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Henry Kloss (February 21, 1929 – January 31, 2002) was a prominent American audio engineer and entrepreneur who helped advance high fidelity loudspeaker and radio receiver technology beginning in the 1950s.[1] Kloss (pronounced with a long o, like "close"[1]) was an undergraduate student in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (class of 1953), but never received a degree. He was responsible for a number of innovations, including, in part, the acoustic suspension loudspeaker and the high fidelity cassette deck. In 2000, Kloss was one of the first inductees into the Consumer Electronics Association's Hall of Fame. He earned an Emmy Award for his development of a projection television system, the Advent VideoBeam 1000.

Key Information

Career

[edit]

During the course of his half-century career, Kloss founded or co-founded several significant audio and video equipment manufacturing companies, most of which were located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at least during the period he was directly associated with them.

After entering MIT as a student in 1948, Kloss bought woodworking tools which he used to make enclosures in his Cambridge loft for a loudspeaker cabinet designed by an MIT professor and his grad student, the Baruch-Lang speaker. This corner speaker had four 5" drivers ("and 15 holes"), and sold for $25 (or $30 for the Deluxe Model "with a handsome frame and grill cloth").[citation needed].[2] Henry dropped out of MIT after being drafted.[2] He was assigned to work in New Jersey, and took a night course in high fidelity taught by Edgar Villchur at New York University.[2]

Kloss was an early adopter of new technology, including the transistor, Dolby noise reduction, and chromium dioxide magnetic recording tape.[2]

Acoustic Research

[edit]
Main article: Acoustic Research

Kloss co-founded Acoustic Research, Inc. (AR) with Edgar Villchur in the summer of 1954. Villchur, a former teacher of Kloss, had designed what he called the "acoustic suspension" loudspeaker, an elegant solution to the problem of bass harmonic distortion. Villchur had written and was awarded a patent for the acoustic-suspension loudspeaker system [US Patent No. 2,775,309, December 15, 1956], and had built a prototype of the design at his home in Woodstock, New York. Villchur had tried to sell the patent to both Altec Lansing and Bozak, manufacturers of large speakers at the time, but neither company was interested. Altec told Villchur, "if something like what you describe was possible, our engineers would have already discovered it".[citation needed]

After class one afternoon in the spring of 1954, Villchur and Kloss rode from New York City to Woodstock in Villchur's 1938 Buick, to allow Kloss to hear the prototype. After this, they jointly decided to manufacture the new speaker design which became known as the "AR-1", the first commercial acoustic-suspension loudspeaker system. Villchur was 100% responsible for the design and patent of the system; Kloss was responsible for perhaps 75% of the mechanical design of the speaker cabinet and system.[3]

KLH (KLH Research and Development Corporation)

[edit]
Main article: KLH (company)
The KLH Model Eight FM table radio featured a precision planetary-geared knob for tuning, excellent sound quality, and a minimalist design.

Kloss began his custom of eponymous products by lending his last name's initial to KLH as a founder in 1957, along with Malcolm Low and J. Anton Hofmann (son of pianist Józef Hofmann), who had also been investors in AR. At Cambridge-based KLH, Kloss continued to build speakers such as the classic KLH Model Five and Six, and produced one of the first small FM radios with high selectivity, the Model Eight. The KLH Nine was the world's first full range (flat from 40 Hz - 20 kHz) electrostatic loudspeaker (1960). The tweeter was mounted near the middle, with ten woofer panels occupying the remaining area. Prototypes were completed at JansZen Laboratory and put into field tests starting in 1957, and once perfected, the speakers were put into production at KLH.

Though KLH was sold to the Singer Corporation in 1964, Kloss remained at the firm for a short time to assist in the development of additional speakers and electronic music products, and the firm continued to attract design and engineering talent. In 1967, he collaborated with Ray Dolby of Dolby Laboratories to develop the lower-cost "B" version of the Dolby noise reduction system to reduce tape hiss. This resulted in the KLH Model Forty reel-to-reel tape recorder, the first appearance of Dolby technology in the consumer product market.

By 1967, Kloss had left KLH; it was eventually sold to the Japanese firm Kyocera, and production was shifted overseas. By 1979, nearly all of the original design and engineering team had left the company.

Advent Corporation

[edit]
Main article: Advent Corporation
An early stand-alone Advent Dolby noise reduction unit, for tape playback use only. Later models also supported recording on tape.

Kloss founded Advent Corporation in 1967. Around 1968, Kloss had quit KLH to develop a low-cost projection television, but had trouble financing the leading-edge research and development that was still required. To earn some money, he decided to build a high-performance, low-cost, dual-driver speaker system, "The Advent Loudspeaker".[2] A still lower-cost speaker of similar design, "The Smaller Advent Loudspeaker", was released later.

