Which model Dynaco speakers are these?

discONekt

discONekt

New Member
Hi, new member here and this will be my first post.
I recently purchased a pair of what was advertised as
Dynaco A-25's (with replaced tweeter?)
But, I have since questioned what model Dynaco I actually bought?
I've scoured the net trying to find a similar model and
can't seem to properly identify them?
As you will noticed in the pictures the rear speaker hookups
and the center-mounted tweeter appear different than all
other a-25's to my knowledge (which is limited).
Could someone please tell me what I have here?
All help greatly appreciated!

0105110928b.jpg

0105110929a.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/sgnw3/0105110928a.jpg
 
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Looks like a newer incarnation of the A25 that has a similar 10" woofer in the aperiodic enclosure and an updated tweeter. I would bet they sound pretty nice.
 
guitarslam said:
IIRC, they are Panor-era (early 1980s) Dynacos.

Specs are likely similar to A25XLs.
Click to expand...

The Blackwood address on the back panel suggests that these speakers pre-date the sale of Dynaco to Panor. If memory serves, ESS bought Dynaco from Tyco Laboratories around 1979, closed the Blackwood plant, then ran into financial difficulties in the early 1980s recession and sold the Dynaco name to Panor.
 
They're not A25XLs. Those had the tweeters off-axis like the regular A25. That being said, I don't know what they are. What do the cabs measure?

John
 
Oops....missed that first part about the tweeters being replaced. Pull that woofer out and see if there is a single 5uf cap in there. If so, you could most likely find original tweeters and drop in there if you are so inclined. Unless they already sound ok, of course.
 
Thanks for the replies and some insight.
Although they still seem to go yet accurately identified?
Admittedly I don't know the specific history on these?
Other than the tweeter replacement..can anyone identify
those by chance?
Maybe I'll open them up to check otherwise.
Either way..Yes the speakers do sound Very Good!
I'm enjoying them immensely.

As for the cabs they measure: 19 3/4" x 12" x 9"
They seem to be a veneer rather than solid wood.
 
discONekt said:
As for the cabs they measure: 19 3/4" x 12" x 9"
They seem to be a veneer rather than solid wood.
Click to expand...

The A25 measures 19 3/4 H x 11 3/8 W x 9 3/4 D. (I thought yours were wider.) That makes yours quite close to the A25, wider but shallower so cabinet volume is pretty much the same. I haven't been able to find a speaker with those dimensions so it's still a mystery to me. :dunno: The only A25 I've been able to identify as having a removable grille is the A25XL but, as mentioned previously, that's not what these are.

Why, oh why didn't Dynaco identify their speakers on the cabs??? ;)

John
 
discONekt said:
Thanks for the replies and some insight.
Although they still seem to go yet accurately identified?
Admittedly I don't know the specific history on these?
Other than the tweeter replacement..can anyone identify
those by chance?
Maybe I'll open them up to check otherwise.
Either way..Yes the speakers do sound Very Good!
I'm enjoying them immensely.

As for the cabs they measure: 19 3/4" x 12" x 9"
They seem to be a veneer rather than solid wood.
Click to expand...

Even most hi-end speakers use a veneer instead of solid-wood. Something about 100% solid wood being unstable or something like that, which is why a lot of expensive speakers are made of MDF or plywood. Don't let it deter you from enjoying them. Not an issue.

Those look great. I'm hoping to find a pair of old A25's on CL or something. I really-can't afford Ebay prices right now.
 
Yes, they are in Great condition & I got them for a very reasonable price - $100.
I'm really impressed with them sonically as well which has peaked my interest
and driven me in my attempts to research them a little more in depth.
As for the veneer cabs I had only mentioned that because I thought that
might help identify them? It seems that most dynaco speakers were manufactured with solid wood cabs and the veneer was somewhat rare?
As for the removable grill..I was not aware that was also a uncommon feature with these?
With all the seemingly rare/odd features this pair has and in addition to the near perfect condition of them overall I'm wondering if maybe they have been restored/refurbished with some new (non-original) materials?
Which could account for the difficulty in properly identifying them?
Oh well, they sound amazing as is! :music:
 
I think I would pop a speaker and see what goes on in there, at least just to satisfy curiosity. I think you may be right with the updated parts theory. One thing i dont get is the graphics on the crossover..it seems to imply that the xover is for a 3 way in my eyes. Seems a bit odd that we would have a few thousand plates printed up that would serve everything, and then I guess just not add the mid pieces if its used on a 2 way.

