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Not 1 but 4 KLH Model Six! Any advice on fixing up?

Mr_Mustrd

Mr_Mustrd

AK Subscriber
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Couldn't sleep and was browsing Facebook marketplace and saw someone was selling 4 KLH Model Six for 100 bucks! Said he found them in the trash? But either way they appear mostly undamaged besides some peeling on the veneer which I plan on fixing.

The grills are removable and the woofers are screwed in. I have ordered the re-doping from vintage AR on Epay, but regarding the caps any recommendation on what would be a good replacement?
 

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Me personally, I wouldn't go too crazy with them as they are a pretty simple set of speakers. Change out those old black/red caps, check the resistors to see if they've drifted, maybe new speaker terminals, and spruce up the cabinets then run them stacked where tweeters are both in the middle. Call it good. :)
 
I sounds like you got a great deal on some classic speakers. Congratulations. My best recommendation would be to get a quadraphonic receiver, if you do not already have one. :thumbsup:
 
avguytx said:
Me personally, I wouldn't go too crazy with them as they are a pretty simple set of speakers. Change out those old black/red caps, check the resistors to see if they've drifted, maybe new speaker terminals, and spruce up the cabinets then run them stacked where tweeters are both in the middle. Call it good. :)
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Thank you! I've read a common replacement are Dayton caps, are they a good match or is there another brand that would be a better pairing?
 
tcdriver said:
I sounds like you got a great deal on some classic speakers. Congratulations. My best recommendation would be to get a quadraphonic receiver, if you do not already have one. :thumbsup:
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I haven't thought of that! Could listen to dark side of the moon as it was intended! I'll keep my eye out for one, for now I'll be using a sx 727, I would like to get something with at least 70 wpc because I've read they really own up with more wpc? I'm new to this stuff so I believe anything I read on the internet :p
 
GordonW said:
As simple as this crossover is, the Dayton poly caps will work fine. I have done just that with similar KLH models, with consistent good results.

Regards,
Gordon.
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Thank you! Since I have to do 4 of them it'll add up quick.
 
Congrats on your 6’s. They are fantastic. I used Dayton polypropylene caps in my 6’s as well as my KLH 23’s, 20’s and 22’s. I’ve also used Dayton caps in my Acoustic Research 5’s, 2ax’s and 4x. Can’t really go wrong with Dayton’s IMO.
 
Fortunately, my grill cloth was ok so there was no need to change them. If you search around this site, I think you’ll find threads from folks who have done it and what they used.
 
Six’s are excellent with tubes as well. One of the best vintage two ways IMHO.
There’s a ton of info on the Six. A very popular speaker with a huge fan base.
 
GD70 said:
Six’s are excellent with tubes as well. One of the best vintage two ways IMHO.
There’s a ton of info on the Six. A very popular speaker with a huge fan base.
Click to expand...

One day I plan on getting tubes, that's on my list but it's so expensive right now. But one day. I read the thread on you restoring your klh sixs, those are a Beauty! Did you think changing the cloth may have changed how they sounded? Regardless hopefully mine will look as good! I'm inspired!

So far I've replaced the caps in two of them as suggested with dayton caps, I was afraid I was gonna run into a bad tweeter but nope, they sound great! I did find a resistor that wasnt connected so I bet someone pitched them because of that. Wife said she liked the advents better in an a b comparison, I disagree I think the klh might be better. Next step will be re doping the surrounds. Thank you everyone for the help!
 
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GD70 said:
Six’s are excellent with tubes as well. One of the best vintage two ways IMHO.
There’s a ton of info on the Six. A very popular speaker with a huge fan base.
Click to expand...
Yes Glen, you convinced me to keep mine after I restored them. Compete with my dynaco a50 for play time. Funny that they like good old rock an roll music best. They were built in the 60's according to the stamp inside the cabinets that were also signed.
 
Mr_Mustrd said:
One day I plan on getting tubes, that's on my list but it's so expensive right now. But one day. I read the thread on you restoring your klh sixs, those are a Bueaty! Did you think changing the cloth may have changed how they sounded? Regardless hopefully mine will look as good! I'm inspired!

