Klipsch T5 II in-ear headphones are for people who care about great sound quality no matter where they go. If you want wireless earphones that offer comparable features to Apple’s Airpods, Airpods Pro, or Beats PowerBeats Pro — but you want better sound quality and comfort, then you came to the right place. With 2 models to choose from, there’s definitely a Klipsch T5 II made just for you. 

Company & Product Overview

When it comes to in-ear headphones, Klipsch offers key advantages over the competition. With more than 70 years of audio experience, Klipsch T5 II True Wireless in-ear headphones offer the legendary sound you've come to know and love without having to mess with tangled cables. Having AptX high-quality Bluetooth and lossless AAC means you won’t lose any audio quality just because you’ve gone wireless either.

Klipsch in-ear headphones are for music lovers who care about great sound quality, superior comfort, and cool features at reasonable price-points. Compared to Apple Airpods, Airpods Pro, and other similar earbud-style earphones, Klipsch makes an in-ear headphone model for a wider variety of use cases. 

The two we are focusing on today are in the new Klipsch T5 II True Wireless series. They both feature True Wireless Bluetooth functionality, but each one is priced with additional features to fit in with your style and your needs. Click on any of the models below to skip ahead and learn more about a specific one in the series.

Klipsch T5 II True Wireless In-Ear Headphones:

• Klipsch T5 II True Wireless
• Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport

Design

The new T5 II True Wireless is now the 2nd generation of the T5 series. Across the product line, both T5 II TW in-ear headphones share common features. First, we’ll begin with the differences between the first generation and the new generation. Then we’ll discuss the differences between both models in the new series. 

When Klipsch re-designed the T5 True Wireless, they started from within. Klipsch reduced the size of the battery and the earpiece by 25% for an even better fit without sacrificing great battery life. 

You still get the same 8-hours as the original first Gen T5 True Wireless, but now you also get the benefits of a smaller earpiece. 

The new earpiece is more ergonomically formed and tightly integrated with the ear, so not only does it fit better, but it also sticks out of your ear significantly less than the previous generation. This makes the new Klipsch T5 II substantially more comfortable to wear all day long.

Most true wireless Bluetooth earphones use an internal chip antenna inside the earphone — but this causes wireless performance to be less consistent. To solve this, Klipsch uses an injection molded stainless steel antenna on the exterior, instead. This metal external antenna is similar to the ones found in high-end smartphones, so the earphones get near-perfect signal coverage without any disruptions.

The new T5 II line of in-ear headphones are also waterproof and dust-resistant. Klipsch increased the wall-thickness, gaskets, and all of the weather-sealing required to achieve high IP-ratings. All these innovations go against making a product smaller, but Klipsch still managed to achieve a 25% smaller product, overall. 

Comfort

Unlike Apple Airpods or Earpods, Klipsch recognizes that our ear canals are oval-shaped — not round. Most earphones and earbuds are round, which can be uncomfortable or even unwearable after extended use for some people. In Klipsch’s new T5 II line, both in-ear headphone models come with Klipsch’s exclusive patented oval-shaped ear tips for the absolute best comfort and fit. 

These soft oval silicone ear tips fit deeper, and now they come in more custom sizes  — instead of just 3 ear tips for small, medium, and large, the new T5 II comes with half sizes too. Now, you get small+, medium+, and large+, so you can customize the fit with 6 bundled ear tips. Also, the ear tips are color-coded on the undersides of each one so you’ll always know which one is the right size just by matching the colors. 

Having more options to select the ear tip size that fits the unique contours of your ear canal is the closest thing you can get to the experience of custom-molded in-ear monitors for a fraction of the price. These soft patented oval-tips reduce ear fatigue and provide an excellent seal for supreme noise isolation.

