How do Dunlavys compared to new stuff?

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.

Many speaker's parts are better than the sum of their designs. Dunlavy's speaker's design is better than some of their parts.

Pryso, the Bel Canto SET40 is exactly the amp that I am using with my Dunlavy SCIV's. It does an excellent job of reproducing the lowest octaves of an acoustic double bass and the wallop of kettle and bass drums in a symphony. For me, that is all I can ask as I do not listen to rock, rap, or synthesized music. To my ears, in my room, I feel it is a great match.

John Dunlavy was a fan of switching amps. His future plans included speakers with active digital cross-overs, independent switching amps for each driver, different cabinets and baffles than his previous designs.

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.