KLH Model Five Speakers

[Ron Stone]

Took these off my brother's hands, as they were too big for his living room. He got them from a flea market from someone who didn't want to haul them home.

They seem to be in excellent working order, although I don't know how to remove the grill to inspect the speaker surrounds; in fact, I already marred one of the grill frame edges trying to pry it open. They're heavy as all get out, featuring an acoustic suspension design in 3/4" MDF with veneer. They have tweeter and midrange adjustments.

So what is the vintage of these? I'm guessing early 70s. Don't neglect to tell me what sort of vintage amplification these will need!

[ferric]

Hey, Ron Stone (no relation)

the front grille cloth is wrapped around a thin wafer board; it is attached with velco in the corners and midway up the longest side to the box. they may have been modified in the field :) .

when you get that off , you will find a woofer, two midrange, and a tweeter.

if the woofers are original, the cone is an ugly looking brown hairy cloth. :eek:

the price of free is great. they sound okay with 25 watts or higher. test with Deep Purple or Grand Funk. hehe

FM

[Ron Stone]

Originally posted by ferric man
Hey, Ron Stone (no relation)

the front grille cloth is wrapped around a thin wafer board; it is attached with velco in the corners and midway up the longest side to the box. they may have been modified in the field :) .

when you get that off, you will find a woofer, two midrange, and a tweeter.

if the woofers are original, the cone is an ugly looking brown hairy cloth.

the price of free is great. they sound okay with 25 watts or higher. test with Deep Purple or Grand Funk. hehe

FM

Thanks! I definitely need to order the soundtrack(s) to DAZED & CONFUSED, don't you think?

So, a Pioneer receiver (with lots of meters and split alumnum knobs), with the obligatory foot-long analog tuner, should do for amplification?

[ferric]

yup,

I'm trying to attach a photo

[ferric]

and again

[Ron Stone]

Originally posted by ferric man
I'm trying to attach a photo

Wow, no time-aligned drivers and recessed baffles around here, Mr. Imaging!

[Sckott]

Wow. My girlfriend's uncle has a pair of those, and he put in (gasp) car speaker woofers to replace the original ones. Just imagine purple, clear cone drivers in THOSE cabinets. I'm not totally sure, but I'm thinking 1972-1973.

A good pair of these sound great, but very few of them are in perfect working order. Me thinks the materials were very delicate. I've only seen two pairs in my life.

The magnets on the original large cones (woof) were quite heavy. :O

[ferric]

and lastly...

[Ron Stone]

Originally posted by ferric man
and lastly...

Yours are obviously in better cosmetic condition than mine. I'm missing the grill badges, and there's lots of, er, loving to the veneer, as if they were not kept on speaker stands, and were frequently pressed into service as end tables.

[Steve Hoffman]

But how do they sound already? :)

[ferric]

I can't claim that pair. I found the pics on a KLH archive website. I was searching for info on the woofers. they are not a standard size i.e. 10", 12", the woofer is like 11 1/8" ;

I was offered and took a free pair. one is stock and sounds good; the mate has had the woofer replaced and the driver surround has rotted away.

They are both painted a very attractive flat white, interior latex... with a brush. :laugh:

so, I have it in my MONO room with a 35 push/pull tube Watts.

Everybody needs a Mono room :)

[Ron Stone]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
But how do they sound already?

Right now they're silent. My stereo equipment's in storage until some insurance issues are cleared up. I took these thinking I wouldn't care if someone stole them!

[ferric]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
But how do they sound already? :)


I don't care about the sound. I needed a flat white interior latex box to match the decor. ;)

Actually, I've listened some since they arrived in August and the outstanding presentation goes to Miles, Coltrane, Buddy Holly, Stax Singles Box. and Donavan - Catch the Wind (DCC) Buddy rocks the house! Sax and horn are smooth. Of course, the DCC's are outstanding.

I attunuated the tweeter quite a bit. overall, its laid back & musical. Its on a heavy stand elevated off the floor about 24". So not bass bloated.

this is not a detailed or aggressive speaker. so even poorly mastered cdees sound doesn't cause EAR PAIN.

[Ron Stone]

Originally posted by ferric man

It's on a heavy stand . . . about 24".

In the construction trade, we call these "cinder blocks."

[indy mike]

Yow - are those tweeters 3" cones?!?! Dispersion freaks need not apply, image hounds can just say no. I'm guessing that the high end is rolled off and they're on the mellow sonic side (the East Coast sound)....

[Richard Feirstein]

I did a number of installs in the late 60's and into the 70's of these and AR 5's and 3a's. I recall not liking the tone of the KLH Five all that much. The AR's had a much smoother high end and better dispersion of the mid range. The Fives tended to sound a bit artificial. They, however, were not as prone to blow out the tweeters and the eq pods were more reliable. They are better end tables then speakers.

Richard.

[Gary Freed]

I felt the same way Richard. My dad had a pair very similar to the those
in the picture.

Not the best Speakers for a tube system anyhow.

I remember them as being bass heavy not enough mid or upper end.

The sound would stay in the box because if I remember they were not
ported in the back at all.

The sound just got stuck inside.