Advent designed and produced the Advent 201, the first high-fidelity cassette tape player and recorder incorporating Dolby B noise reduction.[1][2][4] The new tape recorder had a plain, prosaic appearance that downplayed its revolutionary design and capabilities. A later incrementally-improved model, the Advent 201A, featured new Sendust tape heads which were more resistant than standard permalloy heads to abrasion from high-performance chromium dioxide coated tapes.[5]

In 1972, the Advent VideoBeam 1000 was finally released, the first large screen projection color television for home use.

Kloss Video Corporation

[edit]

In 1977, Kloss founded Kloss Video Corporation (KVC) as a spin-off company. He invented the Novatron tube there, which increased the efficiency of projection TVs.[citation needed] Having pioneered large-screen video projection systems, Kloss found himself undercut by lower-cost models from Japan, and he eventually shut down his company.[1]

Cambridge SoundWorks

[edit]
Main article: Cambridge Soundworks
Cambridge SoundWorks - A Satellite speaker from a FPS2000 surround set

Cambridge SoundWorks was founded by Kloss and Tom DeVesto in 1988. That company was quite successful, producing dozens of different models of speakers. They also produced table radios and high quality speaker systems for computers. Kloss left Cambridge SoundWorks in 1997, and the company became a subsidiary of Creative Technology.[1]

Tivoli Audio

[edit]
Main article: Tivoli Audio
Henry Kloss design: Tivoli Audio PAL

Former Cambridge SoundWorks co-founder Tom DeVesto founded Tivoli Audio in 2000 to sell a new table radio which Kloss designed after a brief retirement. Tivoli made the Model One (mono) and Model Two (stereo) table radios using off-the shelf Integrated Circuits with MOSFET technology to increase selectivity; both radios have a classic appearance similar in appearance to Kloss' KLH Model Eight radio. The high-quality tuner combined with a good speaker arrangement led some reviewers to call these modern radios "Bose killers". However, the Cambridge SoundWorks Model 88 had used some similar technology, leading to a lawsuit between Cambridge Soundworks and Tivoli Audio.[6]

Design and marketing philosophy

[edit]

Very early in his career, Kloss decided to concentrate on designing audiovisual equipment which combined high quality, often with leading-edge consumer technology, with moderate pricing.[2] The external appearance of his products was strongly influenced by the minimalist Bauhaus esthetic style.

In his marketing and advertising, he emphasized both the high performance and the moderate cost of his products. To keep prices low, he often sold products via mail order, with generous trial period and return policies.[5][1]

Personal life

[edit]

Kloss was sometimes seen riding an old bicycle on the streets of Cambridge, or driving an old but durable car.[2] He usually dressed informally in well-worn clothes, and had a direct, pragmatic approach to problem-solving.[2] Old customers would sometimes drop by his house looking for long-discontinued replacement parts, which Kloss would obligingly retrieve from the basement.[1] His offices were cluttered with equipment and circuit boards, and he wore his gray hair pulled back out of the way in a ponytail.[1]

He died suddenly of a subdural hematoma on January 31, 2002.[1] He was survived by a son, two daughters, and seven grandchildren.[1]

References

[edit]
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Henry Kloss

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Henry Kloss (February 21, 1929 – January 31, 2002) was an American audio engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur best known for co-developing the , which revolutionized high-fidelity sound reproduction by enabling compact, affordable speakers with deep bass response. Born in , Kloss attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology starting in 1948 but left without a degree in 1953 to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War era, where he took courses in high-fidelity audio at . Over his career, he founded or co-founded six major audio companies— (1954), KLH (1957), (1967), Kloss Video Corporation (1977), Cambridge SoundWorks (1988), and Tivoli Audio (2000)—producing innovative products that democratized quality audio and video for consumers. Kloss's early breakthrough came at , where he partnered with Edgar Villchur to design the AR-1 loudspeaker in 1954, the first commercial model that used a sealed cabinet to control speaker cone movement for superior low-frequency performance. At KLH, he created iconic speakers like the Model Five bookshelf system and the Model Nine, the first full-range , alongside portable innovations such as the Model Eleven solid-state record player in 1964. With Advent, Kloss introduced the 201 in 1971, the first consumer high-fidelity model with B , and the VideoBeam 1000 projection television in 1972, which pioneered large-screen home viewing. Later ventures included the Novatron projection tube at Kloss Video, earning an Emmy Award in 1997 for advancements in three-CRT video projectors, and affordable speaker systems at Cambridge SoundWorks, which he helped sell to Creative Labs in 1997. Kloss's designs emphasized simplicity, value, and performance, amassing dozens of patents and earning induction into the Hall of Fame in 2000. He died in , at age 72 from a , leaving a legacy of products that remain sought after by audiophiles and collectors.

