Dunlavy SC-IVa how best driven


I have been driving my B & W 801s with Northcreeks crossovers with Audio Reasearch Classic 150s upgraded with infinicaps. My preamp is an Audio Reseach Ref 2. Does the IVs require more power to sing? Thus far i've been quite pleased with the performance of my system, but after hearing the IVas driven by an x350 combined with a tube front end, I knew I had to upgrade the speakers.
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Showing 2 responses by rcprince

I used ARC Classic 150s with my Duntech Princesses for years (John Dunlavy's design at Duntech that was the precursor of the SC-IV and IVA). Those amps had more than enough power for those speakers, and plenty of strength in the bass in particular. I think that they will work VERY well with the Dunlavys, don't replace them till you hear them with the speakers. My feeling has been that the Dunlavys really benefit from great tubed amplification more than the Duntechs, which had a warmer midrange; by using the Classic 150s you'd also get the benefit of solid state-like control and extension in the bass.
Since the impedence and sensitivity of the SC-IVAs and the Duntechs I had are quite similar, the 4-ohm taps should work fine with the Dunlavys (in fact, they were the best sounding taps on that amp in my view). As far as placement goes, your room is about the minimum size for those speakers. Dunlavys are nice in that you can place them closer to a back wall than many others and still get reasonably decent sound (you will lose some soundstage depth back there), but they do sound much better away from the back and sidewalls. You should try to set up the speakers so you're sitting about 8-10 feet away from them so the drivers can better integrate, then bring them out from the back wall as far as you can without pushing your listening seat too close to the back wall (which will give you more, maybe too much, bass); they can also be set quite far apart if you like without affecting the imaging (I had my Duntechs about 9 feet apart; I've heard a pair of SC-VIs which were 20 feet apart image like a pair of mini-monitors), just toe them in more and watch out for sidewall reflections. Dunlavy advises putting them along the long wall, but in your case there isn't that much of a difference. These are just general suggestions--while they weigh a lot, it does pay to experiment with the placement, and they can be moved with a little effort so long as you don't have the spikes on them. Good luck!