KLH Model 17 with Philips AD7060/M4 Full Range Drivers

 Because I can. When these KLH Model 17 speakers re-arrived in my possession I kept getting the idea to experiment with changing the drivers out.

 

 

I had scored a set of Philips AD7060 4 ohm fullrange 6 inch drivers from a thrift store a few years back and was waiting to find a home for them. I had heard great things about the Philips full range drivers and sold a similar pair of alnico versions on Ebay for a great price a while ago.

I have hooked the AD7060 to the tube amp and was impressed by the clarity and efficiency of these little 6 inch wonders, I just knew they where shy on the bass without a super large cabinet, this is where the Model 17's come in.

The Model 17's have a great tight bass from an acoustic suspension cabinet along with a fairly efficient 10" woofer that goes well into 40hz.

I opted to gut the crossover and remover the Model 17 tweeters and enlarge the hole to accommodate the AD7060 fullrange driver. I also opted not to use a crossover between the drivers as the KLH has a natural roll off around 1500hz and is a bit less efficient that the Philips. The AD7060 does not really shine until around 150-200HZ and is pretty smooth to 15,000HZ, about where the original KLH tweeter ran out of steam.

I love matching fullrange speakers with single ended tube amps, this is audio nirvana to me, you get to hear all the music. 

The changing of the tweeter to a fullrange Philips has made these speakers shine, completely opened up the sound stage, words can not convey the difference this change has made.

I know this would seem unconventional to most but I love the sound from this set up. I have been running off the four watt tube amp and wow! the sound is all there and loud enough.

 

KLH Model 17 Speakers Returned

This pair of KLH Model 17 speakers made their way back to me after I donated them as part of a stereo system at a yoga studio that I trained at.

These are great vintage 10" two way speakers, I originally owned these in 2017 with the original blog postings to be found here and the recap pages found here.

Very similar the Henry Kloss Advents that I have had many experiences on this blog. 

I have them paired with an Electrohome Single Ended Tube amp that I also gave to the yoga studio.

These are a great sounding speaker and well worth searching out.

 

KLH Model 17 update

I managed to recap the Model 17 with some Solen metal polyester 5% caps which really help open up these speakers. I also have managed to get the majority of the cabinets back to their walnut veneer glory. Pictures of the cabinets when the job is done.

I really like these speakers and I can see the evolution from these speakers to the New Large Advents that were developed after Henry Kloss left KLH.

The bass is really full and melts into a very smooth mid range. Perfect with a single ended tube amp. I really like these speakers and can see why the Model 6 and the Model 17 have garnered internet attention.

Mid range is nice and forward which is what I like. Bass nice and solid and super tight being in a acoustic suspension box. Over time I tend to prefer acoustic suspension versus a bass reflex system. The bass may not be as low but it sure is tighter.

Update #2

The cabinets are done.

From this....

To this....

KLH Model 17 Speakers

Henry Kloss KLH Model 17's were found today, I have yet to try the KLH models.

This pair will need a bit of work as the nice walnut veneer was painted flat black.

I started to elbow grease some of the paint off, more of that later.

I did add a really thin layer of silicon around the cloth surround, to re dope them and keep the acoustic suspension intact.

More on these speakers at a later.