Klh 17

[rin350]

KLH 17
comparison to klh model 5
and model 6?:scratch2:

 

[e_just]

My favorite of the 3 and I own all of them.

 

[BridgedToMono]

I have two pair of 17's... bloody brilliant.

 

[outlawmws]

6's are better IMHO, (so are the 23's) no exposure to the 5's.

 

[rin350]

My favorite of the 3 and I own all of them.

your favorite?

 

[DaveElton]

I have both the model 6 and a pair of 17's. The 6's go deeper and I love them (my mains currently) but the 17 has a "special" quality to it if you will, especially in the midrange IMHO

 

[clydeselsor]

I heard a pair of 17's at an AK gathering in Chicago. I could have listened to them all night without tiring of them...

 

[juncers]

I have both the model 6 and a pair of 17's. The 6's go deeper and I love them (my mains currently) but the 17 has a "special" quality to it if you will, especially in the midrange IMHO

I agree- the 17s are special (I thought it was just me!). They sound much better than they should.

Ray

 

[e_just]

your favorite?

Yep. As others said, these speakers are just special. I use mine in my bedroom system with a Pioneer SA-6700, a great pairing.

 

[ssmith3046]

I can't compare but my Model 5's are my favorite speakers and the ones I would never part with.

 

[turkeynuts]

My brother is giving me his pair of seventeens. Haven't heard the other models, but I find that the seventeens (driven by a scott 299) are one of the best speakers I have ever heard. I'm gonna hook them up with my scott 222b. Can't wait.

 

[oiseaux]

Well, I have sets of all three and they are all far better than almost anything being made today.
In my judgement...
The Model Fives are the smoothest, most enjoyable and I have 5 of them for my main 7.0 system, LCR, L-sur, R-sur and I use a pair of 33s for rear surrounds. Don't need or want a subwoofer. It is just awesome. They are fed with 130 watts/ch, plenty of clean power.
The Model Sixs are the next best and sound a little more forward (hifreq a little stronger). I also have 5 of these and they are setup in my basement shop in a 5.0 configuration, no sub need apply. 100 Watts/ch for power.
The Model Seventeens are very similar to the Sixs and may have a half octave less in bass response but it is hardly noticeable even on direct A/B comparison. Very nice sound, I have 4. When I pull a pair of speakers out for repair/maintenance/refinish/loan I will substitute a pair of these and notice little difference.
They all benefit from good placement practice, good upkeep(caps) and proper polarity in hookup.
It is conceivable that a system with Seventeens properly placed could sound superior to a set of Fives in another room.
So enjoy yours. It's all about the music anyway, the KLHs are just a tool.
Cheers!

 

[kfa888]

I have 4 17's and they sound great. Fun to stack too. but I like the 23 better, my favorite of the vintage KLH line.

 

[Arkay]

Nice to see two positive references to the 23s. The only KLHs I've found/got here are a pair of 23s. I like them, but I wonder sometimes, too, how they compare with the other models, esp. the much-praised 5s.

 

[BridgedToMono]

Not to forget the Model 20's, the 4 ohm version of the 17...

 

[moinau]

The best sounding KLH are , in that order, the 5, the 23, the 6, and the 17
This is, according to some people who had them before.
So in another word, these 4 are worth having, they are all excellent.

 

[outlawmws]

OK, it took me a little to find this but this is the info i scraped up back when I was getting the woofers replaced in my 23's:

The dimensions I know are right, the rest is quotes from others..

KLH drivers
3 way 5's = 10-3/4 8 Ohms same box as the 23
2 way 23's = 10-3/4 8 Ohms 4 mfd 50V cap, Non polarized
2 way 6's = 10-3/4 8 Ohms
2 way 17's = 10-1/8 8 Ohms
2 way 20's = 10-1/8 4 Ohms
2 way 32's = 8" - 8 Ohms

The woofers are the same in the 5 & 23 as are the tweeters. The model 6 has the same woofer basket but a 3 lb. lighter magnet structure and an identical looking, but lighter cone. System reonance is about 45 cps on a 5 or 23 and around 55 cps. on the 6.

The 5 also uses a pair of the famous fullrange used in the model 11 portable and model 8 radio, but only for midrange coverage in the 5.

Cabinet volume is the same on the 5 & 23 although the styling is quite different. Bass on the 5 & 23 is identical.

The 5 has a very sophisticated crossover network where the 23 has a ridiculously simple one (1- 4 mfd. cap &3 resistors. ) I still can't figure why a 23 sounds as good as it does.

Replacing caps & resealing the porous surrounds & dustcaps on any vintage KLH is vital if you want to really appreciate how friggin' good these mutha's can be. :thmbsp: Dave

Hope some of this old info helps someone. If anyone is replacing drivers, note that while all are claimed to be 10" woofers, their are differences!

 

[markshan]

I have a pair of Model Twenties (the 4 ohm version of the Seventeen, as has been mentioned). I got them for free and gave them a bit of TLC thinking I would give them to a friend and I ended up (to my complete surprise) liking them better than the Sixes. Since they are physically a bit smaller they fit more nicely on my shelf as well.

BTW, I am driving them with a Marantz 2230.

 

[tiga]

I'm currently running an amateur speaker shootout in my living room (see my thread). My rehabbed (recapped and sealed woofer surrounds) Model 20's are in rotation now and they just sound great. Extremely nice midrange on these and due to there placement the low end isn't so bad either. A non-fatiguing speaker that can be enjoyed all day. Something special about these. Currently being driven with my ugly little Kenwood KR-4140.

Tiga

 

[boreas]

The best sounding KLH are , in that order, the 5, the 23, the 6, and the 17
This is, according to some people who had them before.
So in another word, these 4 are worth having, they are all excellent.

Never had the Fives but have or have had all the others. There's another that is seriously underrated and/or overlooked altogether. That's the Model Thirty. As far as I know, it was available only as part of a system (Models Thirty and Thirty-Four).

It utilized the same drivers as the Model Six in a cabinet that was the same height and width but was only about 2/3 as deep. The resulting cabinet volume was nearly identical with the Seventeen's and the Twenty's. Also like the Twenty, the speaker connection was through RCAs and there was no tweeter bias switch.

The effect was to produce a speaker that was intermediate between the Six and Seventeen, having a little bit more in the bass department than the Seventeen but a little less than the Six. Great speaker.

But I love my Seventeens! As others have said, there's just something about them.

John