Dahlquist DQ10

my main concern would be the crossover components may need replacing which could double the price pretty quickly (I imagine)

my two cents...

I am going to listen to them tomorrow.  Is there a way I can tell?  I'm not very knowledgeable about the tech type stuff.

In the majority of cases, crossover failures involve the capacitors and generally electrolytic caps. I used to mod Dahlquist’s DQ-10s (mirror image/swap Piezos for ribbons/etc) in my shoppe(talking 1980’s here). I never have seen a stock DQ-10, with anything other than Metalized Mylar caps. Look at the crossovers and if the caps have a shiny yellow wrap, they are probably stock, and still good.

I would say buy them. If they are in good working condition, even without any exotic upgrades they will be enjoyable. They are by no means reference level, but they are fun, and the price is right.  

Thanks!  I find it interesting that the stock caps would still be good but newer ones put in during a mod may be bad.  Do you think my receiver has the power to fully get the best sound?  It has pre-outs and the option of getting a power amp might be interesting.  Have always wanted one.

No experience with your receiver but according to the specs with 90wpc it should have adequate power depending on your room size and listening volume. Sound quality could be improved if you add a better amp later on. Let us now how you make out.

I have a really nice pair of DQ-10’s that I spent 4 months restoring. They came out absolutely gorgeous and sound great.

I did replace a few of the caps mainly because they, more or less, crumbled when I touched them.

Your receiver, IMHO, is barely the minimum required to drive these. They are a little inefficient and need more power. I agree that a larger amp would be beneficial.

There is a lot of help online if you want to restore/repair or just get more info on them.

Again, IMHO, they still hold their own against a lot of the competition. Marvelous speakers when driven well and correctly setup.

Good luck and let us know what you do...

I owned the DQ-10's back in the day.  I would be concerned with the amount of power you have.  I had a Macintosh amp that put out 200 to 250 watts per side and I could have used more power / current.

I haven’t heard the speaker since its heyday in the mid-’70s. I remember one favorite amp was the Ampzilla- it had oodles of power and didn’t sound as nasty as a lot of early solid state. The speaker seemed to benefit from a large solid state amp, but I never owned a the DQ-10. It was a pretty remarkable speaker in the day- have no idea how it would hold up today. Cool that you restored a pair, @mofimadness.

buy em
ditch the piezo
certainly worthy of much better power....
we ran them with Haflers ......

Many moons ago I owned the DQ10. I used a 200 watt Forte amp and the combination was outstanding. I think the DQ10 would compete with any speaker made today. BTW, it is listed number 6 of the most significant speakers of all time!
www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-12-most-significant-loudspeakers-of-all-time/

I owned the DQ 20 for a while and really enjoyed it. I wish I had kept it longer and put some money into updating it. It certainly had its deficits, but it had a special way with depth that I really liked, and sometimes it could really present instruments and voices in a 3D way. 

There is a repair/upgrade available:
http://www.regnar.com/
They also sell refurbed speakers, too. (none available at the moment).

If they sound okay, I would get them. I remember them when the first came out and still remember how good they sounded.
bob

Well, made the purchase.  They have been owned by an engineer since new.  Not a mark or ding on them.  Wood grain with the sorta beige covers.  He lives in the retirement home down the street and was selling them in their in house thrift store.  They had them hooked up to a small Sony SS receiver....maybe 30 wpc at most.  I was pretty impressed with the sound even at the low volume.  rodmann99999-they have the shiny yellow caps.  Gonna pick them up friday morning....now I just need to figure out placement in my living room....haha

Good move, I hope you enjoy them.
Bob

A bargain at that price! Still a superb sounding speaker! And not embarrassed by today's big-buck speakers! I too own a pair with upgraded woofers and x-overs. Plus custom stands and new black grill cloth. The price: $375 - and the seller was only 5 miles from me! So I rushed over and snagged them before anybody else!

Enjoy them! 

I had a pair for several years and really enjoyed them...At that price I wouldn't hesitate to buy them.

Sure they'll play, but they really want more power to satisfy their hunger

They eat POWER !!!
You will be able to hear music with your 110 w/ch receiver ...la la lala....- but
with POWER you'll feel their wrath and cringe in fear and awe.  Feed it a good 250 watts into 8 ohms and be amazed!!!!

Haha.....love it 'waterzlife'.  In the late 70's, I had a friend who owned a Phase Linear 400.....can't recall the speakers. Thorens TT.  I still remember how it sounded.  Bachman Turner Overdrive f'n rocked the dump!  Fear and awe is a great analogy though! Thanks for all the feedback everyone!  Was looking at power amps on the ole interwebs today....