Early Life and Education

Early Life

Henry Kloss was born on February 21, 1929, in . Raised in a modest environment as a during the late and 1930s, he grew up in a tiny cabin with his mother and two sisters, which fostered his practical, hands-on approach to problem-solving and . From a young age, Kloss demonstrated precocious building skills, contributing to his family's home by adding rooms, bathroom fixtures, and , experiences that honed his mechanical aptitude in a resource-limited setting. His early fascination with emerged through self-taught tinkering with radios and , transforming his childhood bedroom in Altoona into a makeshift during and . Influenced by the era's burgeoning radio and local access to basic electronic components, he experimented with sound mechanics, dissecting devices to understand and improve audio reproduction, laying the groundwork for his lifelong passion for high-fidelity sound. These formative pursuits in a working-class community shaped his intuitive, innovative mindset before he pursued formal education.

Education

Kloss began his formal higher education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1940s, enrolling in the physics program with an expected graduation in the class of 1953. However, his studies were interrupted in 1953 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during the , leading him to drop out before completing his degree. His early-life interest in building radios and amplifiers had prepared him for this academic pursuit in physics, providing a practical foundation in . During his military service, Kloss was stationed in and pursued self-directed learning in and acoustics, including instructing basic courses for up to 40 hours a week. This hands-on experience deepened his technical skills, allowing him to apply theoretical knowledge from MIT to real-world applications in audio technology. While still in the , Kloss enrolled in a night course on high-fidelity audio reproduction at in the early 1950s, taught by Edgar Villchur, whose lectures on acoustic principles profoundly influenced his emerging interest in loudspeaker design. Following his discharge, Kloss continued self-directed studies in and acoustics through experimentation and reading, further solidifying his expertise in audio without returning to formal academia.

Professional Career

Acoustic Research

In 1954, Henry Kloss co-founded (AR) with inventor Edgar Villchur in , after Kloss, a former student of Villchur's, was impressed by the latter's prototype demonstrating superior bass performance. The company started modestly in Kloss's loft with $6,000 in initial funding—$4,000 raised by Kloss from friends and $2,000 from Villchur—aimed at commercializing the principle. This sealed-box design allowed for compact enclosures while achieving deep, low-distortion bass, marking a departure from the larger, ported systems common at the time. Kloss played a pivotal role in bringing the AR-1 to market, the world's first commercial acoustic-suspension loudspeaker, unveiled at the 1954 New York Audio Fair and beginning shipments in early 1955. He handled approximately 75% of the production design, converting Villchur's lab prototype into a manufacturable product, including educating himself to fabricate the woofer driver from scratch using a modified Western Electric 755A compression driver for the midrange. Early units were hand-assembled in small quantities for demonstration, showcasing the system's ability to reproduce low frequencies like 32 Hz organ tones with clarity. Kloss's hands-on prototyping emphasized practical innovation, relying on iterative testing and basic tools to refine components for cost-effective production at $185 per pair. Kloss left in 1956 amid business disagreements, including tensions over operational locations and company direction, after which Villchur bought out his shares. The AR-1's success had propelled AR to sell 455 units in its debut year, capturing a significant share of the emerging high-fidelity market and establishing as a foundational technology in loudspeaker design.

