Model Twenty Speakers - serial numbers;

[Guest avs3259]

Listed below are serial numbers for Model Twenty speakers.

s/n 001791

s/n 003836

s/n 134295

I'm trying to determine what year, approximately, these speakers date back to. It is not known if they were originally purchased separately or as part of a Model Twenty system.

Also, is there a listing somewhere that breaks down KLH serial numbers by year, model, or whatever?

I would be grateful if someone could point me in the right direction.

Thanks.

[Andy]

I'm pretty sure the Model Twenty was introduced in the early part of 1966. Your two speakers with lower serial numbers would be made in the first year. The one with the s/n of 134,000 is pretty late, maybe 1969-70. The highest s/n I've seen on Model Twenty's is is the 150,000 range. The newer modular systems come in 1971-72, models 30,34 etc.

As far as I know Model Twenty speakers always were sold as a phono/radio with speakers system, $399.95 back in the day. See my article on KLH systems www.antiqueradio.com/mar06_Hayden_Kloss.html

You get a system working properly, you'll be very pleased with it !

Andy-

[Andy]

For some reason the link does not bring my article up. Try googling "Hayden KLH". Both my KLH articles will come up first.

[Guest bruhl]

Hello all,

my seriel numbers are as follows:

092546 and 092583

As I remember the system was purchased new in 1968.

Cost was 300.00 discounted from 400.00 because of business connections at the time.

I have some literature if someone is interested.

[soundminded]

Very nice article. The speakers look similar or identical to KLH model 17 which was (and still is IMO) an outstanding performer. It seemed to have become something of a cult collector item on another board for awhile, I was a bit surprised. I assume 50 watts IHF was total for both channels driven. This translates into around 18 watts RMS per channel. This was plenty adequate for the relatively efficient model 17s but not adequate for AR3as discussed on the AR thread regarding using this amplifier. Do you know if the amplifier has built in equalization for the speakers? I'd seen photos of the large cabinet version but never saw one in the flesh. Quite impressive looking. It's important to put vintage equipment in the context of the times. $400 then was the equivalent of a couple of thousand dollars today. While not high end, it delivered excellent accurate sound at a price comparable to many mass produced console systems.

[Andy]

Yes, the Model Twenty speakers are essentialy the same as the Seventeen's, but with a shorter voice-coil winding on the woofer to reduce the impedance to 4 ohms. What was so nice about the Model Twenty was that it was a a winning combination all the way around...great speakers, a really nice Garrard record changer and as High Fidelity Magazine put it, "One of the most sensitive tuners in the business". Finally, the system came in a cleanly styled modernist walnut cabinet (if you buy one, get one with the optional solid walnut & plexiglas dust cover pictured in my article, it adds a lot to the looks.) My folks bought a Model Twenty in 1969 when I was 8 years old and I remember my dad using the word "special" when telling my brother and I we were not to touch the KLH. I've been hooked ever since!

Also, Don't forget the other systems, Models 11,15,19,24,26. They are lower powered with smaller speakers, but still great. The Model 24 is just below the 20 as far as power and speaker size(8" woofer.)

I think collector values will continue to go up on these, the days are definately over of $15. thrift store finds, but persistince does pay off!

Andy

[soundminded]

The Model 17 speaker was IMO one of the most remarkable products ever offered on the consumer high fidelity market. I bought my own pair of model 6s used in the summer of 1964 shortly before going to college. When my roomate wanted advice buying a sound system for our dorm a few years later, on my recommendation he bought a pair of model 17s, an HH Scott amplifier, and an AR turntable with an Empire 888PE cartridge. It was an excellent system. We dragged the 17s over to a friend's house who lived off campus and compared them to his AR3s. At 3 times the price and being a world class low frequency reproducer, naturally AR3 was in a different league insofar as deep bass was concerned. However, above the bass, it was an entirely different story. On commercial recordings the KLH Model 17 was the hands down preferred choice as the more musical sounding speaker. This came as a surprise even to me. Many years later, working in the worlds' largest research consorteum, a spinoff of Bell Labs, I was astonished to see a pair of KLH model 6s installed in an auditorium as the main sound reinforcement system. In comparing KLH models 17 and Model 6 as in comparing AR 5 with AR 3a, in regard to the region where the woofer crosses over at the upper end of its range, the smaller system has the advantage. In today's world where adding a subwoofer is neither unusual or expensive, even a AR 12" used as a subwoofer, these smaller models still give a very good account of themselves and sound much more like musical instruments than many more expensive modern systems. Remarkable that the efforts Henry Kloss put into these products still bear fruit for the consumer so many decades later and now that only a relative handful of people even know what they are, what a boon being able to acquire them for next to nothing when you do find them.