My room setup required speakers that could sit fairly close to the back wall, and the Model Sevens turned out to be perfect. The first time I turned them up I had that classic “Maxell blown-away guy” moment—big dynamics, deep bass, and an immersive presentation that had me running through my entire music collection as if for the first time.

I was a bit curious how their 4-ohm load rating would pair with my vintage Harman Kardon 730 Twin and was pleasantly surprised to find that it drives them effortlessly.

They look beautiful, they sound incredible, and they're much easier to drive than some might expect.

4 stars, because nothing is perfect, but these get pretty close for me. I will try my best to draw comparisons in this review between the model 5’s and the Wharfedale Lintons because that’s the speaker I have the most recent experience with and I feel like they are a reasonable competitor.

The model 5’s are a great blend of old school aesthetics with the quality and performance of modern materials and manufacturing processes. These speakers do a very important thing for me…they get out of the way and allow me to enjoy listening to music without constantly criticizing my gear.

They are not picky about placement, or, at least not in my room.

They are only fatiguing if you are playing Van Halen at concert levels in your living room, which they can do! Don’t let their size fool you, they can rock the house or allow a jazz ensemble to lull you to sleep.

They are not picky about upstream gear. I own a vintage class a/b Pioneer SA9100 and a modern class a/b Marantz 40n and the Model 5’s sound great on both. I only give the nod to the Marantz because of the modern conveniences it has on tap.

The Pioneer does not get embarrassed or blown out of the water by any means. Folks, there is nothing wrong with well maintained quality vintage amplification. It also looks cooler than 95% of the consumer level crap out there nowadays.

The speaker cabinets feel and look high quality with decent but not over-the-top bracing and damping. The veneer work looks okay for this price point but I recently sold a pair of Lintons(red mahogany) that I thought had prettier veneers with a higher degree of chatoyance. Maybe this has nothing to do with the actual quality of the veneer but the visual effect can be dazzling in the right lighting. However, the Model 5’s have little to zero chatoyance. Not really a problem, just an observation.

The treble attenuation switch is a cool feature and for my room and ears, it stays on high or “nominal”. The medium and low settings are actually where the attenuation happens.

Bass is deeper and stronger than I was expecting. This is my first acoustic suspension speaker and I’m really digging how they respond in my room. They are, in my opinion, a sonic upgrade in every single way over the Lintons. They are more detailed and revealing but not fatiguing. They are punchier and have more Oomph on kick drums, floor toms and bass drops.

Their lower profile and raked stance helps them blend into the room a little better. They look pretty damn cool with the grille clothes removed so when people come over, I take them off for visual effect. Props to KLH for putting magnetic grille clothes on these with a pull tab on the bottom for easy removal.

If you’re a non audiophile like me and just want a badass pair of speakers to elevate your listening experience…seriously consider giving these things a try. You’ll only be disappointed if you’re a super picky no-fun-having audiophile that doesn’t actually enjoy listening to music.

Well, that’s my review! Happy listening!

Big sound for a small footprint.

Great sounding speakers! Full beautiful, rich sound! And they are beautiful to look at!

I purchased a pair of model 3 almost two years ago for a review for my youtube channel elrief1. I was absolutely floored by these speakers, i never expected to hear quality detailed sound like this. The bass is amazing. These speakers will be part of my permanent collection, I have plans to purchase a pair of model 7 eventually.

Wow. These are terrific speakers. Walnut with linen grills are stunning looking. sound is rich and warm. Expansive soundstage Built to last. I have KEF LS50s and Wharfedale Evo floorstanders. These are better. I have them running with a modest setup: Integra DTM 7.4 amp, nakamichi elite 12awg cables, Sonos port, svs 3000 micro subwoofer. All lifestyle grade stuff you can buy on Amazon or such. But with the KLH 5s it's simply great. Believe the reviews, the hype. These are great speakers. Worth your hard earned money. Highly recommended.

I have been listening to my Model 5s for three and a half years now and I never get tired of them. Since then I have acquired three box sets of the remastered Mercury Living Presence series from the 1950s and 1960s. I first started listening to them almost 70 years ago on the original vinyl on monaural and then stereo systems. Mostly uncompressed, the best way to listen to these recordings is to set the volume for the quiet passages and retreat to a safe distance because things get LOUD with no distortion or clipping. Throw away any preconceived ideas about speakers and what other people tell you and give the Model 5 consideration. Aside from great sound reproduction the one thing I truly appreciate is that speaker placement does not require a team of acoustic engineers in your living space.

I am blown away by these speakers. I have listened to almost everything from totem model ones to spender A9's, I have never enjoyed a speaker as much as these .... so far

Great job KLH! I'm reviewing the KLH Kendall speakers I purchased from Crutchfield. What attracted me originally to the Kendall's was the richness of the cabinets and the overall appearance. I know this sounds like I don't have 45 years of experience when it comes to playing music but I really didn't want my speaker cabinets to be overstated. In fact, I have a dedicated listening room with some really good equipment (Krell, Sansui, Luxman, B&O, Linn) to name a few, and I didn't want my speakers to stand out, I really prefer the quietness of the look. The specs are good so I ordered my new Kendall's. I'm always amazed at how efficient and knowledgeable the great people at Crutchfield are because once again my Kendall's arrived in a few short days. (Thank You!) I'm a person who prefers to listen to the music rather than the gear which brings me back to the Kendall's. Honestly let's forget for a moment about how much, or how little these speakers cost and just focus on the outcome I wanted which is a great tonal listening experience across different genres. The fullness of the sound reminds me of my big Klipsch speakers but a smaller presence (physically) which is a good thing. And the detail of the music is on parr with speakers that are much larger and more costly. I described the sound as a very honest sound. If you have vintage gear to the latest greatest money can buy, I don't believe the Kendall's will be robbing you of great sound and the performance is well above its price point.

Everything "Old" is "New" again! Reminds me of the great acoustic suspension bookshelf speakers back in the day-EPI 100, KLH 17, Small Advent. This modern take on a classic acoustic suspension design sounds "just right" to my years. In my room they seem a bit bright in the "Hi" - neutral setting. The "Mid" setting sounds great.

During the six weeks I've had my Model Fives I have been discovering and enjoying musical details and textures on my classical, jazz, and rock CDs that were muted or missing on my previous "pretty-good" English speakers. The KLHs have renewed my appreciation for recordings I haven't played in years, and have motivated me to acquire highly-rated new and remastered ones so I can appreciate state-of-the-art as well as vintage sound.



Properly placed, the Fives make themselves "invisible" by creating a wide, deep sound stage that locates every performer in space, just as they would have been in the studio or live venue, and instruments and singers sound like they are in the room. Because my listening space has a high ceiling, hardwood floors, and large curtain-less windows, I have set the "Mid-Hi Level Switch" to the "Lo" setting which balances the sound nicely, and replaces the "edginess" of the violins in some of the earliest digital (DDD) orchestral and chamber music recordings with a sweeter tone.



The 10-inch woofer provides a realistic level of bass, although to accentuate the bottom octave on some recordings I'll be interested in auditioning the new 13-inch subwoofer that KLH is developing to match the updated versions of their legendary Model Seven and Model Twelve speakers, as well as the Model Fives.



Regarding their looks, the Fives are located in our main entertaining room, an area which my partner puts a lot of skill and taste into decorating. She was not enthused at the prospect of a couple of tower speakers in that space, but likes the size and timeless style of the Model Fives very well, as do I. With their impressive musicality and attractive appearance the Model Fives meet the needs of this household without reservation or compromise.