KLH is Reborn, Releasing New Speakers and Inventive Keypad Amp
(KLH)(August 29, 2018) Certain industry players – such as Andrew Jones or Sandy Gross – are household names, easily recognized by enthusiasts for contributions and successes in the audio game. And while David P. Kelley, former Global Sales President and Board Member at Klipsch, might not fit in that category, his recent acquisition of KLH is bound to shift him into a more public light.
Last year, Kelley jumped at the opportunity to purchase the KLH brand, roping in several former Klipsch execs and other industry players along the way. And as of now, talk out of KLH’s camp is big, broadcasting intentions to appeal to its customer base with re-releases of several classic designs from its war chest (such as the Model Eight radio and Model Nine electrostat), while rolling out a wide-range of new speaker models along with technologies intended to address the wireless market.
“KLH is one of the most storied and revered audio brands in the world, founded by one of the most iconic engineers in the history of consumer electronics,” says KLH CEO and President David P. Kelley. “I am taking the brand back to its roots, to Henry’s original mission, to build world-class loudspeakers and radios at affordable prices. I am proud to be the new owner of KLH and will honor Henry and his many contributions to the audio industry through the introduction of our extraordinary new KLH products.”
KLH is using CEDIA 2018’s spotlight to its advantage, hosting a high-profile offsite launch event to officially reveal a new line of in-room and architectural speakers. Its 12 model in-room class – named after streets found in KLH’s birthplace of Cambridge, Mass – features real wood veneer finishes, MDF cabinetry with low resonance driver chambers and tuneable ports, quality internal componentry, Kevlar drivers, and aluminium dome tweeters. While its new in-wall and in-ceiling “Maxwell Series” of architectural designs utilizes tuned sealed enclosures, Kevlar-coated fibre glass drivers, silk dome tweeters, and gold plated 5-way binding posts.
KLH is even rolling out new all-weather models for in-ceiling and in-wall duties. Dubbed the “Faraday Series,” KLH says a total of seven different models will employ IMG woofers, soft dome tweeters, magnetic bezel-less paintable grilles, and 5-way push-pin binding posts.
According to Kelley, each model is designed to beat the competition with performance and price, while offering customers an eye-popping 10-year warranty on passive speakers with a 5-year warranty for powered subs.
“Our executive team together brings nearly 200-years of combined experience. Add to this our deep global manufacturing and distribution relationships, vertical integration and world-class engineering, and we’ve got a line so serious that we confidently pit each model against competitors’ similar designs including those considerably more expensive,” says Kelley.
On the wireless front, KLH is bringing its VX-1 Voice-Enabled Amplified Keypad ($199) to CEDIA. This wireless amp installs into a standard gang electrical box, delivering Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with AptX functionality along with Alexa voice control, while leveraging existing speaker wires with its own 50-watt Class D amp and Hi-Res DACs to service both new and previously installed speakers. The VX-1 supports a range of formats including FLAC, DSF, APE, WAV, AIFF, and more.
AV NIRVANA will have full coverage of KLH’s new products next week.
