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KLH-1 Score

Wow! They look fantastic!!!

How are you mounting the crossovers? Are they going on the bottom of the speaker rather than attached to the back?

Eventually, I will need to build up a new crossover board. I have the new caps, etc. connected to the original board and I need to make it more secure. For the 100uf cap, I have it mounted to the side of the cabinet because there was no room on the existing board.

For giggles, I put in some 16 ga silver coated copper wire for the tweeters. Probably overkill but why not...everything that I do to these speakers makes them sound better and better.

The RCA jacks on the ABC have always seem wonky to me and one of them broke the other day. Installing new RCAs really wasn't that bad.

Make sure you label the white wires! The stupid thing is that KLH, in their infinite wisdom, used a white wire for the left input AND for the right output. Good Grief!!!! Would it be that difficult to use 6-8 inches of a different colored wire?!?!?!IMG_4033.jpg
 
Correct and proven KLH-1 crossover diagram.
Comparison of the old crossover with the new ones.
Speakers after full renovation.
They sound and look phenomenal. Maybe someone will find it useful.


IMG_7110.JPGIMG_7395.JPEGIMG_7397.JPEG
 

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Very cool on the crossover diagram and beautiful restoration! I redid mine a couple of years ago and they sound good but I think there's something wonky in my crossover because I'm getting some distortion at some point in time. Going to use that diagram and go through what I've got going on and see what I can come up with. Thanks! They are wonderful speakers aren't they?
 
Gentlemen.
This is what I got from my speaker expert:
"These schematics what are available on the web are with errors. The one I wrote out is correct I checked with what is in the speakers and it is 100% correct ."
 
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Remek70 said:
Gentlemen.
This is what I got from my speaker expert:
"These schematics what are available on the web are with errors. The one I wrote out is correct I checked with what is in the speakers and it is 100% correct ."
Click to expand...
This is what I am questioning...2r or 24r? It may just be a typo...
 

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Remek70 said:
Correct and proven KLH-1 crossover diagram.
Comparison of the old crossover with the new ones.
Speakers after full renovation.
They sound and look phenomenal. Maybe someone will find it useful.
Click to expand...

Sorry, it's supposed to be 24 ohms. Corrected diagram.
Thank you Roger for your vigilance. :thumbsup:

.image000000.jpg:thumbsup:
 
Hi everyone.
It’s been over a year since my last post.
The KLH-1s sound beautiful, but I’ve had the idea to swap out the op-amp in my ABC KLH-1s.
A friend did this with his ABC KLH-3s and said the improvement was significant.
The new op-amp is the legendary Philips NE5534AN.
Has anyone here done this swap on their ABCs?
My unit has the original µA741TC—a rather weak, slow, and noisy chip.
What do you think? Is it worth it?
 

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Yesterday, I swapped the original for the AD797AN—since it was the first to arrive—and I’m amazed by the impact it had on the sound and how the system performs now. Previously, the bass was a bit heavy, and I had to dial it down slightly using the "POSITION" button on my computer; the bass also lacked speed and precision, even though it was very pleasant. Now, it has it all: the bass is faster, tighter, and extends deep. The soundstage is beautiful, the stereo image has opened up even more, and there is a wealth of detail. The sound remains pleasant and musical. I’m running this with a Kenwood KA-9150. I wonder how switching to the NE5534AN will affect the sound?
 
Replacing the op-amp from the original uA741ap with an AD797AN—GPT described it this way, and I fully agree:



AD797AN



* The first impression is greater clarity, not more high frequencies,

* the soundstage becomes wider and deeper,

* there’s more “air” between the instruments,

* the bass is tighter and better controlled,

* vocals are better separated from the background,

* subtle details (reverberations, cymbal decay, singers’ breaths) become easier to pick up on,

* microdynamics (quiet details) improve noticeably. This is the general trend described by many users who incorporate the AD797 into their audio setups, though individual impressions vary depending on the rest of the system.



Will the sound character change?



In my opinion, not radically. If the KLH-1 sounds “warm” today, it won’t suddenly become bright or analytical like studio equipment after adding the AD797. It’s more like the effect of cleaning a window:



* the tonal balance remains the same,

* but everything is clearer and more organized.



This isn’t a “more bass” or “more treble” kind of effect. It’s more about clarity, resolution, and soundstage.
 
Remek70 said:
Hi everyone.
It’s been over a year since my last post.
The KLH-1s sound beautiful, but I’ve had the idea to swap out the op-amp in my ABC KLH-1s.
A friend did this with his ABC KLH-3s and said the improvement was significant.
The new op-amp is the legendary Philips NE5534AN.
Has anyone here done this swap on their ABCs?
My unit has the original µA741TC—a rather weak, slow, and noisy chip.
What do you think? Is it worth it?
Click to expand...
Interesting post Remek70. Do you know if your friend added a compensation capacitor across pins 5 and 8 when upgrading to the NE5534AN? Current draw for the 5534 is also up on the 741, any evidence of this heat wise.
Your restoration of the KLH-1s is impressive, great work!
 
Hello.
Thanks.
A friend of mine is an electronics engineer by training and passion. He built the ABC for the KLH-3 himself based on the original I provided – he drew up the circuit diagram, etched the PCBs, and so on. He told me there’s no need to compensate with a capacitor. Similarly, there’s no need to do anything when replacing it with an AD797AN, even though ChatGPT will tell you otherwise. Since the swap, it’s been working well, sounds brilliant and doesn’t overheat. It’s been playing for over a month now. I’m absolutely delighted with this change.
 

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Remek70 said:
Hello.
Thanks.
A friend of mine is an electronics engineer by training and passion. He built the ABC for the KLH-3 himself based on the original I provided – he drew up the circuit diagram, etched the PCBs, and so on. He told me there’s no need to compensate with a capacitor. Similarly, there’s no need to do anything when replacing it with an AD797AN, even though ChatGPT will tell you otherwise. Since the swap, it’s been working well, sounds brilliant and doesn’t overheat. It’s been playing for over a month now. I’m absolutely delighted with this change.
Click to expand...
Good result then, excellent. I'm going the NE5534AN route, I'll give feedback after testing. Any chance you could put up the ABC schematic that your friend drafted?
I've had the KLH-1s for 44 years now, how time flies, and still rate them.
 
Sourced the ONSemi NE5534AN from littlediode, cost all in £18.59. It's certainly lifted the sound, now much more accurate. Source is based on Tandberg TPA 3003 and TCA 3002 amplification, and a Denon DP-60L with Denon 303 cartridge.
Thought I'd upgrade the quad op amp chip as well, so a RC4136 Upgrade Adapter – SOIC-14 Version – BrownDog 240901 is going in soon with a TI OPA4134 op amp installed (part number 240901-OPA4134UA). Cost £58, but that's mainly made up of shipping costs from the US.
Couldn't word the difference any better than AI: Expect an experience that balances analogue warmth with modern resolution. It is an authoritative, muscular sound that honors the emotional, non-fatiguing "Tandberg sound" while delivering the fast, punchy, and flat sub-bass expected from high-end modern audiophile setups.
 
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