KLH Research and Development Corporation

In 1957, Henry Kloss co-founded the KLH Research and Development Corporation in , alongside Malcolm S. Low and J. Anton Hofmann, deriving the company name from the first letters of their surnames. The venture built on Kloss's prior experience with acoustic suspension loudspeaker technology developed at , focusing on high-fidelity audio products that prioritized accurate sound reproduction. KLH quickly gained prominence for its innovative designs, emphasizing the "Boston sound"—characterized by smooth midrange, deep bass extension, and natural tonal balance—achieved through sealed-box enclosures and high-quality drivers. Kloss led the design of several iconic loudspeaker models at KLH, including the Model Six, introduced in 1958 as a compact, portable speaker that brought high-fidelity performance to smaller spaces. This was followed by the Model Eight in 1960, a versatile bookshelf design known for its balanced dispersion and integration with radio systems. These models exemplified KLH's commitment to affordable yet sophisticated audio, with the Model Six becoming one of the best-selling speakers of its era due to its portability and rich, even tonal qualities. A landmark achievement came in 1960 with the KLH Model Nine, the world's first commercially successful full-range , featuring a large panel that delivered transparent highs and lifelike imaging without traditional cone drivers; it was designed by Arthur Janszen. KLH expanded beyond speakers into radio receivers under Kloss's direction, producing compact, high-performance FM tuners that advanced broadcast audio quality. The company introduced the Model Eight FM radio in , a tube-based design with exceptional selectivity for crowded urban bands, followed by solid-state models incorporating decoding shortly after the FCC approved broadcasting in 1961. This innovation, seen in products like the Model Thirteen multiplex adapter and the Model Eighteen all-transistor stereo tuner, allowed KLH to offer some of the earliest consumer devices capable of decoding and reproducing stereophonic FM signals with clarity and low distortion. By the mid-1960s, KLH faced growing financial pressures following its acquisition by the in 1964, which shifted priorities toward mass production and altered the company's innovative culture. Kloss departed KLH in 1967 amid these challenges, seeking greater autonomy to pursue his design vision elsewhere.

Advent Corporation

In 1967, Henry Kloss founded in , drawing on his prior experience in speaker design at KLH to establish a company focused on innovative consumer audio and video products. The company's breakthrough came in 1969 with the launch of the Advent Loudspeaker, a high-efficiency, affordable two-way design featuring a 10-inch and 1-inch that delivered deep bass and clear highs at a list price of around $70 per pair. This model became a massive bestseller, with over 500,000 units sold by the mid-1970s, praised for its performance-to-price ratio and contributing significantly to Advent's early commercial success through direct sales channels. Building on this momentum, Advent expanded into recording technology with the 201 cassette deck in 1971, the first consumer cassette deck to incorporate B noise reduction, which dramatically improved tape fidelity by reducing hiss while maintaining . Priced at about $300, it set a new standard for home cassette playback and recording, outselling competitors and solidifying Advent's reputation in high-fidelity audio. In 1972, Kloss pioneered home video projection with the VideoBeam 1000, the first large-screen system for residential use, projecting color images onto a 7-foot diagonal curved screen—far surpassing the 25-inch direct-view TVs of the era. This three-CRT projector, retailing for $2,500, earned an Emmy Award in 1973 for its technical innovation in consumer projection television. Advent's growth was fueled by Kloss's strategy of mail-order sales, which allowed direct distribution of speakers and components at lower prices, bypassing traditional retail markups and reaching audiophiles nationwide. By the late , annual revenues exceeded $30 million, but financial strains from video production costs led to Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 1981, after which the company was acquired and merged with .

Kloss Video Corporation

After departing from , Henry Kloss founded Kloss Video Corporation (KVC) in 1977 in , as a dedicated venture focused on advancing projection television technology. At KVC, Kloss invented the Novatron projection tube, an innovative design incorporating mirrored optics that significantly improved brightness and efficiency, allowing for larger home projection screens up to 10 feet diagonal; this earned an Emmy Award in 1997 for advancements in three-CRT video projectors. The company produced the NovaBeam series of projection televisions, including the Model One introduced in , followed by the Model One-A and Model Two, which aimed to deliver affordable large-screen viewing experiences for consumers seeking theater-like TV at home. This work built on Kloss's earlier Emmy-winning VideoBeam system developed at Advent, which had pioneered large-screen projection for home use. In 1979, KVC relocated its operations to to reduce costs, but the company ultimately sold its assets and dissolved in 1990 amid intense competition from Japanese manufacturers and a market shift favoring smaller, direct-view CRT televisions.

Cambridge SoundWorks

In 1988, Henry Kloss co-founded Cambridge SoundWorks with Tom DeVesto, his colleague from previous ventures at Advent and Kloss Video Corporation, in . The company started with $250,000 in initial funding from investor and focused on producing affordable, high-fidelity audio systems for the emerging market. Kloss served as director of product development, leveraging his expertise to design compact, efficient speakers that prioritized sound quality without the high costs of traditional hi-fi equipment. A key innovation under Kloss's direction was the Ensemble series, launched in 1989, which featured a dial subwoofer paired with satellite speakers optimized for PC audio playback. This system used small satellite drivers for midrange and highs above 100 Hz, with the subwoofer handling bass, creating a surprisingly full soundstage from a compact setup suitable for desktop use. The quickly gained popularity for its balance of performance and affordability, followed by variants like the Model Eleven in 1990, a more portable iteration that maintained the sub-satellite design. Over the next several years, Kloss oversaw the development of roughly three dozen products, emphasizing innovative enclosures and driver configurations to deliver high-fidelity audio at accessible prices. Cambridge SoundWorks expanded beyond in the mid-1990s, entering the home theater market with multimedia systems like the SoundWorks series introduced in December 1995, which supported for video applications. The company also ventured into portable radios, such as the Model 88, a tabletop AM/FM unit with a built-in and dual audio inputs, designed by Kloss to provide rich, wide-range sound in a compact form. This growth was supported by a shift to retail and online sales, including the opening of 30 stores across and by 1997, while upholding Kloss's commitment to affordable high-fidelity through models. Kloss retired as director of product development in April 1996 amid internal tensions with DeVesto and resigned from the board later that year. The company was acquired by in October 1997 for $10.68 per share, after which Kloss departed fully, marking the end of his direct involvement with the firm.

