Henry Kloss (founder of KLH, Advent, Cambridge Soundworks) considered his Model Six loudspeaker to be his finest design. Here's a review from AudioForum.com (that gave them an overall 4.6 out of 5 rating): The sound of the KLH 6s is possibly the smoothest of all of the box speakers of their era (roughly 1958 through 1972), including the AR 2axs, Dynaco A-25s, Large Advents, JBL L-100s, and so on. The highs of the KLH 6s start to roll off more quickly (at a lower frequency) than with some other vintage box speakers, but they don't sound dull--they just sound relaxing (and you can use the Increase crossover setting if you like more highs). The midrange and lower highs come off as smoother and less harsh than those of the Large Advent or New Large Advent, both excellent two-ways in largish boxes (and also designed at least in part by Kloss). The bass of KLH 6s is not quite as tight and punchy through the midbass as that of the Advents, but I was recently surprised by how deep the bass of the 6s goes. A pair of KLH 6s can make the walls rattle with well-recorded Bach organ music. The KLH 6s are especially good with classical, jazz, and female vocals. There's something about their smoothness through the midrange and lower highs that's really seductive. They're pretty dynamic as well. As someone who has (and has had) many great speakers, I was shocked at how good these speakers sound - easily the best bookshelf style speakers I've had, including Celestions, Dynaco's, Vandersteens and Legacy Audio. When I hooked up the first restored Model 6, the other channel had my Legacy Audio Signature III tower connected, and I was surprised the KLH could nearly keep up (okay, not as deep bass at 3 10" woofers and a tower cabinet) - but a damn fine showing for a single 12" woofer bookshelf speaker (that really should be used on 24-30" speaker stands.

Make sure you can hear a difference with the crossover switch at Increase, Normal and Reduce. That will prove the tweeter working fine. The woofer surrounds on early models were made from cloth and need to be resealed with a doping liquid available on eBay. Only way to get to the woofer is to tear off the grill cloth (permanently affixed) which means you'll have to create new grill or glue new grill cloth to front baffle. It was easy to make a new grill so I did that and put new grill cloth on it. WORTH THE EFFORT!

Has a lively and natural sound. It is as if musicians and singers are in the room.

It definitely needs a powerful amplifier, its own counterpart

The KLH 6 is one of the finest speakers of its type ever made.
PS: I rarely see any info on KLH 4's Which I believe has a 12" woofer This speaker is similar to AR 3 With a better high end. From 1964 to 1976 I was a high end audio tech.

I was given these speakers as a gift from a customer that restored speakers for a hobby. These were on his list but he was backlogged so he let me have them to restore myself. Both woofers were blown snd a tweeter was dead but the cabinets were on goid shape and the collectible KLH medallion was still on both speakers. Mine were very early 1958 models with the epoxied suspension woofers. Only way to repair them was to purchase screw in replacements and replace the mounting board. Both tweeters were cap issues and the replacement woofer was easily adapted to a new board and was reassembled. Some new Irish linen for the covers and wood stain for the cabinets and i have some beutiful furniture grade speakers that sound fantastic. Power capacity seems to ge about 75 watts as i have a 130 watt Hitachi 905 that seems to start breaking apart at 70w on the scale. Classic music sounds live, hip hop sounds peaky and is not this speakers strong suit. Classic rock via FM or vinyl sounds great as well as CD. If you can score them for under 200 and they work, you are ahead of the game, you can find them under 100 but usually have cap issues whuch can be fixed by drilling out the studs that hold the plate in the back and pulling out the baffle material. If you need to pop the front out, use a hamner and wood drift through the back and hamner the corners of the front panel out, it will peel off as it is glued as well as the fabric cover.

