KL30 vs KLH6 and KLH 17

[joany]

Hi,

I had two pairs of KLH 6 and KLH 17... ; i have, now, the opportunity to buy a pair of KLH 30 ; i want to know, if you have any experience of it , if the KLH 30' sound is nearest to KLH 6 or nearest to KLH 17.

and, also, if the classification: 1) KLH6 2) KLH 30 3) KLH 17 seems to you to be correct?

Thanks a lot if you can help,

Best regards ):

[Andy]

Figure I'd add my two cents to this unanswered post......all 3 are nice models & produce quality sound - the model 6 is really on top, 10 inch woofer with largest magnet structure. In Henry Kloss's words, "everything was right about the model six". This speaker stayed in production for over 14 years for good reason. About $135. each new.

The 17 was the lighter 10 inch woofer model with a smaller cabinet volume.. Really a great speaker with slightly less robust bass response then the model 6. About $80. each new.

The model 30 came a little later (1971ish) and was a descendant of models 22,24,26 with the 8 inch woofer. It's ust going to have less presence then both other models, with the smaller woofer and cabinet. About $110 a pair new ?

If you ever have a chance to buy the model 23's, buy them. KLH's best two-way speaker. Same woofer and cabinet volume as the three-way model 5 that go for big bucks these days. The 23's sold for about $160. each new. Today they are often under the radar and sell for very little. It's a super nice speaker with very strong bass response. Love this speaker ! !

[boreas]

Hi,

I had two pairs of KLH 6 and KLH 17... ; i have, now, the opportunity to buy a pair of KLH 30 ; i want to know, if you have any experience of it , if the KLH 30' sound is nearest to KLH 6 or nearest to KLH 17.

and, also, if the classification: 1) KLH6 2) KLH 30 3) KLH 17 seems to you to be correct?

Thanks a lot if you can help,

Best regards ):

I've had 2 pair of Seventeens and 2 pair of Thirties over the years but never owned a pair of Sixes. What I can tell you is that the Thirties have the same tweeter as both of the other two and the same woofer as the Sixes. The cabinet volume of the Thirties is about 2/3 that of the Sixes(same height and width but shallower in depth) but nearly identical to the Seventeens. Also, the Thirties lacked the tweeter bias switch that the other two models had.

If I had to pick a winner between the two models I've owned, I'd have to give the Thirties a slight edge over the Seventeens, better bass. Given the larger cabinets of the Sixes, I'd guess that they're perhaps a little better than the Thirties - but again, that's only a guess since I've never owned Sixes. One drawback to the Thirties is that, like the Twenties, they have only RCA plugs for connecting the speaker wire. That's pretty easy to address, though.

John

[boreas]

.The model 30 came a little later (1971ish) and was a descendant of models 22,24,26 with the 8 inch woofer.

Andy, the Thirty had the same big magnet 10" woofer as the Six. The cabinet measured the same as the Six in height and width but was shallower. (The difference in depth was less than it appeared because of the nearly flush front baffle as opposed to the inset baffle of the Six.

The Thirties were sold (only?) as part of the Model Thirty and Model Thirty-Four systems. They did hit the market in the early seventies as you suggest. I said in my earlier post in this thread that I've owned 2 sets. Actually, I've owned three sets. I bought a Model Thirty system new but my ex got that when we split. I replaced it with a Thirty-Four. Then about 5 years ago I picked up an orphaned pair. At the time I still had the speakers from my system and used the four in stacked pairs. GREAT!!

If you ever have a chance to buy the model 23's, buy them. KLH's best two-way speaker. Same woofer and cabinet volume as the three-way model 5 that go for big bucks these days. The 23's sold for about $160. each new. Today they are often under the radar and sell for very little. It's a super nice speaker with very strong bass response. Love this speaker ! !

+1! Great speakers!

John

[Andy]

Thanks for the correction on the model 30, I must have confused them with tthe smaller model 31 which would have had the 8 inch woofer.

[boreas]

Thanks for the correction on the model 30, I must have confused them with tthe smaller model 31 which would have had the 8 inch woofer.

No problem although all of this is doubtlessly way too late to help joany with her decision.

By the way, joany, what did you end up doing? Did you get the Thirties? If you're still around please let us know.

John

[jayrosc]

Just saw a pair of Model 30's. Quick inspection showed that they need the cloth surrounds gooped up. Pity there is only an rca input on them. What are they worth in good shape? Ten bucks?