Better Than Sonos? Klipsch Bar 48 Soundbar & Sub Review

Want to setup a nice home theater for a good bit less than Sonos…and include a wireless subwoofer? I think the Klipsch Bar 48 is one of the best options out there, if not THE best one! If you invest in a Sonos Beam ($699) and subwoofer ($699), you’re already paying more than what you would to get the Klipsch Bar AND the back surround sound speakers!

Klipsch Bar 48 Soundbar & Wireless Sub (Purchase it here!)

Klipsch Rear Surround Speakers – Pair for Bar 48 (Purchase the wireless rear surrounds here!)

 

Read on for my review:

 

I used to be a big fan of Klipsch and had a 7.1 surround setup before but with our home being smaller, I downsized and bought a Sonos system (Beam, subwoofer, 2 Play 1’s). Had I known that this system was out, I would have absolutely, 100% went a different way because while this isn’t 5.1 surround, it is 3.1 with the option to purchase (separately), some wireless back surrounds to make it 5.1. That option wouldn’t matter if this set wasn’t any good to listen to but after I set it up, easily, I was simply blown away by how crisp the highs were, how nice and even the mid range is and how incredibly LOW the bass drops. I had forgotten how much I liked the Reference series before and the included subwoofer actually hits harder than the 8″ reference I used to have. How, I am not sure but it absolutely does. This is an amazingly good deal, compared to the other options on the market that have options for wireless back surrounds. I feel this way because the sound quality is outstanding and it was ridiculously simple to hook up.

Setup:

Taking this out of the box took me longer than setup. Seriously, not even joking. It was a bit of a pain to open it because I didn’t want to mess it up and accidentally drop the soundbar out or the subwoofer, etc. Nonetheless, once out, it was easy. Make sure you don’t throw away any of the styrofoam until you have all the bags with the remote, power cords (2), etc. After that, all I had to do was to find a place to plug in both and hook it up to the ARC HDMI port (HDMI cable included and it is fairly nice). As a bonus, the subwoofer was already paired to the soundbar so I did not need to pair it.

Sound:

The sound is incredible to me. I did not listen to it without the subwoofer so I cannot comment on how it sounds without it but I do still like it when I turn the sub down. You do have the option, via the remote, to turn the subwoofer down or up and it is super simple and easy to do. You can also immediately drop the sub down with 1 button on the remote (good if it is nighttime and a huge explosion or bass drop hits and you want to try to avoid waking up the rest of the house). The highs are some of the best out there, I believe, because of their horns. The lows are tight and not too punchy and definitely not muddy. I listened to rap, rock, classical, country and watched an action movie and a drama…This set enhanced my viewing and/or listening experience for each. If you turn up the sub, the bass can get RIDICULOUSLY loud!! I included a video (I know you cannot hear the bass drop as I do but you can see the subwoofer “walking” because the bass is hitting so hard). The bass drops and with the sub all the way up, it literally “walks” a bit. Don’t get me wrong, bass is not the most important part of sound, this setup just reminded me how much I love and missed bass like that.

Remote:

The remote is perfect, to me. It has a nice grip on it that feels good in my hand, lights up and has some common-sensical buttons and button placement. The IR sensitivity is also excellent. I am able to use the TV remote via ARC but I use this included remote for sub level and to use “virtual surround”.

Etc:

This does Dolby, DTS and I think it is a great option for those who want a nice sound system for their living room, she-shed or man cave. I think this set makes a lot of sense without breaking the bank.

Also, this comes with a template and some mounts for the wall so you can easily mount this below your TV. I really appreciate not having to purchase a separate mount.

Cons:

The only con that I really have for this is that Bluetooth took a bit long to connect when I first paired it. It took a couple tries and I had to unplug the soundbar but after connecting the first time, it is now smooth sailing.

Overall, whether this is a good idea for you to purchase or not really depends on what you want concerning sound, what range you are looking at and if you have space for a 48″ soundbar and a sub that is pretty compact. If I had to choose between the Beam and subwoofer versus this soundbar and sub, hands down, 1,000% I would go with this setup and not look back. As always, I would suggest looking at a few different options before deciding but for a nice, all-around setup, this fits what I value nicely.

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