KLH 970A Floorstanding Speakers

KLH 970A Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

Indoor/outdoor speaker system 4” Polypropylene Cone Woofer 1-3/4” Polycarbonate Cone Midrange 3/8” Mylar Piezo Dome Tweeter Suggested Amplifier Power: 5-40 Watts Frequency Response: 90 Hz - 20 kHz

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 28  
[Feb 06, 2023]
specification166


Strength:

Although a BASF/Emtec need higher BIAS than a Maxell, the German type is sounding more natural. This type isn't agressive in the lower frequency, but again it is a matter of taste. Yet they are great tapes in combination with this deck. For the lower speed, I use the Maxell because of their great specs overall. Buckeye Mobile Truck Repair

Weakness:

None . .

Purchased:
New  
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Jan 24, 2008]
Trance88
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Good bass from the 4" woofers. Great overall sound from high to low.

Weakness:

Low wattage. They can only handle a max of around 50 watts per unit, rated at 40.

Over the last year or so I've become to really like these little speakers. They're one of the best sounding set of speakers I've ever heard for their size. I use them almost every day at medium to loud volumes on my old 150watt Technics receiver and they do not fatigue the ear at all. They can handle the volume up to about 70%. The little 4" woofers can really pack a punch!

These speakers make a great set of desktop speakers although you wouldn't want to put them too close to the edge of your desk. They do tend to jump around a bit even with the little rubber pads on the bottom.

Overall these are a great pair of speakers! Do keep in mind these are only 4-6 ohms average which may overheat some amplifiers or receivers rated at 8 ohms.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 25, 2005]
jing05
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Price Sound clarity

Weakness:

Sound clarity (at higher volume levels, though with the proper eq and external sub, they do fine)

I purchased the KLH 970A's from Fry's Electronics for fun. I thought it might be interesting to see how they would hold up against some of the equipment that my fiance's brother owns. I tested them out as a center channel speaker (he normally uses a Paradigm center) matched with the floor-standing Paradigms, Titans in the rear on an Onkyo amp and, I daresay, these little KLH's sounded a heck of a lot better as a center than did that Paradigm! I was very much surprised as to the clarity and clean sound that came from such a cheap, small speaker. I have these hooked up as replacements for speakers that came with an executive system and they sound much, much better.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 07, 2003]
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Good frequency range and clarity for the price.

Weakness:

The impedance is 4 - 6 ohms and it only handles 40 watts if that is a problem. For $15 it really has no weaknesses.

This speaker comes in a package of 2 for $30. It is self standing, wall mount, hook mount and can be used outside. It is an unbelievable deal for the price. It will not match a professional speaker but I have not yet found a professional center speaker to beat it. I know this sounds hard to believe but I placed it next to a JBL S-Center II and a Polk CSi40 and it held its own. I used a frequency generator connected to my amp to make side by side comparisons from 300 Hz to 14,000 Hz. Sorry but at the age of 60 I can no longer hear above 14 KHz. It did an exceptional job on direct side by side comparisons with a variety of music. If you are having trouble selecting a center speaker you can use this one until you find what you want. It will only handle 40 watts so you can’t push it hard. You can use 4 of these speakers by placing 2 sets of series speakers in parallel with each other. This is normally a no no. You rarely ever put more that one speaker on the same circuit with an improvement. In my case it worked ok. The lower range sounds great. The upper range sounds full but this is not necessarily the primary objective. Overall the voice is fairly clear with 4 speakers on the same circuit. Yes, I’m still searching for a good professional center speaker with good range but the KLH 970A does ok for now. This is the perfect around the house speaker or patio speaker.

Similar Products Used:

JBL S-Center II and a Polk CSi40. These speakers should not be in the same class but the KLH 970a actually did better overall. If you don't believe it try it. For $15 you can't lose much.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 17, 2003]
ttamyenolam
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Smooth, unobtrusive highs that don't fatigue and get in the way of hearing details. Cheap! Don't even look too bad either (get the new versions with the smaller, cooler-looking KLH logo, though)

Weakness:

Vocals and drums are a little weak (relatively); These things can really make you challenge your pre-conceived notions about brand names, what is supposed to sound good (and what isn't), and why you should spend tons of money on product that may not provide commensurate enjoyment (maybe this is a strength!).

