tomharrison

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've owned a pair of Dahlquists for a few months and enjoy them immensely. Wondering image, soundstaging and information retrieval ( that sounds like "Brazil"). On the other hand, these are all the characteristic of a true audiophile speaker which comes with a caveat. If your source and accompanying equipment sounds great, so will the speakers. But bad recordings sound even worse on these kinds of speakers. And mediocre records that might have the flaws evened out by more forgiving speakers will appear with "warts and all" on the Dahlquist. It's always a trauma to have a favorite album suddenly sound bad. But at aside, for the used prices you get Dahlquist Dq-10s for, well, you get a taste of the true high-end at bargain prices. You be able to get a good used pair for $250-$350. To pay $500 is a little high these days. Things to look for: A factory, mirrored imaged pair is a plus - this will give you better imaging and you won't have to tear up your speakers. Also look for pairs with the big yellow capacitors. These have aged better than the older style and are another bonus when bargain hunting.

NOW ON ANOTHER NOTE: I have to say there is a obvious and unbalanced number of threads here saying "SEND YOUR SPEAKER TO REGNAR". Yes, these people do love and take fine care of old Dahlquist speakers, but I don't like anyone shilling on forums for their business. I seriously don't believe the number of people here pitching REGNAR's services are in line with the real number of people who are willing to pay $1,200 to refurbish a $200 speakers. Some teen who inherited his dad's old speakers has $800 to fix them? I think not. Those of you who have "bad" woofers, where the foam that holds them in place is rotten. Did you know you can fix these fairly easily (If you're a do it yourself type) for about $20 with foam replacements. Anyone who is going to charge you $200 for a "rebuild is ripping you off a bit, when most woofer will ONLY need foam. But anyway, my point is, let's keep the comments unbaised, shall we?

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Enrico69

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've bought my Dq-10 mkI used (almost new) from a collector and after I reconed it from a great professionist.
These speakears are almost impossible to: drive, place and deal with:
to drive because to give their best they need the fastest and strong amplifier possible;
to place because they are cardioid so better consider them like a dipole (far from the walls);
to deal with because listener must be far from the speakers and only in a fixed position.
If out of this conditions, sound fall down; but strictly respecting their costraints, one of the best acoustic project designed in audio history. I think John Dahlquist was in mind to project a speaker that resembled the acoustic design of quad electrostatic but with dynamic speakers and no electrostatic pannels try to avoid quad limits: he made a great job to conceive and built them!
Yes, there are some weakness.
Bigger is the woofer: not at the level of the other 4 speakers, when drived with a strong and fast amplifier it don't follow the signal (distortion).
Other speakers are excellent instead: to listen better ones, you have to go to listen at beasts like Esotar, Audio Technology, last B&W, Wilson Audio and Quad electrostatic.
To find a clearly better loudspeakers, you have to listen at beasts like Quad 2905, Sonus Faber Stradivari...and few others: the top of the top - surely very expensive !

My equipment:
EMT 982
EMT 950+TSD15 SFL+HASHIMOTO HM-3(1:20 step up)+ A.R. sp-11 phono stage+extreme phono crimson
Sansui TU-X1
Studer A-721
Audio Research sp-11 mkII (nos Siemens equipped)
VTL MB300 (nos siemens and g.e., kt88 Genalex reissue-cryo)
Jps labs superconductor 2
To match tubes, Hitchock 539B
(Yes, I know, it is quite criminal driving dq-10 with this kind of amplifier...Simply I don't exagerate with volume!)

Others characteristic go to read others review: I generally agree with them so I don't want to bore you with the same words...I have tried to write others different views...
A suggestion: if they don't play in a wonderfull way, it is always due to the equipment !
So, like B&W 800D series and Quad 2905, to give their best they need the best equipment: a good trial to understand great equipment!
So if you want to buy them, please remember you have to work a lot to make them singing finding the right equipment and placement; but if you reach in it, probably you have got loudspeakers will be very difficult to sell ! The bargain !
Finally, one of the best acoustic project and one of the best masterpiece ever made in audio industry.

