Outboard DACs

While the log cabin theme of Klipsch's marketing is less obvious, the 'Heritage' branding clearly stems from company founder Paul W Klipsch having built his first headphones at the age of 15. While impressive, it was hardly revolutionary: Klipsch had a strong interest in radio, then in its infancy, and headphones were how one listened in those days, as those of us who built an 'old-fashioned' crystal radio receiver in our childhood will probably remember. And Klipsch – the company – extends this theme to its 'The Sixes' powered speakers and Heritage Bluetooth speaker – setting it apart from the chrome-dressed special Capitol Records 75th anniversary edition. There's even a Heritage soundbar for your TV, probably better suited to your wallmounted flatscreen than a vintage Philco, Westinghouse or Zenith. As mentioned in our previous review of the HPA-3 headphones [HFN Nov '18], the first pair of headphones Klipsch sold didn't arrive until 2007, although the company does hold the record for the longest-running speaker model: its famous Klipschorn speakers, with which the Klispch brand was founded back in the mid-1940s, are still in production. Now that's heritage…