![]() ![]() ![]() The LS6 does ethereal better, Stephen Stubbs’ baroque lute hanging in the air for longer. That said, refinement isn’t central to the Model Five’s persona. The Model Five’s below-waist performance and their handling of big dynamic swings are two key calling cards. The Model Five sound tight whilst maintaining commendable depth. Perhaps these qualities are rooted in the Model Five going lower than the LS6 – on paper and in the listening room. Derrick Hodge’s Colour of Noize sounds bolder to the point of brassy. Albright’s “Sooki Sooki” from 30 is wonderful – showing meatier bass from the KLH than the LS6. The Model Five’s dynamics are strong, easily besting the Graham LS6. The KLH sounds fuller with more body, which I like. At first surprisingly similar to the Graham LS6 – plenty of detail, performers portrayed in a large acoustic space. That totals a mere 10% of the big-rig cost.įrom the off, things sound good. That’s an expensive supporting cast – would a more modest system work? I investigated this with a Windows laptop running Audirvana (V3.5.46) going USB into an iFi ZEN DAC V2 (£160) and Marantz PM6006 amplifier (£350). Graham LS6 speakers (£2,300 + stands) were used for comparison. On the subs bench: Line Magnetic’s 845IA integrated valve amplifier (£3,950) and Simaudio’s 280D streaming DAC (£2,950). I gravitated to Mid as it seemed to best match my listening room’s sonic characteristics.Ĭambridge Audio’s Edge NQ (£4,500) acted as network streamer, DAC and preamplifier to play into 2 x Gold Note PA-10 monoblocks (£1,300 each). Hi is flat, Mid and Lo attenuate frequencies above 400 Hz by 1.5dB and 3dB respectively. ![]() Moving them 20cm backward had no ill-effect though so there they stayed.įinally, a single pair of terminals sit low on the back of the speaker, between which sits an Acoustic Balance control to help better match the loudspeaker’s output to the room’s liveliness. I started with the KLH two metres apart and 60cm out from the front wall. Sealed boxes are also, generally speaking, easier to position as there’s no port interacting with the room. That KLH rate The Model Five -10dB at 32Hz will come as no surprise. A conclusion I reached before remembering sealed designs typically roll-off more gradually at 12dB/octave instead of the 24dB/octave we get from ported loudspeakers. In practice there appears to be a lot happening below that too, implying a slow roll-off. No one told the Model Five though, which reaches a very respectable -3dB at 42Hz according to KLH. Sealed-box designs tend to give tighter bass at the expense of ultimate low-end reach. No surprise then that the approach made its way into the KLH toolbox. He founded Acoustic Research along with a certain…Henry Kloss. The speaker is an Acoustic Suspension Design (aka sealed-box), a technique invented by Edgar Villchur in 1954. Nominal impedance is 6 Ohms, dipping to 3.5 Ohms at 140Hz not too difficult an amplifier load. ![]() Indeed some laud paper for its more natural take on the human voice. None are exotic materials but all capable of good sound. Midrange and bass come courtesy of 4” and 10” pulp-paper cones respectively. The Model Five’s tweeter is a 1″ aluminum dome. The KLH lack the JBLs’ chunky-cubed Quadrex grilles, instead sporting traditional framed-cloth grilles described by the manufacturer as ‘old-world linen’. Sound familiar? JBL’s L100 Classic screams to mind. The Model Five are a large retro-styled three-way standmount loudspeaker that sits low and tilts gently backward on its custom stand. ![]()
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