Dynaco A25 WV Speakers

[glend123]

I recently picked up these speakers at an estate sale for $10 a piece. Replaced the caps in all of them. they sound much better now.

I can't stand to look at the cheap, damaged cabinets any more, so I'm building a new set to drop all the components into. I'l post some pics of those also.

here are some pics for reference, the speakers are different than the typical Dynaco's that I've seen.

 

[glend123]

More pics

 

[enzoazul]

This is when Dynaco switched production to the US from Denmark. They went with a cheap Vinyl Walnut cabinet instead of wood veneer. Great speakers that definitely deserve a nicer cabinet.

 

[swechsler]

I have a set that looks exactly like yours, and I agree, they are awful-looking. I was using them as basement/workshop speakers for a while but these days they're just sitting on a shelf.

 

[glend123]

Yes the speakers are so cheap, the particle board just crumbles, and that is in the undamaged spots, here are some pics of my new cabinets in progress.
I just moved into a house with a much larger work shop, I've been waiting a long time for the room to do a project like this. The previous owner left me some wood in the shop, so I'm using this 3/4" baltic birch plywood. I purposely cut the 45's like this so the clamps would pinch the corners closed for a tight fit.

 

[glend123]

I have a lot of pics of the speakers and cabinets in case anyone wants to see a close up of something.
I'm thinking of future proofing these to drop in modern components if something fails. I found replacement tweeters but have not seen a recommended 10" woofer.
Anybody know of a good one?

 

[swechsler]

Replacing the woofers properly is going to be tough due to the aperiodic vent. I don't know if any speaker design software can model it. You'd probably be talking about a redesign to either acoustic suspension or bass reflex. Best to leave it as-is; there are enough of these woofers around.

 

[enzoazul]

Though the seas drivers look cheap and dinky, they’re really quite special. I haven’t seen anybody able to pull off any kind of an updated A-25 for less than a couple grand.

 

[RTally]

I have a lot of pics of the speakers and cabinets in case anyone wants to see a close up of something.
I'm thinking of future proofing these to drop in modern components if something fails. I found replacement tweeters but have not seen a recommended 10" woofer.
Anybody know of a good one?

So, you are making new cabinets (good job, btw), using different tweeters, and looking for different woofers. Sounds like you are making a new pair of speakers that are not Dynaco A25 speakers. The magic of the Dynaco speakers are the drivers and the design/configuration of the cabinet with its aperiodic vent.

I like your original idea of duplicating the cabinets and using the original drivers (and the aperiodic port materials).

 

[Robie]

I concur with RTally. New cabinets are fine. The woofer/tweeter/xover combo of the A25 is special provided you enclose them in a cabinet that mimics the original. I sort of like the grille cloths in the VWs. I've heard a pair and they sound identical to the walnut A25s after a recap.

 

[Lavane]

I have a lot of pics of the speakers and cabinets in case anyone wants to see a close up of something.
I'm thinking of future proofing these to drop in modern components if something fails. I found replacement tweeters but have not seen a recommended 10" woofer.
Anybody know of a good one?

If the woofers are damaged you can send them off to be rebuilt. Surrounds, spiders, even new coils can be reproduced. The cost is cheaper that you would think. If the domes are good on the tweeters new coils can be made for them as well if needed.

 

[BAWSME]

Wow, love the look of those. Wish I could hear them. I never knew such model existed and I’m always amazed how many models of vintage speakers there are, yet to be discovered.

 

[glend123]

So, you are making new cabinets (good job, btw), using different tweeters, and looking for different woofers. Sounds like you are making a new pair of speakers that are not Dynaco A25 speakers. The magic of the Dynaco speakers are the drivers and the design/configuration of the cabinet with its aperiodic vent.

I like your original idea of duplicating the cabinets and using the original drivers (and the aperiodic port materials).

I am planning on using the original components. I was just thinking about what if something breaks in the future, but it looks like ebay has a selection of the woofers if needed.

 

[glend123]

Since I can locate the tweeters where I want on these new cases, should I make a left and right pair?
Laying it out now.

 

[elitopus]

Yeah why not make them mirror imaged since you can.

 

[ra.ra]

I'm using this 3/4" baltic birch plywood

Beautiful cabinet work thus far. Just my $0.02, but I think the tight plies of baltic birch are so attractive, you might consider no edge veneer on the 3/4" dimension.

 

[glend123]

Beautiful cabinet work thus far. Just my $0.02, but I think the tight plies of baltic birch are so attractive, you might consider no edge veneer on the 3/4" dimension.

That's funny, I was just looking at birch edge banding on the woodcraft website. I agree the edges look cool, but probably not for this project.

 

[ra.ra]

I agree the edges look cool...

They will look great either way you do it, but here is the pair of speakers I was thinking about. This is a pair of beautiful and robust reconstructed AR-4x's fabricated by some wonderful Asian audio aficionado madmen who happen to love AR speakers.

 

[glend123]

Well, this took longer than I expected. All day to cut out the speaker holes. A lot of time spent fiddling around with my home made circle jig and setting the depth correctly. First time using this plunge router also. I set it up to ALMOST cut through so the plug didn't break loose, then cut it off with my Exacto knife. Next up is the edge banding.
For now this is more of a DIY topic, but will get back to the speakers themselves soon.

 

[WaynerN]

These are my CDB A25XLs with new mirror image cabinets made to my specifications. Wood is teak, made in 2008 I think.