Another KLH 25 Console - rare version?

[droh]

Did you clean the speaker cover? Mine is a bit dirty. If you did, how did you do it and what did you use?

The picture I provided actually makes the cover look better than it really is.

Thanks,
Scott

Ahhh yes, KLH grill cloth, the biggest challenge in a KLH restoration. The cloth on the Model 25 is the same as the cloth on the Model 6, and that's not good news. It is a white boucle fabric, I have looked for it, or something very similar for almost 20 years, it's just not obtainable. And you can't clean it either, it's extremely delicate, if you take the cloth off the board and try and wash it the result is it just comes apart. If you try to clean it on the board with bleach it will disintegrate, if you try any kind of water and detergent it doesn't really come clean and the threads come loose. And the real bad news in your case is the owner being a smoker, most of that discoloration is probably from smoke and nicotine.

So really your only option is to replace the cloth, if you want to be totally original you'll have to look for a pair of Model 6 grills that are in really good shape and try and remove it and replace the cloth, that's what I will be doing. The other option is to find some cloth that is close, again, not an easy trick. There are lots of posts on various forums about grill cloth replacement options. The good news for us is that the cloth on the Model 25 is not real obvious, so maybe a cloth that is reasonably similar will be good enough?

 

[droh]

It's cleaning up nicely. The white rubber mat is in great shape. No dry rot at all.

I was wiping down the wood today with a slightly damp rag. I'll put some Murphy's Oil Soap on there tomorrow. I was cleaning the small brush nickel handles and the frame with the four legs. I noticed this yellow dried up stuff all over the metal. At first I thought someone liked tape and this was the residue from taping. Then I realized, it was dried nicotine!!! That was nasty! That stuff stuck to the metal like glue, literally. The old lady who had it from 1968 must have been a heavy smoker. UGH! : (
But it's all cleaned up now, 7 hours later.

Nice job! Your set is looking very nice. Good news to hear your mat is not in too bad shape. I just noticed that the sliver center section is missing, the large inset area should have a silver disc in it, or did you remove that? I'm attaching a pic that shows what it should look like.

I'd love to see what those silver handles look like when they are cleaned up, I saw that yellow crub and wondered about it myself.

 

[VinylRevival]

Ahhh yes, KLH grill cloth, the biggest challenge in a KLH restoration. The cloth on the Model 25 is the same as the cloth on the Model 6, and that's not good news. It is a white boucle fabric, I have looked for it, or something very similar for almost 20 years, it's just not obtainable. And you can't clean it either, it's extremely delicate, if you take the cloth off the board and try and wash it the result is it just comes apart. If you try to clean it on the board with bleach it will disintegrate, if you try any kind of water and detergent it doesn't really come clean and the threads come loose. And the real bad news in your case is the owner being a smoker, most of that discoloration is probably from smoke and nicotine.

So really your only option is to replace the cloth, if you want to be totally original you'll have to look for a pair of Model 6 grills that are in really good shape and try and remove it and replace the cloth, that's what I will be doing. The other option is to find some cloth that is close, again, not an easy trick. There are lots of posts on various forums about grill cloth replacement options. The good news for us is that the cloth on the Model 25 is not real obvious, so maybe a cloth that is reasonably similar will be good enough?

I think the fact that the doors were mostly closed might have saved the cloth from what surely would have been total discoloration. I'll save that for last. And if anything, just like the little scars of time on the walnut, I'll say it's part of the "Charactor" of a 48 year old stereo console.

Another question: What is the wattage of the system?

 

[VinylRevival]

The handles cleaned up nicely! And I don't have the silver platter in the middle of the tt mat. I thought something was missing there.

 

[VinylRevival]

Also, here's a shot of the guts. The second picture is the underside of the Headphone Jack.

 

[droh]

I think the fact that the doors were mostly closed might have saved the cloth from what surely would have been total discoloration. I'll save that for last. And if anything, just like the little scars of time on the walnut, I'll say it's part of the "Charactor" of a 48 year old stereo console.

Another question: What is the wattage of the system?

The advertised wattage was 40 watts IHF per channel - that was the crazy power ratings that lots of vendors used back in those days. In the Service Manual it says 8 watts RMS per channel, whatever it is it's certainly enough for the speakers that come on the unit - lots of power and good response there.

