KLH Model 5
Anyone seen/heard ‘em?
Seems to be well regarded......and seems to show that the classic 3-way acoustic suspension design was, indeed, a timeless one.
BDT
Seems to be well regarded......and seems to show that the classic 3-way acoustic suspension design was, indeed, a timeless one.
BDT
I plan for the future. - F1Nut
Comments
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Lots of positive chatter online about these to the extent they seem to be backordered until at least July. May be hard to get ears on them until then.
https://klhaudio.com/model-five-pair/ -
With all these retro speakers on the market today and selling very well Polk should come out with a retro Monitor 7.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
My first set of "real" speakers was an acoustic suspension design. The KLH Model 5s have got my interest. I haven't seen a negative review of them yet except for the limited number of finishes.
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I owned a pair of the original Model 5's back in the early 70's. I was never that impressed with them, I thought they were too laid back. But looking back at it now, I probably didn't feed them enough power. I had a small integrated and maybe it didn't let them open up enough.
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Well, depends on what your cuppa tea is......none of the East Coast (AR/KLH/Advent) were up in your face type speakers....and were all laid back. I think it’s part and parcel to the design philosophy......
An updated Monitor 7 would be COOL.....I plan for the future. - F1Nut -
I believe the goal was to give the listener in a classical auditorium a "tenth row center" simulation. I'd venture it's safe to say most of today's audio equipment buyers don't have that as a goal. If you take the average audio enthusiast to a live classical concert they are disappointed in the lack of presence and pin point image they expect from their home systems.
When I first started to go to classical concerts and would read the program guide the usher would hand you as you walked to your seat there would be ads for audio shops: Gramophone and Soundscape. These described how with the right audio equipment you could take the musical experience of the concert hall home. Now when I go to concerts, the programs have retirement home and financial planner ads and maybe a Volvo dealership. The link between classical music appreciation and audio gear, at least in the US, has diminished.Post edited by SeleniumFalcon on -
I still have components purchased from both Gramophone & Soundscape
I doubt rather seriously that the new KLH 5 sounds all that much like the original -- which was quite a nice loudspeaker, BTW.
Volvos... heh... I think the town must have some kind of rule on the road we live on that every household has to have at least one Volvo wagon or SUV! Many folks up the hill from us have two -- probably by necessity in the wintertime. The town might not have let us build our house if they knew we were rockin' cheap Japanese vehicles!
(although I suspect they enjoy the real estate tax they get from us every year...)
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If not mistaken, I think the new KLH 5 has a metal tweeter....which is borderline heresy......I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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If not mistaken, I think the new KLH 5 has a metal tweeter....which is borderline heresy......
Don't ever say Heresy in the presence of a KLH loudspeaker!
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Buddha seems to have a noncommittal expression...
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Sean, liked them?
I bet they sounded great in his mom’s basement....I plan for the future. - F1Nut -
I'm just glad that @mhardy6647 commented and is still active on this forum."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
I was looking at the reviews of the new model 5. Looks like a lot more then Sean that likes them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU3X5syv1Tk
Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
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I was looking at the reviews of the new model 5. Looks like a lot more then Sean that likes them.
That's the guy who reviewed the L800 and couldn't grasp what SDA is about, said something about them being too big and couldn't understand why the SDA cable is required. IMO, his opinions are lacking.
Anyway, my 2 cents on this review. Right off, the fact he and his wife like Klipsch tells me that I'm not going to like the KLH5. I had to crack up when his wife chimed in that she doesn't like red wood. First, the cabinet color is not really red as it has orange tones and second, has she looked at their carpet?
Looking at their room I'd have to say the speaker color goes extremely well with the rest.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I've watched some of his videos.....meh.
Yeah, for a supposed smart guy, I don't think that SDA is terribly complicated to understand....and if you do, his complaints are nonsensical....and the cable? One stupid cable?
One eye'd butt pirate.
SAY IT!!!I plan for the future. - F1Nut -
LOL.....HAARRRRRPolitical Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I guess I need to look for that L800 review!Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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I was looking at the reviews of the new model 5. Looks like a lot more then Sean that likes them.
That's the guy who reviewed the L800 and couldn't grasp what SDA is about, said something about them being too big and couldn't understand why the SDA cable is required. IMO, his opinions are lacking.
Anyway, my 2 cents on this review. Right off, the fact he and his wife like Klipsch tells me that I'm not going to like the KLH5. I had to crack up when his wife chimed in that she doesn't like red wood. First, the cabinet color is not really red as it has orange tones and second, has she looked at their carpet?
