On Wed, 23 Apr 2003 04:38:46 -0400, "Michael Volow" <mvolo@duke.edu> wrote:

>I have two unused 1980s vintage stereo speakers, brand name Dynaco. They are

>similar to other acoustic suspension speakers of the period (e.g. AR, KLH,

>Advent)--each 12"x12"x28" in size, and sound fairly even in their frequency

>response. They are of course not powered as monitors are.

>

>Is it worth trying to use these as monitors by having my computer's sound

>card output drive an external amplifier (s)? If so, what amplifier would

>work in this application? I think that acoustic suspension speakers require

>fair amplifier power, 30-40 watts. Are there any sound cards that have an

>amplifier in that power range (I doubt it)?

It is worth a try - though these were intended as "room"

speakers, not "near-field" speakers, so they may sound

rough and uneven in response close-up. Some EQ can help

the latter, but not the former. As for power, a good, clean

1-watt would probably do, but 10 would certainly be OK - any

decent modern (or old tube) power amp can do that... As I

recall these speakers (A25s?), they were rather "heavy"

around 100 cycles, did not extend very high, and had a dip

in response around 2k (and considerable "cabinet coloration"

that made strings sound really bad - but otherwise, they

were pleasant). Old large 2-way Genesis, Advent, and some

AR and KLH seakers might serve better, as would some small

newer speakers (which are also available shielded to

protect the computer monitor and TV), like the PSB Alphas

and the many others that are smoother in response and

better-balanced than the Dynacos...