Norman Nicolai

I know this is a bit off topic for “Classic Speaker Pages”, but does anyone have a recommendation for a moderately priced (under $50) set of wireless earbuds? I’ve only experienced the wired earbuds that come with Apple phones and iPads, and they’re hardly anything approaching audiophile. I’ve had one recommendation for “Tribit”. Anyone else care to chime in?

I am familiar with this site, JKent. I’m sure the Nine’s I heard probably needed some work. Even so, they were impressive. Another link, describing the Nine’s: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/klh-model-nine-rides-again Did you ever hear the Nine’s, JKent, and if so, what did you hear?

I got to listen to a pair of KLH Nines for the first time a few days ago. They had been on sale at a NJ audio store for almost a year and someone purchased them last week. Thanks to Thr33p4c, his CSP handle, I was able to get a brief listen. The Nine’s did not disappoint. The rap on KLH Nine’s is that they lack just a bit on the lower end. That’s true, but they more than make up for it with their superior soundstage and transparency. I think they were probably the best speakers I ever had the pleasure of hearing. Listening to recorded music through the Nine’s was the closest I have ever come to approximating live music. The music did not sound like it was coming from the panels, but from somewhere behind the panels on a large stage. Full Disclosure: My opinion was formed by a quick 15 minute listen, so it wasn’t like I spent hours listening to a great deal of music before forming an opinion. But based on that brief preview, if I had a house with an extra room that was large enough to display their potential, (…or if I did not have to worry about WAF…) I would probably look for a pair and purchase them immediately. Unfortunately, I would also need a significant upgrade in amplifier power. KLH Nine’s are power hungry. I heard them driven in a medium sized area at a moderately high volume level through a SS amp delivering 200 WPC. I was told by Thr33p4c that the amp was cranked during my short listening session. Arthur Janszen, the Nine’s designer, originally envisioned them being used optimally in two sets of three panels. Three for the left channel and three for the right. I can’t imagine a power source existing in 1961 capable of driving them to their true potential. Plus, they sold for around $1,200 a panel back then. Purchasing six panels of KLH Nine’s for $7,200 was really serious cash in 1961. It’s equal to approx. $75,000 today. You could buy two brand new Chevrolet Impala’s for that kind of money back then, and still walk away with over $1,000 still in your pocket! Henry Kloss once stated that he always designed audio equipment to a specific price point at KLH, but the KLH Nine’s were the one exception to that rule. Henry said that the every possible resource went into their design, and no expense was spared in their production. I think that he and Arthur Jantzen hit a home run with these speakers. IMHO, the Nine’s are on a par, if not better than, some of the very best speakers available today. At least to my ears. If not owning, at least listening to a set of KLH Nines was always on my “bucket list”, so I can now check that off. To me, KLH Nine’s were always the “Holy Grail” of vintage audio. I’m glad that I finally got a listen, if only a brief one.

The woofers are probably the original EPI drivers. At least they look very similar to the woofers in my EPI M50’s. They also look in much better shape than the woofers I refoamed. When you say that the speakers are “stuck”, what do you mean, precisely? What happens when you apply power to them and try to listen to them? What happens when you apply the power of a 1.5V battery across the two speaker terminals? Does anything move?

Please post photos of the woofers and tweeters from the M50’s to see if they are the original drivers.

As a former Staten Island resident and current Jersey Guy, I need to add my 2 cents to this conversation… I remember both the AR Listening Room in Grand Central and EJ Korvettes on Staten Island. I was a HS student back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. One of my first summer jobs was working as a messenger out of the Lower Level of Grand Central Terminal, near the Oyster Bar and the defunct Fanny Farmer candy store. (For very young readers, before fax machines, emails and scanning, documents had to be transported by hand from one place of business to another place of business. Interesting aside: I used to deliver to Philip Morris Co. on Park Avenue almost daily. Even though I was only 16 yrs old, the receptionist always asked if I smoked. I did, and she would offer me a free pack of Marlboro’s, which I eagerly took. Cigarettes were only .45 cents a pack back then!) I took the Staten Island Ferry from “the rock” as we affectionately called SI into Manhattan every day. There was no air conditioning in Grand Central Terminal at that time except in the AR Listening Room on the Mezzanine overlooking the main concourse of the terminal. I spent many of my 30 minute lunches escaping the summer heat in the coolness of the AR Listening Room. It was such a serene place and you could just relax and listen music. It was also my introduction to high fidelity audio. I was thrilled when my father brought home a KLH Model Twenty Music System purchased from Harvey Sound on 45th St. later that year. While not as good as a component system with AR speakers, it was a huge step up from my Webcor stereo. I also vividly remember EJ Korvettes on Richmond Ave of Staten Island, where the SI Mall now stands. At that time it was across the street from the garbage dump landfill, now closed, but one of the highest points on the eastern seaboard, originally built on marshland. Anyway, Korvettes had a record dept. right next to their audio equipment on the 2nd floor of store. I would frequently get off the No. 114 bus on my way home from HS to shop for vinyl LP’s there. Korvettes had incredibly low prices for records, ranging from $2.25 up to $5.25. The prices were color coded with stickers on the plastic wrap of the LP with the color pricing guide on the tall columns inside the store. They had a huge selection and terrific prices, so at the height of the “Rock Revolution”, and just before Woodstock, I was the proverbial “kid in a candy store”. I built up a huge collection of albums during that time period, largely from records purchased at Korvettes. Unfortunately, many of those same LP’s were lost in a basement flood years later. It’s great fun to reminisce…

