Review: Klipsch AW-525

If you are going to have a party in the garden, a Klipsch speaker is the obvious choice. Few speakers play as loud and tough as a Klipsch, and the AW-525 outdoor speaker is no exception.

It’s made mostly for fun, and hi-fi purists might want to choose something else. The Klipsch AW-525 is not a great speaker, but still one of the most hard-hitting in this test. It is available in black and white, and the ABS-molded and waterproof case can actually be painted if desired.

A C-shaped steel bracket holds the speaker firmly, and it can be easily angled so that it points towards the sofa or garden furniture. Here you get screw binding posts instead of push terminals, and the build quality is generally very good. There is a smaller version, and a larger version in the Klipsch AW series, and the AW-525 is the middle of the three. Behind the rust-resistant grille is a 5.25-inch bass and Klipsch Tractrix horn tweeter.

The horn has a 90 x 90 degree dispersion of the sound, which makes the speaker very efficient, but also offers a challenge.

The sound of Klipsch AW-525

Although the Klipsch speakers are among the smaller in the test, they deliver soundpressure in spades. The small woofer punches far above its weight class, and the speaker does not require a monster amplifier for it to be fun.

They sound a little too muufled in our opinion, and you have to angle the speakers precisely to be within the coverage of the Tractrix horn. Stand slightly on the side of the speakers, and you will not hear a treble from the farthest speaker. Something to be aware of. Bass is sufficient here, it is also well defined, but the midrange sounds flat, unfocused and withdrawn in our opinion. The Klipsch speakers are the best suited for rhythmic music and Ariana Grande sounds really spunky and fresh, but they are aboslutely not meant for chamber music.

Conclusion

The Klipsch AW-525 is a real feast of an outdoor speaker. But your taste in music will probably be decisive for whether to choose this or any of the other speakers in the test. There is better sound to be found elsewhere, but few speakers in this size are able to play as tough as these. If you have little space for speakers, but a large garden, the Klipsch AW-525 is a good choice. The neighbours might not agree, though.