Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air - Joining The AirPlay Armada

Introduction and Physique

Sonic Centerpiece

With Apple selling ever more iOS devices, it’s not surprising how the big names in audio such as JBL and Philips have been quick to come out with speaker docks that come baked with the Cupertino fruit company’s AirPlay wireless audio technology. The latest company to join in on the fun is American audio legend Klipsch with the Gallery G-17 Air. We heard that their  new high-end Mode M40 headphones garnered a gold award in our print partner HWM Philippines' April lab test, which bodes well for this newcomer.

In its review, the Mode M40 got high marks for design, and upon unboxing, its speaker dock cousin looks like it will too. Unlike the swooping curves of the Philips Fidelio series, Klipsch’s Gallery line on the other hand favors a more imposing form with rounded edges, held up on top of a glass platform with rubber feet. On the speaker’s right side, you have a bank of backlit control and setup buttons, and on the opposite side is its rather small bass port. A deep recess (almost too deep) in the rear gives you access to the G-17 Air’s ports which include USB and a 3.5mm auxiliary audio jack. The whole package has a refined, statuesque look to it, like a sculpture or a statue that can be the centerpiece of a living room.

Most of the G-17 Air has a glossy piano-lacquer finish, making it a potential fingerprint magnet. To counter this, Klipsch has interestingly included a pair of cotton gloves in the G-17 Air’s packaging. Another notable feature is how you can flip over the cloth cover to reveal the drivers underneath. If you're wondering if this makes any difference to the sound, it does but the difference is hardly noticeable. In our opinion it looks much cooler with the cover flipped over.