As long as they sound great..I wouldnt get too excited over what they were or werent, they is what they is regardless.
 
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:scratch2: I have the A25XL's and these are a different animal. Maybe these are a very late incarnation of the A25 as has already been suggested. I've never seen vinyl veneer or the grille tab thingys on a dynaco before. What does the grille fabric look like? I bet those do sound nice.
 
bobaloniny said:
One thing i dont get is the graphics on the crossover..it seems to imply that the xover is for a 3 way in my eyes. Seems a bit odd that we would have a few thousand plates printed up that would serve everything, and then I guess just not add the mid pieces if its used on a 2 way.
Click to expand...

I noticed that too. There's no way there was ever a separate mid in that cabinet ..........

........ but if the original tweeter was actually a coaxial mid/tweeter.......

John
 
discONekt said:
Yes, they are in Great condition & I got them for a very reasonable price - $100.
I'm really impressed with them sonically as well which has peaked my interest
and driven me in my attempts to research them a little more in depth.
As for the veneer cabs I had only mentioned that because I thought that
might help identify them? It seems that most dynaco speakers were manufactured with solid wood cabs and the veneer was somewhat rare?
As for the removable grill..I was not aware that was also a uncommon feature with these?
With all the seemingly rare/odd features this pair has and in addition to the near perfect condition of them overall I'm wondering if maybe they have been restored/refurbished with some new (non-original) materials?
Which could account for the difficulty in properly identifying them?
Oh well, they sound amazing as is! :music:
Click to expand...

I'm thinking you may be right, and if that's the case, then it's a good thing for DIY's who find old, beat-up a25 cabs with the tweeters missing - Nice to know that you can have the tweeter on-axis like that. Perhaps it improves the imaging or something. Who knows?
 
The graphics on the back panel show a three-way configuration because the identical panel was also used, with the addition of another knob, on the a250, a three-way speaker. (Possibly the a350 as well.) The grill cloth and larger, right-hand mounted badges also suggest a vintage contemporaneous to the a150/250/350 series, which is to say toward the end of the line for Dynaco.

I've only owned the 250 out of this series so I can only speak about the 250, not the 150 or 350. Interestingly enough there are no Seas components in the 250, although the 10" woofer was clearly designed to resemble the Seas version, at least from the front. (I think I remember reading somewhere it was made by Becker, but this could be wrong.) The mid was Japanese and the tweeter French (Audax). In any event, something of a mish-mosh, not a bad sounding mish-mosh, but definitely not golden-age Dynaco.

So are the speakers under consideration here a150s? Beats me, but they are of that era, of this I'm certain-- and poking around on the Internets turns up a pair of speakers identified as a150s that, apart from the tweeter, certainly resemble your new speakers, but how the heck can we know these haven't been misidentified? The thing is, we can't.

I think the suggestion to open up your speakers is a good one. If the woofer is a Seas I think you can reasonably conclude that you have what was marketed as "Classic a25s" late in Dynaco's existence. On the other hand if you find the Becker (or whatever) in there, I think you could call the things a150s and be done with it, at least until somebody corrects you.

As for the tweeters, they are clearly not what you would expect to find in a25s or a25xls, or even for that matter a150s, which you might expect to contain Audaxes; however, given Dynaco's obvious instability at this time, it strikes me as not being entirely outside the realm of possibility that these tweeters are original to the speakers. (I've never run across tweeters like these in any Dynaco speakers I've ever seen or owned, but I'm beginning to think there's a LOT I don't know about Dynaco.) Opening them up should help in sorting this out as well; if you don't find a mess under the tweeters, no extra screw holes and whatnot, you might well be looking at something original, albeit strange.

The main thing, as always, is the sound. You may never know with 100% confidence what you own, but if you like them it really doesn't matter.

Best of luck.
 
Alright, I went ahead and opened them up and they do have the SEAS 25 woofer.
Also, the tweeters are as mentioned here VIFA D25AG. So, they have obviously been replaced.
It seems as though this is at least a decent replacement tweeter for these speakers?
Would that be an accurate assumption?

Whether they're a25's or a150's doesn't overly concern me at this point.
I've done my research and now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the
welcomed addition to my set-up. Love these things :thmbsp:

Thanks to all for the help.
 
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