 

[droh]

Also, here's a shot of the guts. The second picture is the underside of the Headphone Jack.

Yep - thats a legit old style headphone jack for sure. You should be able to pop one of the cheap adapters in there and use a smaller connector without a problem. And thanks for the handle pics.

 

[VinylRevival]

Yep - thats a legit old style headphone jack for sure. You should be able to pop one of the cheap adapters in there and use a smaller connector without a problem. And thanks for the handle pics.

Just found a little problem spot. Will this affect the speaker and or its sound?

 

[VinylRevival]

The advertised wattage was 40 watts IHF per channel - that was the crazy power ratings that lots of vendors used back in those days. In the Service Manual it says 8 watts RMS per channel, whatever it is it's certainly enough for the speakers that come on the unit - lots of power and good response there.

If it says it works at 40 watts, by today's standards it would be at least 70 watts. They didn't have the technology back then to measure wattage like They do today. I have a Marantz 2270 receiver hooked up with a pair of Bose 901 series VI, and a Kenwood 100 watt receiver. I did a lot of research and found out any recievers or amps made up to the beginning of the 80's we're under rated when it came to wattage.

 

[audiojones]

Nope, other way 'round actually. Up until the early 70's the audio industry used very optimistic (more like fraudulent) IHF ratings based on peak power and left + right channels added together with no real regard for distortion factor. This was done to artificially inflate the wattage ratings for advertising purposes, they really weren't useful numbers that reflected on the gear itself.

In the early 70's the Federal Trade Comission stepped in and leveled the playing field by making everyone in the industry conform to the RMS per channel ratings including distortion percentage levels. This was a much more realistic and useful scale and it remains the standard today for two channel amplifiers. Multi-channel home theater stuff throws the scale off of course because of the multiple channels so now we are back to the bogus B.S. ratings we had back in the 60's.

Although the KLH stuff made back then doesn't have tons of power it still sounds amazingly good thanks to very well engineered and executed designs. Lots of lower powered gear made back then sounded great, but the FTC had to step in because of the bogus power claims that the advertising departments were throwing around.

 

[VinylRevival]

More good info. Thanks.

 

[droh]

Just found a little problem spot. Will this affect the speaker and or its sound?

That looks like some water damage, I wonder if maybe that happened recently while this unit was living outside?? Check and see if that particle board is crumbly to a significant depth. If it's just the surface that has broken down it's mostly okay, if it goes a lot deeper than you probably want to make some repairs. Either way you will want to use an epoxy based wood filler in order to make a solid reconstruction. Only if it really goes deep do you need to worry about it affecting the sound, the cabinet needs to be air tight in order to get the benefit of acoustic suspension and the solid bass the KLH speakers are known for.

Speaking of that, you are going to want to reseal the surrounds on your woofers. There is a guy who sells the stuff you want on ebay - he goes by the name "vintage-ar" you can just search for "ACOUSTIC RESEARCH CLOTH SURROUND WOOFERS SEALANT KIT" and you'll find the right stuff. And if you search for that topic on this forum you'll find a wealth of information. The other thing you'll want to do is replace the capacitors in the crossover, they are almost certainly out of spec after all these years.

 

[VinylRevival]

Again!!! Thank you for sharing your wealth of information. I finally finished the clean up of the case. It took a lot of elbow grease. The wood absorbed the Murphy's Oil Soap like a plant in the desert. I'm posting some pics.

You mentioned the AR page. That's something I will be looking in to for more than this console. My dad is giving me his vintage stereo equipment (hence the Marantz I mentioned in a previous post). He has a pair of AR 3's and AR 2a's that he told me I could have. They've been sitting in a room in his house since he stopped using them in the late 70's. Getting them from Boston to South Florida is the challenge. Lol.

Thank you again for all your help. I hope I'm not being to bothersome but once I get on a project, I'm all in. So expect more questions lol!

 

[rkgren1]

That's a pretty console!

I am enjoying this thread.

Good luck with your work as it progresses.

 

[droh]

Again!!! Thank you for sharing your wealth of information. I finally finished the clean up of the case. It took a lot of elbow grease. The wood absorbed the Murphy's Oil Soap like a plant in the desert. I'm posting some pics.

