emaidel
07-28-2008, 04:35 AM
Anyone familiar with my posts knows I own, and absolutely adore, my beloved Dahlquist DQ-10's. I've owned a pair since 1977, and though I worked for both ESS and dbx, and could have had anything made by either company for free, I never chose to replace the DQ-10's. I was actually sent several pairs of dbx speakers while working there, including the TOTL SF-1a, which to me, sounded flat out horrible compared to the DQ-10's.
Over the years, various adjectives have been used to describe the DQ-10's, most often, "articulate," "clear," and "detailed." And, no matter what anyone thinks about their sound, the stereo image is often described as "breathtaking." Rarely have "robust, " "powerful," and "throaty" been used to describe them, but somehow, in my system, all of those adjectives apply. I guess it's the total synergy of the associated equipment I"m using, as well as room acoustics and speaker placement, but I can't dismiss the fact that I own a pair that were called "show models" by the folks at Dahlquist at the time I bought them.
Unlike other production models at the time, only the "show models" had Dahlquist logos (eventually, all production units did), and prior to the inclusion of the famous yellow mylar caps, mine had (and still have) large, green block mylar capacitors - something even the folks at Regnar have never seen or heard. Nothing else appears unusual or different, with the sole exception of these green caps, and I have to guess that they're responsible, at least in part, for the glorious sound these babies still produce.
I had posted earlier that a friend of mine, who is a Grammy-winning recording engineer, listened to my system and, after listening intently to the 3rd movement of Vaughan William's "A Sea Symphony," declared the overall sound as "Fantastic!" That meant a lot, and still does: here's a guy who routinely hears (and plays and sings in) professional orchestras and choirs, and is used to first-rate sound from B&W studio monitors, who actually preferred the DQ-10's.
The 10's are fickle speakers: they must be on stands; they must be driven by a high power and a high current amp; they must be placed several feet from the walls behind them; they're also quite large and take up a disproportionate amount of room; and absolutely have to be augmented by a quality subwoofer. All of that's a rather tall order, but given the prices for used DQ-10's available all over the place today, I can't think of a better value in speakers.
As I've continued to upgrade the rest of my system (most recently with the purchase of the Marantz SA-8001 SACD player), I continue to be amazed at how the DQ-10's can still perform. There are plenty of very good speakers out there, and many that far surprass the DQ-10's, but none anywhere near the price the 10's sold for originally ($500 each at first, and then $750 each just before the company went bust), nor even remotely close to the very low prices used DQ-10's sell for today.
I own a house in Colorado that has been on the market now for quite a long time (I live in South Carolina). Once that house sells, and if I don't have to give it away and wind up actually making a profit, I might consider taking the plunge and sending the DQ-10's off to Regnar in New York for a complete restoration, which usually costs around $1,200 plus shipping. Those who've done this have raved about how much better the speakers sound afterwards, but until my house sells, it's just out of the question for now.
So, while there are many, many fine loudspeakers available to critical listeners, I can't think of a one that, even being 31 years old, and that didn't cost many thousands of dollars that comes even remotely close to the sound of the Dahlquist DQ-10. If anyone's looking to buy a new set of speakers, and has all that it needs to "feed" these babies, there are bargains galore to be had, and a sonic experience disproportionate to the low price used DQ-10's sell for.
Over the years, various adjectives have been used to describe the DQ-10's, most often, "articulate," "clear," and "detailed." And, no matter what anyone thinks about their sound, the stereo image is often described as "breathtaking." Rarely have "robust, " "powerful," and "throaty" been used to describe them, but somehow, in my system, all of those adjectives apply. I guess it's the total synergy of the associated equipment I"m using, as well as room acoustics and speaker placement, but I can't dismiss the fact that I own a pair that were called "show models" by the folks at Dahlquist at the time I bought them.
Unlike other production models at the time, only the "show models" had Dahlquist logos (eventually, all production units did), and prior to the inclusion of the famous yellow mylar caps, mine had (and still have) large, green block mylar capacitors - something even the folks at Regnar have never seen or heard. Nothing else appears unusual or different, with the sole exception of these green caps, and I have to guess that they're responsible, at least in part, for the glorious sound these babies still produce.
I had posted earlier that a friend of mine, who is a Grammy-winning recording engineer, listened to my system and, after listening intently to the 3rd movement of Vaughan William's "A Sea Symphony," declared the overall sound as "Fantastic!" That meant a lot, and still does: here's a guy who routinely hears (and plays and sings in) professional orchestras and choirs, and is used to first-rate sound from B&W studio monitors, who actually preferred the DQ-10's.
The 10's are fickle speakers: they must be on stands; they must be driven by a high power and a high current amp; they must be placed several feet from the walls behind them; they're also quite large and take up a disproportionate amount of room; and absolutely have to be augmented by a quality subwoofer. All of that's a rather tall order, but given the prices for used DQ-10's available all over the place today, I can't think of a better value in speakers.
As I've continued to upgrade the rest of my system (most recently with the purchase of the Marantz SA-8001 SACD player), I continue to be amazed at how the DQ-10's can still perform. There are plenty of very good speakers out there, and many that far surprass the DQ-10's, but none anywhere near the price the 10's sold for originally ($500 each at first, and then $750 each just before the company went bust), nor even remotely close to the very low prices used DQ-10's sell for today.
I own a house in Colorado that has been on the market now for quite a long time (I live in South Carolina). Once that house sells, and if I don't have to give it away and wind up actually making a profit, I might consider taking the plunge and sending the DQ-10's off to Regnar in New York for a complete restoration, which usually costs around $1,200 plus shipping. Those who've done this have raved about how much better the speakers sound afterwards, but until my house sells, it's just out of the question for now.
So, while there are many, many fine loudspeakers available to critical listeners, I can't think of a one that, even being 31 years old, and that didn't cost many thousands of dollars that comes even remotely close to the sound of the Dahlquist DQ-10. If anyone's looking to buy a new set of speakers, and has all that it needs to "feed" these babies, there are bargains galore to be had, and a sonic experience disproportionate to the low price used DQ-10's sell for.