Steve does indeed do great work. If you used him to update your Xa he would probably do all of the mods I did, and more. Steve usually lines the tonearm with a silicon sleeve to reduce the possibility of any resonant frequencies, but I was unable to do that using the Litz wiring. If your tonearm was replaced by Steve, you probably already have that specific mod. I’m going to experiment with different carts on the new Xa to find the one that works best. The original Xa’s were frequently paired with Shure M91E’s. I used that as the first cart on my new updated Xa, but my vintage Shure cart has a replacement stylus of dubious quality. I’ve used a Shure M97xE on an Xa that Steve Frosten updated a few years ago to very good effect. I only have one M97xE, even though it’s my favorite cart. Prices on that cart have gone up 10x’s from what I originally paid 8-10 years ago. Unfortunately, Shure is no longer in the cartridge business and prices on their products are only going to go even up further, so don’t see another M97xE in my immediate future. I may try an old Shure V15 Type II with a JICO stylus as my next option. And yes, enjoy the music!

Just finished an AR-Xa turntable modification and restoration. I used the Steve Frosten roadmap for all the changes. Steve was extremely helpful throughout the whole process, which I have been working on (actually working off and on) for over a year. Without Steve's help this would not have happened. Upgrades included the following: Refinished and extended wooden base Repainted metal plinth Replacement jewel bearings Technics replacement tonearm for universal cartridge mount Replacement Litz tonearm wire Replacement Hurst motor External RCA jacks New AC power inlet New dust cover Cheers!

Has anyone ever used Litz wire to replace the internal wiring in speakers? I recently visited KAB Electro Acoustics in Plainfield, NJ to purchase Litz wire for some turntable tonearms that I’m rewiring. KAB sells a custom made Litz wire that is covered with silicon instead of the standard Teflon. The silicon covered Litz wire is very flexible making it easy to use in tonearms. The proprietor of KAB recommended trying Litz wire for the internal wiring of vintage speakers. He claimed that the sound would become more “transparent”. I’m tempted to try Litz wire on my next re-cap/restoration project, but it is expensive so I was wondering if anyone had any experience using it?

I hope I didn’t give the wrong impression about my AR-91’s. I still consider them my “reference” speakers and they are the speakers that I continue to measure all other speakers by. I would never dream of parting with them. It’s just that I now have another set of speakers that I enjoy listening to as much as them. My 91’s are not for sale. One thing I should mention about both the AR-91’s and the Thiel CS 3.5k’s: I’m not crazy about the way they both look. I remember a thread here on CSP about someone who preferred the sound of the AR-91’s, but the look of the AR-3a’s and started a project to incorporate the AR-91 drivers into a 3a cabinet. That’s something I could see myself trying to do when I have more experience working on speakers. Part of the issue is black speaker cloth and its prominence on modern speakers. I’m just not that crazy about that look and have replaced the black cloth on my walnut veneer EPI M100’s with white linen. (And they look absolutely great in my dining room, thank you…) Aside from the black speaker cloth, the modern looking AR-91 cabinets leave me cold, lower quality walnut veneer compared to the 3a’s, notwithstanding. The workmanship on the Thiel’s oak cabinets is first rate, and their angled design is a function of their “coherent source” concept, but I still prefer the look of traditional speakers with walnut veneer.

I finally finished working on the Thiels. As per my previous post, the upper left grill frame was shattered on one of the speakers. It took me a while to figure out how to repair it. I gave up on trying to fabricate a completely new replacement piece, like in the photo from my previous post. I figured my best bet was to try an incorporate the three broken pieces into the replacement, and that seems to have worked. I glued the pieces back together to the frame, and then supported the glued remnants with braces that overlapped the glued joints. I had to fabricate almost all of the horizontal top piece and supported that with braces also. After all the glued pieces set, I filled in the joints with Plastic Wood, sanded them smooth after they dried, and then painted everything black. When the paint was completely dry, I stretched the grill cloth over the frame and secured it using double sided tape and 3M Super 77 adhesive. (Many thanks to JKent for recommending 3M Super 77 Adhesive for some of my other projects. It's been a really good addition to my tool repertory.) The last photo is of the finished speaker with the new frame and grill cloth. (Of al the speaker cabinet projects I have taken on, I am most proud of this one...) I started using the dedicated Thiel equalizer with my Mitsubishi DA-A10 power amplifier and Conrad Johnson PV10 preamp about a week ago when I got it back from Ben Hase at SkyFi Audio. The equalizer is wired through the Tape Monitor function. The difference with the equalizer is subtle, but you can definitely hear it during musical pieces on instruments below 70 Hz, which is where it is supposed to provide boost. Now that I'm no longer listening to the speakers with my garage system and have them hooked up my main system, I'm really impressed. I've been switching back and forth between the Thiels and what I consider my reference speakers, AR-91's. The Thiels go a little bit deeper, have a slightly better "soundstage", and are a brighter and less "neutral" than the 91's, and I'm really torn between which speaker system I now prefer. The bottom line is that I would hate to part with them and have gotten attached to them, so I'm still switching back and forth with the 91's. The thing is, I only have one power amp that is capable of driving them, the DA-A10, since they require a good deal of power and are rated at 4 ohms, just like the AR-91's, so they're stuck in my basement. Every other power amp or receiver that I own is tubed and rated between 20-35 WPC, and I use them with smaller speakers throughout my house, largely due to WAF. I guess there really is an advantage to high-power SS amps... I