Looking at their room I'd have to say the speaker color goes extremely well with the rest.
I always take their reviews with a big grain of salt. He will take a sleek lifestyle product over a quality sounding product a large percentage of the time. In some of his reviews he even talks about being happy to trade off the difference in sound (which I think he oversells) for the smaller form factors, sleek styling and full color LED screens on devices.
But going back to the KLH Model 5 - I haven't heard them. But based on the wide range of reviews I'd like to. A lot of stuff gets good reviews, and sometimes it's easier to discern a sound when you watch a lot of these reviewers regularly and when a reviewer is giving an objective "good" vs when they are actually excited or surprised. What stuck me most about the KLH5 was the number of reviewers that seemed to be authentically impressed. Including some that have some generally different preferences.Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs -
Looks like they cheated everyone out of a mid range too... I liked my KLH 5's, original ones. The vintage ugly speakers do have something going for them. Like AR 3, Original Advent, KLH 5. And as far as sound you know you got the East Coast Sound the West Coast Sound the British Sound and the Klipsch Sound.. lol. So far the only speakers that I have that I would not sell..they sound like SDA 2B Polk Audio Modded.
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The original KLH Five was quite a nice loudspeaker indeed -- although all of the "New England sound" loudspeakers of the '60s (and '70s) will sound a little "soft" compared to modern loudspeakers. Also (and FWIWI), I like the character of the bass produced by acoustic suspension enclosure alignments, but they are profoundly power hungry "for best results".
DSC_7011 (2) by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
Not sure that having two midrange drivers was a good thing in terms of wavefront/imaging, though -- it certainly didn't help the Polk Audio Monitor 10 family
P1020559 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr -
More doesn't always equate to better. For sure.I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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They look nice!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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mhardy6647 wrote: »The original KLH Five was quite a nice loudspeaker indeed -- although all of the "New England sound" loudspeakers of the '60s (and '70s) will sound a little "soft" compared to modern loudspeakers. Also (and FWIWI), I like the character of the bass produced by acoustic suspension enclosure alignments, but they are profoundly power hungry "for best results".DSC_7011 (2) by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
Not sure that having two midrange drivers was a good thing in terms of wavefront/imaging, though -- it certainly didn't help the Polk Audio Monitor 10 familyP1020559 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
Ah, Polk fixed that with and interconnect, different drivers and crossover upgrade..LOL. -
More doesn't always equate to better. For sure.
True or we all would be rocking Kabuki speakers... -
Just stumbled across one anecdotal data point on the KLH 5 Someplace Else. See the first reply (i.e., second post) in this thread @ AK: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/help-me-decide-on-some-modern-vintage-inspired-speakers.962482/
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mhardy6647 wrote: »Just stumbled across one anecdotal data point on the KLH 5 Someplace Else. See the first reply (i.e., second post) in this thread @ AK: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/help-me-decide-on-some-modern-vintage-inspired-speakers.962482/
From the other thread on AK "When I heard the KLH's at AXPONA 2019, I wasn't impressed with them. The Wharfedale Linton Heritage, well, I heard them and bought a pair with stands.
Yes, the highs will be better. The Wharfedale Lintons are 1500 with stands. Get the stands, they are great for the price - built well."
@Clipdat @joecoulson and myself were in the KLH room at Axpona in 2019. They did not have the model 5 in that room. It was the Kendall and Albany series they were showing off.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
mhardy6647 wrote: »Just stumbled across one anecdotal data point on the KLH 5 Someplace Else. See the first reply (i.e., second post) in this thread @ AK: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/help-me-decide-on-some-modern-vintage-inspired-speakers.962482/
From the other thread on AK "When I heard the KLH's at AXPONA 2019, I wasn't impressed with them. The Wharfedale Linton Heritage, well, I heard them and bought a pair with stands.
Yes, the highs will be better. The Wharfedale Lintons are 1500 with stands. Get the stands, they are great for the price - built well."
@Clipdat @joecoulson and myself were in the KLH room at Axpona in 2019. They did not have the model 5 in that room. It was the Kendall and Albany series they were showing off.
Heh, well, that's interesting!
I would post to that thread & point that out, but I finally threw in the towel @ AK a few months back*; now I just lurk.
I would love to have a chance to hear the new morph of the KLH 5. Not sure when/if the opportunity'll present itself, though.
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* Not that anyone noticed
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I posted it on AK. I don't post much on AK in general.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYi4mptKrfo
