KLH Model 35 replacement

Wow ... where to begin. The KLH turntable/ receiver compact and speakers that you have were the rage when I was entering high school 45 years ago. I do not know how long you have owned this equipment, but if you are the original owner, an old-timer, or have owned the KLH for any appreciable amount of time, you know that stereos today are not going to sound, look, or cost like your KLH compact did in its prime. The KLH compacts were some of the premier compacts back then and performed very well. I had a SONY compact which got me through high school and college until I could afford a separates system consisting of Pioneer receiver, Dual turntable, and EPI speakers.

What type of stereo do you want:

- receiver or amplifier?
- internet radio?
- cd player or turntable or both?
- digital file playback?
- tape deck?

Is new or used an issue for you? Realistically how much do you want to spend?

To equal what your KLH set-up did back in its prime, you are looking at least $600 new (assuming basic Onkyo receiver and cd player, and PSB speakers) and it may not sound as pleasing to you as the KLH did and it certainly will not last 20 years, let alone 45 years.

Let us know a bit more information and hopefully we can point you in the right direction.

Best,

Rich

So ... this comes down to a doozie of a task ... replacing a stereo for elderly parents with something that will perform the way they remember their 'made in the USA' stereo performed.

What will make this task difficult is finding a receiver that pulls in stations as clearly as their KLH compact did back in the day.

For a receiver, I would look at something like the Yamaha R-S300 at $280. This is a receiver that people go with when they are replacing older equipment from 20 years ago. The tuner seems to get high praise. Depending on where they live, you will probably need to get a pair of rabbit ears or some other external antenna to pull in the stations strongly. Also, if you want to get them a better turntable at some point, this receiver will handle turntables with magnetic cartridges. I would guess that the replacement turntable you got for them uses a ceramic cartridge and would connect using the AUX inputs.

I would not bother with the KLH speakers only because the foam surrounding the driver units has probably rotted out and they will need re-foaming.

I would take a look at the Pioneer BS41 speakers that Amazon has discounted for $110. Yes, you can spend a lot more, but these speakers have been so well reviewed and will keep you within your budget. If you want to go with something else, try something like the PSB Alpha at $300.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Rich