KLH Owners & Discussion Thread

[Themis Wood]

43 minutes ago, peppy said:

Break in period of 100-150 hrs made a diff for me and pairing with the amp is exceptionally important for this speaker . 
Pairing with Marantz , tubes or similar produces best result.

Amp upgrade is on the cards for me probably next year though at this point!

[Crakers]

Just wondering if anyone has heard the KLH Model 5 with the AudioLab 6000 A ? Or if this amp would be a good match ? Appreciate any opinions, cheers

 

[mwmac]

Hi @indyfromoz.  Did you manage to demo the Model 5s with the H120 at all?

[Themis Wood]

I had a spare amp lying around (a vintage sansui au 555); I was surprised at how much bolder and visceral the sound became when switching from the Rega brio r. I was intending on selling both amps and upgrading to something else but I’m really enjoying the sansui au 555 /model 5 combo. 

[Themis Wood]

I also did some A/B comparisons to see which amp I preferred. The vintage sansui au 555 had a larger soundstage and some records that had previously seemed a bit 2D in terms of soundstage depth became a bit deeper with more texture to the instruments particularly guitar. 

[Chezcakes]

Brilliant stuff. Thanks to all who shared their experiences and thoughts but hats off to  @peppy who kicked this off with a fantastic review, and by default has me listening to many artists I hadn't heard before :0     

That's what these forums are all about imo but I've never stumbled on one so far. 

AND thanks to everyone who chipped in for keeping it fun and not heading down the toilet with their aggro chat/ keyboard warrior/wankior rubbish. So refreshing. 

 

I tapped into a Steve Hoffman thread as I was specifically looking for KLH 5s + Hegel H190 match, and altho I didn't find any direct info I picked up on some slightly high 'hi's' with the 5s. Has anyone here noticed this?

Also,  @indyfromoz I see you mentioned a Hegel H120 option. Did you try those out? 

 

 

 

 

[indyfromoz]

@Chezcakes and @mwmac Apologies, I have been out of the hobby for last few months due to some health issues, etc. I didn't get a chance to try the KLHs with a H190, very tempted to try one day if I can afford the H190. 

[Chezcakes]

Thanks @indyfromoz. Hope you are on the mend! 

[audio_magnate]

FYI, thought I would give my very novice opinions on a few amps I've tested with the KLH Model 5's these last few days.

 

Rega Elicit R - Had this as an overnighter to compare with my current amp - Cambridge Audio AM10, my goodness what a pleasure it was, I couldn't believe the difference between the two, however about 7 times the price I suppose I should have expected it.. This demo made it clear I wanted to upgrade, and the sound was brilliant, but I hadn't heard it against anything in the same cost bracket, so aside from it going from blurry lines to sharp lines, I couldn't comment much on the character of the sound. 

 

When listening to it against the below, it stacked up really well, enough warmth, which some of the others struggled with, plenty of punch and great dynamics.

 

Naim XS3 - Really didn't like this pairing, Naim was so forward, when I went to up the volume to get a wider soundstage and detail from the corners it just brought everything forward more, very bright for me, didn't listen again.

 

Cyrus 7i XR - Early contender, loved how 3 dimensional the sound was, did an amazing job with the double bass in Moanin'.

 

Musical Fidelity 5si- Solid performer, was drawn in more with the Rega and the Cyrus however.

 

At the end of this visit, I really wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go in, I was keen to listen to the Technics as aesthetically that's where my heart lay.

 

Technics SU-G700 - I again got used to my Cambridge Audio in the few days between visits, so was again blown away by the difference an amp can make, I really wanted to like this and I did fortunately, really wide sound stage, great detail across all instruments and great dynamics, did sound a little bright though..

 

Naim XS3 - Wanted to have one consistent amp between the two auditions, and realised that it actually wasn't all too dissimilar to the Technics with respect to brightness, though it again sounded very forward and generally not pleasing to my ear.

 

Simaudio Moon 240i - Chap at the store got this out based on my half concocted remarks about my likes and dislikes and thank goodness he did. At this point I really wanted to love the Technics, so in the first listen I had to break that link, but immediately it felt like the sound stage grew a metre on either side, and the sounds were so much sweeter, all the brightness of the previous amps were gone. It did seem to struggle with a couple of the trumpet sounds when compared with the Technics (reviews suggest this shouldn't be the case, so maybe I'm off here) but the listenability for me was spot on and it still had all the detail that I'd expect in an upgrade, after going back a couple of times between the technics and the Moon it was a no brainer that this was the option. When I was researching it a bit more online, a second hand 340i popped up for a great price, so I'll be picking that up in about 6 weeks and will endeavour to update my post here.