Tivoli Audio

In 2000, following his retirement, Henry Kloss co-founded Tivoli Audio with long-time collaborator Tom DeVesto in , marking his return to audio design with a focus on minimalist table radios. Kloss personally designed the company's inaugural product, the Model One, a compact mono AM/FM table radio introduced that same year, which featured a handmade wooden cabinet for acoustic integrity and visual elegance, paired with a simple analog tuning dial using a 5:1 geared ratio for precise station selection. The design prioritized high-sensitivity reception through a discrete-component tuner capable of locking onto distant or weak signals, while its sleek, furniture-grade aesthetics made it ideal for contemporary home interiors. Complementing the Model One, Kloss developed the Model Two as a stereo version, incorporating an additional matching wooden speaker cabinet to deliver enhanced spatial imaging and sound separation without compromising the minimalist form. Both models exemplified Kloss's philosophy of combining superior performance with understated beauty. Production of these radios under Kloss's direct oversight remained limited until his death on January 31, 2002.

Innovations in Audio and Video

Loudspeaker Technologies

Henry Kloss played a pivotal role in pioneering the principle during his time at , where he co-founded the company with Edgar Villchur in 1954 and contributed significantly to the design and production of the AR-1 loudspeaker. This innovative approach utilized a sealed in which the air inside functioned as a spring to complement the 's suspension, enabling superior low-frequency response and tighter bass from compact cabinets compared to traditional bass-reflex designs that relied on ports. Kloss personally designed and built the AR-1's from scratch, ensuring high compliance and low , which allowed the speaker to achieve a of 31 Hz to 13 kHz ±5 dB in a just under 2 . At KLH Research and Development Corporation, which Kloss co-founded in 1957, he oversaw the development of the Model Nine , introduced in 1962 as the first full-range model of its kind. This design featured a lightweight charged diaphragm suspended between perforated stators, driven by electrostatic forces to produce sound waves directly without the inertial limitations and cone breakup s common in dynamic drivers. The configuration radiated sound from both front and rear panels, providing exceptional transparency, natural tonal balance, and low across the full audio spectrum, with a radiating area of 28 square feet per speaker. Kloss facilitated this advancement by acquiring Arthur Janszen's laboratory in 1959, integrating electrostatic expertise into KLH's heritage. Kloss's Advent Loudspeaker, launched in 1967 through his newly formed , exemplified his commitment to accessible high-fidelity with a two-way system comprising a 10-inch for robust low-end extension and a high-efficiency dome for clear highs. This configuration delivered balanced, room-filling sound with a wide dispersion pattern, rivaling more expensive models like the AR-3a while costing only about $100 per pair, thanks to optimized integration and sealed cabinet that minimized resonances. Throughout his career, Kloss iteratively enhanced bass response and efficiency in subsequent designs, such as the KLH Model Five from the late , which refined with a 10-inch in a sealed for tight, extended lows reaching 42 Hz and a sensitivity of 90.5 dB, allowing efficient performance with modest amplifiers. Similarly, the Cambridge SoundWorks Ensemble, introduced in the late , employed a modular setup with compact satellites handling and highs above 100 Hz paired with dedicated bass modules to leverage acoustics for deeper bass augmentation and higher overall efficiency in small spaces, extending concert-like dynamics affordably.

