is a much better soundbar than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Samsung is an 11.1.4 setup that's better-built and offers better center and surround performances. Unlike the Klipsch, it supports Dolby Atmos content, built-in voice assistant support, and has a Full HDMI In port. It supports more wireless playback options, and it also offers more sound enhancement features, including room correction, a graphic EQ and presets, and bass and treble adjustments.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Klipsch Cinema 600 or the Samsung HW-Q700A. The Klipsch has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box with a more extended low-bass, and it can also get louder. The Samsung is better built with more sound enhancement features, more wireless playback options, and a Full HDMI In port that supports high-quality passthrough. It also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS content, unlike the Klipsch.
The Vizio M Series M51a-H6 is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Vizio is a better-built 5.1 setup with discrete satellites. It has better soundstage, center, and surround performances. Unlike the Klipsch, it also supports Dolby Atmos content. There are also more sound enhancement features available, including EQ presets.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Samsung HW-Q600A or the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Samsung is better built, and it supports Dolby Atmos content. It comes with a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization, as well as a Full HDMI In port. The Klipsch has better surround and soundstage performances, and it reproduces a more extended low-bass.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is a better soundbar than the Samsung HW-A650. The Klipsch has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box with a more extended low-bass, meaning you can feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. It also has a better soundstage performance. However, the Samsung is better built with more sound enhancement features and a Full HDMI In port.
The Vizio M Series M512a-H6 is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Vizio is a 5.1.2 setup that comes with discrete satellites. It's better built and has better soundstage, center, and surround performances. Unlike the Klipsch soundbar, it also supports Atmos content and has a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough. There are even some additional sound enhancement features available like EQ presets.
The Samsung HW-Q900A is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Samsung is better built, and it supports Dolby Atmos content. It has better center and surround performances, as well as more sound enhancement features like room correction. It also has built-in voice assistant support, and it supports more wireless playback options.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Klipsch Cinema 600 or the Polk Audio MagniFi MAX SR. The Klipsch is a 3.1 setup with a better soundstage. However, the Polk Audio is a 5.1 setup with discrete satellites that's better-built. It also has a better surrounds performance.
The Klipsch Cinema 800 is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The 800 is a 3.1 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content. Unlike the 600, it also comes with two Full HDMI In ports, which you can use for high-quality passthrough.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is better than the Samsung HW-B650 for most uses. They're both 3.1 bars, but the Klipsch model has a better soundstage to immerse you in your audio. It's also able to reproduce more low-bass, so you feel the rumble in bass-heavy music genres. However, if you mostly listen to audio without a lot of bass mixed in, like dialogue-heavy TV shows and music, the more affordable Samsung is likely a better pick.
The Samsung HW-Q800A is a better soundbar than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Samsung is better built, and it supports Dolby Atmos content. It has a better center performance as well as a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization. It also has a Full HDMI In port, built-in voice assistant support, and more wireless playback options.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 700 with Speakers + Bass Module is a better soundbar for most uses than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Bose is better built and offers better soundstage, center, and surround performances. It supports more wireless playback options, and unlike the Klipsch, it has a room correction feature and voice assistant support built into the bar. The Klipsch is better for dialogue since it comes with an auto-volume mode, unlike the Bose.
