Are the KLH Model 5s my final speakers?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ค. 2024
- It’s time for another review. This time it’s the KLH Model 5 speaker. I’ve had them for a few weeks now. It took me awhile to settle on the Model 5s. Reviews often lead me into a rabbit hole of dismay and indecision. This was no less the case before purchasing the Model 5s. So what are the resilts?
Also mentioned in this review is the Galion TS120 tube amplifier: www.galion-audio.com/
My review of the TS120: • Let's Finally Talk Abo...
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Glad you like your new babies! Can’t wait for your next speaker/amp adventure 🎶😎🎶
The journey never ends....
just listened to them 2 hours ago at my friend house, wow I really love the sound, very open and great bass.
I still completely enjoy them :) Thank you for sharing!
Great review and education regarding speaker break-in! I had vintage speakers rebuilt and wasn’t initially happy. After a while, they started sounding exactly as I remembered. Oh, what a relief it is…
That’s great to hear! Thanks Brian!
Hey, just came across your videos and subscribed. Great job. I have the KLHs and agree with the brightness, I tamed it down with some NOS tubes in my Schiit Freya +. I love the look as well. One suggestion would be a REL sub. I have the 7x and it completely filled up the sound. Love my system much more now. If you have a smaller room the 5x should work as well, I would definitely give it a try, there are lots of retailers that will let you keep it up to 60 days. Enjoy!
Thanks Jak - and I appreciate the sub!
Also - thanks on the REL recommendation. I have considered more than once to add a sub. Sometimes I want to pull the trigger and then I hold back. I've heard great things about REL and it seems to be the one to go for. I'll check out the 5x. The smaller the better for my room. Cheers!
They have it in black 😉@@TheJoyofVinylRecords
Glad that your new speakers are working out.
You had mentioned that your listening room has reflections. I suggest that you address that.
When your brain gets repeated sound several milliseconds delayed, after the initial sound, it does not do a good job of processing it. Your music will sound less focused; less coherent.
Hang up some paintings, or add some (artificial) plants, or look into panels designed for lively rooms (be careful not to overly dampen the room).
You wrote what you have, in one of your comments from a different video (can't find it now). But since you have reflections, it is important to find a remedy.
When I put up acoustic panels, the improvement was significant. And even having general discussions with people in that treated room is better. Any semblance of a hallway sound is gone. I had nothing on the walls, and it was very lively.
If you go the acoustic panel route, there are endless choices, even within a single manufacturer. Not just for style and color, but for material and function.
Some panels are for absorption, and some panels are for diffusion. And some act on certain frequencies.
How do you know what to put where? Unless you know a professional, it is a bit of a guessing game.
I put absorbers behind the speakers. I figured that if the sound makes it to the wall behind me, and then travels to the wall behind the speakers, I do not want it heading back to me, again.
I put difussers everywhere else. Did I make the best decisions? I'll never know. But it was an good improvement.
I've thought about acoustic panels and I might still do it. I'm glad you commented about this. We have reduced some of the reflection with pictures, a wider and thicker rug, and board and batten behind where I sit. Acoustic panels would be better but, as you said, I would need someone with more experience to help me out on diffusion or absorption. If only life was easy :)
I too have a set of the Model 5s. I have them running from a SS McIntosh MA8900. Although 200w is more than adequate the speakers are a joy to listen to. I picked them up before the price increase. I've seen many pair for sale on the pre-owned sites so they did'nt fit the bill for everyone. Just found your channel and subbed. Greg
Thanks Greg - and welcome to the channel! The Macintosh is a beautiful amp - I've seen them offered at the Audio Advice site (bought a few things through them in the past). The Model 5s keep getting better for me as I tweak placement. The attenuator on the back helps as well.
Hey Greg, I'm using the precursor to your 8900. The MA6900 - also a lush beast. But make the Model 5s sound a bit bright, even with attenuater set low. They're well burned-in so I usually have to roll off the amp's treble to compensate unfortunately.
@@joemcsweeney3923 no shame in that. I often use the 5band equalizer for certain music. You know the saying - it's in the mastering. Happy listening 🎶 thanks for your comment
Good for you, my friend! Congrats! Paper FOREVA!
I had a feeling you appreciate this :)
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords 😄
Beautiful gear combo, both products being of much higher value than their selling price. Would love to hear the combo!
I do love the sound. I'm constantly tweaking speaker placement and planning ways to tastefully treat the room without the use of acoustic panels. My wife is a pro at home decor so I usually give her a problem to solve and she tackles it way better than I ever could.
