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Opinions on KLH Model 5

S

simonz

New Member
I see lots of recent discussion about KLH Model 6 and 17, but not so much about the KLH Model 5. I am awaiting a pair of Model 5's to be delivered from an online auction purchase. I purchased these based on liking what I had heard from other speakers with by the same designer (Henry Kloss).

I am familiar with the sound of the Large Advents and KLH Model 23 and like them both. Also, I have a pair of Boston Acoustics A100's, though not designed by Henry Kloss, I like their sound but they are just a bit too reticent for some types of music, but they are keepers.

Does anyone have any opinions on the sound of the KLH Model 5 as compared to other New England style speakers?

simonz
 
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i have all four the 17-6-23-5. the sound of the 5's are close to the 23"s. the two midranges were added to increase power handling.my 5's came with dead tweeters because the caps had to be replaced. you can go to the classic speaker web site for alot more info. but i think you will like the 5's.
 
Some people consider the KLH 5 to be the best sounding of the vintage KLH line.
I have two pairs of KLH 17 speakers at home.....so I'm a BIG fan of that line.

Steve
 
:-)

KLH5f.jpg


I think that Markus and I sort of co-own a pair of these.
 
While I have not owned a pair of 5's I have lusted after them in my heart :yes:

Upgraded woofer compared to 6 - same used in 23. I think I recall reading that these were meant to compete with the the 3/3a AR's. I absolutely love my 6's. They are becoming my favorite especially now that I have tube amp.

Good ole Henry knew how to design speakers that's for sure. :banana:
 
I've had a pair and they're remarkably close in sound presentation to my Quad ESL63s. Yes, I typed that. They sound very close to the Advents and similar speakers. All, including the 63s, present a complete soundstage that seems to come from just behind the speaker itself. Of course, proper gear to drive them will produce this as will a full recap of the crossover.

Bass will be like other KLHs - deep and solid - when driven by proper electronics. They will absorb large amounts of _clean_ power, too. I've driven mine with the Hafler P500 (250wpc) with no strain whatsoever.

BTW, there were at least 3 production versions of the Model 5 that I've seen:

- Early: Point to point wiring. The pop riveted ground lugs on the strips were used for grounding. These will need to have wires soldered to connect them all to remove ground loops and poor overall performance.

- Middle: Point to point wiring. The pop rivets are no longer used for ground returns.

- Late: Circuit board now replaces the point-to-point wiring. Switches are integral to the circuit board. Push-on connectors are used to manage speaker connections. Make notes as to what went where before pulling the crossover unit off the back of the cabinet. There seemed to be no wiring color convention so a pair of speakers may vary in wire colors. Don't depend on one to do the other.

Also, there's a small cork plug that was used to seal the wire entry hole for the midrange speakers. I've seen these fall out and allow air pressure to enter the midrange chamber.

Lastly, check all the foam seals as they will have collapsed over the decades. Along this line, pay attention to the crossover panel seals where the switches poke through. Replace all of them to ensure a good air seal.

Cheers,

David
 
They are a really serious speaker and as for sound quality IMHO come in right after the Nine and Twelve.
 
KLH Model 5?

I've got a nice pair -- complete -- but the tweeters don't work when attached to the crossover. (Direct wired, they're fine.)

I need someone to accept $$$ to restore them for me...

Anyone?
 
Big fan of the Model Five; I've got two pair. The crossovers need to be recapped, but they will sound phenomenal once that's done.
 
My father has a pair and they are the speaker I cut my teeth on. I have fond memories of this speaker. My father still has them but he rarely listens to them.

Scott
 
I found a pair today in a thrift shop..... $10.00. Boy, are they heavy. Poured some Old English on them.
 
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Dave1384 said:
I found a pair today in a thrift shop..... $10.00. Boy, are they heavy. Poured some Old English on them. Like new. Sound great. I have never owned anything like these. Found this thread looking for some info. They're that good, huh? I took one 10 inch out to look at the magnet. Same as the one pictured above. It is square and heavy. I need to turn up the volume a little more to get these going with a 50 wpc going. There are two knobs back there, one says 2500 to 7000Cps and the other "Above 7000CPS" with a low,medium and high for each one. What does that mean?:scratch2:
Click to expand...

Nice find indeed! :thmbsp: The adjustments are for you to customize to your own taste the outputs of the tweeter (Above 7000) and midrange (2500 to 7000). The woofers typically have the lowest level output, so you adjust the others to match the low frequencies. If you want to be scientific about it, get a $50 SPL meter from the Shack, otherwise tune by ear.

Edit: Just happened to think... If adjusting doesn't have the desired effect and/or the mids and highs are still too low, then you need to replace the capacitors in the crossover network - piece of cake!
 
I am getting the data, right now, to send my crossovers out to be refurbed.

I am very excited.
 
Paratina.
Thanks. Well, I stuck my ears real close for a unscientific listen . They are fine. Clear, too. I did figure the knobs had something to do with adjustments. CPS threw me. Anyone know how old they are and what they retailed for? I probably have the early ones, for there are 2 riveted lugs back there.
 
pbda said:
Big fan of the Model Five; I've got two pair. The crossovers need to be recapped, but they will sound phenomenal once that's done.
Click to expand...

PBDA,
I assume you have read through this thread. Since you have two, I thought I would ask. The pair I found today require a least 1, perhaps 2 higher volume settings. Do these really require that much more input? Thanks. Also, if the shop examined them, can they tell by a test if work needs to be done? Thanks.
 
My info on the Model 5 says 1968-72. Price about $470/pair (which, in 1968, was a good chunk o'change). 11" woofer, two 5" mids & a 3" tweet. 75 RMS/90 watts peak. 8 ohms impedance. 86dB @ 1 watt, which is not majorly efficient - good power wouldn't hurt. Some had date stamps inside, some not.

A shop could tell, but you likely can, too. If they look like the original caps, i.e. paper covered, then yeah, time to recap. If you have to crank up the treble to get good noises out, time to recap. It's so damn cheap & easy... just... recap! :banana:
 
Dave1384 said:
Paratina.
Thanks. Well, I stuck my ears real close for a unscientific listen . They are fine. Clear, too. I did figure the knobs had something to do with adjustments. CPS threw me. Anyone know how old they are and what they retailed for? I probably have the early ones, for there are 2 riveted lugs back there.
Click to expand...

CPS = cycles per second. Nowadays 1 cps is called 1 Hz. Technically, it's just sec^-1 (i.e., reciprocal seconds); a measure of frequency.
 
Thanks to both. 86 to 1, no wonder. Well, out comes the 980. Yes, they need to be re-recapped. I will have to have someone do it for me . I simply don't have the confidence/understanding. I know it's simple. To you guys. I looked at specialidiot's walk- through. Well, maybe....
 
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