KLH Model 6s are some of the best vintage loudspeakes out there. They are largish two-way 10" speakers designed at least in part by Henry Kloss of AR/KLH/Advent fame. The sound of the KLH 6s is possibly the smoothest of all of the box speakers of their era (roughly 1958 through 1972), including the AR 2axs, Dynaco A-25s, Large Advents, JBL L-100s, and so on. The highs of the KLH 6s start to roll off more quickly (at a lower frequency) than with some other vintage box speakers, but they don't sound dull--they just sound relaxing. The midrange and lower highs come off as smoother and less harsh than those of the Large Advent or New Large Advent, both excellent two-ways in largish boxes (and also designed at least in part by Kloss). The bass of KLH 6s is not quite as tight and punchy through the midbass as that of the Advents, but I was recently surprised by how deep the bass of the 6s goes. A pair of KLH 6s can make the walls rattle with well-recorded Bach organ music. The KLH 6s are especially good with classical, jazz, and female vocals. There's something about their smoothness through the midrange and lower highs that's really seductive. They're pretty dynamic as well (moreso than Dynaco A-25s, I think), though the slightly larger Advents (as well as ADS 810s and JBL L-100s) are possibly even more dynamic sounding. Neither the ADS nor the JBL is as smooth and "invisible" as the KLH, though. Of all of the high quality vintage boxes mentioned above, I think it's easiest to forget about the speakers and listen to the music with KLH 6s. The one word that captures them is "musical." Note that the very earliest KLH 6s had drivers that were epoxied to the front baffles and front grilles that couldn't be removed. Replacing drivers or updating crossovers is virtually impossible with these earliest 6s. If the front grilles come off and you see screws holding the woofers in, you're set. Another positive about KLH 6s relative to ARs and Advents: the KLH 6s' woofer surounds are treated cloth, not foam, so the woofer surrounds of the 6s are generally intact, even though the speakers are 40+ years old. Great speakers, especially if you prefer mellow and musical over etched and "detailed." They're also relatively "undiscovered" and can often be had for under $100/pair as of 2010.

Classy real wood finish. Smooth, detailed, full range sound. Surprisingly open and realistic sounding midrange. A ridiculous bargain on today's used market. Much easier to restore than same vintage ARs.

Slightly heavy upper bass (100hz - 300hz range). Cloth surround needs resealing to sound its best. Liquid electrical tape is best (flexible, adheres well, elastic, long lasting, comes in black) but I find XL49 (made by Orange County Speaker) has the same qualities and is equally good. I suspect that Pliobond and Permatex Hi Tack Gasket sealant may also work. Check out Classic Speaker Pages.

I have not heard the Model 6 but I do have a pair of KLH 17s which are supposed to be similar. Anyway, this review is about the Model 5s which are similar to the Model 6 in using an 11" woofer and 1.75" tweeter except it is a 3-way with 2 midrange drivers instead of the 6's 2-way design. Frankly these speakers blew me away when I hooked them up after fixing their crossovers (both tweeters were DOA when i got them but for what I paid for the speakers who cares. The problem was bad capacitors). Bottom line: these things really crank! With a good 50Wamp, new caulking and a bit of liquid electric tape to seal the woofer surrounds, I heard tremendous bass - deep, solid and full. Just like the AR3As I briefly owned last year, except the 5's images like a modern speaker which the ARs could not do in a million years. The 5's also have a wide open midrange and crisp highs (AR3As sound muffled by comparison). I don't care what the press say, the KLH 5s are more detailed and are more fun to listen to than the ARs. They sound like a speaker from the 80s, not the 60s. I also compared it to the original large Advents which I also own. Well, all I can say is if you like the sound of the Advents but find its upper midrange gritty like I do, you will love the KLH Model 5 (to be fair the Advents are more neutral in the upper bass though I find the slightly exaggerated upper bass of the 5s not the least objectionable). Also, overall I find the KLH 5s similar but somehow more "expensive sounding" than the Advents (not sure it's the right adjective but I think most readers know what I mean). This is not surprising, since the Model 5 listed for twice the price ($470/pr in 1968) and was rumored to have been at least partly designed by Henry Kloss (who left KLH in 1967). To sum up, I did not expect this level of performance from a pair of 40 year old speakers. I did not think they would sound as good as the ARs or Advents but they do, and then some. At their usual eBay price of around $250 they are a steal. The way they sound in my room I think they put a few $2K -$3K speakers to shame. The KLH 5's are the best vintage speakers I've heard. Of course with buying vintage gear the challenge is finding a working pair. At least I now know how to restore them.

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EPI, Advents, ARs, other model KLHs. I will not name the modern speakers with which I compared. I do not want to embarrass their makers.

Beautiful sound, clear, smooth, strong response. Worth what most on eBay charge.

No way to open them and replace the tweeter without causing damage to the box.

Having salvaged these from the scrap heap at a church clean out, I'm quite pleased with the results. The tweeters are apparently long since dead, and the cabinets haven't had the easiest of lives. The woofers, however are still in excellent shape and produce clear and smooth sound through their range. For nearly 50 year old speakers, or any speakers gotten similarly, they are incredible. With one grill cloth missing, torn out, they certainly could look better, but the sound makes up for any minor cosmetic issues.

