Here's my gibberish from over yonder:
Based on the info I gleaned at AK, Rudy sold the company, with the Bozak name being bought by one company, whereas the speaker-building machinery and driver inventory was bought by another company, called New England Audio Resource (NEAR), started by Bill Kieltyka in 1988. Apparently, due to a lawsuit filed by the owner of the Bozak name, NEAR could no longer call these classic speakers Bozak, nor even use the old model names, such as Concert Grand, Symphony or Concert series.
The shape and appearance of the cones and baskets do tell me they are genuine Bozak components, they just don't have the highly-descriptive silk-screened labelling on the magnet backs like the older models. The only thing you'll notice is the hand-written impedance directly over the positive terminal on each driver. I haven't pulled the box apart that covers the mid, because it looks to be glued and screwed on. No need, really, because I feel these sound better than the impression I've got from many owners of older ones, who couldn't wait to do a Tobin mod. Honestly, to me, these babies are very smooth and pretty even-handed across the entire frequency range.
As far as driving them, most everything I’ve read said that Rudy preferred SS for his designs. So I initially hooked them up to a B&K 220wpc MOSFET amp, pushed by my CJ tube preamp. The B&K is high current and high damping factor. Just the one amp with the binding post jumpers still in place. Overall sound was pleasant with decent soundstage, a bit milquetoast, really. Low bass was there when called upon, but the midbass was lacking, a bit too thin. In short order, yanked it out & plugged my VAC PP EL34 amp back in, and there it was…flesh, bone, resonating wood, vibrating reeds, and that holographic expansive soundstage!
But...just this morning I said this, after previously replying to another's comment about driving his "new" Bozaks with a Marantz receiver:
Taking a bit of my own advice...I have thus far been listening to my Symphonies during my two-week ownership through a Conrad-Johnson tube preamp and VAC EL34 tube amp. It was a sweet combo, but I noticed day by day, I was a little less enthused to sit and listen to music. Getting back to my comment about your 2200-series Marantz receiver possibly resulting in a dull presentation, I started thinking about my Onkyo Integra 80 wpc integrated that's been boxed up for months. The reason for its disuse is that it was a just a bit too crisp (bright has seemed to turn into an audiophile curse word) for my Polk, Boston, and Genesis Physics dome-tweetered speakers, but maybe with the Bozaks...
So, last night I hooked it up. Ah yes, quite impressive! Compared to the all-tubes amplification, of course bass has tightened up, but not become sterilized, as it did with the big B&K amp driven by the tube pre. What I was hoping for, though, did transpire. Both the mids and especially treble have better clarity and detail. The proverbial lifting of a veil, for sure. It's metaphorically an aural version of rinsing the dust and fuzz off the bug screen caused by the window fan. However, it's all very well balanced, and for the few hours since, I feel zero fatigue or inclination to turn the music off. Lastly, I don't feel like the soundstage has shrunk at all, compared to the tubes, so that's a welcome bonus!
6 Feb edit: A couple days ago, I swapped the VAC EL34 amp back in. This time, though, in place of the CJ, I introduced another tube pre in the form of an AVA Transcendence Five SLR. It gives a slight bit more leading edge bite and clarity, a nice complement to the VAC and NEARs. Comparing this kit to the Onkyo, one's not definitively better than the other, just fairly different presentations.
Some more thoughts from me:
Apparently, Bill Kieltyka at NEAR respected and valued Rudy Bozak’s designs well enough to pick up the baton, and continue building these classics for the who-knew-how-many remaining discerning enthusiasts still out there. Unfortunately, the size, cosmetics and cost were at odds with changing 1980s domestic sensibilities. However, some further research indicates my NEAR Moorish Symphonies were made/sold in 1990. If true, I find that amazing, considering the direction home audio was heading at the time.
6 Feb edit: A couple weeks ago, I tried contacting Mr. Kieltyka over FB and Indeed to no avail. Too busy, not interested in rehashing the past, still with us, no idea. I'd love to fill in those years when NEAR was crafting small quantities of these legendary speakers, one customer at a time.