The LG SN9YG is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The LG is a better-built 5.1.2 setup that supports Atmos content. It has a better surrounds performance, and it comes with more sound enhancement features. It also has built-in voice assistant support and a Full HDMI In port that supports high-quality passthrough. That said, the 3.1 Klipsch has a better stereo soundstage.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is better for mixed usage than the Sony HT-Z9F. The Klipsch has a better soundstage. It also reproduces a more extended low-bass to help you feel thump and rumble. That said, only the Sony supports Dolby Atmos content and comes with EQ presets as well as a Full HDMI In port. It's also better built.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is better than the Yamaha YAS-408. The Klipsch is a 3.1 setup with a better soundstage and a discrete center channel. However, the Yamaha is better built, and it has a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough, unlike the Klipsch.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 700 and the Klipsch Cinema 600 are similarly performing soundbars, so depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The Bose is better built, has a better soundstage, and offers a room correction feature, unlike the Klipsch. However, the Klipsch has a dedicated subwoofer, which helps produce a more extended low bass.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is better than the Sonos Beam for most uses. The Klipsch has a better surround performance and reproduces a more extended low-bass. However, the Sonos is better built with a better soundstage. It also comes with room correction and a built-in voice assistant, unlike the Klipsch.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is better than the Sony HT-G700 for most uses. The Klipsch has a better stereo soundstage, and it reproduces a more extended low-bass. Some listeners may also prefer its more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. However, the Sony is better built, and unlike the Klipsch, it supports Dolby Atmos content.
The Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers is better than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Sonos is a 5.1.2 setup that's better-built and comes with discrete satellites. It has better soundstage, center, and surround performances, and it also supports Dolby Atmos content. It comes with more sound enhancement features, too, like room correction and bass and treble adjustments. Also, it has built-in voice assistant support.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Vizio V Series V51-H6 or the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Vizio is better built with discrete satellite speakers. It has better surround performance and more sound enhancement features like EQ presets and bass and treble adjustments. That said, the 3.1 Klipsch has a better stereo soundstage performance.
The JBL Bar 9.1 is a better soundbar than the Klipsch Cinema 600 for most uses. The JBL is a 5.1.4 setup that's better-built and comes with dedicated surround speakers, so it has a better surrounds performance. It supports Atmos content and has a room correction feature and a Full HDMI In port. Also, it offers a better soundstage performance. That said, the 3.1 Klipsch comes with a dialogue enhancement feature.
The Samsung HW-Q950T is a better soundbar than the Klipsch Cinema 600. The Samsung is better-built and comes with discrete satellite speakers that offer a better surrounds performance. It also supports Dolby Atmos content and offers many sound customization features, including a graphic EQ and bass and treble adjustments. Its Full HDMI In port supports high-quality passthrough, and it supports Wi-Fi connectivity and built-in support for Alexa voice assistant.
Test Results
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has a similar design to the Klipsch Bar 48. The bar is mostly made of plastic, and there's fabric covering the top, front, and part of the bottom side of the bar. At each end of the bar, there are speakers made of solid plastic.
The subwoofer is mostly made of solid wood. It sits on four wooden legs, which helps lift the base off the floor. The driver and the port are located underneath.
You can add on Klipsch Surround 3 speakers, but they're sold separately.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is rather wide, and it likely won't fit between the legs of most 55" TV stands. However, it isn't very tall, so it shouldn't block your TV screen unless your TV sits flush on your table.
The subwoofer is large and wide, meaning it may take up a bit of space in your existing setup. Fortunately, it connects wirelessly to the bar, which gives you a little more flexibility when deciding where to place it.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has a fair build quality. The bar itself is mostly made of plastic, but it doesn't feel as solid as the plastic on some of the other bars we've tested. Also, the bar is mostly covered with fabric, which seems like it could rip or get dirty easily. The subwoofer is mostly made of solid wood. For a better-built soundbar, check out the Samsung HW-A650.
- Manual
- Mounting template
- 2x wall-mount brackets with screws and 3M tape
- Remote with batteries (2x AA)
- HDMI cable (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
- 2x Power cord (6.5 ft / 2m)
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has an impressive stereo frequency response. Its sound profile is balanced, especially in the mids where most voices and lead instruments are reproduced. Unlike the Samsung HW-B650, there's plenty of rumble in the low-bass to bring bass-heavy genres like EDM to life. As a result, it's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 comes with a subwoofer level adjustment feature to help you customize its sound. If you prefer a more neutral sound, you can set the subwoofer level to '1'. Its sound profile is neutral, making it suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. There's a touch of extra brightness in the treble range that impacts vocals and lead instruments, though.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 Sound Bar has a good soundstage. The soundstage seems a bit wider than the bar itself or about the width of our testing table. It has good focus, so objects like voices and instruments seem to be coming from a more accurate, pinpoint location rather than a general area.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar 3.1 has good stereo dynamics. It can get really loud, making it suitable for large, crowded parties. However, there are some compression artifacts present when you play it at max volume, especially in the treble range.
