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Welcome Me to the "Score" Club

KDAC

KDAC

Addicted Member
Every now and then I step into the EZ Pawn store about four miles away from my house just to see what audio/electronic-related merchandise is available. Yesterday, I stopped by and observed a pair of speakers that happened to be manufactured not too much earlier than the KLH 9250Bs I've used during the past 13 years. I went home, did some research via Google, liked what I read, and ta-da... look at what I just finished setting up in my living room a few minutes ago:

A pair of 4-way (15" woofer, 4" midrange, 2.5" tweeter, and 0.25" super tweeter") KLH 9154 loudspeakers.

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Contrary to popular belief, not all post-70s KLH speakers are "garbage." I demoed tracks by Van Halen, Billy Joel (I damn near passed out when the drum and bass parts of "Just the Way You Are" began playing), and Bach at the store and even with background music/noise they sounded good. I set them up in my living room about an hour ago and played Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall, Part 1" at my wife's request and you should've seen the Cheshire cat smile that spread across her face when the track came on. These speakers sound amazing in my 23Lx13Wx10H listening space. The 15-inch bass drivers and tweeter/super tweeter array add extra depth to the top and bottom ends of the aural spectrum (my wife describes the as more "rounded out."). The sound emitted from this pair presents just the right amount of "forwardness" without being thrust to the tip of my nose or slammed down my throat. The "sweet spot" is 10 feet away on the opposite side of the room from the plane of these speakers. I'm about to make lunch for tomorrow. When I finish, I'm going to start off with The Stranger by Billy Joel and see how far my energy level takes me.

The drivers on both speakers are in excellent condition. The cabinets are unexpectedly heavy and thick given this tier of speaker. Both have several scratches and areas of scraped off veneer. I'll search AK and see if I can find some info as to how to repair scratches and scrapes on faux wood grain speaker cabinets. Overall, I couldn't be more satisfied to have obtained a fully functional pair of floorstanding loudspeakers for $70. The sound I'm hearing could easily cost many multiples more.
 
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I bet a set of new dayton caps in there will really make her sing, got more pics of your new pride and joy?
 
I actually remember my friend buying a set of these new from Best Buy.

We were so dissapointed. For their size they did not have impressive bass at all.

He had some 12" technics of the same era that blew them away bass wise.

I am glad you love them, and I am not trying to rain on your parade, but I guess I did!
 
I appreciate the feedback, both positive and critical. I'm hardcore enough of a listener to know that these are nowhere near audiophile-level/the "best" speakers on the market - then and now. When listening to music, I listen for subjectively good enough bass/midrange/treble to my ears, in my room and decent imaging - all for relaxed enjoyment. I do not engage in what audiophiles call "critical listening." And I don't mean to offend any such poster here or anywhere else. It's just that I've come across individuals who spend so much time doing the following:

1.) constantly listening for the tiniest detail/nuance, to the point of missing the forest for the trees - e.g. the length of time it took the sound of a cymbal strike to decay, a performer exhaling in front of the mic screen, the brushing of shoe soles across the studio floor, a guitarist running their fingers across the frets, whether or not sand or a pillow was in the kick drum, etc. If you merely happen to notice such details while listening in a relaxed manner and mentally take note of them, that's fine. Sitting in front of the stereo with an 87-degree posture and an etched, furrowed brow after having dismissed family members and household pets while wishing away people/vehicles in close proximity to one's domicile so as to hear the aforementioned details... there's help for that. I've seen it and I'm serious.

2.) seeking non-existent "realism." No matter what the recording is piped through, post-1940/50s, 99% of the time it was a multi-track recording mixed down to two-track stereo unless otherwise indicated. If you were not in the booth with the recording engineer and/or performer(s) you will never hear the performance that took place in those moments in time during the recording session(s). Ever. Period. I realize that to many the pursuit of such is fun, but I've come across some who approach mental instability while trying to "put the performer(s) in the room." Only the transporter on Star Trek could accomplish that. And besides, what happens if they don't remove the equipment/cables/whatever from your listening space? Damage to your walls? Furniture? Windows?

