Recommended Component 2022 - Stereophile
Reintroducing the Legendary Three-way, 10” Acoustic Suspension Loudspeaker
The legendary KLH Model Five was first introduced in 1968 and served as the heart and soul of KLH’s success throughout the late 1960’s and 1970’s. At its core was the acoustic suspension design that dominated the loudspeaker industry for decades and made the Model Five one of the best-selling loudspeakers of its era.
In 2021, KLH reintroduced the Model Five, building on the original acoustic suspension design and using the most advanced loudspeaker technology available today. The Model Five has a 1" Aluminum dome tweeter with soft rubber suspension, a 4" pulp-paper cone midrange with reverse roll rubber suspension, and a 10" pulp-paper cone low frequency driver with reverse roll rubber suspension and a 2" diameter flat-wire voice coil.
A pair of steel riser stands is included for optimum sound from your Model Fives.
"The KLH M5s are intoxication kings, urging me to hear my most beloved vinyl via its big personality and well-scaled dimensionality," raves Ken Micallef in Stereophile, which honored the Model Five with its coveted "Recommended Component" status.
KLH And Model Five History
KLH Audio was established in 1957 by Henry Kloss, Malcolm Low & Josef Hofmann. Henry Kloss first made his name as part of Acoustic Research with the introduction of the AR-1 and its patented acoustic suspension system that revolutionized the high-fidelity industry. Henry Kloss later left Acoustic Research to start KLH, and immediately began marketing his own acoustic suspension loudspeaker designs.
The original KLH Model Five loudspeaker was first introduced in 1968, and was one of the best-selling speakers throughout the late1960’s and early 70’s. KLH re-issued the famous Model Five during the spring of 2021. This new three-way loudspeaker features updated cosmetics, as well as all the major advancements in transducer design that have occurred over the last 50 years. But the original acoustic suspension philosophy, cabinet construction and size all remain intact, thus maintaining the performance and appeal the loudspeaker enjoyed when it was first introduced.
Acoustic Suspension
First introduced in 1954, the acoustic suspension principle has long been regarded as onethe most accurate of all the loudspeaker designs available. Edgar Villchur and Henry Kloss worked together to bring the original AR-1, and several later models, including the well known AR-3, to market. Several brands, including KLH, would adopt the acoustic suspension principle and use it in their loudspeakers designs for many years to come.
This design principle dominated the speaker market well into the 1970’s. In an acoustic suspension design, the volume of air inside the enclosure serves as a cushion of air, or air spring, to provide a restoring force for the woofer cone. The air inside the enclosure essentially becomes the dominant part of the woofer’s suspension.
Since the volume of air inside the enclosure is more linear than the mechanical parts of the woofer’s suspension, this enables the woofer’s diaphragm to move in a more linear fashion. This enables the driver to operate at higher excursions with less distortion than more traditional bass-reflex type systems.
Acoustic suspension systems are regarded all over the world for their greater accuracy, tighter bass transients and exceptional bass resolution and texture.
Dedicated Midrange Driver
The KLH Model Five is a three-way design featuring a dedicated midrange driver housed in its own internal enclosure. It’s the midrange driver’s responsibility to handle the most significant, middle part, of the audio spectrum. This portion of the audio band contains the vocal and musical instrument fundamentals which are most familiar to the human ear – and where accuracy, or inaccuracies, are most easily detected.
In a three-way design, having a dedicated midrange means the driver can be optimized for this specific use, since it doesn’t have the additional burden of reproducing lower & higher frequencies in the audio band. This results in truly remarkable clarity of vocals and instruments with less distortion.
Model Five Upgraded Features
For easy integration in your listening room, a three-position acoustic balance control helps to tailor the loudspeaker’s output for the most difficult acoustic environments. Each speaker includes its own 5˚ slant riser base made of powder coated 14-gauge steel, and this riser base contributes to the superior sound quality of the Model Five. >/p>
The custom KLH cabinetry features a structurally reinforced 3/4” MDF enclosure and a low-profile magnetically attached grille. A thirteen-component crossover network uses high quality iron-core inductors and Mylar capacitors.
A Note About Sustainability
Just like the original, the new Model Five doesn’t utilize a lot of plastic material in its construction. Where possible, KLH has elected to use more responsible materials, resulting in a product that is more in-line with modern sensitivities.
Riser Stands Included
Included with each KLH Model Five is a 5-degree slant riser base made from 14-gauge steel. The riser base’s upward angular stance ensures the sound is directed accurately toward the listener, while the steel construction guarantees it to be a solid and non-resonant speaker base.