The Klipsch Cinema 600's stereo total harmonic distortion performance is great. At normal listening volumes, you get clean and pure audio reproduction. There's a small jump in THD at max volume, but it may not be audible with real-life content.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has a good center channel performance. This 3.1 setup has a discrete center that helps anchor voices to a pinpoint location in the soundstage, resulting in a clearer, more real representation of dialogue. Its frequency response is a bit bass-heavy. There usually isn't a lot of bass reproduced on the center channel, but the overemphasized mid-range can muddy voices somewhat.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has a poor surrounds performance. It has to downmix surround sound into stereo, which doesn't sound as real as discrete localization. Sound seems like it's coming from in front of you rather than from all around you.
For a soundbar with Atmos support, check out the Klipsch Cinema 800 or the Klipsch Cinema 1200.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has a middling selection of sound enhancement features. There are two different sound modes: 'Standard', 'Night', and 'Dialogue'. Using the remote, you can cycle through three different levels of 'Dialogue' mode that make voices louder or quieter, depending on your preferences. There's also a 'Night' feature, which disables the subwoofer and reduces the dynamic range to reduce the overall volume. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of sound customization features like bass and treble adjustments, so you can only really customize its sound with the subwoofer level adjustment.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 has a few input options. You can plug it into your TV with the ARC and Optical In ports. There's a 3.5mm AUX port, so you can wire your phone directly to the bar to play audio. There's also a USB port, but it's just for servicing the soundbar. However, there isn't a Full HDMI In port, so you can't use the bar as a hub between different devices.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 supports Dolby Digital content over its ARC port, which is commonly found on Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu. However, it can't play Atmos content, which may disappoint some movie fans.
Note: Some of our readers reported that their TVs didn't support DTS or Dolby Digital+ content with this soundbar. We re-evaluated our methodology for ARC support and concluded that DTS and Dolby Digital+ support should be reported the same over an ARC connection as over an HDMI IN and Optical connection. Some TVs, like the Sony A9G, may be converting this content, but other TV brands may not. Ultimately, your experience may vary depending on your TV.
Unlike the Samsung HW-Q700A, the Klipsch Cinema 600 doesn't have a Full HDMI In port.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 3.1 supports Dolby Digital content via its Optical port. You can find this audio format on many Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms.
This soundbar has an excellent latency performance. It has fairly low latency, so the audio you hear should be in sync with the video you see on your screen. As a result, it's a solid choice for watching videos and movies. Some apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, though, meaning your real-world experience can differ.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 only allows for wireless playback over a Bluetooth connection. You can stream audio wirelessly from your phone or tablet via Bluetooth, but you can't do this over Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay, or Chromecast connections.
The Klipsch Cinema 600 doesn't have a Full HDMI In port, so you can't use it for high-quality video passthrough.
The interface consists of a small display on the right side of the bar, which shows the input, volume level, and power status. Some horizontal LED lights act as a volume indicator, and they display certain colors, depending on the input.
The controls are on the top right of the bar, on top of the right horn. You can use them to power the bar on/off, change the input, and adjust the volume.
The remote lets you control all of the bar's features. You can also select different EQ presets and adjust the subwoofer level. The bar is also compatible with the Klipsch Connect app, and you can use it to check for updates to the firmware, view product information, access the product manual, and watch how-to videos. Unfortunately, you can't use the app to control the bar's functions or customize its sound profile, which is a bit disappointing.