Looking for a significant upgrade from Dynaco A25 speakers

[tomlinmgt]

Thank you tomlinmgt, I will dig deeper.

Simple tracks with not a lot going on like the tunes listed below are really good.:

Joe Satriani - 1995 CD - Down, down,down
Black Sabbath - CD - Cross purpose - Dying for love

System gets congested:

Dixie Dregs - Im freaking out
Within Temptation - Raise your banner

Just listened to the DD tune and yeah, there’s a lot happening there...at least half a dozen different instruments, sometimes playing simulataneously, double bass drums, note heavy passages throughout the song...that’s a lot of work for two drivers in a small-ish cabinet playing in a large-ish room. But it’s sort of a dry recording, and the lows don’t go real deep, quite unlike that WT tune which has a lot more dynamic spread with some pretty deep LF content (well into the 30’s), more sonic complexity and layering that has a good bit of processing behind it... so it presents a different kind of challenge for the A25’s. This type of music is all about scale and being able to handle a lot going on at once with the ability to stop and start on a dime (transients) and a 2-way bookshelf in a large-ish room simply WILL NOT present scale and deal with all that complexity without showing some strain. It’s all dictated by the laws of physics.

Good tunes. That was a fun listen.

Oh and I’m in the small room but am using DCM TF600’s w/ an SVS 12” sealed sub (at very low output and rolling off at 50 Hz). Amp is the 30wpc F5 clone.

 

[guest139]

It may not be the speakers ..
Lack of separation between the instruments is a symptom of a lack of power ..
The Dynaco is a fine sounding speaker, but you'll never hear what it's capable of with limited power ..and the NAD isn't specced for much reserve power ..
Take them to the stereo shop and hook them up to a high current power amp and see if they sound better to you ..
Then you'll have a better idea whether you're shopping for speakers or a power amp..

Better yet is find a power amp that you can try in your system before you buy..

I agree with Akustic. I’ve owned the Dynaco A-25 and they sound very good. I never felt that that the tweeters needed more “shimmer” and I owned a pair of Klipsch KG3.5 at the same time to compare with. I powered them with a Pioneer SX -850, a Denon DRA-685, and even a Behringer EP2500 that’s rated at 450WPC RMS@8ohm. The only reason I sold the A-25s is because I wanted speakers that could handle more power for the room. But overall Dynaco A-25s are great sounding speakers. Maybe they need new capacitors.

 

[tomlinmgt]

If I recap my A25s,

I missed this. So if the original caps are still in there, the highs will definitely sound veiled. I never run the tweeter level selector on “high”...so there’s more than enough extension and shimmer there for me when the A25’s are operating to spec. I think before you shell out money for new speakers, you recap your A25’s, listen, reevaluate and then decide your next move. A few subs and the recapped A25’s could totally take that system up a few notches.

Edit....just took a closer look at that NAD and see it has no line level outputs, so adding subs could get tricky.

 

[quiet]

I tried the Dregs tune on the A40XL in a good 14x16 room. They keep up with it very well. But the Dynaco didn't have it 30 to 80 and was bright at 8,000 to 12,000 for this tune. So yes, dry. But plenty fast and tight. Otherwise very good. The OLA Advent was better on this one, not bad.
The Bozak 302a couldn't play it and was to lush with lots of missing parts.
The Big rectilinear 111 played it well all the way around but was just to slow.
The Pioneer CS99a did an excellent job. Know I know what to use it for.
Fun tune.
Pioneer SX-780 for power.

 

[rockarolla]

Edit: Took a tape measure to the room. (speakers are on this wall). 15ft width. Depth 12ft. Sitting position is 8ft from speakers. Speakers are 8ft apart.

I replaced the tweeters many yeas ago with a 27TDFC (Noted in picture)
I did not replace the cap (I assume it's the big gold cap)

 

[rmeade]

Yamaha NS 690 III - A three-way system with a 12" woofer. I bought mine for $200 within this past year
KLH 5 - Another three way system. I bought mine for $125 within this past year.

 

[tomlinmgt]

Edit: Took a tape measure to the room. (speakers are on this wall). 15ft width. Depth 12ft. Sitting position is 8ft from speakers. Speakers are 8ft apart.

