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New tech could mean pint-sized Klipsch speakers with massive sound

When we were introduced to Resonado Labs in 2021, we thought the small audio startup was onto something really cool with its proprietary speaker designs that hugely reduced the footprint needed to create full-range sound. Turns out, we weren’t the only ones that thought so. Resonado has just landed a partnership with Klipsch, one of the best-known and trusted speaker brands, to work on new products that make use of Resonado’s tech. If Klipsch’s badge of approval doesn’t demonstrate that Resonado’s designs are something special, we’re not sure what would.

The two companies say that, together, they will bring “real, dynamic sound” into living rooms with a new line of discrete and compact products. We don’t yet know what those products are, when they’ll be available, or what they’ll cost, but I feel pretty confident in saying they won’t look anything like Klipsch’s traditional horn-loaded speakers like the Klipsch Jubilee or the Reference lineup.

Example product image from Resonado Labs.
Resonado Labs

Klipsch claims that buyers of home audio have shown a desire for smaller speakers, saying, “Consumer demand has shifted to audio products that take up less space and provide a full acoustic range in a single package.” Given the current popularity of both soundbars and smart speakers, that sounds about right.

Resonado’s key innovation in the audio space, a driver design it calls Res-Core, will be the tool Klipsch uses to unlock the potential of the smaller-scale market. “Identifying an opportunity to deliver full-frequency sound in small form factor speakers led to the development and patenting of our core technology,” Resonado Labs founder, Brian Cho, said in the same press release. Res-Core is at the heart of Resonado’s speaker products.

Founded in 2017, Resonado has been focused on licensing its technology to manufacturers instead of trying to produce its own speakers. To date, the company has created partnerships with Airstream, the maker of the iconic stainless steel-skinned RVs, Hyundai, and China’s Soundlab. But the partnership with Klipsch is its biggest so far, taking the young company into the world of large-scale home audio for the first time.

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Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
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