Sorry your inquiry to Ohm did not work out. I've never owned a set of Ohm's but I have been tempted to look into Ohm Walsh speakers because of their devoted, almost fanatical following. My advice about contacting them directly was based on what I have read about their customer support online. I'm kind of surprised about JKent's experience since it runs contrary to everything else I've read about them. But what I love about this site is that there is almost always someone at the ready, like JKent, who is willing to help out a fellow audiophile who needs help, even if it's a bit outside the scope of a "Classic" speaker. Good luck with your project and please keep us posted!

Just spitballin' here, but have you tried to contact Ohm directly for help? Ohm is known for their excellent customer service and support across their entire speaker lineup, not just for current models. They just might be able to help you: Ohm Acoustics Corp. 28 Tiffany Place, Unit 1L Brooklyn NY 11231 USA Toll free: 800-783-1553 Phone: 718-422-1111 Service: 718-422-1111

"Those Poly cones and rubber surrounds can be damp wiped with soap and water solution on a sponge." Thanks for the clarification. I wanted to try some plain water on a dampened microfiber cloth, but I didn't want to touch it until I was sure it was safe to do. Both woofers have now been cleaned. The midrange on one speaker was already free from dust. The other midrange was very dusty from, I'm assuming, being kept in a dusty place without the speaker grill in place protecting it. I dusted it off and used a vacuum with the brush attachment to try and clean it further, but it still had a great deal of dust discoloration. I used a slightly damp cloth to remove much of the surface dust. Both tweeter caps were severely dented and I used a vacuum nozzle to pull out most of the dents. (I was aware of that solution and I have done it before on other speakers, thanks Kent) One of the speaker grill frames is damaged and I'm in the process of trying to repair it. The other was intact and in good shape so I replaced the speaker grill with new cloth. See photos. The repaired equalizer arrives on Tuesday and I'm hoping to have the grill frame repaired with a new grill cloth by then. I'll report out with my impressions after a few days of listening to the Thiel's, both with and without the equalizer. BTW, I tried a new approach to replacing speaker cloth from a Youtube video I saw and it's working very well. I've never been really happy about how my grill replacements have turned out and I shy away from doing them because of that. The video suggested using a specific brand of double faced tape to attach the cloth to the grill frame and it worked really well. The name of the tape is Tesa and it's available on Amazon (Tesa 1/2 inch 4965 Double-coated tape) I put the 1/2 inch tape all the way around the grill frame and secured the grill cloth to it. The video suggested that the tape alone was all that was needed, and truth be told, it was pretty secure. But for added safety I fastened some of the extra fabric beyond the tape using 3M Super 77 adhesive. (I wear a belt and suspenders...) Very secure. Easy to do. No staples needed. I wish I knew about this approach years ago.

As I have said in previous postings, my Thiel cabinets are in very good shape, but it looks like at least one of the speakers may have been stored without the speaker grills in place so that the drivers are dust covered. The woofer material is plastic with rubber surrounds and I’d like to clean the plastic woofer cones but Im not sure what to use. I’m a little paranoid of doing damage. Any ideas anyone? The cone on the midrange driver from the same cabinet looks pretty dirty, too. I was thinking of vacuuming it without touching the cone with the vacuum nozzle. My Thiel equalizer arrived Wednesday by USPS and surprise…it’s non-functional! Luckily, the technician I bought the Thiel speakers from, Ben Hase, looked at it and diagnosed and repaired a minor problem overnight. It’s ready now, but I need to wait until after the Labor Day Holiday, on Tuesday, to pick it up from him. BTW, if anyone is looking for an audio repair tech in the NJ/metro NY area, you might want to consider Ben. He works out of SkyFi Audio in Glen Rock, NJ on T-W-TH and out of Brooklyn the rest of the week. He previously diagnosed a problem and repaired a Sherwood S8000IV receiver, and I had it back in about a week. I am not endorsing anyone here, but I know how hard it is to find a reputable tech for vintage electronics. Here is Ben’s email and a link to his Instagram site in case you want to look into using him. ben@novaluxstereophonic.com https://instagram.com/novaluxstereophonic?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==