KLH Model Twenty

[shuter]

Back visiting home in Maine and ran across this super clean model twenty system. Really like new without ever being restored.

The store is asking $350.

Besides being  so clean in includes all the original paperwork, manuals and boxes.

Is this a reasonable price? I may just buy it anyway but I would be curious to have some of your opinions.

[JKent]

Very nice if you like collectibles and/or mid-century modern

Speakers will definitely need caps.

Turntable was not Garrard's finest but it's OK. It should be serviced & lubed.

The electronics should be checked out by a qualified tech. This thing is old.

If you will use it and enjoy it, and if you have it serviced, very nice. Sound should be good. The Twenty speakers are 4 ohm versions of the Seventens.

Kent

[RoyC]

I would also be very interested in the AR speaker on the right side of the photo.

Roy

[Norman Nicolai]

If you are going to purchase this item as a bit of nostalgia, or as a collector of 1960's-1970's audio equipment, or because you have space limitations and you need a compact system to enjoy your vinyl LP's and FM radio, go for it.

On the other hand, if you are expecting really high quality audio from this system, think twice. As JKent says, you will need the speakers recapped, the electronics looked at by a technician, and the turntable serviced. All that in addition to the $350 purchase price. You might be able to buy either new or other vintage equipment for about the same cost ($350 plus technical service costs) and have superior audio performance. If restoring equipment is your hobby and you want to do the work yourself, it's an interesting project. If you're doing this for a primary music listening source, you just might be able to do better. 

Looking at your photos brought back memories to me. A KLH Model 20, purchased new and given to me in 1968, was my first "serious" piece of audio equipment. Prior to that I was listening to FM on a cheap tabletop radio and playing my LP's on a portable Webcor phonograph. The Model 20 was a huge step up for me, and thanks to Henry Kloss, (The K in KLH) I was able to listen to music on something that approached HiFi, without the expense of buying separate components. I spent many pleasant hours enjoying that system, so my intention is not to disparage the Model 20. I'm just saying that there may be less expensive, higher quality options out there.

Whatever you decide, happy hunting!

[Martin]

Norman's suggestions are spot-on; my opinion of the KLH Model 20 is even a bit less charitable. The amplifier section is barely adequate, the turntable, even less so.  The tonearm & ceramic pickup are way below adequate. This is just my 2cents based on very brief ownership; I couldn't wait to get rid of it. 

[JKent]

I think Martin's being a little harsh. The phono/amp/speakers were designed to go together and the amp was fine for those speakers. The cartridge was Pickering V-15HB/AT2B which I'm sure was magnetic, not ceramic, and quite respectable. But I'm no fan of those Garrard automatic 'tables.

[Norman Nicolai]

It was a magnetic cartridge. That was part of what made the Model 20 special:  Henry Kloss was the first to put together a compact system with a magnetic cartridge at a reasonable cost.

[Martin]

Thanks for the correction!  It certainly sounded & tracked more like a ceramic pickup than a magnetic one. My basis for in-home comparison was an AR XA with M91E connected to the AR receiver & Dyna A25s, granted, an unfair matchup.

[Norman Nicolai]

On 8/18/2020 at 3:59 PM, Martin said:

Thanks for the correction!  It certainly sounded & tracked more like a ceramic pickup than a magnetic one. My basis for in-home comparison was an AR XA with M91E connected to the AR receiver & Dyna A25s, granted, an unfair matchup.

 

Your basis for comparison was a pretty classic vintage system! I felt pretty good about my KLH Model 20 system until I went over to my friends house and heard his dad's Fisher tube integrated amp, AR-Xa turntable, and AR-3a's. At age 18 it was an eye opener. (Ear opener?)

I've never forgotten that system and its effect on me. It was at that moment that I probably became interested in HiFi. I don't if people used the word audiophile in 1971, but that's when I really started listening more critically to music systems.