I got a very affordable set of KLH book shelf speakers several years ago. I can't recall the actual model number but they are perfect for my listening space. They sound exactly the same since day one and I couldn't be happier with the quality. They soon will probably be 25 years old and I have no intention of replacing them. They might be my last set but if not I see no reason why I wouldn't go forward with KLH again. They do make fine looking product for sure.
Great shoutout for KLH! Thanks @kalprog
Congrats on the new speakers! Do you prefer tone A or B on the TS120SE with the Model 5s?
Thanks! I still have it set to 'B'. That seems to be where my ears favor.
I adore mine. I learn about the music performances on every record I thought I knew because of them. My older Moon i-3 never breaks a sweat. Tharbamar who reviews here on TH-cam spoke of cables and I changed mine and the effect was dramatic. I use two Mogami cables. He suggests Mogami W3082 speaker cables and Mogami W2549 for IC. Wow wow wow. I am a happy camper now.
I thought my CD´-1 from Moon was not so hot. Wrong the cable change made blew me away. With the Galion TS120 that sounds amazing I am sure.
So I salute your decision and love the way you presented your experiences.
Thank you @clarice1001nights ! And I'm glad to hear your experience echoes mine. I can't say enough good things about my current setup - although I'm planning to dive into the work of MC carts. I've only owned MM in the past.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I see you use a tube based phone pre. Send me info over it. I have a suggestion that I have not yet purchased but intend to: Darlington Labs
MP-7: Discrete High-Voltage J-FET RIAA Phono Preamplifier - SPECS:
Gain: +40dB at 1kHz, appropriate for all Moving Magnet cartridges and High-Output-Moving-Coils down to 1.6mV. Use the MP-7 with an external Step-Up-Transformer or Active MC gain stage (such as our SU-7) for LOMC carts. Package pricing is available.
Freq. Resp.: +/- 0.2dB 20Hz to 20kHz RIAA. THD : 27dBu or 17V RMS (49V pk-pk) into 10K.
It might be worth a look. A friend of mine in Canada will only let his go when someone pries it loose from his hands when he dies.
Because you have tubes on the back end, I wonder if the tube to tube front ends make a difference in your system?
@@clarice1001nights The tube phono stage I use is from Tavish Designs - tavishdesign.com/products/classic-vacuum-tube-phono-stage
It's an audible improvement in sound stage over my previous phono stage. That being said - I'm a tube enthusiast so am definitely biased when it comes to an true tube signal path.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I will look it up. Thanks for the link,
I am looking up yours also. I am not sure they have a version for the European market.
Congratulations on the impressive KLH's. Nice cool retro mic your using to 👍 Is it a RCA?
Hi Calvin! It's an MXL V900. I used to use it for my podcast but switched to a Heil PR40. It was really only a prop for a couple of videos. You can't see it, but my lavelier mic was taped to the side facing me. I'm going back to attaching it to my shirt - it wasn't a lot of fun editing and removing the slight reverb from being a foot away.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I see 👀 MXL did a great job making it look vintage. I did notice the mic cable not being attached but was confused not seeing the lavalier lol 😆 Didn't know you have a podcast
Sounds like you have found something that works well with your amp. Speaker break in is real. Although some people have a different opinion. So I think they will continue to mellow out for a couple of months. Here is why I believe in break in on speakers. Anything that moves will loosen up a bit over time once it is being used. Think of break pads on your car. When you put on a new set of pads the breaks are usually a little touchy at first, then after a few hundred miles they settle in and work more smoothly. A speaker driver which moves and vibrates is going to be a bit stiff at first, then it loosens up and mellows out. It will eventually degrade over a period of years, but at a slow rate that isn't very noticeable. But the change during the first 100 - 300 hours is a break in period until it settles into the way it will sound going forward. My Zu speakers were pre broken in for 300 hours before being shipped out. Most speaker companies don't do that. Or only do maybe a few hours like 4 or 8. Takes time and costs money. Easier to just let the customer break them in themselves. Love the look of the KLH. I like the vintage look too.
Thans Neil for all that. The Zu DWs were also on my short list. I saw they had packages for different break-in periods. Very cool that they do that.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords and thanks for not noticing I misspelled brakes as "breaks". Hadn't had my second cup of coffee yet. 😄
@@neilfisher7999 I apparently didn't have mine yet either ;)
Just like my joints. When I get up in the morning they hurt. Once they get moving, they're O.K.!
