Full disclosure: I have Dunlavy Alethas as my main speakers, and for home theater have an SM-1 center channel and 2 SCI-AV for the rear channels. Obviously I'm a Dunlavy fan.
I never had any trouble with Dunlavy customer service, in fact quite the opposite. I spoke with the Dunlavy factory twice. I called the factory the first time to confirm that I had indeed ordered the shielded version of the SM-1. Mrs. Dunlavy answered the phone and was extremely helpful and courteous. Two days later the factory called me. They let me know they were about to start building my shielded SM-1, and inquired as to the serial numbers of my Alethas. Though they didn't state this explicitly, I presume they were going to look up the measurements they had on my Alethas and insure the drivers in the SM-1 were a good match. (Both models use the same drivers except for the woofer in the Alethas.) They then put me on hold for a minute and John Dunlavy came on the phone. We spoke for a couple minutes about the system I was putting together. He too, was very courteous and polite.
Prior to my decision to go with Dunlavy, I also had several email conversations with Drew Rigby of Dunlavy. I was not a Dunlavy owner at the time but was evaluating different brands and models. Drew took the time to explain various stereo and multi-channel configurations for me, going over the pros/cons of each. Drew knew I was looking at used models so it's not like he was going to be making some great commission, yet he still took considerable time with me.
I have nothing but praise for my Dunlavys and my decision to go with them has been reinforced with everything I have listened to since. I love the sound and never fatigue while listening to them. I'm constantly amazed with their imaging and depth of soundstage. A woman's voice and cymbals often expose weaknesses in speakers. I swear you can tell when the drummer is using Zildjian or Paiste with the Alethas. Turn the lights off and listen to close-miked Diana Krall, yikes!
When I augment the Alethas with the SM-1 and SC1-AVs for home theater, the sound across the front 3 channels is absolutely seamless. The sound from the SM-1 and the Alethas is virtually identical (save the lowest octaves). The Alethas are relatively easy to place, simple to drive (I use a Bryston 4B-ST), and in my opinion, look damn good.
Yes I'm disappointed that Dunlavy has closed shop, but I don't believe for a minute that the reason for going out of business had anything to do with the quality or support of the product. It's a tough business to make money in when the vast majority of your customer base is satisfied with what's on sale from Best Buy. Quite often the ability to market and sell doesn't match up to a company's ability to make a great product. When that happens, it's tough to keep a P&L in the black.
I'm certainly glad I have mine. But it's too bad they're not made anymore because a lot of folks will miss out on a great product.
I never had any trouble with Dunlavy customer service, in fact quite the opposite. I spoke with the Dunlavy factory twice. I called the factory the first time to confirm that I had indeed ordered the shielded version of the SM-1. Mrs. Dunlavy answered the phone and was extremely helpful and courteous. Two days later the factory called me. They let me know they were about to start building my shielded SM-1, and inquired as to the serial numbers of my Alethas. Though they didn't state this explicitly, I presume they were going to look up the measurements they had on my Alethas and insure the drivers in the SM-1 were a good match. (Both models use the same drivers except for the woofer in the Alethas.) They then put me on hold for a minute and John Dunlavy came on the phone. We spoke for a couple minutes about the system I was putting together. He too, was very courteous and polite.
Prior to my decision to go with Dunlavy, I also had several email conversations with Drew Rigby of Dunlavy. I was not a Dunlavy owner at the time but was evaluating different brands and models. Drew took the time to explain various stereo and multi-channel configurations for me, going over the pros/cons of each. Drew knew I was looking at used models so it's not like he was going to be making some great commission, yet he still took considerable time with me.
I have nothing but praise for my Dunlavys and my decision to go with them has been reinforced with everything I have listened to since. I love the sound and never fatigue while listening to them. I'm constantly amazed with their imaging and depth of soundstage. A woman's voice and cymbals often expose weaknesses in speakers. I swear you can tell when the drummer is using Zildjian or Paiste with the Alethas. Turn the lights off and listen to close-miked Diana Krall, yikes!
When I augment the Alethas with the SM-1 and SC1-AVs for home theater, the sound across the front 3 channels is absolutely seamless. The sound from the SM-1 and the Alethas is virtually identical (save the lowest octaves). The Alethas are relatively easy to place, simple to drive (I use a Bryston 4B-ST), and in my opinion, look damn good.
Yes I'm disappointed that Dunlavy has closed shop, but I don't believe for a minute that the reason for going out of business had anything to do with the quality or support of the product. It's a tough business to make money in when the vast majority of your customer base is satisfied with what's on sale from Best Buy. Quite often the ability to market and sell doesn't match up to a company's ability to make a great product. When that happens, it's tough to keep a P&L in the black.
I'm certainly glad I have mine. But it's too bad they're not made anymore because a lot of folks will miss out on a great product.