The "new" KLH
- Thread starter jdmccall
- Start date
jdmccall
Super Member
I mainly just noticed the similarity to the old Energy RC line, of which I owned a pair of the RC-50's for a while. (Excellent performer, btw.) Also, the price seems to be lower now than the old Energy RC line was ten years ago. I don't recall where the Energy's were made but these new KLH's are probably made in China.
I agree that they look nice but does the world need another slender tower speaker?
I agree that they look nice but does the world need another slender tower speaker?
alteclipsch
Super Member
Likely another Pacific rim product with a purchased name on it, nothing more. I'll take my 1960s Model Fives and Seventeens.
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frommerstop
Super Member
I'm familiar with most terms used in audio, but what is “form factor”?
JoeESP9
ESL's & tubes since 83
From Wikipedia:
Form factor is an aspect of hardware design which defines and prescribes the size, shape, and other physical specifications of components, particularly in consumer electronics and electronic packaging.[1][2] A form factor may represent a broad class of similarly sized components, or it may prescribe a specific standard.
With speakers the tall rectangular column with a relatively narrow front is a form factor.
Form factor is an aspect of hardware design which defines and prescribes the size, shape, and other physical specifications of components, particularly in consumer electronics and electronic packaging.[1][2] A form factor may represent a broad class of similarly sized components, or it may prescribe a specific standard.
With speakers the tall rectangular column with a relatively narrow front is a form factor.
kvndoom
Ohmu
27Hz F3 out of a single 6.5" woofer, and 95dB sensitivity to boot? Oh man, I can't WAIT for some honest reviews and measurements of this trash.
Putterman
Super Member
Actually the Albany Bookshelf Loudspeaker is even more improbable as a 2-Way acoustic suspension system with a 5.25” Woven Kevlar® mid/bass driver.
- Frequency response: 35Hz-23KHz +/- 3dB.
- Sensitivity: 92dB
It looks like they were able to repeal the 'H' rule part of KLH, i.e Hoffman's Iron Law,
1) Bass Extension
2) Efficiency
3) Small Enclosure
The law is that you can only have two of these three attributes in speaker building. Ideally we would want all three, we want speakers with good bass, can play really loud, and are small. Unfortunately we cannot have all these.
While this rule has been bent several times; Quarter Wave enclosures, Ported Speakers, and most recently Atlantic Technology's H-Bass, it hasn't been broken.
While I kind of root for the old brand names to be revived to their old glory, these offerings should probably be seen with a skeptical eye.
Gelid
Active Member
Actually, they sound really good.
In spite of no owner reviews that I could find, and a bunch of negative opinions from people who have never heard them, I bought a pair of new KLH "Albany" bookshelf speakers.
I am not technically versed in all the... technical aspects mentioned above, but I do actually own these speakers. I have them paired with a 12 wpc Pioneer SX-424 stereo receiver and a Dual 621 turntable/Ortofon Super OM40, and they are replacing my Klipsch R-14m. I also have a pair of Klipsch R-15m's on another vintage system and can say that I like the KLH Albany better than either of the two Klipsch speakers I have.
** Same-size woofer and tweeter as the R-15m
** Dynamically similar at 35-23,000 Hz (±3dB) compared to 62-24,000 for R-15m, with a cleaner, better-quality of bass... kind of like my much older KLH Model 31's
** Lower peak-power at 200w compared to 340w for R-15m, but I really don't get loud enough for that to even be a concern.
** Sensitivity is slightly lower at 92dB, compared to 94dB for R-15m but are still easy for my SX-424 (12wpc) to drive.
I have designed a cabinet for a smallish vintage system that will fit in a particular spot in our living room, and was looking for a quality, good-sounding, efficent 8-ohm speaker that also fit the physical space defined for it. While shopping, I kept coming back to either Klipsch or these KLH Albanys. As I already had two different Klipsch speakers, I didn't want to limit my experience by buying a third set. For the Albanys, I could find no buyer-reviews at all anywhere. Anything I did find was either sales pitch or negative (reads "doubting") comments that were not at all based on actual experience, but were persuasive nontheless. The more I looked, the more frustrated I got. I did not want to get burned buying a speaker I read nothing but bad things about, so I was looking at a more expensive Klipsch model. Then I thought, here I go again with the Klipsch... If I am willing to pay more for a third set of the same brand, I should just take a chance and get the KLH Albanys. I could always return them if they were really bad, so I got them.
I love them! They sound great, they look great. I like them better than my Klipsch R-15M. Tone knobs are set at bass +2, treble 0. Nice resonate bass, clear highs, and a full-sounding mid-range.
For what it's worth, that is my real-world experience and opinion on the KLH Albany.
