4 replies to this topic

[BT2370]

I just bought a house which came with a bunch of junk that the previous owners left behind for me to clean out. Luckily, I have found a few minor treasures amongst the piles of junk, one of which is a pair of KLH Model 20 speakers. From what I have read here and other places about the Model 20, it looks like the speakers came as a set with a turntable/amp combo. So far I haven't found the turntable here, but there's still a lot of stuff to go through, so maybe it will turn up somewhere. Luckily, I'm somewhat of an audiophile and I especially love the sound of some of the "classic" speakers, so I am eager to hook them up and give them a shot.

That's where my question comes in, I see there is what looks to be an rca jack on the back to connect them, as opposed to the usual pos and neg for speaker wire. I have a bunch of rca cables laying around, could I just cut the other end off of one and hook up the bare wires to the pos and neg on my amp? I'd love to hear them play, but of course I also do not want to blow them up, either!

[JKent]

short answer: yes.
Just be sure your amp can drive 4 ohm speakers. The 20s are identical to the KLH 17 except that the 17 is 8 ohm and the 20 is 4. Many amps are only rated for 8 ohms, so check.
Good luck! And welcome to the CSP.
Kent

[Joel]

I just saw a pair of KLH Twenties at a local thrift store for $25.00. Would they be worth picking up? How would they compare to my AR-4's?

Thanks.

-Joel

[Mar]

Hi Joel, Apparently the KLH are comparable to the ARs. If I'm not mistaken the founder of KLH was also a co-founder of AR.

Had a bit of a pisser this Saturday past. Went to the New to You store and saw a pair of KLH model 24. They were $12.00. I should have purchased them but the fellow was such a ....... he really made me angry. There wasn't any price on them and so I asked this priggish fellow. He went out back and came back with two stickers; $5.99. I said that it was a nice price, not knowing if they work or not. He responded "each". That upset me. I comment that speakers come in pairs.... He didn't give a rats behind and didn't say anything to me. Plopped on the stickers and walked away. This other fellow who happened to be there picking up a cheap DVD player looked at me with and said "I thought speakers come in pairs?"...

I really should have purchased them however this .....hole just upset me by his entire demeanor..

[dxho]

The Twenty will outperform the AR-4, as they're more closely comparable to the AR-2 series. $25 is a good price. As Kent noted, they are 4 ohm. I've owned 2 pair of their brother, the Seventeen, for years. Overall comparison to AR: stronger midrange and tweeter, slightly less bass. Still a great sounding speaker.