Klipsch’s Nashville offers a sweet, room-filling sound but lacks deep low-end

£159/$149, klipsch.com

Best known for high-end hi-fi gear, Klipsch has recently ventured into consumer tech with its Music City portable speaker series. On test here, the Nashville sits in the middle of the range, with the smaller Austin below it and the larger Detroit model above.

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What are the Klipsch Nashville speaker’s key features?

The Nashville has dual 2.25-inch drivers that act as an omnidirectional driver, which fills the room in multiple directions, instead of the quasi-stereo approach taken by other Bluetooth speakers. A handy broadcast mode is available to link together up to 10 speakers from the same range, plus the ability to configure a stereo pair.

As well as party-ready sound projection, a water- and dust-proof case ensures the Nashville is ready for the elements. Handily, the single USB-C port (hidden below a protective cover) is also able to provide reverse charging of connected phones and tablets. There’s a rugged, rubbery feel about the case and it’s reassuringly heavy, which suggests chunky speaker magnets inside. The look is smart at the same time, with a rose gold logo emblazoned atop a distinctive punched-hole grille.

There’s a full 24 hours of playback to ensure you never run out of steam mid soirée. Handy extras include an onboard microphone for taking calls and increased wireless range, courtesy of Bluetooth 5.3. But it’s a shame that the Nashville lacks physical transport buttons for pausing and restarting playback without reaching for your phone.

How does the Klipsch Nashville speaker sound?

Getting going is simple, with a partner app easily taking care of over-the-air firmware updates and simple-but-welcome EQ shaping. On first listen, we reach out for a bass and mid boost using the 3-band graphic equaliser and also roll off the highs a touch.

Taking a listen — and getting well and truly into the spirit of Nashville — we audition (from the TV show of the same name) Lennon & Maisy’s cover of Ho Hey. There’s a pristine presentation of acoustic guitars, lush vocal harmonies and sizzling cymbals but while the double bass that anchors the mix is audible and articulate, it’s slightly lacking in sub-bass depth.

The more rocking Hedonism from Skunk Anansie is similarly satisfying in the high end, with striking drum transients, luscious tom fills and non-brittle distorted guitar tones.

But in Pete Tong’s rework of 7 Seconds, the throbbing lowest octave of the mix is neglected in favour of a silky high frequency tilt. Nevertheless we’re struck by the up-top brilliance of the string section’s lyrical countermelodies.

Compared to our Bose Soundlink Mini, Nashville’s drivers feel far more open — there’s less of a feeling of the frequency range being squeezed into a box, with lows and low-mids that are better separated and don’t appear to approach the onset of distortion as readily. But the Klipsch cries out for some EQ tweaking when put alongside the Bose since we find the highs glassy and the lows subdued in comparison.

Who should buy the Klipsch Nashville speaker?

Klipsch’s Nashville is a highly capable portable speaker that projects a crisp sound, with detailed highs and clarity in the bass end that’s more true to life than the plunging, resonant bass boom of other portable speakers.

It’s great for acoustic music, jazz and classic rock, or background music that doesn’t need to be booming out. The inevitable tradeoff, however, is less sub bass. Those who want bass-heavy tones will find this particular speaker misses the mark, even with the lows pushed to the max on the EQ sliders.

Key features

• Dual 2.25-inch drivers
• Up to 24 hours of play time
• Broadcast mode for linking multiple speakers together
• Water- and dust-proofing
• Companion app for EQ customisation and firmware updates
• USB-C charging / reverse charging