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KJ Speakers

musicman56

musicman56

50 years hifi & vinyl junkie
Back in 1974 I bought my first system from KJ Leisuresound in Watford (SP25/iv/Goldring G800, Teleton SAQ307D and KJ Sonatas). £85 the lot!!
Does anybody know anything about the KJ own brand speakers? I believe there were three models, Samba, Solent and Sonata but I've no idea who made them and can find nothing whatsoever about them on the web.
Did I dream them?
 
I'm not familiar with those particular models, however, I do recall that KJ Leisuresound owned the Audiomaster brand and were the second company to be licensed by the BBC to produce the LS3/5a (with a young Robin Marshall doing all of the testing and tweaking in order to fulfill the contract requirements).

Here's a bit of history from Dave (DSJR on here, and elsewhere) on the subject of KJ Leisuresound loudspeaker production in general.
 
Thanks Craig. I do know about the Audiomaster connection (I had a pair of MLS4s in the 1980s) but my KJ Sonatas were a bit too rough and ready for Robin Marshall (I hope!!). They had twin coned bass drivers and a smaller coned tweeter in an internally unfinished box with external veneer and a thick material grill. Sounded OK but nothing special. Cheap and cheerful describes them best.
 
A very late reply, but I may be able to shed a little light...

The three 'KJ' models mentioned were from before Audiomaster (and Robin Marshall's involvement) started I believe and were basically a 6"? twin cone driver in a box of different sizes and I seem to remember a wad of stuffing loosely fitted in the internals. A school pal's first proper stereo was with an SP25III/G800H, Teleton 202 amp and Sonata's and it did really well in our 6th form party, the speakers set high and firing over people's heads. By the time I started at KJ in the autumn of 1974, I think they'd gone by then as Kj was moving upmarket and Robin became busy designing the Image 1 (B200 and Audax tweeter, the Image 2 version which Angus McKenzie's team destroyed before the listening tests in the first HiFi Choice Speakers book - crossover caps were burned out in the high power testing and the 3/5A wasn't much better when returned).

I found this thread as I was trying to see if any Sonata boxes still existed around and about as from memory, they were around 12 to 15 litres and shaped in a reasonable rectangular shape - probably all landfill by now I bet.

Roger made the Audiomaster speakers and as I said earlier someplace, he did a splendid and very careful job. I think he had to leave the room as the adhesives went off (the damping was glued and I think stapled to the box walls) and the smell was strong and not especially 'good' for you depending on how you reacted to it ;). Robin used to match every LS3/5A up and this was a nightmare as KEF changed the sodding B110 driver with every batch it seemed. If a batch failed testing at Hirst research, Robin hand tuned every crossover to get them within spec, the BBC having absolute 'centre-line' samples, all with XLR sockets on the back..
 
An even later reply...and thanks to DSJR for his comments.

I have just discovered a KJ advert in the pages of 'Gramophone' magazine dated Oct 1972. It shows pictures (drawings) of all three speakers (Samba £16, Solent £23 and Sonata £32) with a brief spec. It seems the Samba and Solent had a 6inch driver and the Sonata, an 8inch cone with 3.5 inch tweeter. Interestingly they are advertised as KJ Audiomaster speakers. I bought my pair of Sonatas in early 1974 and as DSJR notes, by late 74 they had gone, so mine were probably the last of the stock. They were bundled up with the rest of my system (SP25 and Teleton amp) at a reduced price which would point to the end of the line.

Last thought. My pair eventually went to my uni girlfriend and for all I know she still has them so if DSJR is looking for boxes...!!
 
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