Big three-way speakers have a lot going for them.
KLH Audio Model 5
- Thread starter amazement
- Start date
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
And too much quack...
Craig B
Re:trophile
It's funny how these things work out, sometimes.
In my day (i.e. Dad mode), it was the small 8" two-way KLH that sold like hotcakes. 'Hotcakes' may be an exaggeration, as there were likely as many sales of similar configuration AR models.
* 'east coast' as KLH Research and Development Corp. started out in Cambridge, Mass. in 1957, one year after Edgar Villchur's Acoustic Research patented his air suspension driver.
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Weecrackpot
Frank made me do it.
I was going ask does it have to be 3 ways before I left for work this afternoon,
knowing he’s got a small flat, I’d have thought a 2 way would have been better,
but I don’t know Derek’s room so can’t say for sure.
I don't think it works that way. Both the KLH and Lintons have deep bass, which is the only real consideration when it comes to room size, but the KLH are tighter and better controlled. I don't think that has anything to do with the number of drivers. It's infinite baffle vs ported mostly.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
I would have liked to have heard Saras as I've owned a number of Kans and I've heard Briks. But from what I've heard I'd need to have them quite a bit off the wall to make them work in my room and prevent chaps at the door by an angry mob. In saying that, I've been getting away with loud music for a good few years now so you never know. It's all moot now though as the KLHs are delivering everything I want and need from a pair of speakers so there's no reason to change them.
The day I came across them I spent ages trawling through the internet to read and watch reviews and also the accompanying owner comments and I was confidently reassured that the KLHs would be the right speaker for a small flat. Almost everybody was saying the same things about them and crucially, that included agreement around bass response. That agreement said the bass response ranged from 'You'll probably want to add a subwoofer' to 'It's just about enough'. That's the window of bass response for me and my small flat. It doesn't feel like it's weak or anything, far from it, but compared to the bass response of the Lintons and Tannoys, it's far more appropriate for my living room.
I reckon if the Model 5s were made here in the UK, or if they were made by a UK company they'd be selling lots and lots of them over here. As it is, they're an expensive import. But those guys at KLH have nailed it with the Model 5: a big sound from a big box that works in a small room. Throw in great levels of detail and dynamics and you've got the perfect speaker for flat dwellers like me who want the kitchen sink coming out of their speakers.
The day I came across them I spent ages trawling through the internet to read and watch reviews and also the accompanying owner comments and I was confidently reassured that the KLHs would be the right speaker for a small flat. Almost everybody was saying the same things about them and crucially, that included agreement around bass response. That agreement said the bass response ranged from 'You'll probably want to add a subwoofer' to 'It's just about enough'. That's the window of bass response for me and my small flat. It doesn't feel like it's weak or anything, far from it, but compared to the bass response of the Lintons and Tannoys, it's far more appropriate for my living room.
I reckon if the Model 5s were made here in the UK, or if they were made by a UK company they'd be selling lots and lots of them over here. As it is, they're an expensive import. But those guys at KLH have nailed it with the Model 5: a big sound from a big box that works in a small room. Throw in great levels of detail and dynamics and you've got the perfect speaker for flat dwellers like me who want the kitchen sink coming out of their speakers.
Weecrackpot
Frank made me do it.
That brings back memories, I remember seeing AR speakers back in the 70’s/80’s in Lasky’s in Mitchell street Glasgow,
I bought a Sansui SR222 instead if the AR turntable there, great hifi shop, loved Lasky’s.
Weecrackpot
Frank made me do it.
I know of KLH back in the day but didn’t know they were still on the go till this thread,
so this was a personal import, glad it’s worked out for you.
so this was a personal import, glad it’s worked out for you.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
Ah, I meant they're imported in general. I bought mine second hand on eBay. From what I gather, KLH isn't the same company it used to be as it's been bought and sold a couple of times since the '80s, so maybe KLH are more like KLH 2.0 or 3.0 even. Regardless, the new Model 5s are great.
I think Saras are great speakers but the KLH are a much better solution for you. Not just the bass response, they are much easier to drive. Saras require a lot of effort to get sounding as good as the KLHs sound and they'd be different rather than better.
I believe its easier to name brands that is the same company as they used to be.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
I adjusted the attenuation knobs on my KLH Model 5s the other day as I suddenly became aware that it was too bright: I'd been listening to the album London Calling and it was blindingly obvious that the vocals were lacking meat. So I changed the attenuation knobs from Mid to Lo (from -1.5db to -3db) and sure enough, everything sounded much more convincing, much more lifelike. Tone controls or attenuation knobs on speakers? Hell yeah!
Fwiw, I think the attenuation is applied to everything above 400Hz.
Fwiw, I think the attenuation is applied to everything above 400Hz.
tuga
Legal Alien
It's worth having a look at Stereophile's measurements:
Fig.3 was taken without the grille, which I understood from KM was how he had auditioned the Model Fives. Repeating the measurement with the grille reduces the level between 3kHz and 10kHz by up to 3dB. KM also told me that he preferred the Model Five's balance with the Acoustic Balance switch set to HI. Repeating the response measurement shown in fig.3 with the control set to MID reduced the level above 800Hz by 1dB; setting it to LO reduced the treble output by another dB.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/klh-model-five-loudspeaker-measurements
tuga
Legal Alien
Erin's measurements seem to indicate that the speaker might be flattest with the grille off and EQ set to LO:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/klh_model_5/
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/klh_model_5/
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
I haven't tried the speakers with the grilles off but certainly, I've got a more balanced sound with the attenuation knobs set to Lo with the grilles in place. With my speakers placed on either side of my TV, it might be too visually distracting to have the grilles off - I know I felt that way about my Eaton Legacy speakers for sure. Even so, I think it's a great feature to include because no two rooms, systems and sonic preferences are the same.
Where I've been able to try it both ways, I've never heard a speaker I've preferred with the grilles off.