Klipsch has announced five soundbars for 2019 with features such as Dolby Atmos, Google Assistant, and Apple Airplay 2. The company has also unveiled a wireless sound system based on WiSA.

Klipsch 2019 soundbars
Klipsch says that its new soundbars are ”designed with quality materials and horn-loaded technology to look and sound more like the brand’s premium Reference speakers than run-of-the-mill black plastic tubes”.

The company launch a total of five new soundbars. The speakers will be showcased for the first time at CES 2019 next week.

- ”Models range from 40”-54” in width, with power and dynamics increasing with size. Klipsch Bar 40G becomes a personal assistant with the Google Assistant built in, Bar 48W is compatible with the Google Assistant, Alexa and AirPlay 2 and includes DTS Virtual:X immersive surround sound, and Klipsch Bar 54A adds an overhead dimension of sound with Dolby Atmos technology and discrete elevation drivers. The sound bars may be purchased with or without subwoofers,” the company announced.



In recent years, soundbars have become a more popular option for improving TV audio. A function such as Airplay 2 enables wireless connection to Apple TV, while Dolby Atmos object-based audio improves the sound experience. All in a fairly compact package that fits into most living rooms. To challenge more mainstream brands such as Samsung, LG, and Sony, Klipsch is positioning its products more as HiFi speakers.

From Bar 48W and up users can also use built-in Chromecast for music. The company did not release full specifications and did not comment on HDMI eARC but a few more details can be found in this PDF.

Prices range from $299 to $1599 and the new speakers will be available from spring 2019, with a couple models shipping this fall.


Wireless audio with WiSA
At CES 2019, Klipsch will also demonstrate its latest wireless surround sound solution based on wireless audio, specifically the WiSA protocol.

- ”Klipsch will demonstrate its latest version of easy-to-set-up and use, high resolution wireless speakers with WiSA technology. The speakers are designed for people that want the simplicity of a sound bar and high performance multi-channel capable audio from WiSA Ready TV’s, gaming systems and computers (connects through a USB transmitter). Notably, the price for a Klipsch 5.1 wireless home theater speaker system is approximately half the cost of the company’s first generation offering,” the company said.



With WiSA you can connect the speakers wirelessly to a WiSA-compatible TV or Xbox game console. Bang & Olufsen was first to offer TVs with WiSA built-in. LG has announced that its 2019 TVs will be WiSA compatible and we expect more companies to jump onboard following the launch of the ’WiSA Ready’ certification program.

Klipsch’s WiSA sound system will be available in early 2019. Pricing details were not announced.