Dahlquist DQ-30's

Yoder · 4760

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Offline Yoder

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on: May 19, 2014, 02:31:51 PM
Anybody out there familiar with the Dahlquist DQ-30 speakers?

My associate in San Francisco found a pair for sale close to me and was really pushing for me to buy them. He swears by them, and I guess only 1500 were made before Dahlquist was in a serious auto accident. The speakers looked to be in great cosmetic condition, and the seller said they were pretty close to pristine. But...having several pairs of speakers already and three different audio systems I just didn't see myself needing another pair of speakers regardless of how good they are (plus they weigh 98 pounds each.) From what I have read and been told the DQ-10's are complete crap compared to the 30s.

So, I kept vacillating and putting it off hoping that somebody would buy them and relieve me of my "problem". Then my associate told me that he would give me an "early Christmas present" if I bought the DQ-30's. Basically, he said that when my daughter comes home from Stanford for the summer that he would send with her a pair of custom made http://monarchyaudio.com/SE100_MK2_Main_Frame.htm mono-blocks (guess who is not bringing home any clothes from college?)

He designed the amps, and now builds them himself. A while back he gave me a pair of SM-70's MK 2's http://monarchyaudio.com/SM70_MK2_Main_Frame.htm, a NM-24 tube DAC http://monarchyaudio.com/NM24_Main_Frame.htm, a DIP Combo (external word clock), and a bunch of other gear for buildingand maintaining his Web site over the years. Needless to say, I am very, very impressed with my current solid state system. Guess I have the best of both worlds: a great Bottlehead tube system, and a Monarchy Audio hybrid system. Anyway, he said that the amps he was sending out to me will be optimized for the DQ-30's, and were superior to the SM-70's for driving the speakers. What could I say? I spend a few hundred on some speakers and get about $3K worth of amps for free. So, to make him happy and shroud him in joy I relented and bought the speakers!  :D

My question is: are the speakers truly that good? Good enough to basically design/optimize some amps to drive them? Honest feedback is truly appreciated.




Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #1 on: May 19, 2014, 07:52:24 PM
I haven't ever gotten bad advice from CC.  Give them a shot on 300B's, you might be surprised!

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline Yoder

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Reply #2 on: May 27, 2014, 09:48:20 AM
Hmm, so the 300's will drive them? That will definitely be worth a try.

Yes, CC is a great source of information and has made a few suggestions on changes to various components that made a huge difference in audio quality. A very gracious human being.



Offline ALL212

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Reply #3 on: June 10, 2014, 04:33:36 PM
I'm driving my completely rebuilt DQ-10's with a 2A3 Stereomour.  Won't knock the plaster off the walls but it's got plenty of volume for my taste and sounds great.

Aaron Luebke