Help with Newly Acquired Bozak Speakers

bravo30

Bravo30
Just had the opportunity to pick up a pair of Bozak E 300 (or that is what is on the back) but not sure what version or if there has been any mods done. The cabinets are a bit rough but should clean up with a respectable sanding and staining. Any thoughts on what I have here? Thanks BTW, they sound great!20171119_190407.jpg 20171119_190420.jpg 20171119_185625.jpg 20171119_185649.jpg 20171119_185933.jpg 20171119_185846.jpg
 
Very nice.Bozaks are very nice sounding speakers.They are not going to rattle the walls with rock but put on some period music and sit back and marvel at the sound.
 
Looks like B199 woofer, B209B mids and B200Y tweeters, should sound nice. The mids and tweeters are aluminum cones. I would pull them to check for cracks, separation from the surrounds and corrosion. If everything looks good fire them up and enjoy.
 
@bravo30

Thoughts: you got a set of 300’s. Someone added a midrange, which makes them 302’s. Unsure on the cabinet... Nice speakers overall. crossover will probably need some new capacitors. Might as well look up the Tobin mods here or on Facebook.

Facebook has a active bozak group. There’s also a yahoo bozak group but it’s kinda quiet and takes awhile to join.

@drbiggles is the man when it comes to quick bozak info.
 
Thanks everyone and especially to you saltwater. The research I had done had indicated the 300's were two way and that by adding a mid would convert them to 302's. I will check out the Facebook page. After removing the grills i did find one of the tweeters was not working so I will need to find a replacement.
 
Hey man,

How did I miss this post? Dang! Please look around on the midrange and see if it's labelled B209A or B209B, which do you have? Your non-working B200Y tweeter could have a cold solder joint. Reflow the solder and check again. Do you have the hanging curtain that goes from side to side, hangs from the top? The midrange driver requires a cover over it. Use an 8" plastic flower pot lined with 1" cotton upholstery batting on the inside and the outside. This way, the backwaves from the woofer won't mess with the mid and cause confusion. It'll absolutely ruin the performance of the mid.

Pat Tobin's 10T schematic for your crossovers is required to get the best out of your drivers. It's not so much a "mod", as it is rejiggering factory setting and adding a zobel network for the tweeters.

Biggles
 
B-300 had the b199 woofers with the tweeters mounted in front of the woofer. E- 300 had the same woofer/tweeter configuration with the b-209 mid mounted directly above the woofer. Someone had to have made those cabinets because the original didn't have space on top of the mid. I've never seen Bozaks with the tweeter mounted like that. Getting them up higher will make them sound better. Woofers need a big cabinet to sound best. Mine are 12 cu/ft with the tweeters mounted on top of the cabinet. And the bass if fantastic, My main speakers and I have a great collection to choose from.
 
The later B302a Moorish had the same driver arrangement. Tweeters up higher on the baffle.

Biggles
 
Cabs look original to me. Early American style as noted by the Model number. Was that an offered style in 1963?
What does the small little logo on the fronts say?
 
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There's been some work done on these boys. After opening up both cabinets, see pictures below. Both mids are B209A but the woofers are different and so are the tweeters. the B200Y tweeters are both working but the other set (B200A?) only one is working. Regardless, they still sound pretty good.
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Hey,

Those are factory Bozak cabinets. The flakeboard is correct, the Tufflex batting is correct, the baffle is factory, and as Drugolf stated they are the Early American model.

You need to take some time to decide what you want to do. You've got a long road ahead of you if you want to get these into daily drivers with matching drivers. The tweeters with the chrome dust cap are the early paper cone B200X tweeters, these need to be replaced with the later aluminum cone B200Y tweeters. As it stands, the crossovers are built for either the X or the Y tweeters, not both. Tweeter performance between the two cabinets will not be balanced.

The B209A mids are the first iteration of the aluminum cone midranges. Unfortunately, they have a nasty cone resonance issue. At the time, instead of rebuilding them to make them right, a foam ring was installed around the surround to calm the issue. However, after 50+ years, that foam has hardened and no longer does its job. So, those mids should go in the recycle bin and the later B209B mids need to be procured and installed. Yes, there are some rumors that some have engineered modern replacements for that foam ring. But there's an inherent flaw in the driver itself, no bueno. There are also rumors floating around that it just doesn't matter, they're fine. If they were mine, they'd go in the recycle bin. It's up to you to choose your path.

The B199's don't match, you have an early 1950's version and a later one. They're both just fine, but not in the same cabinet. The early one is more efficient, it doesn't have the excursion the later models do. Your performance will vary between the left and right, not matched. Sell the older one, replace with a later Alnico 1960's version of B199.

Once you have all matching later 1960's drivers, then you can rebuild the crossovers.

Also, you absolutely must have the swinging curtain. If they do not have them, you must make one. This is a key component in the Bozak Infinite Baffle system.

Like I said, you need to decide what you would like to do with the project. You've got a long way to go if you choose to move forward.

Biggles
 
drbiggles, thanks for all that information. Considering the cabinets and grills need work as well, I am going pass on bringing them back to their full glory. I will probably put them in a relative's "barn cave" where my three nephews can enjoy the remaining amount of music left in them. :rockon:
 
drbiggles, thanks for all that information. Considering the cabinets and grills need work as well, I am going pass on bringing them back to their full glory. I will probably put them in a relative's "barn cave" where my three nephews can enjoy the remaining amount of music left in them. :rockon:

Situation handled, move on!
 
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