
Internal damping is supplied by a soft foam chosen for its acoustic properties. Internal struts and a transverse rib add strength and form an airtight seal when the case is closed with its four heavy-duty, toggle-locking latches.

The BassCase holds a single 7-inch, long-throw acoustic-suspension woofer. Called the Bass-Case, it measures 19-1/2x 16-1/2 x 6-1/4 inches and is made of a composite material with a 5/8-inch-thick rigid foam core and outer layers of high-strength, luggage-grade plastic.
#Cambridge soundworks cd player portable#
Noting that a pair of small powered speakers and a portable CD player together occupy about the same volume as an acoustic-suspension woofer enclosure, he designed a carrying case of an appropriate size. Kloss set out to design a portable system compatible with the sound quality and dynamics of today's digitally recorded music. And its sound quality, which lacked the deep bass of a good home system, was also not good enough to satisfy a serious listener or to do justice to CD's. Although a portable CD player and a couple of small powered speakers could fit into a suitcase, the combination was not convenient to carry, set up, and repack for transportation. (Even KLH produced several variants designed for fixed use in a home.)Īs Cambridge SoundWorks tells it, Henry Kloss wanted to enjoy good music while on a recent vacation. Ideal for children's rooms and college dormitories as well as a convenient portable music source, it was not only a successful product in its own right but also inspired a host of "compact" music systems from many other manufacturers. The KLH 11 made no claim to high-fidelity performance, although it was a very respectable "mid-fi" system for its time. The complete $199 system weighed 26 pounds, qualifying it as portable if not exactly a featherweight. The amplifier had conventional bass, treble, and balance controls as well as a pair of auxiliary input jacks with a switch to select the desired source.

The original Model 11, advertised as a "stereo phonograph in a suitcase," consisted of a four-speed record changer, a low-power stereo amplifier (7-1/2 watts per channel), and two detachable speakers. The Cambridge SoundWorks Model Eleven transportable component music system is a direct descendant of designer Henry Kloss's KLH Model 11, which was very popular in the 1960's.