Here’s hoping they serve you and your music well! I do recall making a couple DQ-10 owners/customers very happy, selling them Hafler DH-500s, to go with. A very dependable and stable amp, still easy to find on the used market, with lots of available upgrades. In most, replacing the electrolytics would be a necessity, after all these years. One caveat: fan noise, especially if you push it hard.  ie: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2322090.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xhafler+500...

Thanks rodman99999!  I'm kind of leery about buying used so I was just looking at new.  Yikes....$$$$  Probably wait till tax time next year.  I'm old and retired...haha. Gonna see how they sound first with my current  SS set-up.  I gotta think they'll blow away the Yamaha towers I bought in '96, even without some 'mega-wattage'...and to me those sound pretty damn good.  I also have a Klipsh 8" sub so I'm sure that'll compensate for the lack of bass response that I read these supposedly lack.  We shall see!

Here are the amps I’ve used with my DQ-10s over the years with great success:


Odyssey Stratos series, (the Dual-Mono was the best)

Anthem Amp 2SE+, (hybrid tube/SS)

Aragon 4004 MKII

Belles 150A Reference

Belles 350A Reference


Any of these would be much better then your Yammy! IMHO, the Belles 350A Reference was the best overall. What a FANTASTIC amplifier, but the others were no slouches...

I doubt that you will need a sub with them. Those Advent woofers in the DQ 10s have a nice tight bass!

Thanks for the tips.  I got the Yammy free as a safety award for 30 years of accident free driving.  And the Klipsch sub was also an award.  It was part of a SS 5.1 package.  The satellites sound like crap but the sub cranks.  I guess I could consider myself an educated 'newb' now!  I'm always skeptical about joining forums because they're so many buttholes on them.  You folks have been great and I appreciate the advise.  Lots of good info on here.....scrambled my old brain cells a bit.....haha.

Far as new, good sounding, SS on a budget goes, these are hard to beat:  http://www.odysseyaudio.com/products-stratos-stereo.html  or  http://www.odysseyaudio.com/products-stratos-mono.html     Manufactured right here, in Indianapolis, IN.

Picked them up...hooked them up.   All I can say is I'm blown away. Have played several records I'm very familiar with.....most notably a '77 copy of Aja, some Count Basie, Zappa, Brand X, Art Pepper, Tomita.... I heard things I've never heard before. Also some digital 'net radio' and now some Donald Fagan-Nightfly on CD..... Now I need to re-arrange some furniture. Also, got the owners manual with it. Looks like it was kept pressed in a book. Mint also.... All original Dahlquist electronics on the crossover boards. I listened also with my sub on....added some bottom end which is probably lacking due to not enough power? I think they sound incredible without the sub. All in all, I'm a happy camper! Thanks for the advice. And now I know what imaging is all about!

You really lucked out on those speakers!
I wish I had more room, I'd get a pair myself.
Bob

You can never go wrong with Steely Dan!

I bought a new pair when they were released back in the day. Had to sell them when I moved into my college dorm room. Wish I hadn’t. 

Besides checking the crossover caps, I recommend replacing the woofers. Their surrounds are likely rotten. I bought another pair of DQ-10’s from an eBay seller about 15 years ago and inserted them into a system with a 200WPC amp powering them. The woofers gave way in the first 10 min of moderate levels of music, with detachment of the cones from the surrounds and driver frames.  

Happy listening!

 I recommend replacing the woofers

Don't replace the original woofers, just have them re-foamed if need be.  Regnar, (the Dahlquist factory guys) can re-foam them.  Bill Legall at MillerSound can do them justice too.  Even if you had toasted voice coils, they can be redone also. 

http://www.regnar.com/
http://millersound.com/

@ celander...yea, these were one owner, an electrical engineer.  He had the woofers re-foamed.  Crossover boards are all original and pretty much dust free.  He took care of them.  On another note.....I spent a few hours yesterday listening to many of my records...and some CD's too.  It's as if it's all new recordings or remasters!  Jazz and classical were especially amazing. Heard things I've not heard before.  My house is 103 years old so the living room is small by today's standards.  Best sounding speakers I've ever owned.  I owned a set of KLH 3-ways back in about '75.....those were close as far as I remember.  Picked up some records at the local used place yesterday.  Time to chill......