Radio Receivers and Other Audio Devices

Henry Kloss made significant contributions to technology during his time at KLH Corporation, where he pioneered designs that emphasized high sensitivity and compatibility with emerging standards. In the late , as KLH was founded in 1957, Kloss oversaw the development of early FM tuners capable of handling multiplex signals, culminating in the Model Eight tabletop FM radio introduced in 1960. This model featured a hand-wired, seven-tube with exceptional selectivity and a multiplex jack for connecting external decoders, allowing users to receive the first commercial FM broadcasts that began in 1961. The design's ball-bearing tuner and vernier mechanism provided precise analog tuning, setting a benchmark for audio clarity in compact receivers without relying on later digital aids. Building on this foundation, Kloss extended his innovations to portable and solid-state audio devices at KLH, focusing on affordable amplification to broaden access to high-fidelity sound. The KLH Model Twenty-One, his final radio design for the company before departing in 1968, was a transistor-based FM tabletop unit produced from to , priced at around $80 to make quality amplification accessible to everyday consumers. It employed solid-state circuitry for efficient power use and a tuned enclosure to enhance output from its single speaker, delivering rich mono sound suitable for small spaces or portable setups when paired with batteries in later variants. This approach prioritized cost-effective components, such as generic transistors and resistors, while maintaining low distortion and strong signal handling, influencing subsequent generations of budget-conscious audio systems. At , which Kloss founded in 1967, he advanced cassette technology by integrating to elevate the format's audio fidelity. The Advent 201 , launched in 1971, was the first consumer model to incorporate B circuitry, which compresses high-frequency signals during recording and expands them on playback to suppress tape hiss by up to 10 dB in the upper frequencies. This innovation, developed in collaboration with , transformed cassettes from a low-fidelity medium into a viable alternative for and playback, rivaling open-reel tapes in clarity while using chromium dioxide tapes for improved . The deck's robust and low-noise ensured stable speed and minimal wow and flutter, making professional-grade audio more attainable. Later in his career, Kloss co-founded Tivoli Audio in 2000, where he refined analog radio design for modern simplicity and performance. The Tivoli Model One, a mono AM/FM table radio, utilized a precise analog tuning dial with a 5:1 geared ratio for fine control and a high-sensitivity internal antenna system, achieving clear reception of weak signals through discrete-component FM circuitry inspired by cellular phone technology. This design avoided digital complexity, relying instead on a long-throw driver and frequency-contouring to produce balanced sound without external boosters, embodying Kloss's philosophy of elegant, user-friendly .

Video Projection Systems

Henry Kloss pioneered large-screen video projection technology during his tenure at , introducing the VideoBeam 1000 in 1972 as the first color projection television designed for home use. This system utilized three tubes (CRTs) with rear-facing screens and collimating mirrors in a Schmidt configuration to project images onto a fixed 7-foot screen positioned 100 inches away, consuming 180 watts of power and retailing for $2,500. The design emphasized simplicity, providing a plug-and-play experience that transformed home entertainment by delivering cinematic-scale visuals from standard broadcast signals. Building on this foundation, Kloss addressed limitations in brightness and efficiency through his work at Kloss Video Corporation (KVC), founded in 1977. There, he invented the Novatron tube in 1977 (US Patent 4,365,183), a specialized CRT that employed mirrored to significantly enhance projection performance, allowing for brighter and more stable images in subsequent models like the Novabeam series. The Novatron enabled projections up to 9 feet in size with improved contrast, making large-screen TVs more viable for consumer markets by overcoming earlier inefficiencies in light output and image quality. Kloss's contributions to video projection earned him a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award in 1997 from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, recognizing his pioneering development of 3-CRT video projectors exemplified by the VideoBeam. However, early systems like the VideoBeam faced technical hurdles, including substantial heat generation from the high-power CRTs that necessitated robust cooling mechanisms, and resolution constraints inherent to CRT technology, which limited sharpness on expansive screens despite achieving substantial brightness. These challenges highlighted the innovative yet demanding nature of transitioning projection displays from professional to home environments.

Design Philosophy and Business Approach

Design Principles

Henry Kloss's design process was characterized by a hands-on, intuitive approach known as seat-of-the-pants prototyping, where he favored rapid, empirical testing over formal simulations or computational modeling. He often crafted handmade parts and assembled prototypes quickly, such as creating and evaluating a new speaker cone in as little as two hours using basic tools and materials like grocery bags mixed with dye for Advent speakers. This method allowed him to iterate swiftly based on auditory feedback, ensuring designs evolved through direct sensory evaluation rather than theoretical predictions. Aesthetically, Kloss drew on principles of , emphasizing clean lines, functional simplicity, and natural materials like wooden enclosures to create products that were both durable and visually understated. His speakers and radios, such as the KLH Model Eight with its solid cabinet, avoided ornate decorations in favor of utilitarian forms that prioritized longevity and integration into home environments. This approach reflected a commitment to quality craftsmanship, where the enclosure's supported acoustic without unnecessary embellishments. Central to Kloss's was the pursuit of the "Boston sound," a signature audio profile focused on natural, uncolored reproduction that delivered deep, rich bass alongside smooth, balanced highs for a warm and lifelike . He achieved this through careful voicing and electrical tailoring of components, testing prototypes with trusted musicians and audio experts to ensure the sound appealed to sophisticated listeners without harshness or exaggeration in any frequency range. This emphasis on tonal accuracy and distinguished his work from more analytical or bright-sounding alternatives prevalent in other regions. Kloss integrated high-fidelity performance with everyday usability by designing products that were affordable and straightforward to use, making premium audio accessible beyond elite audiophiles. He believed the true challenge lay in delivering exceptional sound at reasonable costs, as exemplified by his quote: “It’s no trick to design outstanding equipment if cost is no object. The challenge is to achieve high performance at reasonable cost.” This ethos resulted in compact, portable systems like the KLH Model Eleven turntable, which combined stereo quality with practical features for mass-market adoption.

