2. speakers
  3. 1038796744

Best spkrs for rock: Dunlavy V-Watt/Puppy-Revel??

Hi:

I listen to mostly rock, classic rock and female vocals, VERY LOUDLY.

My main system now consists of:

NHT 3.3s,
NHT SubTwo Subwoofer (60Hz & below only)
Sony SCD 777es SACD player,
BAT VK5i preamp,
Audio Research M300mkII tube monoblocks,
MIT 750 Shotgun Tube Biwires,
MIT 350 Twin 30' ICs.

I will also be buying a used Cary 306/200, Audio Aero Capitole MkI, Wadia 860x or Electrocompaniet EMC-1 CD player as my main source.

I have a LARGE listening room with lots of glass & high sloping ceilings, app. 20x40 ft.

I want to upgrade my speakers, and I am considering a used pair of either Dunlavy SC-Vs, Wilson WATT3/Puppy2s, Aerial 10-Ts, Revel Ultima Studios, etc., etc.

My system is a tad bright right now, but not objectionaably so. The imaging is stellar, and the soundstage depth is good, not great. I want smooth, rich, warm sound, yet detailed and clear, and as I said, I listen at VERY loud volumes for extended periods of time.

Because of the size of speakers involved, I will obviously not be able to hear them with my system 'til I buy them, but, I guess I can just buy a good used pair here on Audiogon & sell them and try another pair if I need to.

Any comments/suggestions?

Thanks - Jeff
jeffj
whknopp0713
179 posts
 
As Jeff certainly knows, it is not a waste of time or money to build up an audiophile system and then play rock music on it. It is just elitist tripe to say that there is nothing to be heard in rock music played on top notch gear that can't be heard just as well on a PA system. There may or may not be an acoustic event to be reproduced on rock recordings, the way there always is in acoustic music, but that's beside the point. This is the old absolute sound fallacy, where an oboe is an oboe is an oboe. But, of course, it's not. Unless you were there to hear that oboe in that space at that time before the sound went into the microphone, then the sound of that oboe over a speaker is no more valid a means for distinguishing among speakers than is a Moby track or a Credence track. All of the things that good equipment does to bring us closer to an emotional and spiritual connection with acoustic music it does in equal measure for rock. Some rock is better recorded than other rock; some of it is great, some of it sucks, but that's true for every other musical genre, too.
wberdan
86 posts
 
If you want obscene volumes, dont go with the Dunlavys. I own a pair of SC-V's and they play as loud as I care to listen to music, but with sustained 90db levels at the listening position they begin to sound strained.
By the way, the specs in the manual state these have a maximum sustained output of 105db @ 1m and can handle peaks of 115db for EXTREME short time periods.
With the price of this speaker system, I would not attempt to come close to this rating. '
I use a pair of Vandersteen 2wQ subwoofers with high pass filters on the inputs to my amplifiers (Classe CAM-350) and the Dunlavys have more headroom now, play louder with less distortion without strain, and have much more punch.

Will
mejames
986 posts
 
the Dunlavy 5 doesn't sound strained at 90 db if your amplifier has enough power doesn't at 100 db either if fed enough power example Conrad Johnson premier 8 no strain whatsoever at over 105 dbc at listening position 10 feet back. Couple hours a day at these levels didn't seem to effect their drivers in any negative way over the 3 + years I owned them for.
audioguy123
39 posts
 
I agree with Mejames--if you are hearing strain from a pair of Dunlavy SC_V's, I sure don't want to be in the same zip code as the system.
raquel
841 posts
 
Dear Jeff J:

Your thread began back in December, so I don't know whether you are still looking for speakers, but I would second the comments about Dunlavy SC-V's having loudness limitations. My closest hi-fi friend has had them for three years and I have spent many hours listening to them, often times at very loud levels with rock music. They do go very loudly, cleanly, as there are seven drivers in each speaker sharing the load, but they are not ported (the drivers are the only source of sound) and the quote from the owner's manual about peak loudness is correct, if I recall. The comments about the ATC powered speakers are correct. The Revel Salons and Dynaudio Temptations, if you can find either of them used, would not disappoint you.
More to discover