@@stanleycostello9610 🤣
I've owned the KLH Model 5's for a couple of years now. I have a small listening room (approx. 11ft x 12ft), which results in some reflective issues. I've found that they sound very good in my room on well recorded jazz albums, but not so much on rock. They can sound a little too bright, with the vocals sometimes too forward (or in your face) sounding. Again, this may be due to my specific room's acoustics, the synergy with my integrated amp and phono cartridge, or my personal listening preferences. I'm considering trying a warmer sounding speaker (like the Buchardt S400 MKII) to see if that gives me the sound I'm looking for. Anyway, the overall sound can be influenced by so many different factors that it's hard to know where to start when you want to change something...lol.
It took me a while to get the placement, toe-in, etc to a point where the sound is what I was looking for., My room is small as well and made it extremely difficult. A lot of experimenting went int it. Good luck Michael!
In your opinion, what would be the ideal size for the KLH Model 5 speakers?
your mentioning how vintage looking the KHL are gave me an idea for sorting speakers: by looks. These are the prettiest vintage styles from my list:
Castle, Devore, Fyne, KLH, Klipsch, Fyne, OMA, PSB, Qln, Tannoy, Vandersteen, Volti, Wharfedale, (Spendor/Harbeth/Falcon/Rogers - not by design)
I think vintage vs midcentury-modern may be two different categories though, as in early 20th century "look" vs midcentury. "Vintage" - rightfully - may be used too broadly. I am a design nerd so looks matter to me almost as much as sound does.
I love that idea and I agree - mid-century modern is (at least in my mind) a different vibe than vintage. It's a little more stylistic if that makes sense.
Hi Rick!
Do you think they would make a good team with my Marantz 2252?
I doubt between these KHL and the Wharfedale Linton.
Greetings from Spain
Hi Oscar! Yes - they most definitely would. I also went back and forth between the Model 5s and the Lintons. You'd be happy with either one. I went with the KLH because of aesthetics as both speakers are comparable.
Love the 5's. I will shill these speakers unabashedly. One thing, just know they change dramatically with different amplifiers, moreso than other speakers I've heard. If you ever change amps and are sensitive to highs, avoid anything that leans that direction because the 5's will show it.
I've heard the same thing about the 5s and their ability to truly voice the amp driving them. I've noticed it even with subtle changes like tube rolling.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Avoid Class D amps. I found the Parasound A23+ to be a good match as far as amps go with the 5's. Also a PS Audio GainCell DAC/Preamp with the Parasound was a very good gear match. It easily beat out the Denafrips Venus II 12th and their Athena preamp. The Gaincell can be had used along with the Parasound at some good discounts. The only tube amp I tried with the 5's was a Schiit Freya, I did not like the sound it produced with the 5's. And I rolled a couple of different matched tubes, still did not like.
Are you using speaker isolation pads anymore? Just wondering. Joe
Hi Joe! Not with these being floorstanding model with their own stands. I still use them with the Klipsch. They've been moved to the room I clean records in and test fixes.
Hi I’m a new subscriber, I just purchased the Cambridge CXA81 integrated amplifier 80 watts at 8 ohms and 120 at 4 ohms the midrange is warm and suitable to my tastes so do you think the Klh model five is gonna souds good with the Cambridge CXA81!?
Hi! And thank you for subscribing!
The Model 5s will most definitely work well with the CXA81. I have run them at both 4 & 8 ohms with much less power than you would drive them with. 120 is more than enough (as is 80). They are wonderful speakers and I highly recommend them (they sound even better after the break in period).
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I did purchase the Klh model 5 brand new for $1799.99 in noir , I think they sounds great as good as $8000 speakers,I haven’t enjoyed listening to classic rock music in long time till I got the model 5, thank you 🤙🎸
@@samidebs3559 Now this made my day 😀. Thank you for letting me know! They will sound even better after a few hours/days of play.
These like some power.
I never understood a break-in period for speakers. I never had that experience with any speaker I've owned. To my ears, the speakers I've owned sounded the same after a year of listening as they did during their maiden voyage.
That's great ! I didn't notice it as much with the Klipsch (a slight change over time). I definitely did with these. They were a bit bright at first and have now mellowed out.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords From your review and others, if I ever part with my ADS 1230s - and that's a big IF because they're so damn good - I'd consider the KLH 5s.
I think if you really like & live with a speaker....and you want 'more', try adding a decent sub or two. You'd be surprised what they can do for your overall sound enjoyment. I remember auditioning KLH against the Advent Loudspeakers(correct designation BTW) back in the day. I think the KLH speakers were 33's? Anyway, they were kissing cousins because Kloss designed both...the Advents being his latest speaker creation after leaving KLH. Anyway, they were very close in sound but I liked the Advent highs better. History trivia....meh.
