In Memory of Henry Kloss

I remember a story that I am not quite old enough to confirm. When I bought my first pair of Large Advents, I was told that Advent, under Henry Kloss's leadership, had bought back one of its early products from every purchaser who wanted a refund after Advent discovered that it did not perform as well as Kloss thought it should perform. [I think this was an early cassette deck. model 200 perhaps?] Can anyone confirm this story?

Even if that story is not true, it is certainly true that when I sold Advent speakers in 1973, the company would send us woofers and tweeters and tell us to replace any blown driver. The customer did not have to produce a receipt or anything else. The speaker was to be fixed, and fixed for free. Talk about standing behind your products!

Henry Kloss was a hero.

Memoboy, I believe your story has roots. While the store I was a part of sold Advents..there was never a question as to replacement drivers.

For speed and sonic merit, the Advent voicecoil wires were light and quick to move..but would not stand up to some of the head-bangers that used them. Advent would replace the drivers even when user damage was obvious.

Little know was Henry's (as well as many others at Advent) excellent taste in what were great demo recordings. Some of the early LP's that Advent suggested for demo's are still some of the best of recorded music.

My kids' pediatrician has one of the original little KLH table radios in the waiting room. The nurse looks at me unusually when I turn up the volume and tune it to the local rock station, but I can never resist. There is a special feeling of quality I always get when I turn that tuning dial those table units have, as did the old turntable/FM combo I bought second hand (model 11 or 12?). I never thought about it before but I have purchased, enjoyed and still have more Henry Kloss audio products than any other.
Guess I want to say thanks,
George

Yes, I sold Advents as well in the early '70s. I think one of our most popular systems was a pair of Larger Advents (vinyl finish), Sansui 2000(A) or 4000 receiver, depending on your budget, and a Dual turntable, maybe a CS-1209, and make that a Shure M91E thrown in for free.

I also remember the Advent 200 but even better was the 201 cassette deck. I could play Advent's own real time produced Dolby B commercial cassette tapes. Wow and flutter, always the buggaboo with cassettes, was finally acceptable as it was the lowest available. I could astound people and even myself by playing the Solti Mahler 5th, licensed from London records and freak people out with the bass drum. The CD actually still sounds pretty decent. I have it mainly to remind me of those halcyon times.

Regarding warranty, I recall the Advents having a 5 year parts and labor warranty and they honored it, big time, no questions asked. Maybe that's why they came out with the powdered, err, powered Advents.

I bought my first KLH product in 1966 in New York City while on tour with an opera company and it kept me company through many a night on the road that year, a Model 21 table model FM only mono radio. It took up plenty of space in my Samsonite suitcase but I didn't mind even one pound. I still have it here on my desk and it plays like a dream, which, of course, it sort of is. I had to have the power cord replaced sometime in the '70s!. My dad owned a pair of KLH 6s I believe. I think I owned a pair of AR-4s, the smallest of the AR line, as used speakers, but by that time technology had moved on.

Henry Kloss was one of a kind. R.I.P.

Although I came of audio age after Mr. Kloss' influential heyday, I grew up in a house with the Advent table radio in the kitchen. I used to play it every night while I did my dishwashing duty, and believe me, I took as much time washing those dishes as I possibly could, since it was homework afterward. To this day, I think I can truthfully say that I have spent more time in my life listening to that amazing little radio than to any other one piece of audio gear. It's been over 15 years since I moved out, but I was just over to my Dad's last night, and listened to the 400 with pleasure - it's still there, still sitting where it always has for close to 30 years, still making music, acoustically suspended in time.