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Klh model five

Rhubarb

Rhubarb

a spinnin' an' a grinnin'
I picked these up today via CL. $50.00

They are in pretty decent shape, serial numbers 084681 and 084679. :D The small tweets don't seem to be working, but from what I've read that could be the caps. I haven't given them a good, honest listen yet. Hopefully on my days off.

The guy threw in a HK 490i receiver on the deal. No right channel, but "Worked great when I put it in storage a couple of years ago."

To do list:

  1. Order Caps.
  2. Re-Dope surrounds.
  3. Beautify Cabinets.
Anyone know what caps I should order off hand?

What is the best speaker dope? Is that still up for debate?

Is Howard's Restore a finish "the ****" for cabs...what else works good? Is is it easy to blow through veneer using sandpaper?

Is that enough questions already? Sorry. :)
 
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I use Old English Almond Oil on my KLH 5's and other speakers with wood. This helps hide minor blemishes. Smells nice too.
 
Don't know the cap values in Model 5. You'll have to look at them.
Parts Express carries Dayton caps, which work well. Here is a linky.
Most folks seem to think Aleen's fabric glue cut 50-50 with water is the real stuff for treating the woofer surrounds. You can get it at Joann Fabrics. Apply one coat, lightly.
Howard's will work just fine. Yes, you can sand right through the veneer - be careful!

Nice score! Good luck with them.
 
I used Howards Feed n' Wax on all of my wood veneer speakers, including KLH 6s. I first scrubbed them a bit with fine steel wool, then a applied the Howards with ultra fine steel wool. 20 minutes later, after polishing it off, they looked pretty much like new. There's also a howards product (restor-a-finish?) that takes care of more appearance-challenged projects. I've only used the feed n' wax as it works very well and is very easy to use. And smells nice, to boot.
 
Howard Products at Home Depot.

Well, for about 16 bucks, it looks like I can get both the Feed-N-Wax and the Restor-A-Finish. The Howard site says they work well in conjunction with each other. This is the route I think I'll take first...don't have the scratch right this minute for caps. I'll try to get some before and after photos.

I'd bet there is a nice pictorial/tutorial here somewhere...
 
Nice pics!
I had heard that Realistic Optimus 5's were rebadged KLH. After see these pics I am wondering if they were rebadged KLH 5's. The driver placement and even the rear controls for the Optimus 5's are almost identical to the KLH. It would be interesting to know if the Optimus 5 design had KLH involvement or were just a very good clone based on the KLH-5.
 
Just my guess, knowing Radio Schack, I would suspect a Taiwany clone.
Never heard the Optimus 5's. The Minimus 7's were decenct at low volume.
Most of their lineup seemed average at best-cheap light weight cabinets, etc.
 
Wolverine said:
Nice pics!
I had heard that Realistic Optimus 5's were rebadged KLH. After see these pics I am wondering if they were rebadged KLH 5's. The driver placement and even the rear controls for the Optimus 5's are almost identical to the KLH. It would be interesting to know if the Optimus 5 design had KLH involvement or were just a very good clone based on the KLH-5.
Click to expand...

The early Optimus-series were actually very choice speakers. They were all acoustic suspension designs that borrowed the look and ideas of the East Coast speakers of the day. I heard they were OEM'd by Pioneer, though I've never seen documentation.

Whatever the case, the cast frame woofers from the Optimus line are built much more impressively than their KLH brethren.
 
Cabinet restoration pictures:


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Howard Restor-A-Finish applied with 0000 SUPA fine steel wool, followed with Howard Feed-N-Wax. It sure did a nice job. Not as nice as one would get from stripping and refinishing, but it's plenty good enough for this guy. I kinda dig the natural, original patina.
 
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Very nice work, Rubarb.

Howard's is really easy to use and you get great results. :thmbsp:
 
I have a similar set with tweeters that work (directly) but not when attached to the crossover.

A re-cap fixes this?

I used de-oxit on the controls and worked them until my fingers were warm with no result...
 
Very nice work, Rubarb.

Howard's is really easy to use and you get great results.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. The before and after pictures are of the bottom of one of the speakers. The most scratched surface. The other surfaces had even better results.

I have a similar set with tweeters that work (directly) but not when attached to the crossover.

A re-cap fixes this?

I used de-oxit on the controls and worked them until my fingers were warm with no result...
Click to expand...

Check out classicspeakerpages.net as spkrdtr mentioned. Loads of good info on KLH and other Henry Kloss speakers.
 
X-over recap advice needed.

Allrighty,

I opened up my KLH Model Fives today to get an idea why the tweeter wasn't working. Pulled the tweet and connected it to a receiver at very low volume with the bass tone adjustment turned all the way down. Behold! It works like a champion! So what they all say IS true. Bad capacitors. So I pulled out the woofer and the fiberglass and look what I found:

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I found caps as follows:

1) 25 uF
1) 16 uF
1) 4 uf
1) 2 x 4 MFD
1) 3 MFD

and these ceramic resistors:

2) 15 ohm 10%
1) 10 ohm 10%
1) 6 ohm 10%
1) 5 ohm 10%

there were also some other items, such as inductors that I prolly won't replace.

It seems my xover matches this schematic that I got from www.classicspeakerpages.net.

How do I properly replace these caps?

For the 2x4 can I use two 4uF caps or do I use an 8uF?

For the 16uF, Parts Express doesn't have a 16uF or an 8uF, do I use two 8.2uF and a resistor?

Any help on this would be GREATLY appreciated.
 
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From the schematic, it looks as if the 2x4's are actually wired as separate 4uf caps, so I'd keep them separate. They just happen to have one leg in common. For the 16, I'd combine a 4uf and a 12uf in parallel. Leave the resistors and coils alone.

Order your parts. Replace them one at a time, carefully.

That sucker was really laid out to take advantage of radial caps (multiple leads on the same end) and all you can get easily are axials (one lead out each end). You should plan to get some heat-shrink insulation to keep the leads apart. In fact, you may find that placing the caps in areas other than where they are now (closer to their connect points) will work better. You can use hot-melt glue or contact cement to hold them down to that plate.
 
Looks good from this angle. I'd say, let 'er rip! :tresbon:

If you have a meter, it might be a good idea to test the resistors. No personal experience, but some of what I've read recently said that particularly the 5 ohm bits have a tendency to get fried.
 
I'm new to AK - found some older posts looking for info on KLH 5s - glaad to see something new.
Bought my 5s new circa 1970, #5902 and #12729 (thought that was interesting).
Mine are in about the same shape as rhubarb's - tweeters don't work & expect it's the caps, though I have a pair of Dyna A40XLs that I stack with the 5s, and had to replace their tweeters some years ago - coils burnt!
Thanx for all the info - not sure I'm up to a recapping job myself, but we'll see.

Lot more to share with AK - look forward to being in touch.
Have another post on Shure V15 IV stylus replacement.

67 grad

KLH 5, Dyna A40XL, Marantz 2245, Adcom GFA2, Dual 1019 w/Shure M97xe or V15 Type IV, ADC 12 band equalizer. Also Scott 340B receiver, Pioneer SX 535 (freebie), and some mystery speakers which I'll post as soon as I make some pix.
 
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