How do Dunlavys compared to new stuff?


I attended a Stereophile show in the 90s and the Dunlavy SC-IV was my favorite. I'm considering new speakers (thanks for the help on previous threads) and wondering if in 15 years newer designs have left them behind. How would these compare to similar designs/cost speakers of today?

There are some IIIs for sale, how do they compare to the IV? How much would IVs cost do you think?

Thanks,
Jim
river251

Showing 4 responses by pryso

River, I've been in this hobby for decades and after owning and auditioning more speakers than I can remember I bought a pair of Duntech Princesses, the older sibling to the DAL SC-IV. I ended up keeping them for 19 years, only selling them to downsize in preparation for a move. Through out that time I continued hearing other speakers at the CES, THE Show, Stereophile shows, dealers, etc., many costing multiples of the Princesses, but without hearing any I would trade for even up. Good design and construction do not go out of style. I personally favored the Duntech speakers over the DAL models but still feel the DALs are way above average and represent excellent buys in the used market.
Meadowman, when I had the Princesses I tried four 1" TipToes (aluminum cones) to couple each to my carpeted, wood-suspension floor. They transfered too much energy, exciting the wood floor. Overall balance was better with the speakers directly on the carpet in my situation.

I'm afraid like so many aspects of set up, you will need to experiment with your own system. And River same for you if you buy DALs or Duntechs.
One year at the CES John Dunlavy used a Bel Canto amp (the SET-40 like No_regrets?) to drive the SC-IIIs. It may not have offered full bass extension but otherwise was one of the best sounds at that show.

While respective models between Duntech and Dunlavy Audio Labs have similar sonic character, they do have different drivers and crossovers. As a result I believe the Duntechs require more power while the DALs can be paired successfully with less powerful amps. But both lines will be very revealing of whatever is upstream and will reward their owners for choosing quality components.
No_regrets, I saw your earlier post where you identified your amp. My comment implied that I only remembered that Dunlavy used a Bel Canto amp at the CES but I was unsure of the model. And my comment about lack of full bass extension was directed more to the SC-III than the amp. While the mids and highs may be very similar to his larger models, I don't think anyone would expect the bass from the SC-III as from the SC-IV or larger speakers. But I agree quality is quality, even when it misses greater quantity.

Unsound, you may be questioning some of the parts selection with the DAL models, I'm not sure. But my Duntech speakers had Dynaudio and ScanSpeak drivers which I don't believe can be criticized from a quality standpoint. My personal feeling was the Duntech speakers offered slightly better performance than the comparable DAL models. This was in part due to better, more expensive drivers plus a more sophisticated cabinet design. So perhaps we are saying the same thing in a slightly different way?

Lastly, I'm not surprised to hear about Dunlavy's consideration of switching amps. One year at the CES he brought a prototype speaker that was tri-amped internally. It was suggested that Adcom power modules were used but I couldn't confirm that. I just know the idea of an active speaker system appealed to John.