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Dunlavy Audio Labs SC-IV

Greetings,

I've always been very interested in owning DAL SC-IV's, but given their current age, I'm a little concerned with making the investment in a pair.

I would assume the way Dunlavy matched/tuned drivers to achieve his results, would mean that just replacing a failed driver (if they're even available) with an off-the-shelf version would have a serious impact on sound quality.

Are the drivers in these speakers prone to failing and/or deteriorating over time? Are replacements available, and can you maintain the accuracy of the system with a standard replacement driver? Anything else I should know about investing in a system of this age?

Thanks for any and all input...I just don't want to invest in something that may be on the backside of the curve of its useful life.
seadweller
rcprince
3,070 posts
 
I would think the main thing that could go wrong with the drivers (unless you have a problem with your amp taking them out) would be the surrounds for the woofers and midrange units. Those can likely be repaired by Madisound. I seem to recall that there might be a former dealer in Iowa who has replacement drivers (he might have sold his stock by now), but as you assumed I would not suggest replacing the original drivers with off the shelf units.

Great speakers. I would check with the seller to make sure that they haven't had drivers replaced.
pryso
1,928 posts
 
Seadweller, I'm more familiar with Duntech than DAL but I believe John did tune/match all his drivers and crossover parts in DAL models too. So replacements should be done with caution.

As Rcprince stated most common may be foam surround failure from age. But even there rebuild choice should be made carefully. One friend with Duntech Princesses (closest sibling to the SC-IV) had his woofer surrounds refoamed. But that speaker repair didn't utilize the correct weight foam for the Dynaudio drivers and my friend had to have them redone by someone who knew what they were doing.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
they use morel as bass and vifa in mid-range and tweeters.
most manufacturers advise to only get ones from them for profit reasons. Less-likely manufacturers buy bulk of drivers and select ones that match perfect.
been frying my drivers (aerial 10t) couple of times; ordered and replaced them in minutes -- nothing complicated sweep-swap-tillybilly-done.
if bad comes to worst, work with driver manufacturer to select and order proper model, take screwdriver, soldering iron and replace them.
rleff
1,065 posts
 
If the driver is special to you speakers I would talk with Bill Legall of Millersound. I used Bill to repair one of my drivers in my dunlavy sc III's; He is the best period.

Millersound
1422 Taylor Road
Lansdale, PA 19446-1531
(215) 412-7700
brauser
525 posts
 
I have almost every model speaker that John Dunlavy designed in his illustrious (albeit short) career. I have gone to lots of high-end shows and been invited to countless shop demos. There's a tremendous amount of amazing gear in the marketplace today, but I don't believe you can do better than the SC-IV at it's used price point. Over the years, I have replaced a few of the mid-range drivers with units from Madisound. Installation is a snap and gives the opportunity to apply a silver contact enhancer which makes it sound better than new.

I have friends who insist on spending tens of thousands for the 'speaker-of-the-year'. They then come over and leave shaking their heads.

Having said that ,though, it is important to 'tweak' the system to include spikes or something like 'StillPoints' under the speakers to maximize performance and spend the time to get them placed correctly in the room. Good electronics and cables are likewise important. In fact, as you live with the speakers you'll be amazed at how revealing each upgrade will be.

Good luck and good listening!
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