Back in January, we watched Klipsch stroll into CES with three Atlas headphones alongside a master plan to get more serious about personal audio again. And it’s all part of their 80th birthday celebration. Since then, the Arkansas-born speaker outfit has spent the year celebrating the old-fashioned way, with a revived 1946 Klipschorn and a horn-loaded collab with OJAS.
Now the wired half of that headphone trio is official, with real prices, a ship date, and a new name: the Klipsch Stratos HP-2 and HP-3.
A Tweeter in Every Ear
Most full-size headphones hand a single full-range driver per ear the entire job. We’re talking everything from the kick drums to the cymbals.
Klipsch, being Klipsch, couldn’t just leave that alone. Each Stratos cup runs a two-way coaxial array, pairing a bio-cellulose mid/bass driver with its own 10mm dynamic tweeter on the same axis. Think of it more like a bookshelf speaker shrunk down to sit over your ear.
For scale, that tweeter is narrower than a dime. The mid/bass driver measures 40mm in the HP-2 and 50mm in the HP-3.
Is it the first headphone to split the work? Not even close, considering AKG was mixing driver types back around 1979. But it’s a rare move in a full-size headphone, and a very on-brand one for a company built on crossovers and horns.
Closed for Tracking, Semi-Open for the Couch
Choosing between the two comes down to how you listen. The HP-2 is the closed-back of the pair, and Klipsch pitches it as the isolating, bass-forward option that can also pull studio monitoring duty.
The HP-3 goes semi-open with perforated cups, Alcantara touches, and a wider cushioned headband. And Klipsch promises warm, punchy lows with sparkly highs. It also inherits its name from the wood-cupped Heritage HP-3 that served as Klipsch’s flagship back in 2017.
Neither one demands a tower of amplification, either. At 32 and 24 ohms respectively, Klipsch says both run fine straight off a phone. Although there also happy to point you toward sister brand Onkyo’s HA-70 amp if you want to go a bit further.
Sapele, Copper, and Grille Cloth
This being Klipsch, the looks get just as much love as the drivers (they’re beautiful). Both models wear stained sapele earcups in a finish called Auburn, ringed in copper and backed by the same Twitchell grille cloth that dresses the brand’s Heritage speakers.
Machined aluminum yokes, a protein-leather headband with a crown-relief cutout, and magnetic microsuede pads round out a pair that looks like it belongs next to a turntable.
Spec Sheet
Models: Klipsch Stratos HP-2 / Stratos HP-3
Design: Closed-back (HP-2) / Semi-open-back (HP-3), wired over-ear
Drivers: Two-way coaxial: 40mm (HP-2) or 50mm (HP-3) bio-cellulose mid/bass + 10mm dynamic tweeter
Frequency Response: 15Hz to 18kHz (HP-2) / 16Hz to 22kHz (HP-3)
Impedance: 32 ohms (HP-2) / 24 ohms (HP-3)
Sensitivity: 100dB (HP-2) / 102dB (HP-3)
Weight: 13.4 oz (HP-2) / 16.2 oz (HP-3)
Materials: Stained sapele earcups, machined aluminum yokes, copper accents, Twitchell grille cloth
Cables: 8.2 ft 3.5mm and 4.5 ft 4.4mm balanced braided cables, 1/4-inch adapter
Finish: Auburn
Pricing & Availability
The Klipsch Stratos HP-2 runs $999.99 and the HP-3 $1,199.99, with both landing stateside in December (Europe follows in January) and the walnut-veneer stand we expected in the HP-3 box back in January now sold separately for $149.99. If you’re near Dallas this weekend, CanJam (November 14 to 15) is your first chance to hear them. Everyone else can head over to Klipsch’s website to get notified.
Recap
Klipsch Stratos HP-2 and HP-3
Klipsch’s $1,000 closed-back HP-2 and $1,200 semi-open HP-3 wired headphones squeeze a two-way coaxial speaker design into every sapele earcup.
