Summary: If you search online, you'l find these available used for 200 a pair, and reproductions using drivers from SEAS which are the modern equivalents of the drivers they made for Dynaco. The reproductions cost over $2,000 a pair. The speakers are immune to most of the problems associated with old speakers, such as the woofer surrounds rotting out, as they used rubber surrounds.
I'm a musician and have owned a Dyanco system for many years. The speakers can be listened to for hours on end without listening fatigue. The midrange (where 90 percent of the music is) is as good as it gets, at any price. They don't have bass that will shake the foundation of your house, but bass lines are very cleanly articulated. The treble is as smooth as the midrange.
I am sensitive to distortion from a speaker's crossover. You can hear it with well-recorded voices. This is the one of the few speakers where this distortion is entirely absent. It's why speakers without crossovers, such as Bose 901's and Magnapans are so revered. .
Dynaco A-25's are some of the most musical speakers ever made.
Would you like to Comment? Join AudioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: Love the dynaco a25s. I pair them with a mcintosh mc250. Super-musical. I listen to 50's jazz and 70's british heavy metal predominantly. Likely my last pair of speakers. I've searched hi and lo for this type of tone and midrange. Bass is tune-full, balanced and just down-right enjoyable. Mids are a touch laid back but still somehow up-front, smooth and balanced. Upper end is rolled off but is so well balanced with the rest of the tones, there is no longing for more. Love it.
Would you like to Comment? Join AudioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: I like listening to music, not speakers, and I think my system achieves that with the A-25's. Powered by a SET amp, the sound just seems to come out of thin air and these little Dyna's just disappear. These speakers were designed before the age of speaker stands, and were meant to be hung on a wall or on a bookshelf. The bass really benefits from being close to a wall. I keep mine about 5" from the wall on stands. The bass from these is a little soft and lacks punch. You really notice this on fast, complex pieces of music, but placing them near a wall makes a big difference. The extreme treble is rolled off, but detail is still good with the treble knob on the back switched to the highest position. The midrange is so full, open and natural on these speakers. Vocals sound so good, with seamless transition from woofer to tweeter.
These speakers are really easy on the ears, and ear fatigue is non-existent. The midrange is the best of any speaker I have ever heard. Vocals are natural and uncolored. Instead of hearing tweeter sizzle, you just hear music. Go get a pair!
Strengths: good tonal balance, good imaging, magical midrange, soft and sweet treble, natural sound, unbeatable vocal reproduction
Weaknesses: lack of deep and punchy bass, rolled off high end compared to modern speakers
Similar Products Used: Polk Monitor Series, B&W, Celestion
Would you like to Comment? Join AudioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: Dynaco A-25XL Loudspeakers. Purchased in 1974, these speakers have been, without doubt, the biggest audio bargain I have had the good fortune to come across. I have noticed ads for Dynaco speakers currently on ebay et al. and I would heartily recommend that your members at least check out these offers if they are interested in an inexpensive, yet highly acclaimed and articulate loudspeaker. The A-25XL's house an 8" woofer with a 1" non rigid tweeter in oiled walnut cabinet with a dampened vent ( not a reflex port ). The sonic properties of this modestly priced system are truly astounding - high efficiency, wide treble dispersion, and superior transient response in the bass range. These speakers carry a 50 watt DIN power handling specification and should be used with amps of 15 watts or more. The fact that Dynaco speakers are still functioning at their original high level capabilities many decades after their manufacture is a testament to their high quality and craftsmanship. Friends who own new speaker systems costing ten times the Dynaco's price and boasting the newest cutting-edge attributes are routinely stunned by the seamless sonics of the A-25XL's - the crisp highs and the neutral, super articulate bass. In the early '70's, Dynaco sold over a million pairs of inexpensive A-series speakers - the A-25's, A-35's, and A-50's, along with their XL successors. They were wildly popular for a reason...tremendous sonics and quality at a very affordable price. If you come across a well-cared for pair of Dynacos on the market, grab them, you will not be dissappointed.
Strengths: Aperiodic speakers, no coloration, low distortion, high effiency, tight, clean bass and crisp natural highs.
