KLH 33 - Anybody know about these??

[Bauhausler]

I picked these up at a garage sale for probably too much money. They're walnut cabs about 23 X 10 X 13. The usual KLH suspects for drivers, plus a port. Haven't tried them out yet.
Anybody know what these sound like??

 

[dr*audio]

How about you plug them in and tell us how they sound? They look like other KLH speakers, and I never heard any that sounded bad.

 

[Bauhausler]

How about you plug them in and tell us how they sound? They look like other KLH speakers, and I never heard any that sounded bad.

That's next, and I would have by now except for a lack of appropriate speaker space adjacent to wires. In the last week I also brought home JBL 4408s and DCM CX-17s. I shipped out some JBL L200s and a pair of Altec Model Ones, but there's still a space crunch.

 

[Bauhausler]

I'll have to look up the pix of my old Model 17s. These look like the same drivers. Those sounded outstanding. I imagine these are just a bit more extended in the bass.

(later)
Here's a pic of the 17s. Looks like it might be the same drivers.

I think I'll recap the 33s before I give them a try-out. The caps in there have to be far too old to be working optimally.

 

[vintageaudio]

I have a pair of KLH 33's also.
Rescued them from the curb.....

One had a bad tweeter--so I replaced the tweets in both speakers with the inverted dome tweeter used in EPI 100's.

Mine sound surprising good.

I believe the model 33 was one of the few old KLH's that are ported.

Good Luck

 

[Bauhausler]

I have a pair of KLH 33's also.
Rescued them from the curb.....

One had a bad tweeter--so I replaced the tweets in both speakers with the inverted dome tweeter used in EPI 100's.

Mine sound surprising good.

I believe the model 33 was one of the few old KLH's that are ported.

Good Luck

Yeah, I've never seen a ported vintage KLH before. That's very unusual for an 'East Coast' speaker.

 

[Bauhausler]

Update;
We have these lashed up to the Accuphase system playing Taj Mahal/Toumani Diabate. This sounds absurdly good. Really far better than it should. I'm sure fresh caps will make a difference, but right now there's really nothing to dislike about this.
LVB is here with me and we're having a little early weekend cocktail as well.

 

[vintageaudio]

"we're having a little early weekend cocktail as well."


That never hurts the sound quality either.....

 

[dr*audio]

Don't be surprised, Henry Kloss knew his stuff!

 

[GordonW]

IMHO, the 33 is the best-sounding of all the KLH 10" 2-way designs. Just has a "speed" and dynamic WHOP that the others don't quite do.

BTW: for s***s and giggles, you might try substituting in an EPI inverted-dome in place of the original tweeter. It's literally a drop in. Exact same flange size! IMHO, that takes the speaker "to another level"...

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[Bauhausler]

IMHO, the 33 is the best-sounding of all the KLH 10" 2-way designs. Just has a "speed" and dynamic WHOP that the others don't quite do.

BTW: for s***s and giggles, you might try substituting in an EPI inverted-dome in place of the original tweeter. It's literally a drop in. Exact same flange size! IMHO, that takes the speaker "to another level"...

Regards,
Gordon.

Gordon;
Thanks for the information. We listened to these for a bit and were quite surprised at how lively and realistic they are.
The EPI tweeter substitute seems like a common recommendation for KLH speakers. I was looking at these and thinking there had to be a better tweeter available than this paper cone behind a grille. I'll keep an eye peeled for a pair of EPI or Epicure units so I can see what that's like. Maybe I should look around for 2 pairs. I pair of AR4x arrived here on Saturday with one dead tweeter and I'll bet the EPI unit would work well in those as well.

 

[GordonW]

I pair of AR4x arrived here on Saturday with one dead tweeter and I'll bet the EPI unit would work well in those as well.

Yes.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[greenmark59]

IMHO, the 33 is the best-sounding of all the KLH 10" 2-way designs. Just has a "speed" and dynamic WHOP that the others don't quite do.

BTW: for s***s and giggles, you might try substituting in an EPI inverted-dome in place of the original tweeter. It's literally a drop in. Exact same flange size! IMHO, that takes the speaker "to another level"...

Regards,
Gordon.

I bought a pair of KLH 33's for $20 and sold the KLH tweeters for $20 and put in some FREE EPI inverted dome tweeters and I have one of the best sounding vintage speakers in the house (along with EPI 100, AR4x, Advent/1, Epicure 20+). Need to put in new caps and refinish the cabs and these will be keepers for a long time. Played some jazz and soft rock on them with a 10 wpc tube amp and they sound FANTASTIC!!!

 

[5th beatle]

Gordon,

If dropping in the inverted dome tweets to various KLH's or AR's is there any crossover modification needed? Thanks!:scratch2: