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KLH Audio Model 5

90db sensitivity, seems to be an updated design from way back. Looks interesting if you need a speaker for valves.
 
I had 2 pairs of KLH speakers the original 5's & 6's in my mid 1970's quadraphonic set up with a Sansui QRX 6500 ,JVC CD4 discreet decoder. The speakers were far better than most around at the time. WAF & children needing space decided me on a new pair of Quad 57's in 1984.
 
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I bought a pair of the newer Model 5s in November and they're excellent. They do that big sound that I want but without overwhelming my room with overwhelming bass, which could happen with my Tannoys and Lintons. They also have a great top end that gives you lots of detail, but they're more forgiving than my Tannoys which are extremely resolving and somewhat less forgiving or poorer recordings/ poor mastering choices.

They look great as well. Downsides? I haven't found any yet!

That said, the supplied stands aren't great when it comes to firing music across the width of the room as you end up with a frowned presentation whereby music rises in the middle but falls down and away the farther music is panned left and right in the mix. I doubt this would be an issue when firing down the length of the room but in a small room like mine, the short stands and their built-in rake are no good.

I reckon the Model 5s are perfect for people who want or need lots of detail with a modest bottom end. I reckon they're perfect for people who live in flats with neighbours to bear in mind.
 
I've heard Dereks speakers and I agree, they are very good. I wouldn't describe the bottom end as 'modest' though. It is deep, tight and powerful. It might lack a little weight in his room but I suspect only because he has them quite far from the wall.

They are very tight, punchy and coherent speakers which prove that doing things the old fashioned way isn't necessarily such a bad idea. I think they'll suit a lot of people as they'll be easy to drive, easy to accommodate and sound great. Both the Lintons and the Tannoys are good speakers but I'd take the KLH over them.
 
Mr Pig said:
I've heard Dereks speakers and I agree, they are very good. I wouldn't describe the bottom end as 'modest' though. It is deep, tight and powerful. It might lack a little weight in his room but I suspect only because he has them quite far from the wall.

They are very tight, punchy and coherent speakers which prove that doing things the old fashioned way isn't necessarily such a bad idea. I think they'll suit a lot of people as they'll be easy to drive, easy to accommodate and sound great. Both the Lintons and the Tannoys are good speakers but I'd take the KLH over them.
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Yep, that's my conclusion as well. A bigger room and it might be a different story but for a small room like mine, they're just about perfect.
 
Between this, that and everything else, they cost what they cost. But they sound so good I reckon their performance is fairly commensurate with their cost anyway. Sure, that assessment is largely based on the fact that I live in a small flat and the Model 5s are a better fit for my living room when it comes to bass response than my Linton 85s or Tannoy Eaton Legacy speakers; they also deliver the kind of top end I demand from a pair of speakers so there's that as well.

For anyone after a pair of speakers that can deliver a big sound with lots of detail and with a bass response that won't get you an ASBO, the Model 5s ought to be on your shortlist.
 
amazement said:
Anyone know about these? Seem to get a lot for 2k including the stands.
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They are nearly €3.5K in EU area !:oops:
A pricelevel I find very high to be honest

Where are they made ?
China I assume.

Do they have a sluggish bas sort of like the Wharfedale Lintons ?
What about distance to rear wall,? many people can't have large loudspeakers more than one meter out in room.
 
Bass is not sluggish at all. The word on the web says you can have them around 30cm from the rear wall and they'll still sound good; apparently, that's about as close as you can get before things start to get a bit out of shape at the bottom end, meaning you probably won't be able to have them jammed right up against the rear wall. Mine are about 42cm from the rear wall, as measured from the rear of the speakers, and they sound great.
 
pfbaat said:
Do they have a sluggish bas sort of like the Wharfedale Lintons ?
What about distance to rear wall,? many people can't have large loudspeakers more than one meter out in room.
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No. Infinite baffle speakers almost always have tighter bass than ported ones and the KLH are no exception. I'd say the only way in which I thought the Lintons were better was the fullness, particularly in the mid-range and I suspect that moving the speakers closer to the wall would help that.

Derek has the KLH in the same position he had the Lintons. They sound very good there, ideally I think they should probably be a good bit closer to the wall but I suspect they'd produce too much bass for his room. My impression is that they are designed for a degree of wall reinforcement. Not a full-moo wall speaker, like Isobariks or SBLs but not way out in the room.
 
Windhoek, have you never thought about Sara’s?,
keep reading your speakers journey and think Sara’s would be ideal in your place,
David Elwood is selling a nice pair of 9’s.
 
Fair enough, I thought they’d be alright being isobaric loading,
I wonder how these would compare to Ditton 44’s,
maybe bass is an issue due to bigger bass units of the 44’s,
am enjoying his hifi journey for sure.
 
Weecrackpot said:
I wonder how these would compare to Ditton 44’s,
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A friend has those and yeah, there would be a lot of similarities. They're about the same size but the KLH are deeper and look better because of that. Sonically quite similar I'd say. If you like one you'll probably like the other.
 
KLH demo'd a bigger model, the Seven, at shows last year but it never seems to have made it to the shops ... I could be interested in it if anyone has ever seen them in the wild. The are advertised for sale at Audio Affair, but nowhere else... and they don't even appear on KLH's website.


I'd be interested to hear how the KLH compares to the like of JBL L100. Seems to be several retro-ish large 3-way standmounts on the market nowadays -
Wharfedale Dovedale,
Revival Atalante 5,
Elipson Heritage XLS-15
 
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