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I'm casually looking infor a nice (nonfatiguing) pair of speakers; my fancy is for one of these two, based on Internet 'research' ;) ... the Snell K's I'm stipulating as only the Peter Snell design, not later Kevin Voecks iterations. I'm tired of most modern, 'audiophile' designs (why is everything so *bright*?) So: comment if you will, if you've heard A25's and Type K's ...!
(Note: my amp is a Naim Nait XS2)
Follow Ups:
Yesterday was fun.
Type K's: cool speakers! Smooth tweeter, slightly recessed mids, nice groove.
A25's: I really liked them. Wow, in fact. They sounded amazingly like I *expected* them to sound, given the Web postings and articles I've read: gently rolled-off treble, slightly dipped presence band, punchy (but not deep) bass. Every disc I threw at them sounded great, even the spiky-sounding ones. The only reason I didn't buy them on the spot was, they had aftermarket woofers (not SEAS.) I still need to audition a pair of stock A25's.
There you go, that's my story! Big fan of the Danish classics.
New SEAS A26 kits are available, as are replacement woofers.
One big advantage to DIY: Tweaking the treble balance yourself.
If you really liked the A25 you heard, and the price is right, why not buy them?
I wouldn't chase perfection in audio gear. Perfection is a will o' the wisp you'll never catch. Instead, focus on good gear that YOU enjoy. It seems you found just what you were looking for.
Again, if the price is fair, I'd buy them. Who cares who made the woofers? Think about how much these will help you enjoy your music library. If nothing else, these will keep you calm while you save up for nicer speakers and, so long as you don't blow them up, after a few years you'll likely be able to sell them for close to what you paid for them. That's part of the joy of used equipment.
JE
"A difference which makes no difference is no difference at all." - William James
I have to say -- that is wise advice. The whole point *is* to have gear that facilitates enjoying music. Thanks for confirming my instinct!
Given the fact (as Jaundiced Ear pointed out) that all things must pass - including crossover components and drivers - I think I am going to use this weekends' A25 and K auditions merely as informational (and fun, of course!) The place with the A25s also has a very clean pair of AR2ax, which I shall bend my ear with.If I decide I like the A25 vibe, I'll probably look into the Madisound kit. If the Snell Type K wins, then maybe look into getting some entry-level Audio Note Ks at some point.
Edits: 08/30/16 08/30/16
As much as I love the A25 I do have to agree that speakers are not immortal. The kit would be your best consideration. The new production woofer (again this IS where the magic is on these) really shows how tired a speaker can get after 50 or so years. And truth be told the original tweet was good for it's time. But new material technology takes the replacement tweeter well into the modern age.
Go have some fun and post your reviews.
... woofer.Does anyone (SEAS...?) still make a 10" replacement woofer for A25 specifically, that fits the original A25 hole? The A25's I'm looking at on Saturday have replacement woofers that are concentrically "ribbed" ... *not* stock, I'm assuming.
Edits: 08/30/16
You really cannot expect anything good from aftermarket woofers in an A25. The beauty of the original A25 sound lies in the Seas woofer. If you heard another woofer you haven't heard Dynaco A25!
Why not email SEAS directly? Perhaps they could set you up with new drivers and crossovers so you can effectively buy the enclosures at a discount? Remember to factor in these additional costs when making your offer on the original Dynacos.
I hate to break it to you, but speakers are not immortal. Crossover parts age and dry out. Driver suspensions and spiders begin to fatigue and rot. Even diaphragms and wires will fail eventually. Heck, the glue used to hold the enclosure together and the veneer to the enclosure will eventually fail.
There is simply no way to go into a time machine and buy a brand new 1970s product while paying 1970s prices, much less a discount on 1970s prices.
That said, you could always buy a new, modern speaker and hang some tissue paper in front of the tweeter to reduce excess "brightness."
All the best!
JE
"A difference which makes no difference is no difference at all." - William James
I have a pair of the A25 replacement woofers that are about three years old. However you live in the UK and shipping is going to be expensive.
look for speaker DIY sites. Many of them carry the original A25FE-W or the A26Rex that is I think 1cm wider. Small enough that you can cobble it in.
If the ones you are looking at are replacements go for the Snells.
i owned a25s and then stacked a25s and then i added a tweeter above 10kHz. the a25s are soft and prominent in the bass and stacked they are even fatter.
i reduced the fatness with a 5 band metrotec eq and the tweeter added air that just wasn't there with the stock tweeters so adding above 10k was just right.
i only wish i had a chance to try the snells. i will sayt that a pair of Fried model Qs would probably sopund better than either.
...regards...tr
Thanks all!
Two different places that have used gear in my area, one has the Snells, t'other the A25s. Hoping to audition both when I go on holiday next week. I have zero skills with soldering iron, tools, etc. so would leave any fixing-up to the folks at the shop. As per Mortsnets, that's exactly what I'm after: speakers that'll play nice with the amp I've already got (Nait XS2).
That kit looks tempting, but more $$ than I have right now; plus I'd have to find someone to do the actual work.
Both are in the capacitor upgrade stage. But do audition and choose what suits your taste. However that is soldering 101 made simple so don't worry about that.
enjoy the holiday and we look forward to reading YOUR reviews.
They are available at such reasonable prices buy them both.
If forced to pick I would choose the Dynaco: less picky about amplification and placement and really good midrange.
I would add the KEF 103.2 to your list.
I have had both the Snell KII and the 103.2's...both very musical. They both well with a GOOD sub, too
That is an excellent point about the A25. It's an amazingly adaptable speaker. I've used it with tube gear, solid state gear, cheap gear, gee whiz it just doesn't care what's in front of it.
If you have the cash I would go for the kit. If you do buy an original version the A25 woofer is now the A26 woofer. The ONLY difference is the A26 is 1cm wider - why??? Or I have two of the new original production A25s sitting around. The tweeter replacement is the Seas 27TDFC at around $57. the best buy in audio today!!!!
As for crossover parts I think there is one tweeter capacitor and a resistor. The woofer just used a 0.8mH coil or just ran open.
You would have to clean up all the inside contacts and clean up the Lpad tweeter selector switch.
The A25 is a classic
Do you really have a source for either one of these speakers? As best I can figure, both models were discontinued 30 or more years ago. I would be hesitant to buy a speaker of that vintage unless I was confident I could rebuild the crossovers and drivers.
I think Airtime makes a good point below about building your own "A25" using the kit from Madisound. It would be a fun way to kill a Saturday and the Madisound enclosures look nicer than the original Dynacos. (Note the Madisound enclosures add $370 to the price, which is fair unless you have a wood shop and know cabinet making.)
You'll likely want some stands as well. If you truly want that retro '70s engineering student look, some cement blocks will work well.
JE
"A difference which makes no difference is no difference at all." - William James
My vote is with the A25. That Seas woofer was just magic. Even to this day there are few woofers that can sound as good as that one and maintain the range it does. A perfect 10" woofer design and 1" dome tweeter.
The Snell has a 8" cone so the midrange would be "tighter" but with less bottom end. Not that the midrange is lacking in the A25.
Also consider the kit form over at Madisound. The newer A26 driver is the same just a beefier basket frame making it "tighter". Hey there ya go! I prefer the 27TDFC tweeter the best only because I've built a few of them and they are as close to the original as possible. I have not heard the new tweeter they offer with the kit.
But a speaker that is still mentioned 60 years after it was made must have done something right.
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