Hi and please guide me with DQ-10s

[dockaro]

Landed the not mirrored pair of the DQ-10s

Serial 11437 / 11438
First of all they were free
But there needs to be work done,
From the previous discussions here on the forum I’d assume that 11k serial should already have the 10 inch installed, however I have the 12s?

Looks like a reverse one as well
Anyone can guide me to the most in-depth restoration guide ?

This seems to be pre yellow Dahlquist caps
I want to put my soul into them as I believe that they will be going to my son eventually and would like to get them as close to restored as I can


How to fix the tear in the metal mesh? Or better to buy a new mesh and cut/epoxy it down?

 

[elcoholic]

FB has an active Dahlquist group and the reference material from the old Yahoo groups days. These look all there and unmolested, very nice. Mine were done with Regnar kits. The mesh should be replaced and remain removable or left as-is IMO. Those are the correct Advent woofers and the surrounds are meant to be backwards. Enjoy.

 

[kirk57]

That is the correct woofer, same (for a period) as the Large Advent. the basket is 12"-ish and the piston size is closer to 10".

I say don't go crazy replacing the film caps as they don't go bad, and the values are pretty specific and any variation will affect the response. Remember any mods you do are second-guessing Jon Dahlquist which is in my view not a great idea.

Also don't worry too much about that Motorola piezo tweeter, It doesn't kick in until above 10k and there is not much content up there. I thought mine were blown and bought new ones only to find that the new 'didn't work' either. When I used test tones and I mic I found that both old and new ones were fine, I just couldn't hear what they were putting out. Lesson learned.

If they are not mirror imaged, that's worth doing and not difficult.

 

[loudnoises]

There is one electrolytic, 82uf iirc, that needs to be replaced. It's the only not yellow one. Replace it when you mirror.

Correct woofer is the one with the masonite ring and undersized cone, inverted surrounds. All the original surrounds on the woofers are ready to be replaced. None of the other drivers should require any work.

The cage can be removed and flattened, then reinstalled. Used ones come up occasionally.

 

[Blue Shadow]

Welcome to the DQ-10 club. Well worth doing these right.

The cage, metalwork it to the flat it should be then maybe ‘stitch’ it together as needed before using some epoxy to connect the parts and make a proper frame from the stitching. Easy, but remember you want the outside to be smooth for the grille cloth to fit without bumps.

You have a set of crossovers with the electrolytic caps. These should be changed to the film caps as was done at about serial number 20,000 on these speakers. The Mirror-Imaging is another later production change at about s/n: 25,00 or so. There are lots of choices for caps and a number of different values used through the many changes I have seen. I don’t think it matters much is you use some value close but not exactly the same as what is in the speaker. I posted a list of the caps used in different models here on ak from info I learned on the Dahlquist .io group that took over the yahoo group years ago. The wiki there has piles of files to learn more about them.

Regnar was mentioned as a supplier of parts and such. They are the company that took over after Dahlquist stopped but recent discussions indicate caution is warranted. Maybe the company isn’t as healthy as it once was. And their prices are very high, enough to support a company. You can source most things for less.

How far do you want to go?
Is there a budget for all of this?
What do you want as a result?

I have rebuilt a couple pair and have an upgraded pair for back in the day, so long ago little info about this upgrade is on the web. I like my upgraded pair better but the others do have some nice highs that Mark appreciates.

Will you change the wiring? Other than that it is fairly straightforward as to what needs to be done. And it can be done in stages. I got mine working, then recapped the original electrolytic capped pair. Then when the next pair showed up I mirror imaged them both. More recently changing the new electrolytic 80ųF cap to an 82 Clarity Film Cap.

New grille cloth all around, bespoke stands built for them and more. The pair I listen to regularly are excellent.

I’ve written about these here on ak as has Baco99 who runs Holt Hill Audio in MA and shows us some of the work he does to gear he is making ready for sale. There are many others that have done something to the DQ-10 and searching ak for some ideas would be good.

Make a list of what you want to do and post it for comments. Many here have worked on these and can offer recommendations.

For your pair, I’d get a set of advent surrounds and fix the woofers, repair the grille and give em a listen while you are waiting for a step by step restoration guide to be found/posted.

Happy Wife tag on this thread? Does she like em? Does she think they are ugly?

Many folks think they look like a kids project but mine with a thin black grille cloth look so cool when there is a light background behind them as you can seen the box and the superstructure holding the 4 additional drivers.

Welcome to ak.

 

[dockaro]

Welcome to the DQ-10 club. Well worth doing these right.

The cage, metalwork it to the flat it should be then maybe ‘stitch’ it together as needed before using some epoxy to connect the parts and make a proper frame from the stitching. Easy, but remember you want the outside to be smooth for the grille cloth to fit without bumps.

You have a set of crossovers with the electrolytic caps. These should be changed to the film caps as was done at about serial number 20,000 on these speakers. The Mirror-Imaging is another later production change at about s/n: 25,00 or so. There are lots of choices for caps and a number of different values used through the many changes I have seen. I don’t think it matters much is you use some value close but not exactly the same as what is in the speaker. I posted a list of the caps used in different models here on ak from info I learned on the Dahlquist .io group that took over the yahoo group years ago. The wiki there has piles of files to learn more about them.

Regnar was mentioned as a supplier of parts and such. They are the company that took over after Dahlquist stopped but recent discussions indicate caution is warranted. Maybe the company isn’t as healthy as it once was. And their prices are very high, enough to support a company. You can source most things for less.

How far do you want to go?
Is there a budget for all of this?
What do you want as a result?

