Henry Kloss & Dolby Labs

[Doc Holiday]

This is the most pathetic thing I've read in a while.... While in the forum I saw some discussion over Dolby and DTS so I did a little research on Dolby Labs. I think I may have a couple of theory's on why DTS sounds better. If you are all unaware of who Henry Kloss is, I shall explain.... FIRST the good.... As a Pioneer of Cleaner better sound, he decided to become a designer and technition for Dolby Labs and in i think 1968 he and his partners released Dolby noise cancellation A & B to the world. This is rather impressive since at the time obviously..... Good Sound standards were a lot lower. SECOND and now for the bad.... Henry Kloss is also the founder of KLH.... I firmly believe that KLH is the worst sounding crap on the face of the earth. They are worse than bose, sony sound, cerwin vega's low end stuff... etc. So through time I think that KLH sound has somewhere been mixed in with the sound of DOLBY DIGITAL, ad whereas DTS as far as I know so far has never been polluted with the disgusting distortion of KLH.... Just a thought.... i found it interesting, and I honestly think that my theory may be true, because as argued DD doesn't have the full bodied sound or as good of a sound stage or is cold compared to the live warmth of DTS.

[Deang]

Strange post. Where did you dig up this info?

As far as I know, Kloss NEVER worked as a tech for Dolby Labs. He actually never had anything to do with Dolby directly, but instead transformed the Cassette medium by figuring out how to incorporate Dolby B Noise Reduction in the Advent Model 200 Cassette player. Before that time, the cassette wasn't really taken seriously as a medium for music.

Kloss and Villchur invented the AR-1 together -- the first acoustic suspension loudspeaker, and so deep bass from a small box was realized.

With KLH he designed the Model 8 radio, and the first successful audio product to use transistors -- the model 11.

Early KLH speakers were excellent, and the modern day company has nothing in common with the KLH of the 60's.

The Original Advent loudspeaker he designed, STILL embarrasses half the stuff that is out there.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/edcorner/kloss_e.html

[justin_tx_16]

he does make a decent table top radio though.

[lynnm]

DOC

I don't know waddddahell y'all been smoking boyo! Whatever it it is I Don't Want Any - And in my younger days I even inhaled !!

While it is fair to say that KLH and Acoustic Research Speakers are not in the same league as the higher end Klipsch's - They are far from being the worst speakers ever made ! In fact I believe that Henry Kloss probably made it possible for you to enjoy the Klipsch speakers you enjoy today !

I would suggest that were it not for Henry Kloss's Development of the acoustic suspension speaker system - ( Kloss did not invent the Acoustic Suspension concept but did refine/redefine that concept and make it acoustically and economically viable. The first patent for what amounts to an acoustic suspension dates back to somewhere in the late 20's/early 30's.) - The Audio industry as a whole would not have grown nearly as quickly as it has in the last 35 to 40 years. Had the industry not grown reasonably rapidly I suspect that many high end speaker manufacturers, ( including Klipsch) , would either no longer exist or would simply have never come into being.

The AR line and its imitators/competitors made quality sound mainstream. Then as now there were/are essentially Four main types of audio buyers in reverse order of population:

Hard-Core Audio/ and or Status Freaks:

This is the domain of the audio obssessed for whom cost is irrelevant. These folks will spend more on audio than most of us would spend even if we could afford to do so -

Yes Virginia there is a $1,000,000.00 speaker system and you can spend a few million more on the electronics and the room to hear it in !

Audiophiles:

Those who understand that the possibility exists for well recorded music to be reproduced at something very near to the original performance. - Still Damned expensive.

Audiophile Wannabees ,( AKA Hi-Fiers ) :

The listener who appreciates decent sound and is able/willing to spend more than the average listener for Hi-Fi sound. Many of these folk graduate to better equipment because the mid-fi equipment they hear/buy gives them a taste of what might be.

The Rest:

Henry Kloss and Edgar Vilcher et al were initially instrumental in vastly increasing the size of the Hi-Fi segment of the market. In addition, the speakers that they produced were good enough to be acceptable to a number of wannabe audiophiles who simply could not afford the cost of the high end speakers that were available but could - usually painfully - afford the sound that decent AS speakers driven by SS amps could provide. That sound was inarguably better than most of those folks had ever heard previously and even the more sophisticated listeners now found that the AS/SS combination put audiophile class sound within reach.

The effect of all of this was that the pursuit of quality sound in the home became more mainstream than ever. The acoustic suspension designs of Kloss,Villchur et al provided the impetus that made quality audio the force that it is today.

I do not suggest that most of today's listeners are audiophiles but I do suggest that a much larger proportion of listeners are interested in decent sound than was the case prior to about 1960. I believe that Henry Kloss, Edgar Villchur and their colleagues deserve a large portion of the credit for that change.

Text edited to correct spelling of Edgar Villchur's name and also to credit Edgar Villchur as being equally important to Henry Kloss in the development and popularisation of acoustic suspension speakers in the 60's and onward.

[Stig]

Sadly,I believe Mr. Kloss passed on to HI-Fi Heaven this past year.

I enjoyed my Large Advents in near-field listening for many years. But after you get big horns in your ears YOU CAN'T GO BACK...

[justin_tx_16]

Yes he did. He had a partnership with the Tweeter Corp. right before his passing.

[djk]

KLH tanked many years ago, they didn't last too long after Kloss left to form Advent.

Somebody bought the corpse so they could use it to push garbage and get name brand recognition.

Kind of like Pyramid Car Stereo buying Lanzar and Pyle.

[dkbks]

Yes, do not put Mr. Kloss down.

My first foray into quality audio was the Kloss designed KLH model 11 - I had the portable "suitcase" style that went from place to place with me as a student. It was terrific for parties where it would blow away the record players of the '60's & 70's. When I sold it (to a young college student who was thrilled to get it), I replaced with it with a home system with the Smaller Advent speakers - also with Kloss's hand in the design. KH never stayed long with any one company. He moved on from KLH to Advent to being instrumental in the development of projection TVs. Those Advents were used for many years until replaced by my Cornwalls.

[Invidiosulus]

I think you may be a little off on that one Doc.

The normally credited reason for DTS sounding superior to DD5.1 is the FACT that DTS usually uses a data rate of 1.5Mbps as opposed to the 640Kbps which is the maximum stated data rate for DD5.1

DTS and DD5.1 are both compression codecs just like mp3 or WMA.

DTS was first released on Jurassic Park

DD5.1 was for film AND hdtv broadcast.

For information on DTS and DD5.1 look here

http://www.dolby.com/

and here

http://www.dtsonline.com/

Oh well just my 2 cents(gets off of soapbox)

Peace, Josh