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The best amp or improvement for Dahlquist DQ-10's

I have been looking at and listening to many speakers but every time I come home to my DQ-10's I still enjoy them most. Their flaw, and the reason I'm looking, is the bass driver and/or the bass enclosure. The sound is not "tight" or "punchy" enough. I've read that this can be alleviated with certain amps. (Although I am skeptical). I've even contemplated changing the bass driver and bass enclosure.

MY QUESTIONS: Is there a speaker out that has the same mid's and high's but with "tight" bass? Is there an amp that really could tighten this "loose" bass? (No suggestions over 2k used market).

SETUP: I have a Rega Planet cd player and Rega 25 turntable feeding an Audible Illlusions 3A pre-amp with Amperex gold pin 6922's going into a Rotel 980BX 100 watt per channel amp.

ALL HELP APPRECIATED - THANKS
imin2u
imin2u OP
392 posts
 
Warrenh, So far I've heard three Meadowlark models that are OK but still not as "lush" in the mids and highs. (And the bass wasn't as tight as I'd like).
I've also demo'd various Castle, Energy, JM Labs, Monitor Audio, Paradym lines/models. Hopefully, I'll find a place to demo the Totem, Triangle, and Vandersteen lines/models this weekend.

Also, I think I'll Start a new thread on what people have replaced their DQ-10's with and what they currently have.
norbie
2 posts
 
I have a pair of pre mirror imaging DQ10's along with the DQ-1W sub woofer and the LP-1 variable low pass filter. I was never happy with the bass response of the DQ-10s until I added the other units. I run through the low pass filter into another amp which powers the sub. The results are amazing. The LP-1 offers variable settings that allow for nearly any kind of low end you might enjoy. The DQ-1W and LP-1 are both offered at Ebay on a fairly regular basis. If you have a few bucks to spend, you should give them a try.
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
I was in the same boat not too long ago...but found the dqs bass slow, tubby, and ill-defined...and even with adequate power...we are still talkin about 30 yr old Advent paper drivers here...for a speaker that still has that very "open" midrange but with real bass...Vandersteen 1b or 1cs come to mind...the bass is not the fatest on the planet...but it is clean at lower volumes...and retains the boxless/phasecorrect integrity of the DQs...
danlevy
34 posts
 
I replaced my DQ-10s only recently, after owning them since 1976.

Over the years as I improved my other components, including cables, I found the Dahlquists had a lot more good, solid bass than I ever thought they could have. It was a great experience to see how much I could get out of the Dahlquists, while buying me years and years to enjoy their strengths, invest in other components, and audition other speakers.

Ultimately, I succumbed to some Kharmas not long ago, but I appreciate the DQ-10's allure. All of the suggestions in this thread make sense to me. You do need a lot of power to make them sound their best.
a_hayman
43 posts
 
I owned a pair of DQ-10's (mirror imaged) from 1978 (when I bought them new) until 1994, when they were damaged by the Northridge earthquake. I was very happy with them while I had them. Instead of getting them fixed, I replaced them with Thiel CS3.6's, which are a major improvement., and which I recommend. They have similar power and space requirements; I'm driving them with an Aragon 8008BB (200W/ch into 8 ohms, 400W/ch into 4 ohms).

Good luck!
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