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KLH 20's

N

Nachas

New Member
Hey, I am fairly new here, been lurking for awhile. I own a set of Advent 2s along with some other vintage gear.

Anyways I recently came across some KLH model 20s, the ones that were paired with the record player. I dont know alot about speaker wiring, I'm a noob, but I realized that the wiring for these is different, looks like an RCA output. This is probably because it was meant to be used with the stereo.

Anyways so I have done some searching but cant figure out my questions.

1. Is it worth buying these for cheap and re wiring them for regular speaker wire.

2. If so , how hard is it to do?
 
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Welcome to AK!

The Twenty was indeed sold with a TT/amp combo and is the 4 Ohm version of the 8 Ohm Model Seventeen. You can purchase RCA adapters at your local Radio Shack (if they have part in stock) or you can install new binding posts, which is not a difficult task.
 
Thanks Urizen, so i can buy RCA adapters that would convert it to regular wire hook up for speakers ? Sorry I am not familiar with the terminology for the regular wire style speaker output.
 
This is kind of a bizarre solution,but on a few occasions Ive just taken a single RCA cable,and stripped the insolation on one end to connect to the back of my receiver.
Jimmy
 
Nachas:

Those 20's were indeed originally part of the Model Twenty system. They are the 4 ohm versions of the 17s. Nice speakers. I have both. I've attached some pics of my newly acquired Twenty system. I think you may be pleasantly surprised by the sound of the 20s. You may need to re-dope the cloth surrounds of the woofers, but this is easily done and might take you all of 15 minutes.

Dave
 

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Awesome, thanks for the help.
Dave in CT, those look great, exactly like the ones in this second hand store in my area. They are gonna need some love, will have to refinish them. Anyone know where I can get information on refinishing the wood?
Is it a veneer or is it solid wood?
 
KLH Model Twenty

I think that you will enjoy the Model Twenty sound. I know that I do mine.

I am the original owner of mine [approx. 1968] and thus I have some of the literature that originally came with the Twenty. If a few of you are interested, I can make a few copies and send it to you. I am not up to making PDF's and posting them online, to confusing for me.

Mike
 
2DualsNotEnough said:
This is kind of a bizarre solution,but on a few occasions Ive just taken a single RCA cable,and stripped the insolation on one end to connect to the back of my receiver.
Jimmy
Click to expand...

I do this with my Nova 6's, it kills two birds with one stone: utilizes a quick and easy way to hook up the speaker and while avoiding possible phase reversal by accident, and also plugs up the RCA plug in the process eliminating air leakage.

Radio shack sells RCA plugs in the parts bin that are ready to solder wires onto. I usually buy a pair of those and solder 18-16 gauge wire in place. Tip: remember that the 'tip' (no pun intended) of the RCA plug is positive, the collar is negative.
Redoping: I was recently reccomended this treatment by another AKer: Get a $2 bottle of Aleenes (sp?) stretchable glue in the white bottle from walmart. Apply to the surrounds with a disposable 1/2" or so hobby paint brush and let dry. Once dry, when you push in on the woofer it should come back out a lot slower than before as the cabinet is now properly sealed. Also, you might want to try taking the woofers out and running a bead of glue around the crossover plate, as it is another source of air leaks. Hope this helps! :thmbsp:
 
Definitely...

bruhl said:
I think that you will enjoy the Model Twenty sound. I know that I do mine.

I am the original owner of mine [approx. 1968] and thus I have some of the literature that originally came with the Twenty. If a few of you are interested, I can make a few copies and send it to you. I am not up to making PDF's and posting them online, to confusing for me.

Mike
Click to expand...

I'd like a copy please....:thmbsp:
 
2DualsNotEnough said:
This is kind of a bizarre solution,but on a few occasions Ive just taken a single RCA cable,and stripped the insolation on one end to connect to the back of my receiver.
Jimmy
Click to expand...

I do this a lot, I've encountered enough receivers with RCA outs for the speakers, and speakers with RCA terminals. I keep several cables stripped for just this purpose.

RCA is very convenient, I think.
 
I suspect you'll like these better than the Advent/2 your using now. Although the 20 may be a bit weaker in the bass, they just seem to everything better to my ears. You don't don't mention what amp your using - many amps won't like the 4 ohm load, so keep that in mind.

The cabs should be walnut veneer over particle board. There's tons of info in the forums on refinishing. Were they mine, I'd clean them thoroughly with laquer thinner applied to a rag, sand the old finish off being VERY careful not sand through the veneer, clean again, and apply several coats of tung or linseed oil.

In addition to excellent advice regarding the woofer surrounds, I'd strongly suggest replacing the crossover capacitors. The originals will have, at the very least, drifted out of spec by now.
 
Mark, I am using a 3.3 amp Technics SA 303 receiver. Does that mean that these wont work with my receiver because they 4 ohm ? Perhaps I need to do some reading on this, I dont know to much on this topic.

Did some quick research found that this receiver has an Impedance A:4-16ohm, A+B:8-16ohm
 
I have a Marantz 1060 and currently have some old Polk Audio monitor speakers hooked up to to it. A pair of KLH Model 20s just went up for sale on CL near here for $60, and they look to be in excellent shape. Would this be a better pairing for my Marantz, or worth looking in to? The Polk Audios I have sounds pretty nice, but I haven't had the chance to try out other speakers. Thanks in advance for any info on this, as the 20s have definitely piqued my curiosity.
 
Can't speak directly for the 20's, but I have two pair of the 8-ohm Model 17's. They are great, as long as you're not interested in tub-thumping bass. Some would call the bass deficient; I prefer "subdued". Very nice sound. Recommended. :thmbsp:
 
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