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A pair of big Advents gotten in a similar fashion.

I took my KLH6's home, having to carry them to the bus, then to the ferry baggage cart and then from the cart to my office, 200 yards from the dock. They are beasts, and almost killed me. Then I got them home. I set them up along with my Advent loudseakers which are of nearly identicle size, give or take a few mm. and started to compare. Mellow, more mellow, rich, but comparitively dull compared to the advents. I next compared them to the Cambridge Audio 6's I have, and again, no contest on the highs, but the KLH6 still has this wonderful warm and fuzzy resonance that makes it a keeper. Because it is an 8ohm speaker, as are the Advents, my amp was able to drive both at once, side by side. I found the combination really pleasing, as both speakers seem to share aspects of Kloss's ear which makes them harmonious, clear, and rich in duet. Generally I don't subscribe to "more is better," and muddy is bad. My 6's are in good shape, while I haven't been able to get my AR2a's to sound as good. Maybe my amp needs upgrading to make a fair comparison of the AR2a's to the KLH 6's, but I always liked the sound of the AR4's. I think the KLH 6's have more in common with the AR4's than the 2a's, even with the 4's smaller package. I'll probably be criticized for that observation, but . . . .

I took my KLH6's home, having to carry them to the bus, then to the ferry baggage cart and then from the cart to my office, 200 yards from the dock. They are beasts, and almost killed me. Then I got them home. I set them up along with my Advent loudseakers which are of nearly identicle size, give or take a few mm. and started to compare. Mellow, more mellow, rich, but comparitively dull compared to the advents. I next compared them to the Cambridge Audio 6's I have, and again, no contest on the highs, but the KLH6 still has this wonderful warm and fuzzy resonance that makes it a keeper. Because it is an 8ohm speaker, as are the Advents, my amp was able to drive both at once, side by side. I found the combination really pleasing, as both speakers seem to share aspects of Kloss's ear which makes them harmonious, clear, and rich in duet. Generally I don't subscribe to "more is better," and muddy is bad. My 6's are in good shape, while I haven't been able to get my AR2a's to sound as good. Maybe my amp needs upgrading to make a fair comparison of the AR2a's to the KLH 6's, but I always liked the sound of the AR4's. I think the KLH 6's have more in common with the AR4's than the 2a's, even with the 4's smaller package. I'll probably be criticized for that observation, but . . . .

Great all around performer

Not the deepest bass, or the high end of todays designs

First of all, there are some learned reviews previous to mine, but I beg to differ with the gentlemen who described the woofer as a 12". It is a 10" acoustic suspension two-way and that's that.

I got my original pair from Record World on Long Island in 1974. That pair of speakers is in my 16 yr old daughters bedroom rig. They perform as flawlessly today as they did 27 yrs ago when I got them. Super smooth and clean sound. Yeah you could get the tweeter to ring with the right material, but so what. The price was superb.

I have since picked up MINT pairs of these for as little as $50. This was pre-ebay, so that kind of pricing may not be available today. I have two pair in house right now. I am TOYING with the idea of getting another pair to use as dual center channel speakers, in a surround rig that will employ six Model 6's!

As an aside, the KLH Model 30, had the EXACT same driver complement as the 6, in a cabinet only half as DEEP. Height and width were the same. Speaker terminals on the back were SINGLE RCA JACKS! Why would Kloss do this? Here's why. Cause he was smart. Some of his KLH receivers of the day featured the Dynaco "DynaQuad" surround circuit. The rear channel output jacks on these receivers were RCA jacks. It was likely, that if you bought one of those receivers, you would buy a pair of Model 6's to go with it. Well the perfect surround set-up would feature 4 of the EXACT same speaker. Pair of Model 6's wouldn't FIT on a bookshelf pulling surround duties. VOILA! Saw the cabinet in half so that it would. Man was a genius. I HAVE a pair of those Model 30's.
I also have a Model 52A receiver, WITH the surround circuit.
I also have the Model 18 fm tuner. My 11 yr old daughters bedroom rig consists of KLH Model 17's (once again, I have to differ with the previous review, the 17 has an 8" woofer, not a 10) being driven by an old Dynaco DynaQuad integrated amp.

I'm a real Kloss freak, collect EVERYTHING I can, and am proud to say I met both him AND Edgar Villchur, at the 40th anniversary party thrown by Acoustic Research in 1994 at Grand Central Station.

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Other KLH's, Advents, AR's