Weaknesses: They don't manufacture them any more!
Would you like to Comment? Join AudioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: I purchased the Dynaco A25 Speakers about 2 years ago at a local thrift store for $6.00. When I bought the speakers the Dynaco was not a brand that I was that familar with. The build quality of the speakers and the fact they actually came with binding posts and not spring clips. I decide to buy the speakers. The Dynaco's replaced a pair of ARL Precision PS 620 Speakers in my system which consists of a Marantz 2245 Receiver an MCS 6100 TT with a Shure M75 Cartridge and an AMC CD9 CD Player. Currently I am using Construction wire the kind you find in your Walls for Speaker wire it is solid core and for under $10.00 I purchased 30 feet of it. Therefore, for my needs it works great. Now back to the A25 first off I have my A25's on stands which puts the tweeters about 4 feet high and the front of the speakers are placed about 4 and a half feet into my room which is about 14 feet long and 12 feet wide the speakers are each about 3 feet from the side walls. I never tried the speakers against a wall or on the floor so I am not able to comment on either. I would assume that the bass response would increase if the speakers were against a wall and treble would suffer if the speakers were used as floor models. Most of my listening is done through Vinyl as I have between 2500 and 3000 LPS. My music ranges all over the place I have yet to find a genre of music that I don't appreciate. I enjoy listening to Beethoven or Chopin as much as I enjoy ACDC or the Stones or George Jones or Hank Williams or Dave Brubeck or John Coltrane or Frank Sinatra or Doris Day or Run DMC or The Fresh Prince. To enjoy such a wide variety of music requires a natural sounding speaker. The A25's are very natural sounding speakers. Instruments sound like the Instruments a tenor sax sounds like a tenor sax. An Acoustic guitar sounds like an Acoustic Guitar. These speakers are great for Acoustic music giving a convincing sense of realism to the music. Some may say they lack in the bass department and in true bass below about 50 HZ the bass does roll off fairly quickly there is still some usable bass as low as 30HZ tested with a test LP. The bass only suffers when listening to large symphonies, pipe organ music or in loud dynamic shifts in the music, which can cause some speaker discomfort. Electric guitars played through these speakers have a great crunchy sound. I was playing some old CCR and on Fortunate Son the band sounded like angry pissed off guys that just crawled out of a swamp, which is how they should sound on that song. Listening to old Rolling Stones like Beggars Banquet Mick and company sound like the hungry young wolves they were. When listening you can hear indvidual bass notes being played whether it's Bill Wyman of the Stones or Sting playing or Eugene Wright plucking or bowing the Bass in Dave Brubecks Quartet. The Dynaco's are great sounding speakers and unless you live on a diet of loud orchestra music or Heavy Metal or have a very large space. The Dynacos suffer when it comes to imaging toeing the speakers in helps in this respect. Vocals sound natural through them Listening to Doris Day sing with the Andre Previn trio on Duet is simply beautiful. The A25's allow the character of the vocalist voice to come through. You hear the vocal nuances in Lefty Frizzels voice as he uses the microphone as a musical instrument in much the same manner as a sax player uses the reed to create subtle shifts in notes. You can listen to these speakers for hours with no listener fatigue. I would not call the A25 better than modern day speakers I would say though to build a speaker of similar dimensions using similar materials and build quality you would not be talking a bargain basement speaker. Considering the fact that most stand mount or bookshelf speakers of any reasonable quality start at about $250 for a pair of mini monitors like PSB Alpha's if you can get a hold of a set of A25's for under $150 that is a pretty good deal.
I have never felt the need to upgrade the A25's since putting them in my system at some point I might get a set of the Morel tweeters and new Caps.
Strengths: natural sounding
little listener fatigue
aftermarket parts available
Weaknesses: dont image as well as more modern designs
THe high end could use improving
Too small and squat to be good as floor models
Need to be on stands or shelves.
Similar Products Used: ARL Prescision PS620 smaller stand mount speakers
BOSE 301 series I grew up with these the A25 are a much better speaker in my opinion
Would you like to Comment? Join AudioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
5 of 5
4 of 5
