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My Weekend Score - KLH Model 105's

MaxSeven

MaxSeven

Word Skeptic
I purchased these beauties for $25.00 today, and they have such fine build quality, I am amazed. The sound is spectacular as well. Walnut veneer all around, no exposed MDF or pressboard. I had never seen these before -- does anyone else have the KLH 105's? I'd be interested in your impressions.

I also got a pair of Infinity RS-9 monitors for $20 bucks, and they were stored in the original packaging. Both of the surrounds on the woofs need replacement.
 

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Here's a shot with the grilles on (I just recovered them with new fabric).
 

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Wow, those KLH's are beauties! Do they sound as good as they look? Congratulations on the excellent score! :thmbsp: Looks like a real nice addition to your already impressive speaker collection.

BTW, I'm not at all familiar with the amp you are using, what is the scoop on it? :scratch2:
 
thunderroad said:
Wow, those KLH's are beauties! Do they sound as good as they look? Congradulations on the excellent score! :thmbsp: Looks like a real nice addition to your already impressive speaker collection.

BTW, I'm not at all familiar with the amp you are using, what is the scoop on it? :scratch2:
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The amp is a BGW 750e, older, but sounds lovely. It's 250W @ 8 ohms. It weighs around 70 lbs. and NEVER gets even slightly warm. Since amps came up, I happen to be in the market for another one. What do you guys think of Adcom?

The KLH's sound fantastic, and I am honestly surprised. I didn't think they would sound as good as they do. They have a very mellow, comfortable sound, with very nice detail. I guess the Karma came around to me again, as I missed out on a pair of Klipsch Heresy's for $50, and a pair of Advent Heritage's for $50. So instead I got the KLH's.
 
KingBubba said:
What time era are they from? I don't remember seeing or hearing of those before. Nice stuff. :thmbsp:
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These have to be from the early 70's I would think. They have heavy binding post terminals, weigh probably around 60 to 70 lbs each, and measure 30H x 18W x 16D.
 

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Great score.

That sure is an odd driver arrangement with the four tweeters.

You can't deny the build quality of those 105's, some serious speaker construction there.

They look great with the new fabric!
 
Sorry to grave dig this thread here....but....anyone else have any input on these??? I saw a pair the other day and was not in my truck so I really couldn't do anything. To be honest I didn't push it because i thought they looked "weird"..the price has changed over 10 years....LOL..Just wondering.
 
WOW! Those are rare gems!!

I heartily recommend resealing the surrounds with some of the AR goop. Never, ever use anything but diluted butyl. KLH mandated it as a free service. Your bass response will improve.
 
Reviving this thread after a few years with a question: found a pair of there locally (Germany), for what might be a good price, but one of the speakers is missing the bass driver. Could somebody help with details regarding said bass driver? I would like to scan the web a bit to see if it might be possible to source a replacement somehow.
 
The drivers are all Peerless. Mid 70's. Best bet on the woofer would be to have somebody measure the other one, and match the T/S parameters. I never saw the same woofer in any other speakers, but that doesn't mean that much. The cabinets are impressive - one inch thick and reasonably nice veneer. Makes them heavy too. They called that series the "Marlboro" series, and Tech HIFI in the US was one of a few "limited distribution" dealers.
 
sregor said:
The drivers are all Peerless. Mid 70's. Best bet on the woofer would be to have somebody measure the other one, and match the T/S parameters. I never saw the same woofer in any other speakers, but that doesn't mean that much. The cabinets are impressive - one inch thick and reasonably nice veneer. Makes them heavy too. They called that series the "Marlboro" series, and Tech HIFI in the US was one of a few "limited distribution" dealers.
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Hi @sregor – this is a 5-year-old thread now, but you seem to have some knowledge of these elusive 105s! I’m having trouble finding much except a post on Classic Speakers detailing how these were high-margin premium options for Tech HIFI, and your post here. I’d never heard of or encountered these in the wild until recently, and I’m super curious about them. Did you own these, or were you involved in distribution? Trying to decide if it’s worth a medium haul drive to pick up a pair. I guess they’re rare enough that listener testimonials are scant (so thanks to the OP for adding another one!).
 
colehager said:
Hi @sregor – this is a 5-year-old thread now, but you seem to have some knowledge of these elusive 105s! I’m having trouble finding much except a post on Classic Speakers detailing how these were high-margin premium options for Tech HIFI, and your post here. I’d never heard of or encountered these in the wild until recently, and I’m super curious about them. Did you own these, or were you involved in distribution? Trying to decide if it’s worth a medium haul drive to pick up a pair. I guess they’re rare enough that listener testimonials are scant (so thanks to the OP for adding another one!).
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Back in the 70's I was in the Tech HIFI service department, and had done my share of hanging out in the stores. The Marlboro series were built by KLH after EAD bought KLH. (Eastern Air Devices, IIRC) EAD also owned Infinity and Peerless at the time. The Marlboro was IMHO designed to utilize the Peerless drivers, which were very good at the time. The 105 was the top of the line. It looks like the used a KLH woofer with Peerless midrange in tweeters. All the rest of the line used Peerless woofers. The 105 was a very good sounding speaker. The biggest minus at the time was recognition and size: it was over 70 pounds and 18 inches wide and 30 inches high (15 inches deep) and was 1 inch chip board core, instead of the usual 3/4 inch that everybody else was using. My only caveat about buying them is they are hard to resale.
The tweeter compliment is the same as the Rectilinear III speakers, and replacements are still available. The KO40MRF Midrange was very popular in the 70's and early 80's so they can be found to. Although I've never tried it, there are threads about people refoaming them. They came from the factory premounted in a cup. If I had room for them, and the price was right, I'd definitely consider getting them.
 
Belated thanks for this great write-up, @sregor. I ended up moving too slowly to nab those 105s, which I’ll probably regret forever, but c’est la vie. Spotted a pair of 102s from the same line nearby, 2-way by the looks of it, but I’m thinking I might hold out for the lucky day another set of 105s surfaces. Not sure why I have such a fascination with this line—maybe it’s the gorgeous looking cabinets, and the “mysterious” nature of them, with so few threads on the forums. (Probably accentuated by my inability to afford the Model Five or Model Twelve.) In any case, I’m grateful for the history you shared. With such a thin historical record on the “Marlboros,” it means a lot!
 
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