Dahlquist M909

[JosphMerrick]

Hello. I recently received an old Technics turntable, which has now turned into a quest to set up a decent system to listen to records. I know absolutely nothing about vintage audio equipment, but through the forums, Google, etc. I'm learning.

I found some Dahlquist M909's for sale on CL. From the posts on here they seem like okay speakers. Part of the fun for me in this endeavor is finding good deals on what will become my system. The guy had them originally posted for $375, which I didn't even look at then, but now he wants $200, which he states is his bottom line.

What are these worth? Is $200 a good deal? Many thanks.

 

[whyaskit]

Yes. I think they are a good deal. Not a steal but I bet they sound great

 

[JosphMerrick]

I was thinking $175 would be about right, since they're huge and I'll have to buy a decent amp to run them properly. What's $25, though? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Wolverine]

I have a pair of 905's which I think are from the same time. I think you will enjoy those speakers!
Congrats!!

 

[india42]

I recently sold my pair that I bought new, I got $300 for mine. Those were $1500 in 1990, and they are excellent speakers, so I think this is a very good deal (providing everything is original and working)!

 

[JosphMerrick]

I ended up pulling the trigger. I pick them up tonight. Everyone I've talked to or read about the M909's said to buy them. Thanks for the help.

 

[india42]

So....did you get these?

If so, what do you think?

 

[JosphMerrick]

I did. They sound nice, but I haven't been able to really push them yet. I bought an Onkyo A-8087 amp, but the sound is dampened in the right speaker—no bass, very weak sound compared to what it should be—with only light sounds coming out of the left unless I adjust the balance, then it sounds as awful as the right. I've been using a hk 401i I picked up cheap to test things out, so not the best to judge, but they were a good buy. All original.

Thinking about returning the amp, which is really disappointing, and finding something else. It's in worse shape than I thought, really dirty, the inside is covered in caked on dust and dirt. I'm not sure this is a job for an amateur. The guy at the shop advised to take it back, but I'm still searching on info on how to clean the entire amp to see if it is possible. All the boards are grimey as hell, like it was stored in a barn. Haha. I'll update once I can crank it up to 11.