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KLH 6 - got a pair at a tag sale this AM!

able.baker

able.baker

Active Member
One of the synagogues in my town has a huge tag sale as a fund raiser every summer about now. I've picked up few audio (Technics tuner) and non audio (slide rules, kitchen stuff) items for my own use or resale in feeBay in the past. This morning I jumped on these KLH 6s for only $40 after reading so much about them and their siblings on this forum. Also picked up some pretty nice Judy Collins vinyl in VG condition. Haven't had a chance to try the speakers out yet or spin the records. Cabinets need to be refinished and have a few dings to be filled. One grill is clean and the other has one stain on it. I'm hoping the drivers don't need any work, as I on this site learned that the cloth suspensions should last and last. I guess I'm anticipating a re-cap and refinish to clean up and restore these puppies. I'm thinking of installing these in my office where I currently have some crappy Panasonic speakers (trash find), driven by a 15 WPC Akai (another trash find). The funny thing is at this tag sale they had some crappy Panasonic speakers priced at $55! Tiny, tinny and totally particle board. So after all this rambling, how do I pop the grills off of these speakers? I have a single KLH 17 with Velcro, but these seem to be firmly attached. Help???!!
 

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KLH Model Sixes had two systems for affixing the grilles. The earliest ones had the cloth permanently installed on the front baffle. The only way to remove it is to cut it out. You're then faced with the not so difficult job of making up a Masonite grille panel and attaching it to the baffle with Velcro.

And that's the way the later ones were done, cloth wrapped around and stapled to a Masonite panel and then affixed to the baffle with 6 Velcro squares. Judging from your photos, that's what you have.

To remove the grilles you must unscrew (probably - some KLH speakers have glue-on medallions) the medallions and then take something like a butter knife and insert it between the speaker cabinet lip and the grille. Do it more or less at the corner and gently lever the grille away from the baffle. You should hear the sound of the Velcro releasing. When it's far enough away from the cabinet to get your fingers behind it and work your way around the edges, releasing the other 5 Velcro squares.

John
 
boreas said:
The earliest ones had the cloth permanently installed on the front baffle.
Click to expand...

This is what he's found. The non-recessed terminal plate is an indicator of earlier Model Six.

With fresh caps they are fine sounding speakers.
 
I have a pair of Sixes that look just like yours, and the grilles do come off. So, check and see if you can rotate the KLH badge counter-clockwise. If it moves, then you might have a pair (like mine) with velcro adhesive in a few places rather than permanent adhesive.

In any event, these are really nice-sounding speakers, especially for jazz, blues, and classical music. Good find.
 
The Classic Speaker Pages will offer a lot of information on these speakers. I have a pair the same vintage as these and the grill was not removable. I think that serial # up to 92,000 had non removable grills. But there will always be exceptions to this as poorman found.

I believe that your version has a non-removable woofer.

You will find on this site a number of projects on KLH 6 capacitor replacement, including one by me. One of the early decisions that you must make is: are you going to restore (make your work unnoticeable) or renovate the speakers? To make the cap replacement unnoticeable you have to remove the back plate, break the epoxy and work through the resultant small opening. Alternatively, you could use your wood working tools to cut open the back. You then have to repair the back.

I replaced my caps without cutting the back. It took time and produced a lot of skinned knuckles. For me, it was worth the work (but it was work).

Do some research here and think this through.

One benefit of the older, non-removable woofer is that (I believe) it is larger than the later version (removable in the stamped steel basket).
 
Thanks

Serial numbers are 37008 and 38967, which would indicate non removable grills. I'll fire these up later today and see how they sound. I have found the classic speaker pages and lots of stuff here, too. One of the reasons I wanted to remove the grills was to keep them clean while refinishing the wood. I'll have to protect them and go easy with the stripper.

This site is great - a wealth of information along with knowledgable and helpful people!
 
When removing the grilles, I use a tool that has a hook-shaped end, so you can slip it behind the grill edge and pull straight out. That way you won't have to lever the tool against the cabinet, which would probably damage the wood veneer.

It won't help in this case, with the non-removeable type, but in general it is a good technique.
 
First test -mixed results

I hooked these up and got decent sound out of the woofers but almost no sound from the tweeters. There was a barely audible signal but it looks like the crossovers need to be recapped. Since there was some audible signal I'll assume the tweeters are not blown. Oh well...
 
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The KLH early 1960's vintage speakers almost always need to be recapped. They used capacitors that were never intended to last 50 years. Who knew the speakers would last so long - the company did not.

Good story is that repair is simple and inexpensive.
 
able.baker said:
I hooked these up and got decent sound out of the woofers but almost no sound from the tweeters. There was a barely audible signal but it looks like the crossovers need to be recapped. Since there was some audible signal I'll assume the tweeters are not blown. Oh well...
Click to expand...

I presume you tried the switch in all positions.
 
Capacitors for sure. When they go bad in KLH speakers, people think the tweeters are fried because there's so little output.

What you need to do:

Look at the back plate. See the six nails? Pry those out (gently). Pry the back plate out (gently). Now you should be faced with a big block of "peanut brittle" - chip away at it and you'll find the crossover. Recap and put the plate back into place - voilá.

Also, those cabinets are in good shape - no refinishing needed, but some Howard's Restor-A-Finish will do wonders. Take a look at my video guide: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=286413
 
Just make sure you also get the larger 8muf that is above the peanut brittle.....should be in a bracket if yours are like mine were....I had the removable drivers however
 
Thanks again

for all the input. I did try the switch on the rear in all positions - no noticable change in output. As to the cabinets - some sides are worse that the ones visible in the pictures - more scratches and bad water stains. I still might go for a full refinish - then I can fill the dings and rebuild the crushed corner. Time to order the new caps.
 
Caps on order

But I probably won't get to this project until September. Will update as progress is made.
 
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Finally started this project!

I ordered the caps back in August but people keep calling me and asking me to do work so I haven't had much spare time. Yesterday I tackled the first unit. The yellow plastic potting compound is a pain. I rapped it a few times with a stick and it shattered, but most of the pieces fell into the box. I was able to make the one necessary internal solder connection through the back hole. Luckily I have a very long pair of needle nose pliers that allowed me to hold the connection while I secured a wire nut over it. I got everything to the point where I could test my work and it sounds good. The switch does make a difference, although the effect seems to be subtle. Of course my ears probably aren't all that sensitive to HF these days, after a life of loud music, chainsaws, and playing with fireworks! Pictures later...
 
able.baker said:
I ordered the caps back in August but people keep calling me and asking me to do work so I haven't had much spare time.
Click to expand...

Poor baby! ;) Glad you're underway. I'm sure you'll like the results. Sixes are great!

As for the switch, yes, the results are subtle in my experience but significant.

So, where are the pics? :)

John
 
able.baker said:
As to the cabinets - some sides are worse that the ones visible in the pictures - more scratches and bad water stains. I still might go for a full refinish - then I can fill the dings and rebuild the crushed corner.
Click to expand...

If you decide to go this route you can get great results by steaming out dings and scratches with a steam iron. You'd be amazed at the way this can totally remove some very significant damage.

It's pretty important to remove all the old finish first. If you don't it ends up on the sole plate of the iron.

John
 
Rob-F said:
When removing the grilles, I use a tool that has a hook-shaped end, so you can slip it behind the grill edge and pull straight out. That way you won't have to lever the tool against the cabinet, which would probably damage the wood veneer.

It won't help in this case, with the non-removeable type, but in general it is a good technique.
Click to expand...

Agreed...you can buy one of those little tools for removing paint can lids at Home Depot for a buck...they work well for removing masonite grills that have been stapled or nailed on.
 
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