Conventional wisdom would indicate that these speakers should simply be unlistenable. They're light and hollow, made of plastic, and cost less than the price of a CD. I originally intended for these to be outdoor speakers, but I moved and never got around to putting them up outside. I was experimenting with using different speakers in the living room with my Eosone sub, and just for laughs I hooked these babies up. Should I be ashamed to admit that they sounded really nice? You obviously can't raise the roof with these, but they played loud enough to suit my volume needs. I felt they produced very smooth, natural tones which weren't fatiguing in any way. A previous reviewer mentioned that he could hear detailed reproduction of acoustic guitars; I noticed the same thing. Previous (and much more expensive) speakers I've used would sometimes be too "shiny" in the high end, especially when listening to some CD's. My ears would grow tired of this, and I feel I missed out on much musical detail as a result. I've never seen a frequency response curve for these, but to me they sound fairly flat. I went so far as to listed to the 970a's in the dark, and it really seemed like the sound was coming from well beyond the confines of these slight little black boxes. Mids could be a little beefier; I did feel that vocals tended to sound a bit distant in the mix, and drums didn't have a powerful attack. For bass, you will need to pair them with a sub. Maybe it was because I really expected nothing from these guys that I am so pleased with the product. I currently have them sitting on my desk at work replacing the sats in my PC Works setup- they sound good here too in a near-field setting. Maybe I'll buy another pair and finally put them up outside on the back porch. Anyway, a surprising find for so little $; perfect for outdoors or someone who wants good sound at reasonable volumes. I challenge anyone to pair them up with a sub, close their eyes, and tell me they don't sound like they paid at least $150 anyway.

Similar Products Used:

Radio Shack Minimus series (sounds "canny")

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 07, 2002]
MoeJr
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great highs and mids with acceptable bass from only a 4 inch woofer.

Weakness:

None

These speakers wail for such a small unit. I bought these to set up a small system for my wife to listen to so she wouldn't try firing up my bad boy system. Hooked up to a vintage Kenwood KR5200 Receiver and Kenwood DP760 Cd Player they sound incredible. Life like highs and mids with acceptable bass considering it is only a 4 inch woofer. I have been a KLH Fan for 12 years and these little guys remind me why.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT25

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 10, 2002]
Paul
AudioPhile

Strength:

Crisp, clean, gutsy for the size, great price, you can use them for just about anything.

Weakness:

Don''t try to pump 100 watts through these with the bass all the way up ''cause they will explode! They''re lil'' engines that can, just not too loud.

I stumbled on this site while looking for another pair of these handy little speakers. I bought a pair about a year ago and really love them. I''m currently using them as computer speakers along with a Hitachi SR-1800 receiver. I can''t believe the sound I get when playing DVD''s in simple stereo. Tough I''m considering getting a sub woofer ( no little tiny woofer will deliver the big bass you can really feel), these little cuties are crisp and clean, with more guts than you may think. HIGHLY recommended

Similar Products Used:

Just some junky computer speakers that I think I ended up giving away.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 15, 2002]
futuramic
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

They have the ability to make a lousy receiver sound good!

Weakness:

Slightly tinny, cheapy plastic cabinets (what do you expect for $30 a pair?)

I picked up these speakers originally to hook up at work, and found a few surprising things about them. First off, for the $30 or so that I paid for them, they really do have excellent sound, comparable to the Polk RT-15s that I had in my opinion (although the Polk was stronger in the low end). What these speakers do amazingly well is to make a lousy receiver sound good. I tried these speakers out on a variety of receivers with decent results....a Marantz 2270, a Sansui G-6000, a Pioneer SX-202. But the surprising part was to come. In the corner of my basement audio room was sitting my old Kenwood KR-5151, which for what it is does has a decent amount of power, but has a really hard, transistor ''''''''70s sound that was so annoying that I could barely make it through half of a song. As a last-ditch effort (last effort before the receiver was ditched), I hooked up the KLH speakers, and to my wonder, they made the receiver sound....listenable! It actually sounded pretty good! Now, naturally, if you''''''''re looking for perfect audio reproduction, these won''''''''t fit the bill, but then again you wouldn''''''''t be shopping in this price range either. Don''''''''t hesitate to pick up a set of these....they are easily worth three times the money. And my Kenwood receiver shall live on because of them!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titans, Sansui SP-2000, Polk Audio RT-15

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 17, 2000]
Haywood Nelson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

good sound in a small package

Weakness:

None so far

These speakers are great. The are multi-purpose and can be used indoor or outdoor. I use them in my home theatre setup. I have four of them mounted on stands I bought from radio shack. Two for my fronts and two for my surround. I also use the klh 941 for my center speaker. These little speakers are very loud and perform very well despite the cheap price.($20-$50 a pair) They are three-way so you get a pretty broad spectrum of sound. I send all frequencies under 100hz to my sub, so I do have to worry about blowing a speaker. My viewing room is not that large so their perfect. These were one of the best buys I have made ,check'em out.

Similar Products Used:

bose,sony,jbl

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 13, 2000]
sidamo
Casual Listener

Strength:

very compact size, 3 way design

Weakness:

lacking in bass, but what do you expect from a 4" woofer?

Bought a pair of these for the backyard patio and can say they sound good for that application. They don't sound as good as the BIC dv52's I use as surround speakers, but what do you expect for 22 bucks? If you are looking for a decent (and cheap) outdoor or surround speaker give these a try. Although KLH is probably known as an economical speaker company their speakers don't sound like it, they have a great cost/performance ratio. I once heard a pair of more expensive Cerwin Vega's and a comparable size yet cheaper KLH speaker blew them away!

Similar Products Used:

BIC dv52si

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 28  

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