Features & Technology

Most earphones use a single microphone, but that single microphone really can’t distinguish environmental noise from your voice. Another problem that occurs with this is when you talk on the phone. A single microphone is not going to pick out your voice from all the noises around you, which is why your voice sounds "muddy" or like it’s underwater on calls with earphones or earbuds that use a single mic.

Best Microphones

To get around this problem, some earphones like Apple Airpods (Gen 2) and Apple Airpods Pro use a dual microphone configuration to perform an advanced signal process called “Beam-Forming.” Beam-forming works by using mic 1 & 2 to compare the differences in sounds — one microphone locates where your voice is coming from while the other picks up the external noise and filters it out. 

This is great but the performance is best when high-quality microphones are used. If the microphones are cheaply-made, they’re not going to produce clear-sounding results to the other person during a call. This is why Klipsch uses the highest quality microphones to perform the most consistent beamforming no matter what environment you’re in. Unlike Apple Airpods Pro, all the T5 II models use high-performance beamforming microphones to make your calls sound crystal clear to the other person. 

Klipsch takes the microphone pattern to the next levels of call quality and clarity. Always pushing the boundaries for the highest performance, both the new Klipsch T5 II TW and T5 II TW Sport use a Quad beam-forming microphone pattern for the clearest call quality. Both utilize the best microphones for the clearest call quality with cool looks that match your high-performance style too.

Best Sound Quality

With more than 70 years of legendary audio experience, Klipsch is one of the few companies today that knows how to provide great sound without having to rely on DSP or cheap electronics. Klipsch’s ability to produce in-ear headphones without digital signal processing also prolongs battery-life in wireless earphones that use a battery.

To produce this level of sound quality, Klipsch has the most stringent production requirements that other manufacturers simply do not have. As a leading speaker manufacturer, Klipsch produces custom drivers for all of its in-ear headphones. Cheaply-made earphones relying on DSP and unnecessary electronics frequently lead to the left or right earbuds having serious sound imbalance issues. However, Klipsch’s stringent production requirements mean your Klipsch in-ear headphone will present high-quality sound, consistently.

The custom drivers in these in-ears use Klipsch’s Ultra-Thin Diaphragm. Unlike most earbuds or earphones that use a plastic diaphragm, the ultra-thin Klipsch diaphragm is made from a proprietary BioDynamic material that allows it to act as a true piston as it moves back and forth for a consistent - never changing - stable motion. 

At Audio Advice, we love it when technologies trickle down from more expensive high-performance gear. In this case, Klipsch’s proprietary driver from the Klipsch HP-3 Over-Ear headphones trickles down into all the T5 II models but with a smaller format. 

Compared to standard plastic earbud drivers, Klipsch BioDynamic drivers are nearly 6x more rigid. The rigid surface of Klipsch’s custom diaphragm remains rigid and resists flexing or bending, so it never tilts, wobbles, or changes shape. 

Unlike most earphones that use a flexible plastic diaphragm and a fixed-edge design, Klipsch’s BioDynamic diaphragm is not fixed to the edge of the driver. In a Klipsch environment, this allows the diaphragm to move freely like a piston to reproduce sound waves more accurately like a real loudspeaker. 

This leads to higher resolution and less distortion at higher volumes, and a wide frequency response from 10Hz-19kHz with a maximum sound pressure level of almost 110dB (+2dB on the lows & +5dB on the highs) across every model in the lineup.

Plus, Klipsch products keep getting better and better. With each new generation, Klipsch is constantly pushing the quality of their speaker drivers. The original Klipsch T5 had a fantastic sound signature and excellent bass performance, but the new T5 II line has even deeper sub-bass, clearer vocals, and enhanced detail in the higher frequencies. 

Performance

Across the board, both T5 II True Wireless in-ear headphones provide a clean soundstage, wide imaging, great dynamics, and consistent performance. Where they differ the most is in how well they fit into your life. They come in a variety of colors and aesthetics to complement your unique style and the prices reflect the features that will enhance your lifestyle. We dive deeper into what sets each one apart below. 

