I had a pair of Dunlavy SC-1 speakers several years ago, and I miss them. They were so accurate, detailed (but never bright), and totally Disappeared into a room with hardwood floors and wood paneling that was only 10x10. I loved those speakers and miss them.
Short of finding a pair used were should I turn? My room is a little better, but not much. I listen fairly close. I have found Dynaudio just a bit dry for me. They have had most of what the Dunlavys offered, but just a little lean. I found Totem's Arro, Mite, and DC to be great, but not quit as accurate. They sing like the dickens and almost disappear, but they lacked a bit of the precision.
I have some Ohm that are still breaking in, but I'm having trouble getting used to their presentation. They sound a little laid back to me, and while I love the boxless sound they produce, it comes at the price of accuracy.
Anyway, these are just my MHO of these speakers and I know every person, room and system is different. I'm not trying to bash any of the above speakers. They all are really nice. I'm just to express where I stand, and trying to get a little guidance from some Dunlavy lovers out there.
Aside from any suggestions I may be moving onto Gallo 3.1s next.
I've now been in this audio hobby for decades. I owned Duntech Princess speakers for 19 years, by far the longest of any other component over all this time. The only reason I sold them was due to their size and a pending move.
For those not familiar the Princess was produced in OZ while John Dunlavy was still involved there. Soon after I bought mine he returned to the US to establish production of a new Duntech model here (shipping from OZ was expensive since so many models were large and heavy). That model was not successful and John separated from Duntech and started Dunlavy Audio Labs (DAL). Many of the new models were very similar to the earlier Duntech designs. My Princess evolved into the SC-IV and then SC-IVa. He was an exceptional designer and every model I auditioned was musically rewarding.
DAL is unfortunately gone, but Duntech continues on in OZ. I understand there is still a Princess model, although not the same as I owned.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but after spending about $11k on other speakers, I think the Dunlavy SC-III are the best speakers I own. IIRC, I spent under $3k on them in the early 2000s.
I’ve always found the same with Dynaudio. I was for a while quite interested in Dynaudio speakers but never could get past that bit of "reserved" buttoned up dryness to the sound.
I always enjoyed Dunlavy speakers and almost bought the Aletha or Athena.
I’d bet you may be very happily impressed if you can find a pair of Thiel 3.7 or 2.7 speakers. As you probably know they are time/phase coherent like the Dunlavy, but those last Thiel models are incredibly coherent and one of the least fussy speakers I’ve owned to set up, and posess a wide sweet spot where the tone changes very little with position. (Whereas the Dunlavy were by design much more directional and closer to head-in-a-vise design).
Finally scooched the SC-IIIs out of the spare bedroom and hooked them up to my Rogue M-180s. I just set them to the outside of my Vandersteens, toed in a bit, but not very carefully. I never had these hooked up to my big tube amps. They sound vibrant, fast, and image effortlessly. Surprising how solid the center image is without fussing. The treble sounded just a tad strident, but they have been sitting idle for for 10 years. And I'm sitting only 9 feet from each speaker, not quite the recommended 10 feet or 3 meters (as I seem to recall).
The speakers must be 20 years old. Should I be worried about aging components in the crossovers?
I still have some SC-IIIs in the extra bedroom. I got the itch and upgraded to Vandersteen Quatros. Also my listening space did not seem to allow for the wide spacing they seem to demand, but I have some radical new ideas for placement...
You guys have me contemplating hauling them out and hooking them up again. I never heard them with my tube gear.
My reference pair is some SC-IVs since the late 80s Those stay put and have probably owned 30 plus other Hifi speakers ever since. The only speakers Modern speakers I’ve heard that wowed me are evolution acoustics which excell in the same areas that the Dunlavy s do. When I first heard them my brain said Dunlavy has been reincarnated.
Original owner of the SC1AV's, SM1's, SC3's, SC4's and SC4's and SC4A's. The 5's and 6'S I will reserve for a casket when I die. I never had the space. All are incredible. I kept the SC3's and actually feel they are the best of the lot when supplied with a proper sub and electronics of course. Basically they are the largest disappearing mini monitor I've ever heard. Yes Planars (Maggies/Logans, etc...) and Statics sound super cool and always sizzle or exaggerate imho and I love both of those as well. But if you want ruler flat speakers that go away once placed perfectly you cant go wrong with DAL. Side note even 1/8th an inch will make a huge difference. Also get real spikes Outriggers work wonders. From my exp the harder your speakers are to place the better the speaker is, cause your hearing the room dynamics. Definitely not recommend for less expensive gear or people that wont spend the time and money to get it right. Dunlavy's are like a woman that you married and divorced 3 times but ultimately you keep coming back to her. They can be that annoying to get placed right.
At the end of the day if your typing on your laptop or some other chore and the music is so good you have to stop and listen laugh and say "Dam that sounds good" your done what ever your brand... Enjoy the emotion your system is giving you and search for a woman that can do the same thing! Dunlavy's have always done that for me and a great loss to the Audio community with his passing. Godspeed Sir John Dunlavy!
I've got SC-IIIs, as well as a center channel (which I'm not using). McIntosh system and generic $.50/foot speaker wire. It's unbelievable. Sure, I rent a room in a warehouse practically just to use for listening to these, but it's worth it. Especially because they were free :)
I need grilles, though. and bases. Currently using those mooshy rubbery donut-like feet. Any leads on grilles would really be appreciated.
The Dunlavys are in a class of there own. I own 3 sc1/av signatures and also a pair of Duntech Marguis purchased in 89 while Dunlavy was with Duntech. All fantastic speakers but very hard to find. Good luck
I have had my Dunlavy SCIV's for a dozen years and have heard many high end speakers during that time span. None has ever tempted me into replacing the Dunlavy's from my reference system. The Dunlavy's have always sounded the closest to live music to me with the right amount of harmonic texture, timbre, naturalness, dynamics etc. Placed in the correct room and with the right electronics I don't think you can find a better balanced speaker.
