Dahlquists After 40 Years

Bob Boyer

Bob Boyer

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Heard a set of DQ-10s for the first time in forty years at my friend's stereo shop which is now just a collection of vintage gear, a lot of it junk. But the good stuff is, more than occasionally, really good. I stopped in today for the first time in a while as traffic was backed up on the highway home from a trip to snag some caddis flies (size 14 hook, please) so I swung by his shop. Figured if I was gonna sit, it would be better to sit there and talk stereos than bitch at traffic.

Anywhooo... he had a decent looking pair of DQ-10s in the shop. I'd loved these speakers, which were totally out of reach, as a kid working radio. The stands needed a coat of paint, the wood was in good shape, the grill covers were sagging a little but not bad. Apparently, the woofers needed reconing and instead, he installed some Dayton Audio woofs instead. Said the caps all looked good so he hadn't touched them. We put on a live Ray Brown CD someone had burned for him and holy shit - I had forgotten how good those bad boys were. Admittedly, the bass was tighter and better defined than with the original woofers but boy howdy, did those speakers sing, even with only a BPC-era Luxman receiver driving them. Can't imaging what they would sound like with some good amps under them. Lots of air around the cymbals, good definition, Ray's bass was phenomenal, decent soundstage which probably would have been improved by a decent amplification chain. Made my mouth water, for sure.

I'd start looking for a pair to update right now but I've got no room for them. Jeez...
 
8991XJ

8991XJ

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Main rig is a pair, updated caps as mine were early with mostly 'lytics, film now, including the 80µF for the mid-woofer. Add the electronic crossover, a couple subs (not DQ, only have one of those) and drive the 10s with 50-watts of Luxman tube power, not this week, it's summer, using solid state and the boys keep coming over for audio days to listen. There are better speakers but some can get spendy and not equal that sound. Mine are on bespoke stands about a third larger that position the speakers at listening height, not down from the listener.
 
Bob Boyer

Bob Boyer

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J!m said:
I think these were the hot setup until the Wilson Watt/puppies came along and dethroned them.
Click to expand...
First time I heard them was in a small stereo shop on the other side of town. They were trying some advertising on the progressive rock station where I worked so I went over to see what was what. The room was too small for them but I was hooked. The next time I heard them was in a larger room up at Anderson Audio in Nashville (Nakdoc's old shop). With room to breathe they were spectacular for that time.

8991XJ said:
...There are better speakers but some can get spendy and not equal that sound. Mine are on bespoke stands about a third larger that position the speakers at listening height, not down from the listener.
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I think part of what I heard yesterday was just what a larger speaker does for the sound. Things really opened up in ways I haven't heard in a long time. I'm kind of forced into a mini-monitor setup due to lack of space but it has me wondering what could happen if I cleared out a bumch of records and a sofa and started over with this room.

Edit: not sure I'd need subs in this room but a better bass driver would go a long way towards sharpening the sound. At least it did with that pair.
 
bill7621

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I have DQ-10's and I love them. I power them with one of Perry's Claire Bros. 700 series 2 amps and couldn't be more pleased. I close my eyes and I'm there! I often wonder how they'd compare to a set of ESS AMT1a's I have that I need to rebuild. I'm in no rush.
 
Bob Boyer

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Fast Forward said:
I auditioned them when I was looking for a set of speakers back in the day. To me they seemed to lack the low end I was looking for.
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Indeed. The Advent woofers that were installed in later models weren't all that. The Dayton Audio drivers that the dealer installed made 'em jump while still sounding natural on Ray's bass lines.
 
J!m

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Good speakers sound crappy in a crappy room.

But crappy speakers can sound good in a good room.
 
nakdoc

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I owned DQ-10s for many years. What you are hearing are the benefits of "No Box". If you think the speaker is bass shy, try sitting them on the floor (or even on the tiny feet) Bass in spades. The optional stands were almost universal and they are responsible for a more accurate bass with no boom. if you can ever listen to Vandersteens IIs do so. They are modern Dahlquists updated with deeper bass, and they are more efficient.
 
Bob Boyer

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nakdoc said:
I owned DQ-10s for many years. What you are hearing are the benefits of "No Box". If you think the speaker is bass shy, try sitting them on the floor (or even on the tiny feet) Bass in spades. The optional stands were almost universal and they are responsible for a more accurate bass with no boom. if you can ever listen to Vandersteens IIs do so. They are modern Dahlquists updated with deeper bass, and they are more efficient.
Click to expand...
Okay, that makes sense. Last time I noticed that impact was when I heard some bi-polar (omni-polar?) Mirage floorstanders. The Acoustat 11s I owned also had that impact, along with pretty good imaging. Been so long since I've had anything like that I'd forgotten the sound.
 
mr_rye89

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I might grab em for shits n giggles. Shipping those bastards to TN might be cost prohibitive. And I could always flip em worst case scenario
 
Bob Boyer

Bob Boyer

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mr_rye89 said:
I might grab em for shits n giggles. Shipping those bastards to TN might be cost prohibitive. And I could always flip em worst case scenario
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They're worth the listen. I wouldn't ship anyway, I'd drive and that's a long-ass drive. And they wouldn't fit in the camper.
 
WOPL Sniffer

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mr_rye89

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I find that these have plenty of bass when powered by the WOPL 400, they soak up lots of power though. Rarely do you see the meters on the amp dance with the Altecs. Other impressions is that those 3/4" dome tweets are too strident. I might borrow those AMTs off of the Cerwin Vegas....
 
Bob Boyer

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mr_rye89 said:
I find that these have plenty of bass when powered by the WOPL 400, they soak up lots of power though. Rarely do you see the meters on the amp dance with the Altecs. Other impressions is that those 3/4" dome tweets are too strident. I might borrow those AMTs off of the Cerwin Vegas....
Click to expand...
They are known to be power hungry. Glad you snagged 'em. Have fun.
 
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