I know that this post is a few months old, but wanted to give my listening perspective with the DQ10s.  First, they like clean power with a lot of headroom.  In my initial impression about a month ago, I used a Primaluna integrated tube amp with EL34 tubes and they sounded great in my small room (10X9X9) playing at 11:00 o'clock on volume and hitting 85db peak.  I then used an Onkyo Integra integrated amp and the DQ10s sounded thin and the mids/bass almost non-existent (bigger room and not enough RMS watts).  While the specs on the 5.9 integra should have been good enough it just didn't do the DQ10s justice.  So I put the PS Audio 200c on duty (8 ohms @ 200, 4 ohms @ 400 & 1.5 ohms @ 1000) with a Sanyo Plus Series amp (vintage warm sound with no hint of sibilance).  The change was incredible, to say the least.  The mids/bass had a fullness that felt like I added a sub and imaging, clarity and air (like somebody turned up the reverb button where none exists) was awesome.  Room size increased to 15WX20LX10H and playing at 11:00 or 12:00 on the volume barely gets the PS Audio warm to the touch (3 hours playtime today 10/26/2018).  I compared the DQ10s to the Martin Logans with built-in subs (ML had more air but mids/bass were comparable); Wharfdales (laid back and warm which is similar in the DQ10s); Klipsch RF 7 (more clarity in the highs but can be fatiguing if not paired with the right equipment) and others.  Based on my listening experience in my rooms (3 music rooms with 1 dedicated) the DQ10s can more than hold up their own in the right room with clean power and a good source.  I have the DQ10s 32" from the back wall and 20" from the side walls and I'm six feet in the sweet spot.  One final note.  I got my DQ 10s in very good shape for $100 a piece (mirrored and cones were redone by the owner who had 5 DQ10s and some Advent speakers) and was a tremendous find.  The PS Audio 200c can be had on eBay for around $700 the last time I looked. 

Hey!  OP here.....nice write-up.  I just love these speakers.  I don't have the equipment that all you folks own but my ears are still being amazed when I play something that I haven't heard in a while.  Still using my 7.2 'yammy' and a Grado Black.  Might go power amp for xmas but my room is about 15 by 15 with 9 foot ceilings.  And I don't do 'loud' much anymore....mostly jazz these days though I do on occasion 'rock the dump'.  Thx for the input....

great score, sejodiren!!  Always loved DQ-10's.

So one of my local 'hi-fi' shops has a boat load of used equipment.  All equipment has been tested and comes with a 30-day parts and labor warranty.  A Carver  TFM-35X 250wpc-$489 and a Carver  CT-26V tuner/preamp-$189.  Good price?  Seem to recall the Carver being high current/high power.  Love the look of it.....

Hey Sejodiren, the Carver amps can provide the power you need.  Since the local hi-fi shop has 30-day parts and labor warranty, that's a good start although the amp is a little high; should be closer to $375 to $400. But a brick and mortar store has to compete with eBay and Craiglist sellers so factor that in as well as their service.  Also, get the paperwork for what they tested so you actually know what it is.  Happy listening.

HELP my boss just gave me a pair of DQ 10 speakers. They have been sitting in a warehouse for 10 + years.  They look fine other than very dusty and the grill cover fabric is shot.  Have not hooked them up to an amp so I don’t know what condition the Any help or advice would be appreciated. 

You'll probably have to have the woofers re-foamed for sure if it hasn't been done.  You'll know for sure once you pull the grills off or hook them up.  

@dfp - If the woofer surrounds are rotted, contact Bill at Millersound, for expert service.  Look them over, before cranking them up.  Bad surrounds can result in trashed voice-coils, and a higher-Dollar repair.   http://www.millersound.net/speaker-refoaming-millersound.html

I’m now on a quest to restore these speakers and to think they were headed to the dumpster and by chance I happen to notice and rescue them.  Funny how your life can take twist and turns. If someone told me a week ago I would be undertaking a vintage speaker restoration I would have told him/her they are nuts. Taking them to a shop in the Los Angeles area tomorrow that has experience working on these speakers for their 10 + year physical checkup. Will see what prognosis the tech comes up with.  BTW I’ve been playing the speakers the last couple of nights VERY gently and they sound incredible. 

Thank you you for your sound guidance. 

Yes.....they do sound incredible.  Free is a very good price!  #6 on this list....http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-12-most-significant-loudspeakers-of-all-time/

Hey!
I recently bought a pair of Dahlquist DQ 10 and realized that I had never heard such a wonderful sound before. 44 years old but plays the shirt of the many newly produced speakers today.
fifteen thousand kronor ended the bill with the renovation of Woofer and various capacitors.
But that's almost a ridiculous amount of money in the Hifi world.

They have a way of making you feel that the performers are in the room with you, but of course like any other speaker they have their shortfalls. Still enjoyable. I owned the DQ 20s for a few years and enjoyed them.

Yes exactly it is roxy 54 :) such a fantastic presence.
I haven't found any "deficiency" yet ...
DQ10 is paired with Dynaudio 6 subwoofer which has advanced DSP technology and helps with the heaviest part.
It will be a very nice collaboration between old and young :) "Feels like I'm in love again"