I write this to help others make an educated decision for buying or passing on the KLH Albany. I would have wanted to read something like this myself before I committed.
In spite of no owner reviews that I could find, and a bunch of negative opinions from people who have never heard them, I bought a pair of new KLH "Albany" bookshelf speakers.
I am not technically versed in all the... technical aspects mentioned above, but I do actually own these speakers. I have them paired with a 12 wpc Pioneer SX-424 stereo receiver and a Dual 621 turntable/Ortofon Super OM40, and they are replacing my Klipsch R-14m. I also have a pair of Klipsch R-15m's on another vintage system and can say that I like the KLH Albany better than either of the two Klipsch speakers I have.
** Same-size woofer and tweeter as the R-15m
** Dynamically similar at 35-23,000 Hz (±3dB) compared to 62-24,000 for R-15m, with a cleaner, better-quality of bass... kind of like my much older KLH Model 31's
** Lower peak-power at 200w compared to 340w for R-15m, but I really don't get loud enough for that to even be a concern.
** Sensitivity is slightly lower at 92dB, compared to 94dB for R-15m but are still easy for my SX-424 (12wpc) to drive.
I have designed a cabinet for a smallish vintage system that will fit in a particular spot in our living room, and was looking for a quality, good-sounding, efficent 8-ohm speaker that also fit the physical space defined for it. While shopping, I kept coming back to either Klipsch or these KLH Albanys. As I already had two different Klipsch speakers, I didn't want to limit my experience by buying a third set. For the Albanys, I could find no buyer-reviews at all anywhere. Anything I did find was either sales pitch or negative (reads "doubting") comments that were not at all based on actual experience, but were persuasive nontheless. The more I looked, the more frustrated I got. I did not want to get burned buying a speaker I read nothing but bad things about, so I was looking at a more expensive Klipsch model. Then I thought, here I go again with the Klipsch... If I am willing to pay more for a third set of the same brand, I should just take a chance and get the KLH Albanys. I could always return them if they were really bad, so I got them.
I love them! They sound great, they look great. I like them better than my Klipsch R-15M. Tone knobs are set at bass +2, treble 0. Nice resonate bass, clear highs, and a full-sounding mid-range.
For what it's worth, that is my real-world experience and opinion on the KLH Albany.
I write this to help others make an educated decision for buying or passing on the KLH Albany. I would have wanted to read something like this myself before I committed.
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Gelid
Active Member
Ok... since I posted this I have had plenty of time to really get to know the KLH Albany speakers. Everything I said in my initial post about them is true except that they prob aren't as efficent as advertised. At the time, I had only listened to two albums through them... "Synchronicity" by The Police, and my son's Lorde album "Pure Heroine".
When I got into more dynamic music, my 12 WPC Pioneer SX-424 struggled with them. I didn't realize it at first, because what I was hearing was still better than any speaker I had ever owned before. In quiet songs, mid-range pieces of the music were way down in what I was hearing.... kind of muted. Brief passages that repeated would be this way the first time, then when repeated louder would sound normal. It slowly grew on me that something was amiss. Then it dawned on me that this may be what it sounds like to have an amp too low-powered for a pair of speakers. So I switched them to a higher-output amp and all is right again!
Currently, I have them connected to the receiver I bought them for... a 20 WPC Rotel RX-202 MK II.
Another thing I must say is that they are pretty sensitive to placement. If you are sitting in your listening chair to thoroughly immerse yoursef in the music, then you need to be in the sweet-spot. Place and aim them symmeterically, and just sit back and enjoy.
The Albany are a well-balanced speaker, if highly directional. Nice extended bass, full-enough mids, and clean highs. The bass is what surprised me the most, as I hadn't ever heard such a natural resonate bass before.
I just ordered my second pair!
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I like my klipsch towers but I’m skeptical that they can relaunch klh , my klh sub is a beast for a low end 10”, tho can’t compare to my si diy subwoofer.
I’ve not yet heard old klh speakers I only have a sub , around right before there demise .
I’d need to buy some to even compare, haha.
Current low budget means I’m stuck with what I have until I can find a job . Then save to move out.... so probably can’t buy re launched speakers anyway.
I mean what towers really stand out?
I’ve heard so few brands do they have expos or something to listen to them haha?
I suggest once you’ve saved some money, get a pair of KLH Six’s. These are iconic, one of the best affordable examples of classic KLH speakers. Their sound and reputation speaks for itself.I like my klipsch towers but I’m skeptical that they can relaunch klh , my klh sub is a beast for a low end 10”, tho can’t compare to my si diy subwoofer.
