Klipsch vs. Dynaco A25
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. |
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. |
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. |
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 |
I have a friend who's a bit of a vintage enthusiast. He has a stack of restored Dynaco tube electronics including an ST-70 amp, whose power rating would be similar to your Marantz. He has pairs of both the Dynaco A-25s and the Klipsch Heresies. He switches back and forth from time to time because the Heresies have the sensitivity, transparency, and dynamic jump, but they're bass-weak. When he plays through the A-25s, he gets more bass and more top-to-bottom smoothness, but he then misses the dynamics and transparency of the Klipsches. The Heresies were created to provide center fill for a pair of corner-loaded Klipschorns. Paul Klipsch named them the "Heresy" because it was his first speaker design not to use a horn-loaded woofer. Bass extension was not a design priority. I'm trying to get my friend to go for a pair of Klipsch Fortes, as they provide the Klipsch strengths of sensitivity, transparency, and dynamic range, plus the bass extension lacking in the Heresies. A modern-day possibility might be the Cerwin-Vega CLS-12 or CLS-10. |
I don't know much about the Dynaco's but I do know the Heresy's(I,II,III)do not dip down much below 60hz. May I suggest a pair of Forte's(I or II). With them you get great dynamics, match well with tubes, vintage look, and used prices from $400.00 to $600.00. They also have nice bass down to the low 30hz. Bill |
I like both speakers. The Dynaco's sound musical with any associated equipment. The Heresy's are very transparent but require careful matching (they like tubes) and they can sound lean in the bass. Neither is noted for great bass like the large Advent was. Polk Monitor 10s can rock and have plenty o' bass. If I had $800 for used full range used speakers I would look at Spendor, IMF, B&W, ADS. You could also get new Magnepan MMGs in you budget range. |
If you go with the small Mac I own one they synergize very very well with Klipsch for no obvious reason . In addition I am a tube convert and still recommend it for a reason I have repeated so many times that I am bored saying it. Yes the Heresy is a 96db sensitive speaker that's a lot of spl for a watt . The issue is that the crossovers don't let the woofers go into action until sufficient power is applied. At that point the Klipsch have a much better tonal balance.I know them well after 32 years. This bacomes abundabntly obvious with the 15inch woofer heritage speakers. I auditioned my La Scalas (1978 bought 2003) on decware 2A3s and filled a big room with a great tune Mr. Magic. When I hooked them up to some 400wpc monoblocks I finally acvtually heard there is a woofer in the cabinet. The 50 watt Mac is an excellent choice. |