Marketing and Business Strategies

Henry Kloss's business strategies emphasized accessibility and value, particularly through an affordable pricing model that made high-quality available to middle-class consumers without compromising on premium components. At , the original was priced at $116 per unit in walnut veneer (approximately $232 per pair) upon its 1970 introduction, offering performance rivaling more expensive competitors like the AR-3a at roughly half the cost, thus broadening the market for audiophile-grade sound. This approach continued with later ventures; for instance, SoundWorks products like the Ensemble speaker system were designed for mass appeal, combining sophisticated engineering with prices under $500 to target everyday users rather than elite enthusiasts. Kloss pioneered direct mail-order sales to enhance distribution and build trust, a tactic he refined across his companies. During his early days with Baruch-Lang speakers and later at SoundWorks, founded in 1988 with Tom DeVesto, products were sold via catalogs, allowing customers to purchase without visiting stores. To mitigate purchase risks and encourage adoption, SoundWorks implemented a 30-day , enabling in-home evaluation and refunds for unsatisfied buyers, which fostered loyalty and expanded reach beyond traditional retail. Marketing efforts under Kloss prioritized demonstrations over technical specifications, focusing on experiential engagement to highlight real-world performance. At Advent, the "dealer-as-partner" model empowered retailers to conduct in-home trials and store demos, convincing consumers through rather than hype, which drove widespread adoption in the 1970s. This demo-centric philosophy persisted at Cambridge SoundWorks, where the 30-day trial policy effectively served as an extended home audition, emphasizing subjective listening experiences to differentiate products in a specs-driven industry. Strategic partnerships and acquisitions played a key role in scaling Kloss's ventures. A notable example was Cambridge SoundWorks' 1997 acquisition by Creative Labs, which integrated Kloss's compact speaker designs into the computer audio market, leveraging Creative's distribution for multimedia applications and boosting global sales while allowing Kloss to pursue new projects like Tivoli Audio.

Personal Life and Legacy

Personal Life

Henry Kloss maintained a long-term residence in , where he spent much of his adult life immersed in his work and . Despite his professional success, Kloss led an unassuming lifestyle, often seen riding an old through the streets of or driving a durable but aging car, and he typically dressed in casual, informal attire that reflected his practical and modest nature. This humility extended to his limited public persona, as he prioritized his inventive pursuits over personal publicity, maintaining a low profile even as his innovations gained widespread recognition. Kloss was married to Jacqueline Sweeney Kloss, who passed away in 2001. He was survived by one son, David Kloss of ; two daughters, Margot Rothmann of , and Jennifer Hummel of ; and seven grandchildren. His personal interests were deeply tied to audio experimentation, a passion that began in childhood when he tinkered with radios in his bedroom to enhance sound quality, continuing as a lifelong hobby separate from his professional endeavors.

Death and Legacy

Henry Kloss died on January 31, 2002, in , at the age of 72, from a . Two years prior, in 2000, Kloss was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Association's Hall of Fame as one of its first 50 members, recognizing his pioneering contributions to consumer audio and video technologies alongside figures such as and . Kloss's enduring influence on the audio and video industries stems from his popularization of loudspeaker technology, co-developed in the AR-1 speaker of 1954, which delivered deep bass response in compact enclosures and became a cornerstone of modern hi-fi design. He also advanced affordable high-fidelity audio through products like the KLH Model Six and , making rich, full-range sound accessible to mainstream consumers, and pioneered large-screen home projection television with the 1972 Advent VideoBeam system, which projected images onto a 7-foot diagonal screen (51.5 by 68.5 inches) using three tubes. His emphasis on practical, cost-effective innovation influenced subsequent brands, including Bose, by setting standards for smooth, clean "Boston sound" in home entertainment systems. Posthumously, Kloss's designs continue to garner recognition in vintage audio communities for the signature "Kloss sound"—characterized by its warm, balanced tonal quality and utilitarian elegance—with collectors actively restoring and trading early , KLH, and Advent products. His final contributions at Tivoli Audio, including the Model One radio, served as a capstone to his career, blending minimalist with high-performance audio that echoed his lifelong . As of 2025, the KLH brand was acquired by Victrola, resulting in new product releases that revive and honor Kloss's original innovations in affordable high-fidelity audio.