So far I've replaced the caps in two of them as suggested with dayton caps, I was afraid I was gonna run into a bad tweeter but nope, they sound great! I did find a resistor that wasnt connected so I bet someone pitched them because of that. Wife said she liked the advents better in an a b comparison, I disagree I think the klh might be better. Next step will be re doping the surrounds. Thank you everyone for the help!
Click to expand...

Treating the surrounds will make a big difference in how those KLH's sound. With the KLH surrounds untreated, the Advents will go much deeper and sound more full. After treating, . . .

I have/had multiple restored Advents and my Sixes are better than all of them.
 
RTally said:
Treating the surrounds will make a big difference in how those KLH's sound. With the KLH surrounds untreated, the Advents will go much deeper and sound more full. After treating, . . .

I have/had multiple restored Advents and my Sixes are better than all of them.
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That's exactly what I'm hoping! I did an a b compare with the advents and klh, the klh is missing that bass the advents have. Good to hear that once redoped it'll have that bass that I've come to love from the advents.
 
Mr_Mustrd said:
That's exactly what I'm hoping! I did an a b compare with the advents and klh, the klh is missing that bass the advents have. Good to hear that once redoped it'll have that bass that I've come to love from the advents.
Click to expand...

After treating the surround and dustcap with the first coat, the way to test is to push the woofer cone in and hold for about 15 to 20 seconds. Then quickly release the cone. Holding the cone in is critical. It takes a bit for the cabinet air to exhaust and the pressure equalize between inside and outside the cabinet. I used to think my speakers were not sealed because I pressed in and immediately released. They rebounded almost immediately. Don't be like me. :p:oops:

If it takes less than 1/2 second for the cone to return to position, you need a second coat of dope or you have a leak somewhere. Check that the woofer is sealed and that there are no obvious places where air can leak into the cabinet.

If it takes longer than 1 second for the woofer cone to return to its resting position, you have enough compound on the surround and dustcap.

Between 1/2 and 1 second, you likely have a good seal. Listen to the speakers. If you think the bass could be better, apply another light coat.

If the cone rebounds too fast with two coats, there is a leak somewhere. Good luck finding it.

Also, the treatment compound does not dry. The solvent will evaporate quickly, leaving behind the sticky butyl. It should stay sticky/tacky for years. I wait only about a half-hour before applying a second coat.
 
If you do have a leak, check the driver seals. The 6's had gaskets between the woofer/tweeter and cabinet that might be missing or gone bad. You can make new seals, use a product like a speaker sealing caulk (Parts express sells it for instance) or any number of other gasket materials. Like @RTally says, they must be sealed for you to get the best bass they are capable of.
 
RTally said:
After treating the surround and dustcap with the first coat, the way to test is to push the woofer cone in and hold for about 15 to 20 seconds. Then quickly release the cone. Holding the cone in is critical. It takes a bit for the cabinet air to exhaust and the pressure equalize between inside and outside the cabinet. I used to think my speakers were not sealed because I pressed in and immediately released. They rebounded almost immediately. Don't be like me. :p:oops:

If it takes less than 1/2 second for the cone to return to position, you need a second coat of dope or you have a leak somewhere. Check that the woofer is sealed and that there are no obvious places where air can leak into the cabinet.

If it takes longer than 1 second for the woofer cone to return to its resting position, you have enough compound on the surround and dustcap.

Between 1/2 and 1 second, you likely have a good seal. Listen to the speakers. If you think the bass could be better, apply another light coat.

If the cone rebounds too fast with two coats, there is a leak somewhere. Good luck finding it.

Also, the treatment compound does not dry. The solvent will evaporate quickly, leaving behind the sticky butyl. It should stay sticky/tacky for years. I wait only about a half-hour before applying a second coat.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the detailed instructions! I am concerned about ruining the woofers by applying too much so I plan on reading as much as possible before tackling it. The woofer does bounce back almost immediately so I believe they do need to be redoped. I have the doping from vintage AR off of ebay. Thank you and everyone else with the help! I'm excited to restore these speakers!
 
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