Love the history!
Agree with the sub, I have two SVS SB3000 units in the area of my rig, and the Model 5's really benefitted from them, in fact they needed them. I hooked up a vintage Sansui receiver to them and they still would not get the bass I was getting out of my Zu DW's. I think it was the crossover in the 5's holding them back.
If you decide to get a new pair of speakers, here's what I'd do. Send your wife some roses. Eleven red and one white, or eleven white and one red (depends on how amorous you're feeling). Take her out to dinner at a nice restaurant with a good bottle of wine. Over coffee, present her with an expensive piece of jewelry. Ring, bracelet or necklace. Don't say anything, but give her a look with that "I hope you like it." After a day or two, spring on her that you are thinking about new speakers. She will know that she's the only girl for you. If you decide not to get a new pair of speakers, do the same...
Love this Stanley
Did you hack my emails to my wife ?
Personally I have the 600Ms and dont like them. My Axioms M22s sound much. better. I come from the 70s stereo equipment time and the KLHs are more like 80s speakers which were good too. But I am looking for towers now and I am looking at the Warfdales Evo 4.4s . My first set of speakers were the Infinities Tower2 with bass out the bottom siniliar to the Evos. My Room is 25 x20. I would pair mine with a Purifi Class D Amp, Schitt Kara Preamp, and a Ghesili Dac. Thanks for the review.
Thank you as well! That's a nice sized room - mine is much smaller so the Model 5s are the perfect size. The Evo 4.4s are beautiful.
Great video! Funny, I took the same path starting with Klipsh RP600s with a sub. It was great but I wanted more. Like you, I poured over multiple reviews and bought the Model 5s last winter. Powering from a McIntosh integrated, I do like them, but wish I held out for a full range speaker. They're great, but don't have enough bass IMO.
What do you think of the Mcintosh integrated amp?
I inherited it, so didn't have to invest. It's SO heavy but sounds good. Warm and smooth. Mac stuff is so overpriced though.
I’ve always thought you buy the speakers first, then the amp. Why? Your room, and how the speakers interact with the room, is super important. The work around, if your amp has (the snotty audiophiles will hate this, lol) TONE controls or your source has some kind of eq. It becomes a headf&*k if your existing amp has no tone controls, and you start to try and make your brand new speakers work in a room, that doesn’t work. You listen to your room😉
I would have gone speakers first but I'm constantly upgrading. Hopefully I'm done (for now anyway). I hear you on the tone controls. I've come around and am thankful the Galion TS-120 has them. My listening room isn't large and tends to be reflective in spots.
Have you ever listened to the klh kandalls ???
I haven't. Thought on them?
I haven't yet., but heard good things about them.@@TheJoyofVinylRecords
@TheJoyofVinylRecords i haven't heard them myself, but I heard very good things.
Where are they made?
Hi Bryan. I know the company is based in Indiana and that is where the design team is situated. I do not know if they manufacture them in-house or outsource it.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I researched it. They are made in China. That in itself rules them out for me, especially at $2500. I doubt seriously KLH has more than $250 each in these bringing them to market.
Hell I bought edifier speakers from China that are amazing for what they are, db2000 powered monitors and they are way better fit and finish than alot of speakers made in u.s. or elsewhere, I think when a company like klh uses China as a manufacturing HUB, they still control the processes and quality control, so I think it depends on how much input and personnel they pay to have in China overseeing their interest ,and it seems to me they are heavily invested in their products manufacturing in China
@@josephgeorgeejr7039 So how much do the Chinese put into your future security? I have no doubt you may get a decent, maybe even great product. My beef lies in the fact that Chinese manufacturing has ruined our economy here in the USA, especially the blue collar middle class. Granted, it’s the corporations that move manufacturing, but I have to draw my personal line in the sand whenever possible. This is one instance where I do have a choice in how I spend my dollar, so I couldn’t purchase these in good conscience.
Everybody is now saying Arendal is their final speakers. Before they were saying Burchard was their final speakers.
I think I have to say that - I couldn't afford to buy something else 🤣🤣🤣
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I hear ya. We bought Dynaudio’s cheapest speaker and saying the same:)
Je préfère les wharfedale Linton héritage !!!!😊
После таких плохих и дешёвых акустики, как Klipsch любая акустика покажется хорошей😂