The Klipsch The Three II is a wired rectangular speaker with a stylish, vintage-inspired design. It comes with several wired input options, including Phono Pre-Amp and ground inputs which you can use to connect the speaker to a turntable. It can also get incredibly loud, so its sound can easily fill a large crowded room. However, there's some compression present at max volume, which may affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions. It struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like hip-hop, and there isn't a graphic EQ or presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. Its underemphasized mid-range can push vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix and make them sound muddy.
Our Verdict
The Klipsch The Three II is okay for music. This speaker can get incredibly loud, so its sound can easily fill a large crowded room. However, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like hip-hop and EDM. The underemphasis in the mid-range can push vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix, making them sound muddy. Unfortunately, there isn't a graphic EQ to customize its sound to your liking.
- Gets incredibly loud.
- Struggles to reproduce low-bass.
The Klipsch The Three II is passable for videos and movies. This speaker has low latency with iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth, making it suitable for watching videos and movies; however, some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may differ. Unfortunately, it doesn't have great directivity, meaning that you may perceive its soundstage as narrow and directional. It also struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in action-packed scenes.
- Gets incredibly loud.
- Low latency with iOS and Android devices.
- No sound customization features.
- Compression present at max volume.
The Klipsch The Three II is alright for podcasts. It can get pretty loud, so its sound can easily fill a large room, though there's some compression present at max volume, so your audio may not sound as clean during louder listening sessions. The underemphasis in the mid-range can push voices and dialogue to the back of the mix and make them sound muddy. Also, it has poor directivity, so your audio may not sound clear from all angles.
- Gets incredibly loud.
- Compression present at max volume.
The Klipsch The Three II doesn't support voice assistants.
The Klipsch The Three II isn't designed for outdoor use due to its wired design.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 17, 2023: Added market comparison for the Bluesound PULSE 2i in the App box.
- Updated Sep 18, 2023: Added market comparison for the Klipsch Groove XXL in the Portability box.
- Updated Sep 14, 2023: Retested the speaker's Bluetooth range. In our initial results, we accidentally switched the measurement in feet with the measurement in meters. The Bluetooth score improves from 6.4 to 9.0.
- Updated Aug 21, 2023: Updated the Portability picture for greater clarity and consistency between reviews.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Klipsch The Three II comes in two color variants: 'Walnut' and 'Matte Black'. We expect both variants to perform similarly. We tested the 'Walnut' variant, you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across any other variants of this speaker, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Klipsch The Three II is a wired speaker designed for home use. Unlike the Klipsch The One II, it features Phono Pre-Amp and ground inputs so you can connect a turntable to the speaker. It can get outstandingly loud; however, there's some compression present at max volume, so your audio may not sound as clean at louder volumes. It has an uneven sound profile that struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. Vocals and lead instruments are also muddied and pushed to the back of the mix. Unfortunately, it lacks sound customization features like a graphic EQ or presets to tweak its sound.
See our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best home speakers, and the loudest Bluetooth speakers.
The Klipsch The One II and the Klipsch The Three II are similar speakers. The One II is smaller, and its sound profile's mid-range is slightly better balanced, resulting in vocals and lead instruments that sound more present in the mix. That said, the Three II can get louder and features Phono Pre-Amp and ground inputs you can use to connect a turntable to the speaker. It also supports USB Audio, meaning you can wire your devices to the speaker via its USB-B port.
The JBL Authentics 500 is better than the Klipsch The Three II. They're both retro-style home speakers, but only the JBL offers built-in voice assistant support and a companion app with plenty of customization features. It also brings more low-bass and, unlike the Klipsch, offers Wi-Fi connectivity.
The JBL Xtreme 3 is a slightly better speaker than the Klipsch The Three II, though, they have different strengths. The JBL is battery-powered and better built. It has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you can easily take it outdoors when you're on the move. It has slightly better directivity, resulting in a more open-sounding soundstage. It can also be paired to up to two devices at once, which can come in handy when you need to switch between audio sources. However, the Klipsch can get significantly louder than the JBL, with slightly less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels.
The IKEA SYMFONISK Bookshelf and the Klipsch The Three II are similar speakers with different strengths. The IKEA is Wi-Fi compatible and can produce a more extended low-bass with its Trueplay feature enabled. It also comes with bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound. That said, the Klipsch can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono which is more immersive. It can also get significantly louder than the IKEA, and it supports Bluetooth connectivity.
Test Results
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