We Accidentally Threw a Party While Testing These Speakers. A Review of the Klipsch The Nines
Tired of thin, lifeless sound from your TV’s soundbar? Klipsch has a powerful, unapologetically large solution. Klipsch The Nines are active speakers that deliver a massive stereo soundstage, deep bass, and the raw energy of a rock concert, all with the same simple connectivity as a soundbar. But are they the right fit for your living room? We put them to the test to find out.
Brains and Brawn: The Master Speaker
Like other models in the Klipsch active family, the Nines system consists of a main (primary) and secondary speaker. All the electronics, the four power amplifiers, the digital signal processor (DSP), and all connections are housed in the primary speaker.
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A clever slide switch lets you designate this master speaker as either the left or right channel, giving you flexibility in your setup.
Connectivity: From Vinyl to HDMI
The Nines are packed with inputs. A unique feature not found on most soundbars is a switchable phono preamp, allowing you to connect a turntable directly. While we found the built-in phono stage to be a bit dull and more of a convenience feature, it’s a nice option to have. Die-hard vinyl fans will prefer an external preamp.
All incoming signals, whether analog or digital, are processed by the internal DSP before being converted by a 24-bit/192 kHz DAC chip.
Under the Hood: Surprising Power
Klipsch didn’t hold back on power. The highly efficient tweeter horns are driven by 20-watt amplifiers, while the large 20-centimeter (8-inch) woofers get a stately 100 watts of power each. There is plenty of muscle here.
The two speakers are connected by a robust, four-pole cable. Klipsch generously includes a four-meter cable and a two-meter extension, giving you up to six meters of separation.
Living With The Nines: The App & Daily Use
You can control The Nines in three ways: with the two rotary controls on the top of the main speaker, with the included remote, or via the Klipsch Connect app.
The app is highly recommended. It unlocks useful features like a “Night Mode” that reduces dynamics for late-night viewing, and a “Dynamic Bass” EQ that adds extra low-end punch at quiet volumes. My favorite feature? If you crank the volume too high in the app, it thoughtfully asks, “That’s very loud. Do you want that?” Of course we do!
The Most Important Rule: You Need Space
This is critical: The Nines are large speakers with big tweeter horns. They are not designed for near-field listening at a desk. We experimented and found they only sound truly coherent and spacious at a listening distance of more than 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet).
These are speakers for large rooms. They can easily fill a 60 square meter (650 sq ft) space, but they will likely sound poor in rooms smaller than 20 square meters (215 sq ft).
The Listening Test: Rock, Classics, and Movies
Once set up correctly, The Nines are pure joy. They have that rock’n’roll feeling baked into their DNA. Listening to ZZ Top or Seasick Steve felt perfect—the sound was direct, bony, and exactly as gritty as it should be.
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What about classical music? In Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre,” the speakers easily handled the dynamic jumps, but the strings lacked that last bit of natural resolution you might find in a more “audiophile” speaker like the KEF LS50 Wireless. The Nines are not harsh, but they prioritize energy over nuance.
Where they truly crush classic hi-fi speakers is with sheer, low-distortion volume. The electronic track “Deeply Disturbed” by Infected Mushroom made our office tremble with an effortless power that was simply stunning.
This effortless power makes them phenomenal for movies. In “Bullet Train,” the system handled the extreme dynamic shifts from quiet dialogue to loud shootouts with incredible detail and speech intelligibility. When the two trains collided, the bass was immense and sovereign, rivaling what only the largest soundbars can produce.
The Final Verdict: Your Dream System If…
Our takeaway for The Nines could be “Anything but boring.” They are a wonderfully growly, edgy, and powerful system that brings modern features to a classic, no-nonsense design. We can attest to their party-starting capabilities because we tried it ourselves.
If you mainly listen to rock and pop, love watching action-packed films, and have a large living space to fill, you may have just found your dream system. For around $2,000, there is currently no cleverer equipment that delivers more raw experience and more party-starting fun.
Klipsch The Nines Specifications:
- Concept: Active 2-way speaker, bass-reflex enclosure with Tractrix horn
- Drivers: 1 x 20cm Woofer, 1 x 25mm Titanium Tweeter with Tractrix Horn
- Amplifier Power: 100W (Woofer), 20W (Tweeter) per speaker
- Max Acoustic Output: 115 dB
- Inputs: HDMI-ARC, Optical, USB Audio, Bluetooth 5.0, Phono/Line Analog (Switchable)
- Outputs: Subwoofer Out
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 48.6cm x 24.1cm x 33.8cm
- Weight: 12.9 kg (Primary Speaker)