References

  1. https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V50_3_PG212.pdf
  2. https://www.mmone.org/henry-kloss/
  3. https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/cambridge-soundworks-inc
  4. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/cheshire-innovation
  5. https://pmamagazine.org/de-kloss-ified-decoding-the-genius-of-henry-kloss/
  6. https://www.gammaelectronics.xyz/audio_02-1992_kloss.html
  7. https://www.stereophile.com/content/henry-kloss-dead-72
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  10. https://www.aes-media.org/historical/html/recording.technology.history/villchur.html
  11. https://www.stereophile.com/content/glorious-time-ars-edgar-villchur-and-roy-allison
  12. https://klhaudio.com/blogs/klh-blogs/a-brand-reborn-klh-audio
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  14. https://www.soundandvision.com/content/reviving-classic-rebirth-klh-audio
  15. https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1640-klh-model-five-loudspeakers
  16. https://community.classicspeakerpages.net/topic/2399-klh-history-updatemodel-six/
  17. https://janszenaudio.com/pages/klh-nine
  18. https://www.soundandvision.com/content/klh-model-nine-rides-again
  19. https://antiqueradio.org/KLHModelEight8FMRadio.htm
  20. http://www.antiqueradio.com/Jun05_Hayden_KLH.html
  21. https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=7897
  22. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/henry-kloss
  23. https://community.classicspeakerpages.net/topic/2485-henry-kloss-designs/
  24. https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/the-advent-loudspeaker/
  25. https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/hi-fi-history-henry-kloss-pioneering-advent-loudspeaker/
  26. https://positive-feedback.com/Issue16/advent.htm
  27. https://www.soundandvision.com/content/advent-videobeam-1000-projection-system
  28. https://www.retroist.com/p/videobeam-and-novabeam-televisions-and-henry-kloss
  29. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/05/business/henry-kloss-72-innovator-in-audio-and-video-dies.html
  30. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/02/07/henry-kloss-72/
  31. https://www.inc.com/magazine/19811001/8149.html
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  35. https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/cambridge-soundworks-inc-history/
  36. https://www.hifi-classic.net/review/cambridge-soundworks-ensemble-256.html
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  38. https://www.zippia.com/tivoli-audio-careers-427077/history/
  39. https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0305/tivoli.htm
  40. https://tivoliaudio.com/products/model-one-classic-retro-am-fm-table-radio
  41. https://www.crutchfield.com/p_582M1CLA/Tivoli-Audio-Model-One-Walnut-Beige.html
  42. https://tivoliaudio.com/blogs/news/featured-stories-celebrating-20-years-of-tivoli-audio
  43. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/400445-REG/Tivoli_M2BLK_Model_Two_AM_FM.html
  44. https://www.stereophile.com/content/fifth-element-85
  45. https://www.antiqueradio.com/Oct06_Hayden_Acoustic.html
  46. https://hifigoteborg.se/pdf/all_ar_spec.pdf
  47. https://www.stereophile.com/content/klh-model-five-loudspeaker
  48. https://antiqueradio.org/KLHModelTwentyOne21FMRadio.htm
  49. https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/tape-noise-reduction
  50. https://patents.justia.com/inventor/henry-e-kloss
  51. https://www.twice.com/news/henry-kloss-72-industry-legend-innovator-dies-27912
  52. https://maarc.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/Monthly_Mtg_Presentations/Henry_Kloss-Audio_Innovator.pdf
  53. https://www.stereophile.com/content/advent-loudspeaker-specifications
  54. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/19/arts/sound-henry-kloss-s-mail-order-speakers.html
  55. https://www.stereophile.com/content/cambridge-soundworks-ambiance-loudspeaker
  56. https://klhaudio.com/blogs/klh-blogs/the-top-ten-most-influential-speakers-of-the-last-50-years
  57. https://www.courant.com/1996/09/19/home-theater-speaker-set-proves-great-things-come-in-small-packages/
  58. https://audioxpress.com/news/victrola-now-owns-legendary-audio-brand-klh-audio
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