Klipsch T5 II True Wireless In-Ear Headphones

This one has push controls for the easiest user experience and it comes with a charging case that will fit in your pocket so you can have 24-hours of use with the case. The T5 II comes in 2 colors: Gunmetal or Silver. For anyone who wants the best call quality and the most comfort, the T5 II packs tons of performance for longer phone conversations for less than $200.

Compared to the earbud-style of Airpods, the T5 II True Wireless stands out for a lot of reasons. First, the T5 II is more comfortable with six pairs of ear tips. The fit is more customizable and the sound isolation is best in class. Second, it packs high-performance Beam-Forming Microphones. With 4 high-quality microphones, your voice will be crystal clear during phone conversations, and transparency mode will pipe in clear ambient noise when you want to hear the sounds in the environment around you.

Next, the T5 II True Wireless earpieces house Klipsch’s custom 5mm ultra-thin driver to present a wider soundstage with more top-end extension and dynamics. Think of music with deeper sub-bass, clearer vocals, and enhanced details in the higher frequencies compared to Airpods.

Not only that, but the new T5 II earpieces also have the high IP-rating of IP67, so they are water & dustproof. 

Bonus Points:

Six pairs of ear tips for twice the customizability, includes a pocket-friendly case, USB-C charging port, push controls for easy user experience.

Airpods (Gen 2) vs Klipsch T5 II True Wireless: Earbud-style and fit is uncomfortable for some people, worse performance on Android, no customizability, and not waterproof or dustproof.

Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport In-Ear Headphones

Next up, we have the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport edition. With this model, you get everything that makes the T5 II great, but Klipsch takes the charging case to the next level. The charging case is a USB-C and a wireless Qi charging system. The case is water-tight and gasket-sealed to protect it from water and dust, so both the earphones and the case score a high IP67 rating. This means they are both well-protected against sweat and dust.

Protecting the case from external elements is a great start, but what happens when you use your earphones at the gym and then you throw them back in the case and forget about them in your bag overnight? Klipsch went a step further to protect your earphones while they’re inside the case by engineering a moisture removal system that absorbs moisture from within. The case uses a system of blue desiccant silica gel beads to remove moisture and dry out your earphones. The moisture removal system is also a rechargeable system, so a quick moment in the microwave recharges the silica beads so that they can absorb moisture again. Some earphones like Beats PowerBeats Pro also include a case to protect your earphones when working out, but the case in these is not protected against liquids like sweat, and they don’t give you a rechargeable moisture removal system that dries out your earphones for you.

You also get more color options: Black, Gray, Green, and a special edition McLaren color that will match your high-performance style too. For less than $250, we think this stands out as one of the best earphones to work out with — and when you need a break from your workout to answer your phone, you get the same clear call quality as the T5 II True Wireless with the benefits of a waterproof and dust-proof case that dries out your earphones at the same time. So, with this model, you'll never have to worry.

Bonus Points:

Six pairs of ear tips with memory foam tips (3 ear-wings, 1 memory foam tip for added grip), USB-C plus Qi wireless charging, push controls for easy user experience.

Beats PowerBeats Pro vs Klipsch T5 II Sport: No transparency mode, Larger and bulkier form factor and fit, worse performance on Android, included case is not water-resistant, and only 4 ear tip sizes.

Overall Recommendation

Klipsch is a name that has become synonymous with high-performance audio, and for good reason. They’ve been designing loudspeakers with custom drivers for 70 years. Their deep knowledge and stringent manufacturing requirements have made their loudspeakers popular all around the world. It seems almost unfair for a name like “Klipsch” to enter the wireless earphone market. 

Whether you are looking for a wireless in-ear headphone to help you work out or to enjoy the clearest phone conversations with the best microphones, there’s a Klipsch T5 II True Wireless that will suit your needs. They both sound great and fit great, so choosing the right one comes down to how you plan to use it.