Dunlavy SC4 Speakers

2cj, I've heard various stories about John Dunlavy tuning crossovers with parts selection to match his chosen drivers. Also stories about frequency response records being kept by serial number for reference with future driver replacement. Unfortunately with John's passing and the end of DAL I don't know what good any of that would do you if it was true.

My caution at this point would be that simply finding the same model tweeter for replacement might not ensure original performance. Now it could still be very good performance, but not necessarily as originally intended. That could only be determined by your own audition.

2cj, I can offer a little more support for your choice.

I owned and enjoyed a pair of Duntech Princess (purchased new) for 19 years. Anyone who knows me and the number of speakers I've owned overall will understand why that is significant. The Princess was/is the earlier sibling to the DAL SC-IV/IVa. I reluctantly sold them only due to a pending move.

While I believe the Duntech models were superior to their DAL counterparts (better driver selection and cabinet design), I had the chance to hear most DAL models and still found them to be outstanding. They are tonally very good and easy to listen to for extended periods of time. But they are also very revealing and will benefit from careful component matching and room placement.

I believe John Dunlavy was among the absolute best speaker designers and your opportunity to get one of his full range (almost) models in good condition for under $2K should be an easy choice, so long as its size is acceptable in your household.

2cj, I suggest you study your manual if you received one. In my Duntech Princess owner manual John Dunlavy stated that factory frequency response measurements were made at a distance of 3 meters. This distance allowed the sound from the five drivers to converge properly at the mic. I can't imagine he would have taken measurements in any position other than one to achieve optimal performance.

If not exactly the same, I'm sure your SC-IVs have driver positions very similar to the Princess. I used 10' listening distance with my Princesses.

2cj, in spite of the well-meaning advice from myself and others here, you must have the patience for experimenting in your own set up.

Any recommendations for specific dimensions must be considered only as recommendations for your list of trials. There are simple too many variations in room dimensions, construction, treatments, associated equipment, and personal taste for any of us to tell you "exactly" how to set up your speakers.

I believe you will continue to find your speakers to be very revealing, therefore they may benefit from even small adjustments.

Good luck and have fun.

2cj, as I said, lots of different advice but how much fits your system?

I think Unsound has offered good comments, up until he suggested sitting 1' out from the back wall, at least relative to "smoother bass response".

So let me suggest this. If you have a test CD or one with repetitive bass information, put that on repeat and set your volume at or near the maximum level you would listen to. Then move around the room, listening from a wide variety of locations. I'll bet whenever you are within 2' or so of any wall you will hear a boost in bass. The greatest amount should happen in corners but anywhere close to a wall may be more than further out into the room.

Then it will be up to you to decide if the boosted bass sounds natural and desirable to you. If it does, you can increase the apparent bass output from your SC-IVs with your chair/sofa against the wall and your head a foot or so away. But I have my doubts that will be the smoothest bass response.

Also, the problem with absorptive materials for bass frequencies is that they must be very thick to be effective. The typical 1-3" absorption will not help with frequencies below 180 Hz which is the traditional range for bass. There is lots of information online covering this if you search a little.

As with so much in life, balance should be your key.

I'm not an authority on DAL models, but I did follow their progress because of owning Duntechs and my respect for John.

I thought all the DAL numbered (Roman style) models were preceded by SC. I don't remember that he produced a special line of Signature models.

The change from SC-IV to SC-IVa was the most significant upgrade. It was in response to a Stereophile review of the SC-IV which was favorable except for bass extension. That was likely the only time anyone criticized one of John's designs for lack of bass. The SC-IVa apparently did produce a more extended bass range.