There always seem to be some SC-IVs and Vs for pickup only on the site because of the difficulty of shipping. I see some SC-IIs now, as well.
I loved my SC-IIIs, but my new condo has a floorplan that simply makes it impossible to place them in a way that takes advantage of their capabilities. So I'm moving to Vandersteen Quatros.
Does anyone know what the minimum listening distance is for the SC-II? It's 8 feet for the SC-III, according to the manual. It should be under the specs for on-axis accuracy.
I have owned a set of IVs and 2 sets of Vs. If you have a room that will allow them to be properly placed, they are very difficult to beat.
Find a set of Dunlavys and buy them. Hire a moving company to move them to your listening room. You will never find a better value and probably never find a more satisfying speaker.
There are many great speakers (out there) and I have had some of the best in their day; but only the Dunlavys continue to endure. I presently have five different models in a variety of audio/video systems and I marvel at the ability to continue upgrading the systems without touching the speakers. I'm still not sure of the totality of what they are capable of, so I continue to experiment being rewarded by whatever good choices I may make.
My recommendation is to go with Dunlavys, wherever they may be found. I've found it to be the best audio investment of my 40+ years in this hobby.
I owned Dunlavy SM-1s for a number of years and recommend that you listen to Lipinski L-505s or L-707s which many feel were based on the SM-1s. To my ear the Lipinski monitors, I've owned the 505s and currently own the 707s, share many characteristics with the Dunlavys and have improved on the Dunlavy design. There is a good review in Stereophile and a search of "Dunlavy Lipinski" will bring up a number of comparisons - some prefer one, some the other, but most feel they are similar.
The Maggie 1.6's would be a paradigm shift for you and worth trying out...I love my 3.6R's which replaced an endless procession of box speakers including Dunlavy SC-5's:O)
I owned those speakers years ago for a breif time,The Dynaudio C1 would be a major step up IMO..I will agree that Totem is not accurate enough,again IMO
i also had some dunlavy i (av model), which i stupidly and impulsively sold. my hangup at the time was the absence of any low end, although i recognized that the dunlavys image and detail like nothing else on earth. i've tried various well-regarded monitors (dynaudio, von schweikert) as replacements, tho nothing really reproduces the high end like the dunlavy. closest i've gotten is jm focal, which ahs that lovely, transparent tweeter and midrange. mark and daniel is also impressive, with a much more robust low end.
the dunlavy sc2 would be a near repica of the sound but no stands are needed .don't spend a dollar however until you've let the micro walsh break in and you've had time to adjust. in all honesty, let the money stay in your pocket for awhile....you may be off the merry-go-round, and just need time to know you're off....consult with mapman as well....an ohm enthusiast, but not closed minded to the charms of other loudspeakers.
Since you loved your Dunlavys and I'm pretty sure they had 1st-order crossovers, that may be something to look for in your next speaker. The crossover design/build quality probably has as much to do with the sound of a speaker within your room's boundaries than the enclosure type/driver array etc..
If you are curious abount the Thiels mentioned above I think you can buy them from Crutchfield.com and try them for 30-days risk-free in your own listening room. Can't go wrong with that!
I have the MicroWalsh Talls. I am going to give them some more time and compare them head to head with my other choice/s before I form a complete opinion
My budget is about 2K. The Thiels are interesting. I don't know much about them, but I do suspect that the Dunlavy being Phase aligned had a lot to do with what I liked about them. I've heard Thiels can be analytical. I would also guess anything larger than the 1.6 would overwhelm my room and listening position. Anyone have experience with the 1.6.
What about a set of small Martin Logans, the Source or the Purity?
I had dunlavy scIII's; maybe a pair of merlins might work for you;I had a pair of merlin 4b+'s before the scIII's and they were very close in sound;now the merlin line is even more refined and they might fit your requirements.
Vandersteen and Thiel are aligned with John Dunlavy's requirements for time and phase coherent designs. You owe it to yourself to listen to these manufacturers' products.
I had the same issue with the Ohms in terms of "laid back" dynamics (OTOH, I find them nearly dead neutral, tonally). With time, (either) the speakers (or your ears) will break-in and the effect will diminish. You can add a sub (I use 2 Rythmiks) to relieve the Ohms of deep bass which also helps. The Gallos bark up a similar tree to the Ohms (I suspect most will find them a touch more dynamic), but - like the Ohms - they're nearly omni directional throu much of the range. Don't know if that's good or bad given your comments.
Mailman199, my reco would be Green Mountain Audio. I believe that, besides the silk dome tweeter, the Dunlavy's were 1st-order x-over which is what the Green Mountain Audio speakers are. I believe, from my personal experience, you should find a similar sound in Green Mountain Audio speakers as you did in the Dunlavy's.
I had a pair of Dunlavy SC-IV's, then bought a pair of B&W Silver Signature's. The B&W Silver Signature's to me, were much more natural, especially in the vocal range. I moved to a 10' x 12' room and the Silver Signature's completely disappeared, just this soundstage before me.
I moved the SC-IV's to the home theater and used the Silver Signature's for my stereo. I then looked for years for a replacement and finally found the Star Sound Caravelle's.
There's a pair for sale on Audiogon right now: http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1249959936&/Star-Sound-Caravelles-With-Mat
I still have mine, and I'm not looking to replace them.
The only other monitors that I've heard and really liked was the Dynaudio C1 and Wilson Duette. I've read really good things about the new Eben. I also like the Magnapan 1.6's.
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