3.) being obsessive about recreating the above-mentioned to the point of cycling through a never-ending parade of loudspeakers/equipment while amassing serious debt/taking out a loan against their home/asset(s). Virtually living on eBay/Craigslist/Audiogon/US Audio List/kijiji/US Audio Mart and stalking thrift stores, garage/estate sales will not recreate what was never really there in the first place. A hobbyist seeking an item or a two with the aim of building a system(s) at their home/garage/boat for relaxed enjoyment is not the same as the horder amassing 40 pairs of speakers (floorstanding, in-wall, underground), 25 AM and/or FM tuners, 20 preamps and amps (solid state or tube), 10 DACS, 12 turntables, 30 pairs of headphones, 14 cassette decks, 10 reel-to-reel decks, nine 8-track players, and five Victrolas so as to have them "just in case."

... so much so that they're not really listening to the music at all. That's the primary reason why I let my subscription to Stereophile lapse years ago, stopped reading The Absolute Sound and such and never looked back. If that type of behavior makes listening more engaging/enjoyable to certain people, they're more than entitled to do so. To me, it sucks the life right out of what most consider a fun activity. In exteme cases, it tips over into what I (unprofessionally) believe to be full-blown Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. To me, it's all about fun and relaxation. If it becomes another task/chore, it's not worth doing.
 
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If that's a 15" woofer those things are huge!

As far as caps, I'd open them up and see what's in there. If there are films, they are likely just fine. Electrolytics, I'd consider replacing/upgrading. Just my approach.

Glad you like em.
 
In regard to capacitors: The last time I actively dealt with them was while being lost in my Radio Shack electronics kit circa 1985. I know some of you fellow nerds remember this:

Radio Shack Electronics Kit.jpg

Image per:
http://ecos.k12nest.com/content/gre...equivalents-radio-shack-100-1-electronics-lab

I received this for Christmas that year at the age of 12 and marveled over microfarads, ohms and what not until my attention waned and was redirected towards the TRS-80 Model II with a whopping 16 K of RAM.

Back on point: My knowledge of capacitors is just diminished enough to turn the above-mentioned speakers over to a more knowlegdeable person.
 
Glad you like them! I had the same interpretation from readings; that many folks thought KLH ended when Henry Kloss left.
I have post-Kloss KLH-363 3-ways that are easily the largest, heaviest, and best made "bookshelf speakers" in my stash. He taught his staff well.
 
KDAC said:
. . . To me, it sucks the life right out of what most consider a fun activity. In exteme cases, it tips over into what I (unprofessionally) believe to be full-blown Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. To me, it's all about fun and relaxation. If it becomes another task/chore, it's not worth doing.
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Oh, man! I laughed all the way thru that post, KDAC, simply because so much of it is true. But, that's the way it is in every hobby. There are simply some folks that decide at some point in their life that this or that hobby is their end-all and be-all, and they devote their entire life to the pursuit of perfection. To me, that's just fine, and it's those folks that many of us often turn to when we need to know some miniscule, obscure, or forgotten details on their specialty. And, if we are lucky, they will give us facts and not fantasy.

Personally, I just have way too many hobbies to be an authoritative expert on any single one of them. I play well with all types, though. And if one of them wants to obsess over a minute bit of distortion in the third harmonic of the violin soloist in a work by Mozart, I'll go along. But I'll be listening for something else altogether, I can assure you! ;)

GeeDeeEmm
 
Wow you wrote a lot.

I am happy you like them so much, I have speakers to sell that I think suck and HOPE someone like you comes along and buys them for $70. :)
 
Those are cool, glad you found a deal close to home, love to find things I like cheap. Definitely recap them with some 5% Metal Poly Daytons or Audyns, they are cheap and easy to switch out. I had a pair of Mach Ones that most would say are crap, I did the Videolady full upgrade and sold them for $500 that's right someone said (oh my god those are the best speakers I'VE ever heard) I'll give you $500 for them. If you decide to do anything to them post your progress.
 
I've found that general common knowledge is often misplaced. Remember in the 70s when everyone thought Japanese Electronics were junk?

I have heard many a Sansui speaker that the forums describe as meh, and I found were very good, with the right match of gear. Unless people qualify that the speakers sounded like junk when they ran it off their McIntosh mc-2255, I pretty well have to hear it myself. I have a pair of 1968 Kef Concerto's that were for sale for months. These speakers have beat out many dozens of other speakers in my living room including the likes of Wharfedale, tannoy, infinity, Celestion, Tangent, ads, Advent, ESS, mission, and more. Part of it is because I had my amplification defined and wasn't about to change it, so they were not necessarily paired with the right type of amplification that was best for them. The key word being them, and not necessarily you or I.

Enjoy your new speakers! :rockon:
 
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