Klipsch Adopts Google and Amazon Voice; Play-Fi Speakers to Go With Alexa Via Update

Klipsch threw its support behind Amazon and Google digital assistants via separate product lines at CES. Google Assistant will be available on specially branded Klipsch Heritage wireless speakers in special edition finishes, said the company. The model Three ($499) tabletop speaker/subwoofer will be available this fall, and the “semi-portable” model One with a rechargeable battery ($349) will ship in spring 2019, it said. Both speakers incorporate Bluetooth, a “mid-century modern” design, wood veneer and copper switches and knobs. Klipsch also announced at CES its wireless speakers and amplifiers will support the Alexa Connected Speakers API (application protocol interface), allowing users to control speakers and multiroom audio systems from any Alexa-enabled device. That includes Klipsch DTS Play-Fi speakers, Reference RSB-14 and RSB-8 sound bars, Heritage Wireless Three and RW-1 speakers, the Gate streamer and PowerGate amplifiers, said the company. To enable Alexa, Klipsch Stream series owners will have to download a free firmware update, due early this year, through the Klipsch Stream app, said the company. Klipsch didn’t respond to questions about future integration with Apple’s Siri or Samsung’s Bixby digital assistants -- or its overall voice strategy.