Dynaco A25

marcok

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#1
What do you think about these speakers ?
600,000 units sold .
I presume that the sound is great . I would like to power them with my Marantz 2215 BL ( 15 wpc )
Sensitivity is 92 db / W . Strongly recommanded by Marantz fans for 1030 and 2215 .
Thank you in advance
Ciao
Marco
 

8991XJ

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#2
That sales number is because these speakers were No. 1 Rated by Consumer's Reports in one speaker test. They were also only 69 bucks and thousands of guys went to their local dealer with that magazine in their back pocket and said they want the A25.

Now that I have owned a couple pair, one pair SEAS drivers and one pair Scanspeak drivers, I appreciate their abilities. Although rolled off on top as many 1960's speakers are, the do sound pretty good and have very good bass for a speaker of this size. Most need to have the one electrolytic cap replace to bring back any of the high end that has been lost in that old cap.

These will never by a main rig speaker as I have found a much better small speaker for when I downsize but they are great bedroom speakers where I have used them for years. Recently displaced with the small speaker mentioned, an NHT SB3, available for about the same money as higher priced A25 which range in price from Free to nearly 300 bucks a pair. The A25 value is maybe 150. The NHT need high power they will not do well with your amps but there are some nice speakers available for the same price or less then the expensive A25s that are better. But the A25 can be very satisfying for many.

If you don't listen loud that 2215 might do a fine job with the A25 but I might like a higher powered receiver with less name brand tax such as an Onkyo, Harman Kardon, Luxman, Kenwood, Nikko. But if you need the Marantz name of blue lights, they are available, just gonna cost considerably more for the same power. The Onkyo TX-1500 (II) or TX-2500 (II) would be my choice for an inexpensive great sounding receiver. for one of similar power, I would seek out an HK 330b or 330C or a bit more power from an HK 430. But none of them have the blue lights or the name your friends will know immediately and bow to your greatness as an audio authority for owning those brands that folks pay too much to own, Pioneer, Marantz, Sansui, McIntosh. It's your money use it however you like.
 

marcok

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#3
Thank you ! Anyway Marantz 2215 is already in my hands and so I need speakers for it .
It's necessary to have high efficiency speakers not to destroy the tweeters at first clipping.
Ciao
Marco
 

62vauxhall

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#4
I bought a pair band new in 1972/73 because of their magazine hype. Did not need them but a retailer put them on sale for $75 a pair. For me, they did not compare as well to the Advent Loudspeakers I had at the time so were allocated the "B" position on my amplifier. When used in conjunction with the "A" speakers, they got drowned out and could not be heard distinctly. But on their own, pleasant to listen to, just would not play as loud as I wanted them to.

Last year I picked up a pair in a thrift store that I did not recognize at first because of it's dark grille cloth. But when I saw "Made in Denmark" on the back, I knew what they were. I took the drivers out to take the boxes to a friends workshop where I coud refinish them. I was a bit startled at how small the woofer magnets were. And that the woofer's wire terminals had come loose from the fiberboard insulator that held them. When that was done, and the wood sanded and oiled, they looked quite good and sounded OK.

I had no intention of keeping them, just could not resist the $7.99 price tag.

They went to a vintage audio retailer for $100 but were not resold right away. The owner said they were the nicest sounding pair of A25's he'd heard. But a few months later they were gone so someone bought or traded for them.

In the early 1970's what most people were likely to buy or own for amplification had low power and that was exactly the market A25's were targeted at and why they sold in the numbers they did.

The dark grille cloth of the the used pair I bought had me wondering. It did not look like a DIY job. But the only A25's I'm aware of that had dark cloth were those made in the US with a "VW" designation. I think they looked nicest with that cream / off white cloth that is more typical.
 

Gepetto

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#5
A25s are my monitors for daily listening in the lab. They are great for small spaces and deliver excellent sound. I have a mint pair that I acquired about 10 years back. Big plus is the butyl rubber surrounds instead of foam surrounds that rot out.
 
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