Klipsch The One II Review

Design and Build

The Klipsch The One II resembles something that you would find in an antique store. It has a retro design with a fabric-lined grill that extends around all four sides. The top and bottom are made with real wood while the feet, knobs, and accents are metal.

And while the design might look retro the speaker itself offers modern features such as a Bluetooth module and a set of 2.25-inch full-range drivers and a 4.5-inch woofer. There is also a passive radiator on each end of the device.

Every aspect of the speaker appears well made. When you pick up the speaker, it feels solid. The wood top, the controls, and the feet are all sturdy. Overall, the craftsmanship really can be felt, which is what consumers expect from a brand name such as Klipsch.

The Klipsch The One II is a solid device weighing a little over eight pounds. It measures just over 12 inches wide, about 5 inches deep, and 6 inches tall. You should have no problem finding space for it on a desk, kitchen counter, or shelf. But at the same time, it is bigger than most portable Bluetooth speakers for a good reason, it can fill a living room with sound.

This is not a portable Bluetooth speaker. It comes with a 20V 2.5A DC power cord. The cord measures about 4.5 feet, which should be more than enough length to plug it in and set it on a desk. As the Klipsch The One II requires 20 volts of DC power, you are unlikely to find a portable power bank that can supply enough electricity for portable use.

If you prefer a portable Bluetooth speaker with the same look, try the Klipsch Heritage Groove Portable Bluetooth Speaker. It has a built-in rechargeable battery but does not get quite as loud as The One II.

Features and Connectivity

The Klipsch The One II doesn’t feature a lot of buttons, which helps complete the retro look. The backside of the box has two inputs. The first input is a 3.5mm stereo audio jack while the second is the power input. The stereo jack allows you to connect almost any audio source to the Bluetooth speakers. The headphone jack is useful when you want to play music from a device that does not have Bluetooth, such as a CD player or a turntable.

On top of the Bluetooth speaker is an on/off toggle switch and two control knobs. One knob controls the volume while the other switches between the Bluetooth and audio jack inputs. The speakers do not come with a remote control, an equalizer, or any other settings buttons. While some audiophiles might look for these features it can be more user friendly as most music apps and devices already offer these settings.

Using the speaker is pretty straightforward. To connect the device for the first time, you need to press and hold the source knob for three seconds to put the speaker in Bluetooth pairing mode. It will scan for nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices and automatically connect. To clear the Bluetooth pairing history and reset the speaker, you press and hold the Source knob for 10 seconds.

The One II uses Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, which was first introduced in 2010. It has a range of up to 100 meters, which is more than enough for use in almost any indoor space. However, as it is an older form of Bluetooth, you may occasionally experience connectivity issues.

The connection is most stable when there is a direct line of sight between the speaker and the source device. If the Bluetooth connection drops frequently, try repositioning the speaker and place it away from other electronic devices.

Sound

The easiest way to describe the sound of the Klipsch The One II is balanced. From the bass tones to vocals and high tones, the sound is surprisingly level and crisp across the frequency spectrum. The sound is carefully tuned to bring out sharp high notes and deep bass notes. Vocals are also sharp, allowing you to hear every nuance in a vocalist’s performance.

The speakers provide a full frequency response, which minimizes distortion on the low and high ends. Depending on the audio source, the sounds that come from this Bluetooth speaker should be bright and articulate.

The well-balanced speakers are versatile. Music, TV shows, movies, and audiobooks are clear and not muddled. The bass and treble are not overpowering. While the crisp sound should appeal to most people, audiophiles may find that the 4.5-inch bass woofer lacks punch and warmth, which is the most common issue for speakers of this size.

As the Klipsch Bluetooth speaker does not have a built-in equalizer, the only way to adjust the low, mid, or high tones is with an equalizer on the audio source. For example, if you are playing audio through a mobile device or a laptop, you may be able to increase the bass using the music player’s digital equalizer. The full-range speakers and small woofer perform well with most types of audio and music genres. You may miss the bass on hard rock and hip-hop tracks, but the sound remains rich and well defined.

The next consideration is the ability of the speakers to carry across a room. As the Klipsch The One II has a pair of 2.25-inch drivers and a 4.5-inch woofer, the sound can easily fill a small to medium-sized room. In a large room, you may need to crank up the volume and of course, you might experience some distortion doing that.