KLH Model 9

thphoto

New Member
Hi I just picked up a pair of KLH Model 9's in excellent condition anyone out there own any, or have any info to share Thanks
 
If you have legitimately picked up a pair of KLH Nines, that would be a miracle. They are possibly the rarest, and certainly the most coveted, KLH speaker.

I think photo proof is in order here...
 
A buddy of mine has a pair and I have heard them. I think he had them hooked up to a 70W per channel tube amp. (Can't remember the model) Amazing speakers! Best I ever heard.

I have no photographic proof of this:D
 
klh model 9 photos

photos of newly acquired KLH model 9's
 

Attachments

  • KLH model  9 .jpg
    KLH model 9 .jpg
    48.1 KB · Views: 653
  • klh model  9 back.jpg
    klh model 9 back.jpg
    62.5 KB · Views: 569
Please, as a custodian of these speakers, refer to them corectly. They are the Model Nine and not 9. Marantz had a lock on the Model 9 name.

There are a number of owners of Nines here. My last pair I gave to Cosmos here and he is running 3 sets I believe. I used to run multiples years ago using a variety of tube amps including Marantz 9s in triode mode. The Nines do not go loud even with big amps but, only arc so stay in the 50 watt range. A Mc MC250 makes for a very good amp for the speaker. My last amp on my was the ARC D76a, an excellent mate.

David Janszen offers through his new JansZen company rebuild services for them; at the time I gave mine away he did not offer a full service on them.

Placement is critical so spend some time with them and start looking for that 2nd pair as they go best doubled for stereo. While bass is not banging, it has something most speakers do not, detail and resolution.
 
Thanks for the correction, the original owners manual spells out nine everywhere I will not make that mistake again
 
Thanks for the correction, the original owners manual spells out nine everywhere I will not make that mistake again

Don't worry about it, everybody referred to them as KLH nines back in the day. You are very lucky. How do they sound? They look like they're in pretty good shape. The last time I heard them Saul Marantz was in the room.
 
They seem to be in excellent condition the frames are flawless with a good finish still, the fabric covers are a little discolored near the edges but not bad, and best of all no hums or buzzing.I have set them up according to the general instructions in the owners manual and they have been idling on low volume all day. I just listened to them turned up a bit (Holly Cole Tennessee Waltz). They sound lush, and detailed and the sound stage is pretty wide but no real deep. not sure what I will do next
 
Last edited:
Well done, Mr. Photo. S/N 1683 was in the middle to late production cycle. My first set was purchased new in 1967 or 68, the second set (an ebay buy for parts, but arrived in near new condition circa 2007) Both sets see daily use. One group runs off a pair of Marantz 9/7 (c) combo, the other driven by a Marantz 16 (B). They are crossed over to a set of TC Sounds woofs at 80 hz, which relieves them of trying to do heavy bass, and things are more relaxed as a result. I've amassed quite a bit of Nine info/trivia since the original purchase, so feel free to hit me up. (ctcdaggett@mindspring.com)
Best of luck, bob berkman, mojave desert
 
Congrats!

When working correctly, they are a superb speaker.

As Brian stated above, I now own several pair, although none are in current use.

There are components that are known issues in KLH Nines. The two biggest trouble items are the Selenium rectifiers in the power supplies and the tweeter panels.

David Janszen does have a restoration/upgrade service and Russ Knotts of Just Real Music can repair them too.

I currently have two pair of power supply / crossovers drained of their potting fluid and am in the process of replacing the diodes and crossover components. Below is a picture of the two pair I had at AKFest 2007. Had some system issues that year and never quite got them setup right, but they still sounded great..

watermark.php


If you have questions, please feel free to send me a Private Message (PM).

Best of luck!
 
Last edited:
History note; The model nine was the only KLH speaker of the 1957-67 era which Henry Kloss did not have involvment in concept or design of....this was Janzens project. He became the fourth member of the KLH team.

I kick myself for not buying a KLH prototype that came up on ebay 5 years ago...large cabinet like the model seven with a single woofer and 2 electrostannic panels. It had KLH electrostatic labeling on the back of the cabinet.
 
