Dynaco A25

[jrummmer]

Hi all. I'm restoring a pair of these and am curious if anyone has ever swapped the original tweeter for the Seas 27TTFC (HO881) which seems to be the best recommended replacement and what any thoughts might be regarding sound quality. My original tweeters work fine and usually when I restore speakers I like to keep it original, but I'm concerned the very nice capacitors I bought may not be fully appreciated by the originals. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[alteclipsch]

I don't understand why the original tweeters wouldn't like the caps. Are they a different value? I'd guess it would only be a problem if it lowered the crossover point to a damaging level. Maybe there's more to it though.

 

[Blue Shadow]

That driver in the A25 has been discussed on ak. The change would lead to better more extended highs.

what nice caps did you decide to use?

 

[jrummmer]

I'm going with a 4.7 Auricap bypassed with 2 Miflex KPCU 0.15uF to give me the 5.0 uF. I know there is a vast difference in sound quality between an OK tweeter and a good one. I'm curious if anyone has done the switch and what their thoughts are. I'll try and find the discussion you refer to. THX

 

[Blue Shadow]

That is some collection of caps for the A25. Since the tweeter swap is considered an upgrade by most, give the original a listen and swap the tweeters if you feel a need to. Maybe going from old to new caps will be all you really need.

 

[HTHMAN]

IMO, swapping tweeters in a well regarded speaker is a sure way to destroy the value.

 

[wsissons]

In my opinion the a25 is what it is a speaker many enjoy including myself it's not meant to be the most accurate bookshelve there is a mountain of those it's just got a sweet sound to it that never gets boring.

 

[2526]

My a25s are a nice match with a Marantz 2230. I recently tried adding a subwoofer and it was detrimental to what I enjoy about the a25. Took it out after a few days.

 

[wallacefl]

I did not try the Seas but played around with a Morel MDT-33, OLA , and EPI 100…all sounded better to me than the originals once you change the caps to meet up with the tweeters impedance.

 

[jrummmer]

IMO, swapping tweeters in a well regarded speaker is a sure way to destroy the value.

The value is of no consequence to me. I love restoring speakers and often spend way more than they are worth trying to optimize their sound. My wife just shakes her head. Sometimes designers of speakers with early domes recommend swapping them out because the technology has advanced so far.

 

[jrummmer]

That is some collection of caps for the A25. Since the tweeter swap is considered an upgrade by most, give the original a listen and swap the tweeters if you feel a need to. Maybe going from old to new caps will be all you really need.

I think that's what I'm going to do. I like originality where possible and like you said, if I'm underwhelmed, the option exists to swap them.

 

[alteclipsch]

The above 2 posts really say it all. I've restored lots of speakers and rarely even covered the costs of caps, resistors, veneer, dope, etc, etc when I moved them along to make room for the next. Its more about enjoyment of the "work" than the nickels and dimes that come from restoring speakers that don't cost much in the first place.

 

[onwardjames]

I did not try the Seas but played around with a Morel MDT-33, OLA , and EPI 100…all sounded better to me than the originals once you change the caps to meet up with the tweeters impedance.

As a rule, I keep things stock. Swapping the original equipment, I feel you're going too "off road".

With that said, Pio1980 gifted me a forlorn and sad pair of A25's, and after much work, a recap, a rebasket of the woofers, I had some Morel MDT37's not doing anything, and slapped them in. They sound phenomenal, but as GordonW recently advised, that "horn"-ish tweeter may be stepping into the woofer's territory, so one day I'll swap the 5uf Cornell-Dublier's I got in there for some 3.3's (per GordonW's recommendation) to see if that takes out that bit of "honkiness" I hear.

The upper end is glorious, tho.

 

[HTHMAN]

The value is of no consequence to me. I love restoring speakers and often spend way more than they are worth trying to optimize their sound. My wife just shakes her head. Sometimes designers of speakers with early domes recommend swapping them out because the technology has advanced so far.

If you are doing it for the sheer enjoyment of the hobby, I am sure you can improve on the highs. Even if you sold them as is, you could not buy better woofers for the value of those speakers to builds a pair from scratch.