What makes a a collectible piece of audio gear collectible? Why do some brands and models bring five-figure prices, and others aren't deemed worthy of the cost of shipping?
Even in the geekified world of audio there are fashion trends; the funny thing is that once an old piece of gear achieves "Classic" status, it rarely falls from favor again (unlike wide ties or wingtips). Does that mean audio collectors are a bunch of sheep?
Maybe. Or maybe it just means that as we've progressed from mailed-out mimeographed collections of classified ads to Audiogon and internet coverage of EVERYTHING, the number of potential buyers has increased. And when it comes to old gear, there just isn't any NEW old gear.
Still, there are brands which have the performance, the build-quality and the heritage, all the elements which contribute to demand, but somehow just haven't reached the ranks of the exalted...yet. Bozak is one of those.
Rudy Bozak started his career with Allen-Bradley in Milwaukee in 1933; A-B parts were found in most of the equipment that defined the audio industry, including Western Electric and, later, Marantz. In 1935, Bozak went to work as a speaker-designer for Cinaudagraph; as the name implies, the company made sound systems for movie theaters. Cinaudagraph was based in Stamford, Connecticut, a bedroom community outside NYC which was also home to CBS Labs, where years later, the LP was born.
Bozak was named chief engineer in 1937, and designed a huge 2-way PA system for the 1939 World's Fair. Would you believe 27" woofers with 450-lb. field coils, loading horns with 14-foot-wide mouths, driven by 500-watt tube amps? Yikes! (more details are in Bob Betts' Bozak history site: http://www.bobsamerica.com/bozakcompanyhistory.html)
Bozak went on to work on radar projects during the war, then developed speakers for the Conn and Wurlitzer organ companies, McIntosh, and finally, his own company. He went his own way, designing and making his own drivers with such advanced features as tapered, variable-density woofer cones and spun-aluminum midrange and tweeter cones. The same drivers were used in various configurations and multiples, with the ultimate culmination being the big boys shown here.
The "Concert Grand" model first appeared in 1951, and had four 12" woofers, two midranges and eight tweeters. Originally the tweeters were positioned in an arc mimicking the front of a horn(as on the ones shown here); later models had them mounted in a vertical linear array. Through the years, they were used in demos with Saul Marantz and Emory Cook, amongst others.(An interesting and enjoyable piece on a later model B-410 Concert Grand appeared in Stereophile in 2005, with input from Peter Breuninger, Wes Phillips and JA. Highly recommended: http://www.stereophile.com/historical/1005bozak/index.html)
My sole experience with the Grands was at a St. Louis dealership, around 1973. They did a remarkable job of conveying the sense of scale of symphonic music, with nice dynamics and compelling bass. The then-new heartbeat from Dark Side of the Moon was frightening. Compared to Magneplanar Tympanis in another room, the sound was somewhat diffuse and indistinct, with vocals nowhere as precisely-located as the Tympanis (not exactly known for pinpoint placement, themselves).
In a large room with proper amplification, the Concert Grands could be very impressive, indeed, thrilling. For what they cost on the collectible market, they are a screaming deal. Get 'em while you can!
