DQ-10, Cornwall, or Speakerlab 7?

[icdragon]

I am looking into a new set of speakers, currently running Speakerlab DAS-5s ( http://www.speakerlab.com/images/catalogs/16_1986/7.jpg ) and using an Emotiva UPA-2 amp, which sound lovely together, but I'm wondering if I might not be able to get more. I'm specifically considering-

Dahlquist DQ-10

Speakerlab 7 http://speakerlab.com/images/catalogs/10_1976-77_Winter/29.jpg

Klipsch Cornwall

Taking into consideration factors such as-

dq- awesome imaging, but weak low-frequency response in the DQs, as well as lack of efficiency (how might they sound on the UPA-2? 185W @ 4ohm).

sl- more balanced overall, efficient, four way with two crossover points, better lowend, custom built jobs means less consistent quality and condition..

cw- best of the three? but worth double the price?

Any thoughts on the matter? Greatly appreciated!

[Boom3]

Hi,

sorry for the delay, I'm not on this forum much and the "action" on the DQ-10 is in the yahoo! group.

I have two pairs of 1986 Cornwall IIs and a pair of DQ-10s, with replaced capacitors. I consider the Cornwalls my primary system and the DQ-10s my secondary. The Corns are in my 16 x 25 living room as part of my HT set-up. The DQ-10s are in my 11 x 14 study as part of an independant two-channel system.

Never heard the SL7s. Having lived with the Corns and the DQ-10s together for many years, I can tell you that yes, the Corns are worth twice the price, or three, or four times that of the DQ-10. The DQ-10s are happy in a small to medium room at SPLs not much over 90 dB. The Corns are better in larger rooms.

Imaging is the _only_aspect in which the DQ-10s are better than the Corns. But in efficiency, lack of distortion, bass extension, clarity, and dynamic range, the Corns beat the DQ-10s hands down.

The Corn IIs are really the best value. They have better tweeters than the Corn Is, and the current Corn IIIs midrange, crossed over at 800 Hz, is not as good. The Klipsch forum has a very active group of Cornwall lovers with aftermarket parts and upgrade advice.

[FrPerdurabo]

The Cornwall is a VERY different presentation form the DQ10 ... I'd use words like "solid," and "meaty," and "dynamic," whereas the DQ is would be "subtle," "nuanced," and "detailed."  TBH, I'm not a fan of the Cornwall sound, but enjoyed my DQ10s very much and wish I still had them.

DQ10s work great in large, well-damped rooms with lots of space between them and the back and side walls.

They need an amp with lots of current and high damping factor - Ampzilla was a popular choice back in the day, but an amp that doubles its output in 4 ohms will probably work.

[icdragon]

Wow, this is an old thread! I'm on to an Adcom amp with some Klipsch KG4.2 and am quite satisfied.

[Omfug]

Cornwalls with Crites caps and c125 tweeter(as recommended by Bob Crites, BEAUTIFUL! Waiting for my caps from Ragnar for the dq10s. They sound amazing already(woofer and mid refoamed). Also rewired can't wait to hear the new caps. Running mcintosh mc302.

[stan461]

On 7/2/2017 at 4:15 PM, Omfug said:

Cornwalls with Crites caps and c125 tweeter(as recommended by Bob Crites, BEAUTIFUL! Waiting for my caps from Ragnar for the dq10s. They sound amazing already(woofer and mid refoamed). Also rewired can't wait to hear the new caps. Running mcintosh mc302.

So what's the verdict?

Probably that Corns are better in most categories but DQ10 wins hands down on imaging. Alas, no speaker is perfect. Or better yet, one needs to prioritize what aspect of a speaker is most important to them and fits within their monetary constraints.