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KLH Model Four


tysontom

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Tom, All I know besides missing a pair by 5 minutes at a local flea market recently, selling price $10. ! Henry Kloss mentions it in a 1996 interview, saying "CBS records adopted it as their monitor speaker. The high frequency speaker was not one that we made. It was a unit made by GE, of all places. It might have come from a high fidelity speaker maker, the best tweeter I could find. So there's the first full range KLH speaker, more exspensive than the AR-1 and widely competitive with it, I think it was $224."

My other observations are (the example I missed buying) slightly larger then the Model Six, a three-way design, rather heavy at 45 lbs. plus, The few I've seen through the years had low serial numbers of 4,000 or lower, leading me to believe production was low. On the market from 1958-61 ? It was the Model Six that became the winner for KLH. I think AR won out in the higher end market with the AR-3 which was in full production in 1959, despite Kloss mentioning it going against the AR-1.

I'll bet they put out nice sound, like anything from Henry's heyday !

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>Does anyone have information on the original Model Four? I'm

>trying to find any test reviews on this speaker. I have some

>historical data, but no test reviews. I'm not sure if the

>speaker was formally reviewed, but I do not know.

>

>--Tom Tyson

Tom:

You can try browsing the web site at the link below (if you haven't already). It's a very comprehensive compendium of audio reviews from Audio, Stereo Review and High Fidelity magazines - some going back to the 50's. There's a pretty good collection of early AR reviews as well. Each review is a few dollars.

http://www.roger-russell.com/magrevaudio.htm#a1968

It's all about the music

Carl

Carl's Custom Loudspeakers

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Carl,

Thanks very much for your information on the KLH Four. I know Roger Russell, so I should ask him. However, I am not aware of an actual magazine review of the Four, such as in *Audio,* *Stereo Review* or *High Fidelity.* Consumer's Union did evaluate the speaker, and it was in the top rating group, just below the AR-3 and AR-2a. Since the Model Four was a 16-ohm speaker, well-suited to high-power tube amps, but inappropriate for high-current, solid-state amps, it died sooner than expected. None of the big solid-state amps put out significant power into high impedances. For example, the AR Amplifier would put out over 90 watts/ch into 4 ohms but only about 30 watts into 16 ohms. That is enough to drive the speaker okay, but I always heard that one needed something like a McIntosh MC275 or Marantz 9B to really make the speaker perform to its maximum.

--Tom Tyson

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I seem to remember the KLH Model 4 from an old Lafayette Radio catalog as a 2 way 12" acoustic suspension speaker system somewhat larger than Model 6 but looking very much like it externally having the same open weave off white grill cloth, same KLH logo badge in the corner. I never actually heard a pair. The library spread sheet says it had 2 12" woofers, I thought it had only one. (You'd think with 2, it would need a much larger enclosure like AR9.) It was priced about the same as AR3 and was intended to compete directly with it. The data on the spread sheet says KLH Model 5 was produced from 1968 to 1972 as was the Model 12. That's how I remember it also. I guess it's a little strange for the models 4 and 6 to both predate model 5 but I'd never heard of Model 5 until the late 60s. I do recall model 9 early on and I heard it at an IHF show at the Trade Show Building in NYC just around 64. At the time, some people considered it the state of the art.

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>Tom,

>

>Check with Roger, the October 1958 issue of High Fidelity is

>listed as having reviews of KLH models One, Two, Three, Four

>and Five.

>

>That sounds like one to get a copy of, you don't hear much

>about the scarce Model Five high frequency unit.

>

>Andy

Andy, thanks for this information. I think I might have that review now that you mention it. It was more of a listening evaluation and description than an actual review if I remember correctly.

