First of all I really appreciate the great information I find on this forum. I'm not as technical as most and I hope everyone understands. Now to the challenge in front of me. My Dunlavys are not what they should be and I realize they are older and was looking into upgrading the components in the crossovers. I do realize these crossovers we're perfectly matched to my original drivers. So I am not technically savvy enough to upgrade these and want to find someone to outsource the crossovers to that can appreciate what John Dunlavy did in matching the drivers and crossovers. I have been told it is not possible to do this? I am sure over the years the crossovers have shifted electrically and are not the same. So can anyone point me in the right direction of someone that has the knowledge, test equipment, and skills to do this. If this is something that can be done I would like to put some better components in the crossover and have a wonderful speaker set.
If they were mine I would measure every component (capacitors in particular) to find out if they have drifted significantly or have excessive ESR. Inductors are highly unlikely to have drifted. Resistors possibly but usually only if they are heat affected. What are the foam surrounds on the drivers like? (i think Duntechs used foam surrounds??).
I read an article about the sovereigns (last century). It explained whether the drivers were matched at the top end or around resonance, I can't remember but it wasn't overly complicated. Any experienced designer could do it with care.
How about the crossovers. Has there been component duplicating (I mean bypassing with multiples to make one value). This is an older technique that wants the designer to have tweaking experience and to know about component materials, ratings and parasitics.
While you're at it, how is the condition of the felt.
Thanks for the input. I do appreciate you taking the time to respond.
I am ready to sale these speakers and really hate to because cosmetically they are as good as one would ever find.
The real intent of my thread was in hopes of finding someone really good to send these crossovers to and pay to have them restored to original specs with better components and hope to resolve my dislike for the pair I have.
Is there anyone in the States good at this type of work?
For those wondering I am no audiophile but have friends that are and I have tried tubes and Solid state on these speakers and they are just lifeless. I have a pair of Lascalas that have driver upgrades and Klapenburger crossovers and they blow the Dunlavy's away in every aspect. That is not me saying this, this is true audiophile friends of mine. I just want to try and salvage my investment or sale them. Yes all of the drivers are in working order and I even had a professional come in to dampen my room with absorption and diffusers to try and get what I had hoped for from the Dunalvys.
I am ready to sale these speakers and really hate to because cosmetically they are as good as one would ever find.
The real intent of my thread was in hopes of finding someone really good to send these crossovers to and pay to have them restored to original specs with better components and hope to resolve my dislike for the pair I have.
Is there anyone in the States good at this type of work?
For those wondering I am no audiophile but have friends that are and I have tried tubes and Solid state on these speakers and they are just lifeless. I have a pair of Lascalas that have driver upgrades and Klapenburger crossovers and they blow the Dunlavy's away in every aspect. That is not me saying this, this is true audiophile friends of mine. I just want to try and salvage my investment or sale them. Yes all of the drivers are in working order and I even had a professional come in to dampen my room with absorption and diffusers to try and get what I had hoped for from the Dunalvys.
I don't think changing the crossover is the answer. I think you'd get more mileage from an equaliser. These speakers were designed to sound benign in the hope of revealing recordings. Wherever they stood out they were trimmed back, and where they lacked, they were boosted.
If this isn't your cup of tea, there are others that should give you a fair price for them in original condition.
If this isn't your cup of tea, there are others that should give you a fair price for them in original condition.
And there we have the issue..
As Allen says, the Dunlavys are designed to perform a certain way.
Clean, tight, overdamped.
The La scalas are absolutely nothing like the Dunlavys.
I have friends that have both of these speakers.
It's like trying to compare an apple with an orange.
There are zero parts in the Dunlavy crossover that will wear out or change to any audible degree.
You don't like the apple, you like the orange.
Sell the apple, keep the orange.
Simple
As Allen says, the Dunlavys are designed to perform a certain way.
Clean, tight, overdamped.
The La scalas are absolutely nothing like the Dunlavys.
I have friends that have both of these speakers.
It's like trying to compare an apple with an orange.
There are zero parts in the Dunlavy crossover that will wear out or change to any audible degree.
You don't like the apple, you like the orange.
Sell the apple, keep the orange.
Simple
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I'm a member of an audio club, each month we go off to different peoples houses to socialise and hear different bits and bobs.
I also have at this very moment 6 very different pairs of speakers in my house.
I have heard many systems and speakers.
Some bargain basement pawn shop systems, some worth 7 digits.
For me a lot of the expensive ones struggle to be 'musical' and 'engaging'.
Yes they have incredible accuracy and extension and do things cheaper ones have no hope of ever doing.
But beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
The SCIV's I have here at the moment are like that.
They do a lot right.
But they are not for everyone.
I also have at this very moment 6 very different pairs of speakers in my house.
I have heard many systems and speakers.
Some bargain basement pawn shop systems, some worth 7 digits.
For me a lot of the expensive ones struggle to be 'musical' and 'engaging'.
Yes they have incredible accuracy and extension and do things cheaper ones have no hope of ever doing.
But beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
The SCIV's I have here at the moment are like that.
They do a lot right.
But they are not for everyone.
I mean use a capacitance/ESR meter to measure the Capacitors in the crossover. Electrolytics would be the most likely to decay with age. Film caps would be highly unlikely to be faulty but worth checking while you're at it. Resistors can be simply checked with a multimeter. All components must be checked out of circuit.
Adjusting the response according to power, lays bare the acoustic nature of the speaker. Uncoloured doesn't have to be boring, but it has to be designed into the speaker from the start.
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