I have rebuilt a couple pair and have an upgraded pair for back in the day, so long ago little info about this upgrade is on the web. I like my upgraded pair better but the others do have some nice highs that Mark appreciates.

Will you change the wiring? Other than that it is fairly straightforward as to what needs to be done. And it can be done in stages. I got mine working, then recapped the original electrolytic capped pair. Then when the next pair showed up I mirror imaged them both. More recently changing the new electrolytic 80ųF cap to an 82 Clarity Film Cap.

New grille cloth all around, bespoke stands built for them and more. The pair I listen to regularly are excellent.

I’ve written about these here on ak as has Baco99 who runs Holt Hill Audio in MA and shows us some of the work he does to gear he is making ready for sale. There are many others that have done something to the DQ-10 and searching ak for some ideas would be good.

Make a list of what you want to do and post it for comments. Many here have worked on these and can offer recommendations.

For your pair, I’d get a set of advent surrounds and fix the woofers, repair the grille and give em a listen while you are waiting for a step by step restoration guide to be found/posted.

Happy Wife tag on this thread? Does she like em? Does she think they are ugly?

Many folks think they look like a kids project but mine with a thin black grille cloth look so cool when there is a light background behind them as you can seen the box and the superstructure holding the 4 additional drivers.

Welcome to ak.

Wow !

Thank you for this yes I’ve noticed two lytics on the crossovers

My though process :
1)Recap
Cleanup solder joints
2)Refoam (have foams already delivered) just trying to figure out what to use for the foam blocks ? I’m in UK we aren’t so fortunate with a foam this thick yet not dense…
3) repainting the cabinets (maybe light sanding)
4) mirroring them
5) wiring ? Probably, will have to see their condition when I get my hands frieeer
6) Need to find a suitable cloth to put on
7) wood side pieces seem nice, actually a nice quality dense wood which I like
8) Eventually make stands for these as finding these speakers (accident believe it or not) was hard enough let alone the stands …
9) mesh either cleanup and repaint or as another member pointed out - replace. Either way.

No particular budget I can do these things and have the tools one thing I’ll probably avoid is the “exotic” caps as I don’t believe in bs. I’m the sort of : If its not broke - don’t fix it, however I also like to do preventative maintenance.

She likes the idea of them I think .. but the colour of the cloth would have to be of Quads (beige/cream)

I’ll take all recommendations you have and yes film caps > lytics
Wiring doesn’t seem hard? Or is there something to look out for

Thank you for such an open reply.
Looked at how the crossover board is constructed, it’s flaking in places. Was thinking of maybe board replacement. But that’s a maybe

 

[Blue Shadow]

The only caps in your speakers that are film are C7 & C8. The rest are electrolytic based on the pics I see.



Cleaning up solder joints as you recap is fine. Your crossover may have a layer of wax on it as many did. I would scrape it off the board when I recapped my 8700 and 19000 serial numbered pairs.

The foam blocks just keep the screen from rattling and maybe a fabric shop has a foam that will work.

Cabinets have a textured vinyl cover except on top and bottom, I believe. Cleaning as needed, maybe a matte black spray paint for any bumps where wood particle board shows through.

Wiring is adequate but some rewire with bigger gauge. I have the wire, I have not done it yet.

If your tweeter attenuators work and you put in a 3 amp fuse and it all works after refoam you can adjust your list to what you need to do while enjoying them.

The group wiki has stand owners manuals, how to screw them together. Pictures, too. My stands are bespoke, made about 1/3 larger in each dimension to make them sit a bit higher up, using the early 3-post stand. Other stand offered by Dahlquist was a single wide riser and the speakers came with 3 legs about 3” long. Here are some pictures of the later single riser stands



Here is a homemade stand with matching side panels like on the speaker. Different but looks like the crossover they made to use with subs, the electronic one had had wood sides.




Here is a picture captured from audio art showing the look of the more common three post stand, shown in the optional light colored grille cloth…so you can share it and get approval.




These are the stands I had made. You can see they are taller and have a larger base.

You can see other home brew stand ideas googling images of stands for these speakers.

You have foams, hopefully correct for the Advent woofer and that should be first step. Finding foam blocks isn’t necessary until you get the grille repaired and maybe even get grille cloth your wife likes. Might just use em without grilles for a week or two.

What other gear? What amp to drive them? I use 50 watts of tube which is great, 200 watts of solid state power which is loud and a couple subs (not used in past year) which makes the tube amp more than able to play loud.

Show us pics of the crossover board so we can see the issue you talk about and the caps to verify they are ‘lytics and should be replaced for best sound.

 

[dockaro]

Hi and thank you for your reply.

Things escalated quickly since the post yesterday
I now own a pair of original stands as well as new crossovers + refoamed advent drivers thanks to one of the members.

Philip if you are reading this - thank you !
Here are the new crossovers

Currently it will be fed by Sony TA-F400

Yamaha P7000s on standby as I’m waiting for
Yamaha C-2a to arrive from JP

Source : Sony Ka6ES / Sony PS-212 / Sony XA5400ES
Will update as I go , as for the original crossovers I will post the photos shortly

Many Thanks

 

[loudnoises]

One of the best things you can do for the dq-10s is adding a sub for under 60hz

 

[dockaro]

One of the best things you can do for the dq-10s is adding a sub for under 60hz

Hi, have monitor audio RS W-12 waiting

 

[Blue Shadow]

These should be in service very soon, swap woofers. Then evaluate the next steps. Maybe listen to them with one changed crossover to see if you hear a difference. Fix the grille and head to the fabric store for some proper color grille cloth and some soft foam blocks. All while enjoying the sound from these speakers.