You mentioned the AR page. That's something I will be looking in to for more than this console. My dad is giving me his vintage stereo equipment (hence the Marantz I mentioned in a previous post). He has a pair of AR 3's and AR 2a's that he told me I could have. They've been sitting in a room in his house since he stopped using them in the late 70's. Getting them from Boston to South Florida is the challenge. Lol.

Thank you again for all your help. I hope I'm not being to bothersome but once I get on a project, I'm all in. So expect more questions lol!

Ohhhhhh that is looking quite splendid!

What a transformation from that sad unit sitting beside the barn. It's truly a beautiful piece, you inspire me to wanna get back to work on my unit. BTW I found a source for the white plastic feet on the bottom of the legs if you need a new set, I have lots of extras, they are an exact visual match but require a little trimming to fit.

And you Dad has a two pair of ARs that he is giving you? Now that's a heck of a Dad - treat him well tomorrow. The AR 3a is a very very highly regarded speaker, and the AR 2a is no slouch either. They need some power to drive them but they are quite lovely. If they have been sitting for 40 years they may need some restoration work, but a couple of worthy projects.

And small world - I am actually in Boston, so if you Dad has any other hand me downs to get rid off....

 

[droh]

Again!!! Thank you for sharing your wealth of information. I finally finished the clean up of the case. It took a lot of elbow grease. The wood absorbed the Murphy's Oil Soap like a plant in the desert. I'm posting some pics.

You mentioned the AR page. That's something I will be looking in to for more than this console. My dad is giving me his vintage stereo equipment (hence the Marantz I mentioned in a previous post). He has a pair of AR 3's and AR 2a's that he told me I could have. They've been sitting in a room in his house since he stopped using them in the late 70's. Getting them from Boston to South Florida is the challenge. Lol.

Thank you again for all your help. I hope I'm not being to bothersome but once I get on a project, I'm all in. So expect more questions lol!

I'm looking some more at your pics, is that a scratch across the bottom of the front? Is it deep, like well into the veneer? If it's not too bad that could be a good project for Howard's Restore-a-Finish. As I mentioned before these consoles were made by a furniture manufacturer I think, so the finish is not the usual KLH oiled walnut, it's actually stained and had maybe a lacquer finish. I think that makes it a good candidate for Howards, might be worth a try.

 

[VinylRevival]

Ohhhhhh that is looking quite splendid!

What a transformation from that sad unit sitting beside the barn. It's truly a beautiful piece, you inspire me to wanna get back to work on my unit. BTW I found a source for the white plastic feet on the bottom of the legs if you need a new set, I have lots of extras, they are an exact visual match but require a little trimming to fit.

And you Dad has a two pair of ARs that he is giving you? Now that's a heck of a Dad - treat him well tomorrow. The AR 3a is a very very highly regarded speaker, and the AR 2a is no slouch either. They need some power to drive them but they are quite lovely. If they have been sitting for 40 years they may need some restoration work, but a couple of worthy projects.

And small world - I am actually in Boston, so if you Dad has any other hand me downs to get rid off....

LOL! It's taken me YEARS to get him to start giving up his "Stuff".

 

[droh]

LOL! It's taken me YEARS to get him to start giving up his "Stuff".

Well I can understand that, I have accumulated a lot of stuff myself. I have a boatload of various KLH models from the 60s and 70s and most of the Advent audio stuff, haven't got involved in any AR yet. I restore and sell stuff occasionally, but maybe like your Dad I find it hard letting go.

 

[VinylRevival]

I'm looking some more at your pics, is that a scratch across the bottom of the front? Is it deep, like well into the veneer? If it's not too bad that could be a good project for Howard's Restore-a-Finish. As I mentioned before these consoles were made by a furniture manufacturer I think, so the finish is not the usual KLH oiled walnut, it's actually stained and had maybe a lacquer finish. I think that makes it a good candidate for Howards, might be worth a try.

 

[VinylRevival]

Fortunately it's not deep. It's more of surface scratch. And yes, it has that lacquer finish so I will take your advice again and try the Howard's. It has some battle scars from being turned from a great little piece of stereo equipment to what I will assume was just a table to put stuff on. There was a ring of paint that was the size of a pint can. I had to be delicate with removing that. You can see that and the scratch across the front in the picture I posted. I still have a little ways to go to get it where I want it.