Building on the success of its first-iteration true wireless earbuds, the T5s, Klipsch has announced the T5 II True Wireless earphones, the T5 II True Wireless Sport earphones, and the flagship T5 II True Wireless Sport McLaren Edition earphones for $199, $229, and $249, respectively.
As the official portable audio partner of the McLaren Formula 1 racing team and driver Lando Norris, Klipsch decided to do more than just slap its name on the F1 cars and photo-op backdrops. The company has announced three new true wireless earbud models, with the top-of-the-line model featuring the McLaren partnership prominently.
All three earbuds have similar features, with the Sport and McLaren Sport editions boasting additional features in fit, security, and charging options.
Klipsch T5 II True Wireless earphones
The second generation of Klipsch’s T5 series, the T5 II, make significant changes over their predecessors. The earbuds themselves are approximately 25% smaller and now more closely mimic the shape of the ear to maximize comfort. Klipsch is also doubling the number of its patented oval eartips included with the buds to six pairs to help achieve a more comfortable fit.
Klipsch also redesigned the antennae to sit on the exterior of the buds, similar to how antennae are arranged around the outside of cell phones. The company says that this choice will deliver better connectivity in a full 360-degree range and lessen interference compared to other Bluetooth devices. The T5 II will also support SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs for high-quality sound reproduction.
The T5 II are dust- and water-tight with an IP67 rating. Klipsch is rating the T5 II to provide 8 hours of playback per charge, with 24 additional hours of charging in the lighter-esque style case. You can also expect over an hour of playback from a quick charge of 15 minutes. The case charges via USB-C.
The T5 II are available in two colors — silver, or gunmetal.
Klipsch T5 II Wireless Sport and Sport McLaren Edition earphones
Though little changes in regard to the performance of the buds, Klipsch includes a few extras with the T5 II Sport and Sport McLaren Edition earphones.
When Klipsch says “Sport,” it doesn’t mean it in the sense that most companies do when they use the term. Though this iteration does include silicon earwings to help keep them in place, which should be helpful during workouts, Klipsch’s use of the term leans more to what other companies would call a “pro” model.
The charging case for both the Sport and Sport McLaren are significantly different from the baseline T5 II model, boasting a bigger and more robust build and wireless charging functionality. Both the Sport and Sport McLaren offer wireless charging capability, but only the McLaren edition comes with a wireless charging pad included.
Both the Sport and Sport McLaren feature a moisture-removal system inside the charging case to wick away moisture while the buds are charging. Both editions also come with additional memory foam eartips and the aforementioned three sizes of earwings on top of the six silicon eartips included with the base T5 II.
The biggest difference between the Sport and Sport McLaren are the color options. The T5 II Sport are available in black, green, and white, while the McLaren Edition comes in the racing team’s signature black and orange. Only the McLaren edition will ship with an included wireless charging pad, but both editions are compatible with other charging pads on the market.
To help illustrate the main differences betweenthe three models, Klipsch put together this graphic.
You might notice that none of these three models includes active noise cancelling, a feature of growing importance, especially in this price range.
When pressed on the issue, Klipsch responded that it “feels that the waterproof IP67 rating of the earphones (and the watertight case of the sport earphones), as well as wireless charging, ultimate comfort, and sound quality, make the new earphones solid competitors” despite not including ANC. The company added that Klipsch ANC in-ear and over-ear models are coming out this fall and will “use Sony’s best-in-class ANC tech. The in-ear version will also have built-in A.I.”
All three T5 II earphone models will be shipping later this summer but can be pre-ordered starting July 10.