--Tom Tyson

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>I seem to remember the KLH Model 4 from an old Lafayette

>Radio catalog as a 2 way 12" acoustic suspension speaker

>system somewhat larger than Model 6 but looking very much like

>it externally having the same open weave off white grill

>cloth, same KLH logo badge in the corner. I never actually

>heard a pair. The library spread sheet says it had 2 12"

>woofers, I thought it had only one. (You'd think with 2, it

>would need a much larger enclosure like AR9.) It was priced

>about the same as AR3 and was intended to compete directly

>with it. The data on the spread sheet says KLH Model 5 was

>produced from 1968 to 1972 as was the Model 12. That's how I

>remember it also. I guess it's a little strange for the

>models 4 and 6 to both predate model 5 but I'd never heard of

>Model 5 until the late 60s. I do recall model 9 early on and

>I heard it at an IHF show at the Trade Show Building in NYC

>just around 64. At the time, some people considered it the

>state of the art.

Thanks, Soundminded.

--Tom Tyson

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  • 14 years later...

I own a pair of vintage KLH 4 speakers which I purchased new in 1964. I am happy to say they are

in pristine condition both acoustically and cosmetically.  I am not sure why the speakers have survived

so well, but I live in San Francisco which does not have high humidity or extremes of temperature. The bass of

the KLH 4 has always been a bit soft compared to an AR3, but some years ago I added a small REL subwoofer

which fixes that problem. Turning up the bass only muddies up the sound. They are in my office and I listen to

them almost every day. I have never over driven them. I use a Mac 275 and a C22 which I think are a perfect match.

I think there are very few KLH 4s around anymore.  The quality of the sound remains excellent. As good as any

book shelf acoustic suspension speaker that I know of. One of Henry Kloss's finest efforts. I have another system in

my home which I use which are a pair of Quad 2905s with REL subs and Spectral electronics.  While there is no beating a

big Quad for sound quality, I find the 4s comparable.

If the reader is interested in a 4, I would suggest a nationwide search. Probably a few are out there for purchase.

The 4s have a 12 woofer and 2 tweeters. The 4 is a two way speaker

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  • 5 months later...
On 5/31/2021 at 6:08 PM, Ken Collinsworth said:

I bought a pair of KLH Model 4's in the mid 2000's for twenty bucks.  I swaped out my old Advents from the early 70's and replaced them with these.  These speakers are amazing.   I had no idea how old they were yet they still sounds awesome.   Good to know speakers from the mid sixties are still rockin' out!  

 

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...

I was in Audio Lab (Garage in Harvard Sq.) in Cambridge, Mass on Sunday, and he had just gotten a pair of KLH Fours in to sell.  I had never seen a pair before, so I spend a bit of time with them.  We couldn't get the grills off to examine the drivers.  He is waiting for his speaker guy to look at them before deciding on a price.  The metal label on the back is horizontal and the badges are in the upper right-hand corner when standing vertically.  The cabinets have some deep scratches, so they would need sanding.  I know these are really rare, but I live too far away to drive them home.  I would love to restore these but probably not going to happen.

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Most of the Model Fours, like the early Model Sixes, had a grill cloth wrapped around the
motor board that was glued and screwed into the cabinet. Typical recap operation requires
knocking the glue plug under the rear terminal plate out. The switch and most of the caps
and buried in it.

The motor board can sometimes be knocked forward and out from the back. Or it's often
easier to just cut the cloth so the woofer surrounds can be resealed. They are usually dry
after ~60 years, costing the system bass response from the resultant air leaks.

The factory just screwed in screws and yanked the motor board out. Either way, a new grill
board will need to be made.

There are many more threads on this repair done to the Sixes; it's the same procedure 
with the Fours. Both systems sound very much alike. Don't pay a premium when the Sixes
are far more readily available.

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@dxho oh I get it.  I often pass on early Sixes, despite my love for their 15-ply marine plywood and military-grade oil caps, when they are relatively cheap and somewhat close by.  But Fours are just really rare, which makes them collectible.  If you're only in it for the sound, yes then purchase and refurbish late-Sixes (see my thread on that) or better yet, AR3a or AR2ax (also in my quiver).  All three will probably sound a lot better, but then again we may never know how many people have ever heard a Four?  This is my collecting dilemma!

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Ok, yeah. I had the same curiosity about the Fours and did basically
the same thing. It even extended to the Model One, a pair of which 
I did finally buy. However I eventually let the Model Fours go. They
just couldn't keep up with the AR-3a.

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