My Experience with KLH Model Nine Speakers

Cosmos,
According to the KLH set up literature that I have you have set up your speakers opposite of how the factory recommended them to be. I agree with you that they are fine sounding speakers. I have five sets of them. I have three working pairs with two sets configured as a double panel set and one single panel set. The double panel set, my main system, needs to use the 8 ohm output on your amplifier and the single panel set uses the 16 ohm output. I have been running the double panel set with a pair of new McIntosh MC275 MKIVs in a mono configuration with about 150 RMS watts per channel. I have driven them with Heathkit W7A mono amplifiers using EL 34 output tubes with less bass and highs but more detail in the midrange. I did have trouble using my Eico HF89 50 watt stereo amplifiers in the mono configuration and 100 watts RMS and do not recommend anyone to use this amplifier with this speaker in the mono configuration. The amplifier almost blew up and might have taken the speakers with it.

As far as the sound coming from them I have heard the Magnapan 3.6 in California using a MC275 amplifier and a C2300 preamplifier and a McIntosh CD player which I don’t remember the model number. It sounded very nice. My problem is that I have been walking into high end audio stores for a few years now and liking the sound in very high end systems but nothing has beat my KLH model nine speakers systems for certain sounds and my JBL Hartsfield speakers for clear efficient sound at low volume in other ways. I have actually been asked to leave one high end store after being asked what my systems were.

In my second system I use the single panel set with a MC275 MKIV amplifier, an EICO ST84 preamp, a CD5001 CD player, a Thorens TD160 turntable and two Otari MX 5050 II tape recorders. The sound from this configuration is delicate in the midrange and not as low or as high as the double panel set in the low end or high end. However, with the proper placement these speakers the sound is wonderful in the midrange. Like the other KLH system which I will talk about next they expose bad recordings immediately. You can tell when a CD was recorded well such as


My main stereo system on the second floor of my house uses two double panels set at 8 ohms with McIntosh MC275 MKIV amplifiers run in mono mode connected to a Citation One preamp, a Thorens TD 160 turntable, a Denon DVD 3300 player used to play CDs and two Revox A77 two track tape recorders. The speakers are two feet in front of my closet and four feet from the wall. When I play CDs, records or two track tapes this system will immediately let me know if I have a digital record. The sound is flat and has no depth. If I use analog records the sound comes out such as Mercury Living Presence or RCA Living Stereo records. Some newer records that are purely analog also sound good. I am not able to say why a CD sounds nice from say Nora Jones and the record of the same digital recording sounds flat on these systems. The same goes for Melody Gardot’s “My One and Only Thrill” which is also a digital to record recording. Yet when you play a RCAs “Living Stereo of Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto in D” has great extension in the bass and high end with the CD and well developed midrange and depth in the record. I also copy old prerecorded 2 track tapes from the 1950s and play them on either system. Almost all of these used tube electronics in the recording process and have a nice depth of field in either system. As soon as I can afford to I will join the Tape Project for to get first generation tapes and play them on these systems. I have money for new products but haven’t found one that I want to purchase yet.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1921.jpg
    IMG_1921.jpg
    63.6 KB · Views: 214
  • IMG_1922.jpg
    IMG_1922.jpg
    50.3 KB · Views: 256
There is a problem with the Nines. Actually, a big problem. If you run multiple sets with synergetic amps and set up properly they can ruin you from ever enjoying any other speaker regardless of quality. I know from experience and even today, I still find everything else a disappointment including my Bozak Symphonys. I live with and enjoy the Bozaks but do not have that intimate love affair for the music as I did when listening to the same music through the Nines.
 
KLH Model Nine Speakers

Fortunate enough to pick up a pair of "Double Nines" several months ago. Amazing speakers. I owned a single back in the 70s, but foolishly sold them. Now I am finally enjoying a double pair. They are very difficult to set-up in a room or "space," but once you find the right spot, the sound stage is enormous. Driving the Double Nines with Audio Research Dual 75 power amplifier and SP-1C preamplifier. Phillips CD player and Thornes TD-125 turntable with Rabco SL-8E arm and Decca Mark V cartridge. Not bad for a 40 year old system.
 

Attachments

  • photo.jpg
    photo.jpg
    65.4 KB · Views: 251
Back
Top Bottom