I’ve not yet heard old klh speakers I only have a sub , around right before there demise .
I’d need to buy some to even compare, haha.
Current low budget means I’m stuck with what I have until I can find a job . Then save to move out.... so probably can’t buy re launched speakers anyway.
I mean what towers really stand out?
I’ve heard so few brands do they have expos or something to listen to them haha?
chathamdad
Piano Trios Rule
Because the last f**king thing in the world that I need is another set of speakers, I of course bought a pair of the Albanys at a KLH launch party at World Wide Stereo in suburban Philly last night. WWStereo is a great, longtime retailer in the Philly area, and carries the range from Audioengine to McIntosh. They threw a very nice gig (fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington), and I will admit that I was probably a bit softened up by their goodwill. They had four rooms going, and a very well-choreographed audition rotation (plus food and booze). David Kelley, the new KLH owner (late of Klipsch) was there and was very accessible, as was his rep staff. They had four lines playing: Albany, Kendall, Cambridge and one of the subs (Stratton, I think). I kept going back to the Albany room because I liked its neutrality and dynamics. They had them playing all night with a sub so on my last round I asked to hear them without one, and had them stream Diana Krall "Live in Paris," which is go-to audition album for me. They retail for $478 (and were nicely discounted if you bought that night), so I'm not going to go into some deep analytic review here (not that I'm knowledgeable enough to do that anyway), but I just went ahead and bought a pair in black and felt good about both the price and the fact that I supported a great retailer. Right now I have them hooked up to my McIntosh 4300 and, while they are no competition for my Harbeth C7s, I think they sound great with the right kind of music, like small ensembles and solo vocals. Not sure how they would do up against a Mahler symphony or Bob Berg's Big Band (I suspect compression would show up at some point), but right now the Keith Jarrett Trio is sounding very good through them. They would definitely benefit from a sub if they were in a primary rig, but in a secondary setup, with a 30 watt-or-so amp, on a solid cabinet or bookshelf, I think they would have plenty of mid-bass and just enough "phantom" low-bass. I plan to pair them with my restored MAC1500, and I'm optimistic.
I agree with the above post that the sensitivity rating may be a little ambitious. I don't think anything under 20 watts would make them sing very well. I also think they may be a bit more directional when they are new. I've been playing them for about 6 hours now and I am hearing the soundstage open up.
I also enjoyed, and respected, David Kelley's short story about how he came out of retirement to acquire KLH. He gave an appropriate salute to the legacy of Henry Kloss and Edgar Villchr and others. Always feels good to hear someone in his position hold onto the history.
Anyway, for $478/pair I think these are a solid bet.
I agree with the above post that the sensitivity rating may be a little ambitious. I don't think anything under 20 watts would make them sing very well. I also think they may be a bit more directional when they are new. I've been playing them for about 6 hours now and I am hearing the soundstage open up.
I also enjoyed, and respected, David Kelley's short story about how he came out of retirement to acquire KLH. He gave an appropriate salute to the legacy of Henry Kloss and Edgar Villchr and others. Always feels good to hear someone in his position hold onto the history.
Anyway, for $478/pair I think these are a solid bet.
I m listening to my new KLH Cambridge speakers as I write this. I really love these speakers. I do not have measuring equipment so I cannot say for sure that they go down to their claimed 33HZ, but the bass is clear, defined and punchy. Just the way I like it. They have excellent definition across the spectrum and they have a pleasant, musical sound. I have them hooked up to a Sony STRDN-1080 through which I play DVDs, CDs as well as stream from many sources. Currently I am listening to Atlantic Rhythm and Blues (1947 - 1974 Vol. 1) on iTunes through Airplay. They sound great and they bring out the best in old recordings as well as new. I have them 17.5 inches from my back wall in a large room with 9 foot ceilings which they fill up just fine. They are also very easy on the eyes. I compared them to a variety of speakers in the same price range and these stood out. Thumbs up.
Gazdatronik
Super Member
They can always send a pair to me. I'll sing their praises or tear them to shreds, whatever they deserve. I really liked some of their junky 90's offerings, and I have also liked early energy stuff too. It all looks like too little too late, but if they pull this off, hey, another choice.
The Cambridge models are ported in the back, as are all of the new KLH floor standing line. Placing the speakers too close to my back wall seemed to muddy the bass some. The manual suggests 12 inches or more. Mine are 17.5 inches from the back wall and the bass is great. Well defined and punchy. My listening room is about 27' L x 18' W x 9' H.
I do not have golden ears or sophisticated audio measuring equipment. I am just a guy who loves his new speakers.
I do not have golden ears or sophisticated audio measuring equipment. I am just a guy who loves his new speakers.
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