Dr.J

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from 1980

Summary:
I purchased my DQ 10’s, new, in 1980, from a place in Niagara Falls, called the Electronic Supermarket. After a single audition, I completely fell in love and have owned them, ever since. They sang, sweetly, for 17 years, driven by a Bryston 4b, until life and ill health got in the way. Last year, I decided to have them rebuilt, after ten years of silence, by Regnar, which employees many of the same people who originally built them. I explained to Joe that I wanted a complete overhaul, which included re-foaming the 10” Advent woofers, and midrange speakers, making a new midrange board, which had cracked and broken, rebuilding the crossovers, rewiring, a new rheostat, gold plated terminals, new speaker cloth, new woofer box dampening material and refinishing the walnut trim with a cherry tint. Joe referred to this process as the five star treatment and that, it certainly is.

It took time, as all good things do; I believe I waited some four months. The workmanship was/is meticulous, the speakers like new (in fact, an altogether new and desirable being).

I think I need not add to the legend of these speakers or the bang for the buck. If you love your DQ 10’s as I have, it’s well worth having Regnar rebuild them. I can’t say exactly what the cost was, as I had to deal with shipping and border issues, but I think the rebuild itself was in the area of $1,200 and my question to you is: what can you buy for $1,200 in the audiophile world that can compare to these legendary speakers?

Strengths:
Amazing sound quality, beyond anything I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. The catchwords all apply: sound stage, imaging, accurate sound reproduction; in short, there really isn't anything I dislike about these speakers.

Weaknesses:
The DQ 10's like power. I recently purchased an Anthem Statement A5, surround sound amplifier and have married the DQ 10's into a surround sound system. While the outcome is a joy, it is an entirely different platform, involving a synthesis of sound. I think the DQ 10's are really best on their own, in a two channel system, where they really shine when driven by extreme power, such as a Bryston 4B.

Also, they're a fair size and require a good sized room. They're also not light, at some 50lbs each.

mspenguin01

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $600.00 from EBay

Summary:
As so many have mentioned, I too fell in love the first time that I auditioned the DQ-10s back in the late 70's. I have recently been re-assembling my former system from the ‘70s. I had never owned a pair of Dahlquists; however, I recently aquired a pair on EBay. I am still experimenting with placement etc., but I have a question to those of you that have experience with different power sources with the DQ-10s.
I currently have a Kenwood Model 600. I have always been extremely happy with that unit, so I never replaced it. My question is this: How would you rate the 600 (130 rms/ 8ohms - 150rms/4ohms) against other amps? From my investigation, the Kenwood does not appear to be a "high current" amplifier that is so highly recommended with the DQ-10 - even with it's four 18,000 microfarad output caps. Since I do not have anything to compare with, would anyone care to offer their opinions/recommendations?

Strengths:
SoundStage
Clarity
Apperance

Weaknesses:
Nothing worth mentioning.

Similar Products Used:
JVC FS-100 (maybe someone remembers those?)

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Price Paid:  $1200.00 from opus one

Summary:
I bought these in 1980 for $1200. No need to repeat what's been said about these gems in the past. I recently purchased a kit consisting of audiophile grade wire and replacement components for the crossover networks. Instead of replacing components, I rebuilt the crossovers from scratch in a RFI screened enclosure. Jon used high quality parts, but that was 25 years ago.
DQ10's have been compared to loudspeakers in the $4000 to $5000 range. I've found that to be true. With the new crossovers, I cannot make a comparison, because I have never heard anything even close. It's like I've pulled a blanket off of them. The complex soundstage with separation and depth between instruments is striking. For $400 (kit price), you need to upgrade your DQ10's. Of course a good Boston sub corrects their only weakness. Driven by some high quality tube gear and cables costing more than two pair of speakers, I have discovered what the 10's where intended to sound like.

Strengths:
Complex, detailed soundstage.

Weaknesses:
none - anymore
power hungry is not a weakness ! ! !