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What amp to get for Dahlquist DQ12's?

I've recently acquired a pair of Dahlquist DQ12's that have been fully restored. They sound great, but I'm currently running them through a basic Yamaha htr-5550 receiver. This receiver is rated at 75wpc, and I'm not sure this is enough to sufficiently power the DQ12's.

I'm currently debating whether I should just build a pure stereo system primarily for listening to vinyl, or whether I should continue to keep up a DTS/Dolby surround system for movies. That being said, I'd love to hear suggestions for what I should get to power these babies.

That is, what should I get as a pure stereo amp to power these?

and,

What should I get to power these that will also decode movie audio?

Thanks!
malcolmreynolds21
malcolmreynolds21 OP
5 posts
 
Thanks for the wonderful advice! I'm a bit green when it comes to amps. What can I expect to get one of these carver amps for, and are they that difficult to come by?
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

06-09-12: Malcolmreynolds21
What can I expect to get one of these carver amps for, and are they that difficult to come by?
eBay or perhaps a vendor of used and vintage gear. I'm not saying you have to get a Phase LInear 700; after all, they came out 40 years ago. Still, I heard one drive a pair of Dahlquists similar to yours to good effect fairly recently. We also had them at the store I worked at in 1975-6 and we often hooked up the 700 to speakers of low sensitivity such as the DQ-10 and the Ohm F to get them to come alive.

If your budget is around $300-700, the Parasound HCM series from the mid-'90s (e.g., HCM-1500, HCM-2200) should do well too. Many of these are 200 wpc and up with good transient response, tight extended bass, and smooth treble.
ph5y
10 posts
 
Back in the day I heard them sound good with an Aragon pre/power combination (200wpc.) These sometimes show up used. I've never heard it with tubes. The larger DQ-20i from the same period does sound sweet with tubes, though I wouldn't go below 45 wpc. The earlier DQ-10 is a much more complicated design and needs more power though a top notch tube amp should handle it as well (Saul Marantz was Dahlquist's business partner!)
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