I just finished restoring a pair of KLH Model Sixes

From Craig's List, I picked up FOUR different pairs of ancient KLH speakers this past weekend for the princely sum of $75, and just got finished working on the Sixes tonight. SH'er KT88 (Bill from Uptown Audio), whose opinions I great respect, has often posted positive comments about these speakers, so I was interested in checking them out. I figured they would be a good match for my Fisher 400.

I re-capped the crossovers (with Daytons) and doped the surrounds using diluted silicone caulk. I also sanded the many scuffs out of the cabinets and applied some Howard's Restore-A-Finish. Considering that my DIY skills are negligible at best, they came out great!

I'm sitting here listening to a recording of Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington live at the Cote d'Azur Jazz Festival in 1966, on vinyl via a Fisher 400 tube receiver and my newly restored KLH Sixes, and I am DELIGHTED by what I am hearing - and the caps haven't even burned in yet! Very rich midrange, suprisingly deep, tight bass, and smooth-but-not-dull highs. The amount of resolution is pretty darn impressive for a 50-year-old design. These are EXCELLENT speakers and they were dirt cheap!!!

It's also pretty cool that the KLH's were manufactured about 15 miles from where I now sit.

I have a 1962 LP of Tony Bennett live at Carnegie Hall, and there is a photo in the gatefold of the engineers setting up Columbia Records' remote recording rig backstage. What are they using for monitors? A pair of KLH Sixes!

 

Congratulations!

 

Thanks!

Listening to Steve's Arthur Lyman CD now... wonderful! The caps seem to be opening up now.

 

Pictures?

 

I'm using a pair of Sixes (also from Craigslist, price: free) and really like them, but I haven't restored them beyond replacing a nondescript Radio Shack tweeter that had been fitted to one with a genuine KLH original. What are the correct cap values, and where is my best bet for buying suitable new ones? Also, what was your formula for the surround dope? I'd love to "piggyback" on what you've done and get mine back to top performance (although there's no point in restoring the rather worse-for-wear cabinets, since they sit in shelves where only the grill cloth is visible).

 

Here is a manual/schematic http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/klh/klh_6_klh_model_six/klh_6_manual/.
Also some great KLH info http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/.

 

Congratulations!

KLH 6s were the first loudspeakers I ever bought, back in 1973. Wish I still had them, I loved them.

 

I found this thread and its images extremely helpful: http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=102176
The crossover in the 17's is the same as the 6's. It's a very easy job even for someone like me, you just need some basic soldering skills.

I used a little silicone caulk diluted to a milky consistency with water to re-dope the surrounds, and then gave them two lights coats with an artist's paintbrush and let them dry while I waited for the caps to arrive in the mail. It's since been suggested to me that something like latex caulk or even rubber cement is a better choice, but for now it seems just fine.

Will post some shortly!! I still need to get some fabric cleaner for the grilles.

By the end of my listening session last night, I could tell that the caps were burning in. At first the KLH's sounded kind of box-y and stiff, but after a couple of hours the frequencies seemed more balanced, the soundstage opened up, and they just sounded SMOOTH. I ended up the night listening to the 1990 CD of "Bee Gees 1st" (from 1967), and the vocals sounded completely lifelike, with very deeeeeep, looooong reverb trails.

 

Will pursue. Thanks!

 

This should help... replace the old caps with the values indicated....

BEFORE:



AFTER:

 

I just ordered a pair of stands from these folks: http://www.aandmcustomsteelspeakerstands.com/#!

Sand-filled and fitted with spikes.
$100 + shipping

 

You bet that will help--in cases like this, a picture is worth more than 1000 words. Thank you!

 

If I can do it, you can do it!

Just be sure to wear gloves when removing the fiberglass stuffing from inside the cabinets and place it in a paper bag until you're reading to put it all back.

 

Can any comment on a comparison of the KLH 6 and Large Advent and AR speakers?

 

I have no personal experience, but most seem to prefer the KLH's from what I've read.

 

They are all of a similar school which used to be called, particularly on the West Coast, "Boston Bland".

They are smooth, likeable, not terrifically dynamic with not much articulation of formants, not terribly efficient. But a good match with any of many solid state and the more powerful tube amplifiers, they make very good bedroom or rec room speakers and are good for beginners to fix up and get experience without spending much money if found reasonably priced. Henry Kloss had a deep seated vision of how things should sound and this is what it produced.

The Large Advents are probably the best of the bunch from a serious listener standpoint.

 

Oh, I think there is some exaggeration here. Yes, the New England sound is laid back, but it can only be considered 'bland' if compared to something like west coast speakers like JBL. It's like calling Stan Getz bland because he doesn't play as dynamically as John Coltrane.

 

I like the KLH Six and Seventeen speakers better myself. The Large Advent was OK but had a little more boom and hiss than the KLH, which is a remarkably well balanced speaker. The AR was hard to drive and could be muddy sounding. The KLH stands out by being a fairly easy load for an amp and not drawing attention to its limitations.
-Bill

 

Both KLH and Advent are a great match for that Fisher 400. I don't have as much experience with AR.
I'm using Advents with a Fisher 400 right now and it sounds great.
I'd like to get some KLH also, as they can be found for inexpensive prices.
A buddy of mine uses KLH with his Fisher integrated, very nice.
The "east coast sound" speakers have good synergy with the late '50s and '60s tube equipment.

 

@ action pact. If you get a chance, could you post a pic of the complete set up;
the Fisher with the KLHs on their stands.

 

Sure, I'd be happy to! I expect to receive the stands next Friday.

 

Very happy for you, action pact, though I must say reading this thread is a bit bittersweet for me, as several years ago I allowed myself to be talked into discarding my father's KLH speakers by my mother, whose zeal for culling from one's possessions is unmatched in my experience. I doubt I'd have done it had I been an SHTV member at the time. The lasting regret is enough to cause one to contemplate becoming a hoarder.

Would love to see some more pics . . . The one you posted above looked a bit like the old man's, though I believe his were a lighter colored wood, and there was a sort of a step-down border of wood around the grill. I don't remember the specific model and perhaps never knew it.

 

The border around the grilles sounds more like the 17's to me:

 

My Sixes look pretty much identical to these, except the cabs are darker on mine thanks to the Howard's:

 

Great pic, those are they right there.