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Review NaN of
Price Paid:
$1250.00
from Bryn Mawr Stereo...l Summary:
Back in the early 80's we had a lot of really amazing speakers out there to choose from. I had owned Polk's, Infinity, AR among a few. We use to talk about things like Magnaplaner and other exotics in hushed tones. One day I had the luck to find myself in a recording studio in NYC and the monitors in that place left me with my jaw dropped! Dahlquist DQM9's were the beasts I had heard and I knew I would never be satisfied with less. Several weeks later I parted with $1250 and the DQM9's became reality for me for many years.
Home theater hit the planet and 7.2 surround and the old DQM9's were forgotten and sat in storage for the last 7 years. I yearned for pure stereo again. The M9's came out of storage and I cried! The woofers were falling apart... REGNAR to the rescue!
I discovered these good people after a lot of searching for all things Dahlquist. I never hesitated once I realized that REGNAR actually was what was left of the original group. I decided to go for the total routine. I shipped them my dead woofers and about 2 weeks later they sent me a package with new ploy CAPS and complete destuctions. I rebuilt the crossovers using those parts and waited for another 3 weeks before I saw the box being carried to my door. Within 2 hours the newly built (you heard correct...not rebuilt...these woofers had a heftier build than new!!!) woofers were resoldered and the DQM9's once again were complete.
I had acquired a new B&K Reference 200 amp & Reference 5 S2 preamp to do justice to the moment. The Sony ES cd player had Art Pepper / Eleven ready to fly. I sat about 15 feet back in a comfy chair and punched the remote keys. HOLY CRAP!!! How often have you encountered things which EXCEEDED your fondest recollections of how wonderful they once had been? Never, right? WRONG! These speakers are not merely back in order, they are absolutely better than original! The new woofers and revamped crossovers produce such a tight bass I'm in awe. If I had read this kind of report earlier I would have been skeptical as to the sanity of the writer of the report. You can doubt my sanity (many have), but I urge you to find these speakers and go down this path. You will not be dissapointed.
The people at REGNAR / DAHLQUIST were not just selling basic speaker service. They understand the history and appreciate the capacity of these speakers and have done the original constructions justice with their recommended process for total restoration. I was willing to try this as a stopgap to purchasing new speakers. After running these rebuilt DQM9's for only a few days...They're SO DARN GOOD I can't imagine where to begin looking to match these gems no less try to surpass the clarity and true to life nature of the music they produce. The imaging is so realistic I find myself expecting someone to wait my table!
With scotch in hand I listen once again to beautiful stereo sounds and I raise my glass to the crew at REGNAR! WELL DONE! Strengths:
Originally, the build and overall sound quality was flawless.
After the REGNAR rebuild... is there a level beyond flawless? Weaknesses:
Originally, at high volumes the bass was adequate but a sub really made them shine.
After the REGNAR rebuild they are actually better than original, but the Velodyne DD10 will still be relied on for those extreme lows. I've yet to hear a set of speakers that don't benefit from being paired with a decent sub.
( Except for a custom made speaker from Danby Audio with Martin drivers, which actually incorporated 2 12" down-firing woofers and were the size of a loveseat!) Similar Products Used:
A friend had a pair of OHM G's which were spectacular and yet never quite measured up to the Dahlquist's transparency.
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