Since the advent of Bluetooth earbuds, charging cases have been utilitarian, at best. Understandable. I suspect few, if any, purchase the things based on how their cases look. For many of us, however, headphones are the one piece of tech aside from a smartphone (and, perhaps, wearable) without which we never leave the house.
When they’re not bad, the design is largely benign. Take the AirPods. Perfectly fine and unoffensive design that brings to mind nothing more than some Glide dental floss. Good on the Klipsch for trying something different (along with another notable exception in Sennheiser’s pricey Momentum). I can’t speak to the sound quality, comfort or battery life of the T5 (they’re only being shown off for the first time at CES next week), but damn if that isn’t a nice-looking travel case you’ve got there.
Gizmodo’s comparison to a Zippo lighter is pretty spot-on. And if I’m being perfectly honest, there was a time in my life (let’s call it “high school”) when I, a lifelong non-smoker, carried a Zippo as an accessory. I learned a few of the snap to open tricks. I’m not proud.
Anyway, the T5 will run you $199, which puts them toward the higher end of the current crop of Bluetooth earbuds. The sound quality on Klipsch’s stuff tends to be pretty solid, so you’re likely in for a decent set of buds. They’re due out over the summer.
