KLH Model Seventeen (1960s)

Name: KLH Model Seventeen
Brand: KLH

The KLH Model Seventeen is a two-way acoustic suspension loudspeaker from the mid-1960s. It was the budget model in KLH's lineup, below the highly regarded Model Six. It paired a 10″ acoustic suspension woofer with a 2″ paper cone tweeter in a sealed enclosure with a simple two-element crossover. No ports, no vents. At $79.00, it sat a full fifty dollars below the Model Six's $129.00 price, and KLH's own advertising leaned on that value story. High Fidelity (March 1967, p.60) revisited the Model Seventeen as "a modestly priced loudspeaker," noting it was designed to be the first inexpensive system with genuinely wide range and low distortion, even at the lowest frequencies. By 1971, the price had crept up to $74.95, and High Fidelity (January 1971, p.25) was still running ads urging buyers to "trade down" to the Seventeen rather than overspend on gear they didn't need.

Dimensions are among the few fully documented specs: 23½″ H × 13½″ W × 11½″ D, with an 8-ohm nominal impedance. No frequency response, sensitivity or power handling figures survive in any source consulted. There's also a minor conflict over how the speaker was meant to be used. Some sources call it a bookshelf speaker, others a floorstander. At 23½″ tall it likely worked both ways, but the original intent isn't clearly documented.

Among enthusiasts today, the Model Seventeen is remembered fondly. Owner reports describe them as smooth and warm with a nice low-end presence, and they're said to image surprisingly well for their size and price point. They are not, as one seller put it, a "boom and sizzle" speaker.

If you're looking at a pair, a few things are worth knowing. The woofers use cloth surrounds, which were designed to last, though a dried-out suspension can crack with age. The original tweeters are frequently missing or replaced with non-original units, so check what's actually in the cabinet. Re-capping the crossover is widely cited as the single biggest improvement you can make, and re-sealing the woofer to the baffle with rope caulk or butyl tape is a common fix for air leaks. Original grille cloth is often damaged or replaced by now.