[_Sam_]

Hi Guys, 

 

I have a pair of model 5’s and I’m finding that they are a bit bright with my solid state amp pairing (clef audio soloist 50) even when the back switch is on the low setting. This has been giving me some listening fatigue. 
 

I’m thinking of getting a tube amp like the Cayin CS-55A. Does anyone have experience with pairing the KLH’s with tubes and what are your thoughts? Will this smooth them out/add some warmth?
 

thanks! 

[peppy]

47 minutes ago, _Sam_ said:

Hi Guys, 

 

I have a pair of model 5’s and I’m finding that they are a bit bright with my solid state amp pairing (clef audio soloist 50) even when the back switch is on the low setting. This has been giving me some listening fatigue. 
 

I’m thinking of getting a tube amp like the Cayin CS-55A. Does anyone have experience with pairing the KLH’s with tubes and what are your thoughts? Will this smooth them out/add some warmth?
 

thanks! 

McChanson amp

grip on speakers whilst softening the treble 

[Qualitydb]

I’ve had my KLH Model 5’s for a few months now and I’m in love with them for the most part.

 

My system consists of;

Source;

-Bluesound Node 2i with PD creative power supply mod. 

-Rega Planar 6 w/exact through Ifi Zen Phono.

-KLH Model 5’s

-Prima Luna Dialogue Premium HP Amp

 

My thoughts so far, are that with the right song it is a magic setup.

Ben Howard - Depth over Distance 

That song is made for it! 
likewise, 

Club For Five - Band of Brothers

Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek

 

The midrange from these speakers paired with a 70w tube amp is incredible.

 

Poor recordings don’t sound great though. Where I’m trying to improve the system though is in the upper midrange. I am getting listening fatigue. I do listen too loud and for hours at a time..
 

I feel the fatigue is a touch of harshness in the upper midrange. I have read one user review of the Denafrips Ares where he described very similar fatigue issues he was having and he sent his signal from a bluesound into the Ares and it transformed it.. This has me wanting to do the same.

 

I actually think much of my issue may be my room though. 
 

I’m not getting the same detail at the very top end that I used to get out of my Triangle Borea and Audiolab 6000a combination. I’m in a completely different room though and not one component is the same. 
 

I have a concrete wall and concrete floor and a low panel ceiling with a beam running across it. So I think my room could do with some tweaking that may address the upper midrange harshness.

 

I would love to try a few different amps in my room with my system but as I said.. the Prima Luna sounds absolutely stunning with the right song. 
 

Im looking at carpeting the room. My only concern would be that I might lose more high end details. 

 

[StuartH532]

Just recieved KHL Model 3 and Nad M10 as an upgrade from Nad C 356BEE and Castle Severn Speakers. Wow, this little package is powerful. The Threes have some punch to them. As a sealed unit they are forward, yet the bass just comes alive in Muse's - Madness and Two Feet - Love is a *****! I am not an expert, but had my good friend over for an audition last night. He is way more experienced and knowledgable, we had so much fun listening, changing the settings on the back of the speakers. All-in-all, I am satisfied with my choice (smaller room). If budget would have allowed, I would have gone the Fives. Who knows in the future, but I might add a REL sub when I see one for the right price?

 

Just a side note, I do have a slight quality issue with the laminate finish, and the speakers will be exchanged soon. Otherwise, very happy boy..

 

[christo]

@Qualitydb it definitely sounds like your room is the problem. I had similar issues with to much treble shredding all the midrange. I thought it might have been my amp but I installed some acoustic panels recently and now the sound is fantastic. Before getting a new DAC or any other electronics I'd look at getting some room treatments done. For me it was the cheapest and most effective of all my upgrades this year.

 

And don't worry, you won't lose any treble. Lack of treble is not a problem with these speakers.

 

How far away from the wall have you placed them? Although they're designed to be closer to the wall for the mid-bass bump, I've found that putting them too close can degrade the other frequencies.