Got an appointment to check em out tomorrow night. Debating now though, since Arkay posted that he thinks my Infinity RSIIIB's are superior......
The seller has them connected to a Concept 16.5 for audition, so I should get a decent impression of what they can do.
Good luck. I'd have to agree that the Infinities and the Dahlquists will be two different flavors...but two great flavors, and why not have choices around? I have DQ10s and DQ30s and they're both keepers as I start down the long road of whittling down my collection. My DQ10s were a weird treat. CDs sounded fantastic on them...I mean, I was THERE, but for some reason I could never get vinyl to sound good on them. I can't figure it out, and eventually pulled them out of duty. But man, on some recordings they were just unbeatable. Good luck with your listen tonight.
Marantzfan, I hope you are getting/did get the DQs. DON'T pass them up, just because I may have said another speaker is a bit better! I'd feel bad, if that were the case, because I think those DQs are wonderful speakers in their own right!
Everyone hears things a little differently, and has different tastes. While at the extremes (say, either of these speakers versus white van stuff) we can all agree, once you get into "really good sounding" speakers, opinions and tastes may legitimately diverge. You may prefer something with a wider soundstage, where someone else may value deep bass more, etc... and at these levels, the differences are almost more a matter of preferences than of real weaknesses.
Also, as others have said, these are different-sounding speakers. I have both Infinities (RS IIs) and Dahlquists [DQ-12s set up like DQ-20s; currently no DQ-10s, but I've heard them before], and I KEEP BOTH of them, deliberately. I have flipped some speakers and plan to get rid of more, but these are both at/near the top of my list of "I'll probably never part with them until I can't hear them any more" speakers.
The Infinities at their best are, IMO, somewhat better speakers, but the trade-off is that they are more revealing. So much so, in fact, that I can't even listen to half my CDs on them. The DQs, because they don't have quite the high-end clarity that the EMITs provide, are more forgiving; I can enjoy a lot of CD music with them that I can't/don't with the Infinities. But as JohnVF said, vinyl may not sound as good on them as CDs. So between the two (vinyl and a few CDs on the Infinities, CDs on the DQs) you have all the bases covered. Both have pretty impressive soundstages and musical balance, as both designs combine acoustic suspension bass with open-baffle mids and highs.
Also, while both benefit from plenty of power, the DQs aren't quite the "amp killers" that the Infinities are, so I have a wider choice of gear that I can pair them with. As you know, component synergy plays a big role in how good a total system sounds; the DQs might be exactly what will compliment and "wake up" some of your gear, which perhaps wouldn't sound so good on the Infinities.
Of course, alongside the gear that you power them with, your listening environment may affect sound. You might find one speaker, because of its particular sound or radiation pattern, works slightly better in your particular listening room, whereas there may be differences in another room. What sounds best in my place may not be the same as what sounds best in yours.
Both of these speakers are fine and musical enough to provide very great listening pleasure; it's apples and oranges, but both fruits taste good. I rank the Infinities a bit higher, for several reasons, but I'm still a big fan of the Dahlquists, and rank them among my favorite speakers, too. I'd hate to part with either. So don't let a comment of mine make you hesitate, please. Go get 'em! :yes:
