powering two pairs of Dahlquist DQ10s

For starters, I would think DQ10's should not be mounted on a wall for best performance.

They are excellent speakers and image well, due in part to their semi open baffle design.

The manufacturer supplied them with low stands like the original Quads, and for an extra charge, slightly higher stands.

So in either case up off the floor and typically a least a few feet from the walls.

From there I don't know how you would "stack" them, but this has been addressed in other threads for Quads and Magnepans. I would guess that stacking them vertically like Quads might be best.

The DQ1W was a matched subwoofer which could be used singly or in pairs, where Dahlquist also made an easy to adjust active crossover you might also find on the used market.

That made it easy enough to use one amp for the woofer and another for the panels, but I will let others comment on vertical or horizontal biamping for two sets of panels alone.

Good luck - classic speakers well worth the effort.

On the wall!!!! Blasphemy. DQ10s are not moose heads or flat-screen TVs. Forget the second pair until you get the first pair positioned correctly.

YUK....get them off the wall

The wall is the right place, DQ10s should be seen and not heard! LOL You can power them both with the same amp IF it will handle low impedance loads. Running them in parallel will halve the impedance the amp sees, not all amps will be happy with this. Why do you want to use 2 pairs, more volume? A sub for one pair may be more practical. Electrostatics and planar are doubled to increase volume and bass, cone speakers are more problematic as they will usually play loud enough and the multiple drivers will interfere with each other to a greater degree.

I agree with the other posters who recommend getting them off the wall. They generally will like being in or near the cardas recommended locations - see cardas' web site.

I had two pair, twice. The best sounding happened to be side by side on stands that raised them about 18-20 inches off the floor. Each pair was driven by an Audio Research D76A, which were driven by an Audio Research SP3A1. The system was one of the best I've ever heard - open, airy, played deep and tight and loud with excellent transient response, detailed but pleasing highs. Rock and roll was close to perfect. If I could get that sound back I'd never want to make another tweak.

I later had a 2nd double pair that I mounted in custom steel frames so that they were vertically stacked rather than horizontally side by side. This configuration was visually more impressive but sonically not as good, but it could have been different/lesser electronics and/or less desirable room acoustics.

In any event, DQ-10s are classics and worth every penny if you find good ones on the used market. 2 pair has the potential to be a knockout.