Klipsch vs. Dynaco A25
A British magazine called (I think) Hi-Fi World has been doing an ongoing series on building a modern version of the A 25. The writer's been using an original A25 as his ongoing A-B reference. The magazine also has ads for someone selling a kit version of this "modern" A25. You might want to get the latest issue and e-mail the author of the article. He's certainly worked with the design enough to have a feel for its strengths and weaknesses. Good Luck Marty |
Last night I was able to pick up a local pair of New Large Advents. Surprisingly, they didn't sound great with my push/pull 60wpc tube amp. The bass was bumpy and not integrated. The midrange was weak. Maybe I should have tried the 4ohm speaker connectors. Looking back, could they have been out of phase? It bothered me, so at 2am I got up and hooked up dad's old Marantz 2235b. Things fell into place and came together. Smooth with a bottom end. Only got a few songs in, but it was enough to get me smiling. More tonight with a Marantz 2230 and a McIntosh MC2505. |
The acoustic suspension design, and all the damping-and-current-hungry large "bookshelf" designs that followed, probably had about as much to do the with transition from tubes to transistors as anything. Tubes were ideal with high-sensitivity horns and big, floorstanding ported enclosures. Smaller, 84dB sensitive sealed enclosures demanded more power, more current, lower output impedance, and higher damping factor. Definitely you should have tried the 4-ohm taps. Having sold audio equipment when Advent and Marantz (solid state made by SuperScope) made for a very popular combination. As for bass response, the Stereophile measurements indicate that even the Smaller Advent was down only 5 dB at 30 Hz in a quasi-anechoic measurement (i.e., close-miked to keep room boundary reinforcement out of the measurements). Either the Marantz 2230 or Mac 2505 should be a good match, though something more modern with lower output impedance, more speed, and higher damping factor might make the speakers come alive even more. But then would lose some of that retro vibe, especially in the looks department. If you have access to both units, by all means experiment. My money's on the McIntosh for bringing the Advents alive more. It's a handbuilt amp with more power and higher parts quality vs. a well-built but mass-produced receiver from the Far East. |
I had a chance to hook up the Mac 2505 with the Advents. A fuller sound than the Marantz 2230. I can see why they sold so many of the Advents in the '70s. Bass isn't as tight as my previous VR-2 and there seems to be a slight hole in the midrange, especially compared to my Horn Shoppe Horns. But Roberta Flack sounds wonderful. Yet in the back of my mind, I'd like to hear the Heresy, Cornwalls, or Forte. Thank you again to all those that posted. |
