Speaker Identification - Late 60's Early 70's Bozak

[John_Doe1987]

Hello! As I have been cleaning out my attic I have come across a pair of vintage speakers re-housed by my father. Originally he believed them to be a pair of Klipsch speakers, but I have narrowed it down to a pair of Bozaks from the '60s or 70's.

The housing was custom fitted by him during his college days, and thus bear no resemblance to the original unit. They contain a pair of B199a woofers and a pair of tweeters labeled "700" in white paint. He vaguely remembers a mid-range unit in the original housing, but that was kept by the first owner.

So, in summary, I have a pair of unidentified Bozak speakers from circa 1970, with B199a woofer units and unknown tweeters. If anyone could offer any insight on the model and if they are worth maintaining, that would be stupendous. I'm not very well versed in audio equipment, so if anyone has insight on what to do/ how to setup a system around them, it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Dswankey]

...Originally he believed .. to be a pair of Klipsch speakers, but I have narrowed it down to a pair of Bozaks from the '60s or 70's.

..in summary, I have a pair of unidentified Bozak speakers from circa 1970, with B199a woofer units and unknown tweeters...

If I remember correctly at a certain point you could purchase Bozak components separately and install or have installed in ones own choice of cabinetry you could also buy Bozak speakers as well

So it seems you might have Bozak components in possibly Klipsch cabinetry

Some good info here on some of the models

https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Bozak/1959%20Bozak.pdf

https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Bozak/1968%20Bozak.pdf

1958 Bozak Hi-Fi Speaker Catalog – Preservation Sound

https://www.preservationsound.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BozakCompactSpks.pdf

 

[John_Doe1987]

Thank you for the helpful information!

I should clarify that the innards of the unit (woofer and tweeter) are from a consumer model Bozak system transplanted into a custom cabinet. I believe he just misremembered the name (Klipsch vs Bozak). Attached are some photographs of the speakers.

Please let me know if there is any other information I could find that would help asses the quality and state of the speakers. I would very much like to see (or hear these) working.

 

[Dswankey]

..They contain a pair of B199a woofers and a pair of tweeters labeled "700" in white paint.

I'm pretty sure this is the model # of the tweeters or a variation of

Dual Tweeter B-200 Speaker-P Bozak, R.T., Co.; Buffalo NY, build |Radiomuseum.org

Dual Tweeter B-200 Speaker-P Bozak, R.T., Co.; Buffalo NY, build 1949 ?, 3 pictures, United States of America , schematics, tubes, semiconductors, Loudspeaker

www.radiomuseum.org

 

[Dswankey]

Try searching "Bozak B-401 Rhapsody" and compare to what you have, they look similar

Do the back of your speaker cabinets look like this?

 

[John_Doe1987]

Wow, you are a magician! The speaker looks spot on to what you describe. Looking at the adverts you posted earlier, the description matches exactly (minus the mid-range) to the description of the Rhapsody. Thank you very much for the assistance!

As far as what to do, what might you recommend? Should I look for a mid-range unit to add? Is the "Rhapsody" worth keeping around? Are there any additions/improvements that should be made to a speaker of this age? Are there any glaring maintenance issues that need to be addressed before it could function?

 

[Dswankey]

..what might you recommend? Should I look for a mid-range unit to add? Is the "Rhapsody" worth keeping around? Are there any additions/improvements that should be made to a speaker of this age? Are there any glaring maintenance issues that need to be addressed before it could function?

It's your call, I assume if they were in proper working order they would definitely be worth keeping around as you could do worse. It also depends on how much money you want to put into them (Mid range)