Skip to main content

Elegance and machismo merge in Klipsch’s 2.1 Stadium speaker system

Klipsch stadium
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are a lot of ways to blow two grand on audio gear, but Klipsch’s new all-in-one wireless speaker system, the Stadium, might just be the coolest way we know. Years in the making, the Stadium is a 29 pound hunk of rigid machined aluminum, sculpted into a frame that blends the elegance of a luxury sedan, with the bravado of a turbine engine.

Combining a flurry of components into a single piece of hi-fi machinery, the Stadium has enough power to blow your hair back, and enough control to make it worth the ride. Under its brazen silver shell are a host of powerful drivers, including dual 1-inch Titanium compression drivers set into proprietary 90 x 90 degree Tractrix horns, two 3.5-inch aluminum midrange drivers, and two 5.25-inch long throw subwoofers that sound way bigger than they have a right to. The entire 2.1 system is pushed by 400 total watts of digital amplification, and the speaker employs Airplay, Bluetooth, and DLNA wireless protocols, as well as a digital optical input, and USB device connection.

So what exactly does a shiny metal box packed with 400 watts of high-powered awesomeness sound like? Well, aside from awesome, the Stadium excels at all levels of the frequency spectrum. Big, beautiful bass is somehow coaxed from those Mighty Mouse subs, calling to mind the raw power of a full-sized 10 or even 12-inch driver. The midrange is smooth and detailed, sliding seamlessly into a crystal clear treble that brings forth the best in everything from Duke Ellington to Nirvana.

The one thing the Stadium can’t quite muster is the kind of true stereo separation you’ll find in traditional, fully autonomous speaker configurations. But for those who crave gorgeous, powerful sound, striking design, and wireless convenience from a single piece of gear, the Klipsch Stadium definitely delivers.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
Everything points to Apple TV+ making a change you’re not going to like
Is an ad-supported tier coming to Apple TV+?
The Apple TV Plus Logo

It turns out that TV worked pretty well under its old model. According to a new report from Business Insider, Apple TV+ may be the latest streaming service that's set to introduce an ad-supported tier and charge those who don't stream with ads a premium fee to access their great shows and movies.

At this point, the report is still speculation, but Apple has made several recent hires in the advertising space that seem to suggest the direction they're planning to take. The company recently hired former NBCUniversal ad executive Joseph Cady to serve as executive vice president of advanced advertising and partnerships, a move that comes following the company's hiring of another former NBCUniversal executive, Jason Frum, who joined Apple's video ad sales team.

Read more
From Gilda Radner to Ali Wong, these are the best female comedians of all time
These women from all generations will make you laugh out loud
Ai Wong comedian 2017 Moontower comedy festival

Hot take: I don’t care for straight male comedians. It’s not that they’re not funny, they’re just … I don’t know, boring? Maybe that’s reductive of me, but I never seem to leave a straight male comedian’s set feeling particularly inspired. And though some may argue that it’s not important for a set to "inspire" its audience, I’d actually argue that the opposite is true. For me, I want to see a comedian use humor to address real issues and say real things about the world, even if they do it in a completely goofy way.

Therefore, I tend to prefer female and female-identified comedians. They’re sharp, tough, and have often seen shit that makes their comedy feel raw and true. Undoubtedly there are male comedians who do this, too, but to a much lesser degree, in my very humble and very personal opinion.

Read more
12 classic sci-fi books everyone should read
If you love science fiction and reading, these classic sci-fi novels are a must
Man reading a book and drinking coffee

It may feel like we were recently living in a science-fiction dystopia life -- and in some ways, we were -- but that doesn't mean that we should simply avoid an entire genre of writing. Hardly. In fact, this is probably the perfect time to explore classic sci-fi books, to see what the masters have written, and maybe even see if someone predicted anything like this. Many, though, simply ignore sci-fi wholly and completely because of an association with robots, aliens, and the like.

Long story short, if you think you don't like sci-fi, you have never read great books from the genre. But indeed, many such books abound, including a number that has delighted generations of readers going back well over 150 years. In fact, one of the best things about so many sci-fi books is their very timelessness. As by definition, this type of fiction breaks away from the norms of the everyday world -- whether slightly twisting things or taking place on entire other worlds -- the stories often feel as fresh and relevant today as when they were published decades ago.

Read more