I replaced the tweeters many yeas ago with a 27TDFC (Noted in picture)
I did not replace the cap (I assume it's the big gold cap)

Yep. That’s it.

So with the updated room measurements, your space is not much bigger than the space I recently had mine set up in. Did you mention if they’re on stands? How high off the floor are they?

 

[rockarolla]

On stands, Tweeter is about 23 inches high.

 

[rockarolla]

Ok, I am going to replace the caps and see what happens. Dayton Audio PMPC-5.1 5.1uF 250V Precision Audio Capacitor?

 

[opnly bafld]

On stands, Tweeter is about 23 inches high.

Are the stands flat or do they have a tilt?

 

[rockarolla]

Speakers sit flat.

 

[opnly bafld]

I would want the tweeters at ear level or angled up toward my ears.

 

[Blue Shadow]

The A25s in that system, even with a 30wpc Pass F5 clone, do a great job with a variety of genres including prog rock and can get decently loud without losing composure. BUT...that’s in a 12x12 room and a listening spot some 7-8’ away. In a 16x20 space and sitting about 12’ away they failed to impress.

This is why the A25 is relegated to bedroom duty. They do just fine for non-critical listening in a smaller room and have good bass for that room. They are not sound room speakers in this house.

 

[dr*audio]

At 45 Watts per channel, your amp is under powered. You need to get at least 100W per channel to hear a difference (3dB increase.) 150W would be even better.

 

[WaynerN]

The 5 position rotary switch can also be an issue. Its contacts need to be cleaned as 45 years of tarnish will affect the sound.

 

[jamiecantar]

Like many have said above, you are going to get different opinions on speaker choices...there are hundreds...Speaker placement is key. also, I'm not 100% sure, but with smaller amps I would think a speaker with an open port design would be easier to drive. I own a pair of the Dynaco's and yes they are a great speaker, no question...After you do the above suggested tests, if your still curious Bestbuy has the Elac Debut 2.0's for $349. You can bring them or any other (Klipsch) home do an A+B test and keep the one's you like best...At least then you will know that your Dynaco's are competing at full potential. This hobby is fun, and enjoy the journey, but it can also make you a bit crazy trying to find your holy grail of bliss...For me, after years of chasing the dragon I settled on B&W DM6's.: Good value, deep deep bass, clear mid's, smooth highs. I like the design, wood finish and mid century modern style

 

[GerryC]

If your A25's don't work out, I also suggest trying to find some ADS, even larger ones like the 1090's (a pair on my local CL for $450) or 980's (I paid $350 for mine). Or a pair of JBL 4311's. They too can be had in your budget. I have owned Dynaco A25's in good working order and have side by side compared the 980's and 4311's to them with different amplification, a Pioneer SX 737 and a Marantz 2325. Both the ADS and JBL's surpassed them in every appreciable quality, with both receivers, by a bit. That's why I sold my Dynacos. They are good speakers but there are much better. A large pair of ADS 12" or dual 10" or JBL 43- series studio monitors will fill your room with sound, both will have great highs and vocals at high volumes, plenty of bass, excellent separation and imaging IMHO. The JBL's work well with lower powered amps in my experience, but I would consider a power upgrade to match, especially since you like it loud.

 

[rockarolla]

Ok, Cleaned 5 position rotary switch's, replacing caps today, Speakers tilted on stands. I will be trying my neighbors Hafler 9290 amplifier ( 145 WPC at 8 ohms 210 WPC at 4 ohms) and see if the extra power helps. I will report back after things settle in..

 

[91r100gs]

Magneplanars and it will be your last speakers, unless you go higher in the line. 6 years in on mine and they still amaze daily. (Highly biased recommendation)

 

[nniemiec]

Your speakers are awesome. you will never hear that much of a difference unless you get a beefier amp (and possibly do some room acoustic adjustments to optimize) - like a modern class d Crown. (dirt cheap & incredible really) Take care of the inefficiencies of the older designs & you'll get more dynamics. i wouldn't chase after something you'll never really know the difference in - use your current amp as the pre-amp. use what you got & synergize that **** & spend more $$ on records, etc...... my 2 cents.