US audio brand Klipsch has announced that its latest soundbars, the Klipsch Bar 40 and Klipsch Bar 48, are now available to buy, following their launch at CES 2019 in January this year.
The new Klipsch soundbars are based on the company's premium Reference speaker range, and come with wireless subwoofers to boost the bass of your home cinema setup.
- Check out the best soundbars you can buy this year
- After some real surround sound? Check out the best Dolby Atmos speakers
- If you're looking for a bargain, head to the best cheap soundbar deals and sales in 2019
Both soundbars are designed to have a simple setup processes, and feature a number of different connection options, including HDMI ARC, 3.5mm analogue, and optical digital inputs.
Virtual surround sound
Both the Bar 48 and Bar 40 utilize wood enclosures to avoid the "unwanted resonances associated with plastic bodies" and woven grilles.
The Klipsch Bar 48 sports a 3:1 channel configuration, with a dedicated center channel speaker for "enhanced clarity" and a wireless 8-inch subwoofer to deliver powerful bass frequencies – ideal for watching big blockbusters with booming explosions.
The Bar 48 also sports built-in surround sound processing technologies like Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and DTS-HD, which should make for an immersive cinematic experience in the comfort of your home.
You can also create a native surround sound experience by combining the Bar 48 with the Klipsch Surround 3, which can be connected wirelessly to the soundbar for a true 5.1 surround sound system.
The largest of the two models, the Bar 48 is (you guessed it) 48 inches long, and can be wall-mounted or placed on your TV cabinet. Now available in the UK as well as the US, it'll set you back $499 / £565 – that works out at around AU$430, but right now there's no word on when either soundbar will become available in Australia.
If you want to top up the Bar 48 with the Surround 3, you'll need to fork out an additional $249 / £265 (around AU$360).
A cheaper option
If that sounds a little pricey, the Klipsch Bar 40 is substantially cheaper at $299 / £350 (around Au$430) – it's available to buy now in the US, and will be released in the UK in the next couple of months.
At 40 inches long, it comes with a 6.5-inch subwoofer, and also supports virtual surround sound – so, even if you're opting for the smallest of the two Klipsch soundbars, you can still achieve immersive sound for your films and TV shows.
Klipsch is also set to release three more soundbars this year, including the Klipsch Bar 40G, which will come with Google Assistant built in, and the Bar 48W – the latter having even more smart home tech built-in, with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple's AirPlay 2.
Lastlly, the Klipsch Bar 54A is set to support Dolby Atmos technology with discrete elevation drivers, designed to deliver an engaging, enveloping soundstage.
- TV stands: finding the best TV stand to suit your living room cinema needs
