New from Klipsch, the T5 Sport Wireless earphone offers a fresh addition to the Klipsch lineup. At $99, this earphone competes with the best wireless offerings from JBL, Sennheiser, and Audio Technica. But how does it sound?And is that sound worth the price?

The T5 Sport Wireless comes with a charging cable, a drawstring carrying pouch, five pairs of eartips, a pair of in-ear wings, and a cable cinch.

Sleek and slim, the earpieces feature Klipsch's iconic elliptical eartips, allowing for a more secure and comfortable fit, as well as better isolation. Indeed, once placed inside my giant ears, surrounding distractions seem to melt away, and I soon forget I'm even wearing earphones.

Pairing via Bluetooth comes across as relatively painless, with my phone immediately recognizing the earphones. The Klipsch T5 Sport supports SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX HD codecs, and offers an impressive 10 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Low End

In the low end, the Klipsch T5 Sport delivers a solid listening experience with good detail. While never overblown or sloppy, there's still a strong sense of bass that lends energy and weight to most tracks. While a just a little warm overall, the sound may still appear a little light for folks who are coming from a more consumer-oriented sound. Keeping that in mind, the T5 Sport still sounds great for rock, hip hop, pop, and electronica.

Midrange

When it comes to the midrange, the Klipsch T5 Sport leans a bit forward, but with a rich, detailed sound. Instrumentation sounds clean and snappy, with solid contrast and articulation. Vocals sound especially present, forced away from background music to take center stage on any track. This extra dimension of separation feels especially welcome with rock, hip-hop, and pop music, where the surplus emphasis lends a little something special to the overall sound.

High End

Just a tad bit rolled off, the highs manage to stay detailed where they should. Strings and female vocals retain the bulk of their pitch, without ever becoming so bright or piercing as to be uncomfortable. That being said, there's still enough shine and emotion in this high end to keep things fun and engaging, and pop and rock tracks particularly benefit from this sound. Female vocals tend to strike a perfect balance between velvety-smooth and gripping, with a eerily tactile dimension that transcends the medium.

Soundstage

While a bit confused due to the design, there's still some solid soundstage to be heard with the Klipsch T5 Sport. Deep but perhaps a little narrow, this soundstage works fine with simple compositions and most test tracks falling within the rock, pop, hip-hop, or folk genres. Where the T5 Sport may falter is when it comes to classical or jazz tunes. Here the soundstage may feel just a little too narrow to fit the scope of some ensembles.

Recommendations

If you're in the market for a full-sounding wireless earphone, or just one that eschews the usual all-bass-and-no-mids sound, the Klipsch T5 Sport will blow your ears off. At $99, this earphone offers a superb value for the price.

If you're a fan of a bassier sound, though, the similarly-priced JBL Reflect Aware 2 might offer a bit more oomph in the low end.

Compared to other models from Audio Technica, Sennheiser, and Beats By Dre, the Klipsch T5 Sport offers a more mid-heavy sound that results in better-sounding vocals, as well as the impression of more detail.

Final Analysis

At $99 the Klipsch T5 Sport delivers a sound you won't soon forget, with luscious vocals and detailed instrumentation. While not the perfect earphone for jazz or classical, it more than proves its worth with pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic tracks.