Duntech Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[$piro]

Hi Group. I would like to present my recently acquired PCL-25's to this forum and give my thoughts on how they sound. Firstly, I must disclose my fetish for Australian made gear and was looking to see if there is a locally made          stand mount that could compete with my Whatmough 202i's - Speakers that I absolutely adore. The answer was yes - Duntech PCL-25. Having two pairs of really good Australian made speakers in house is a little bit of a problem because I dont really like to keep too much gear laying around and like to keep things lean and sensible as far as the pocket is concerned. But this is a good problem to have. You see the 202's have been with me for quite a while now and have responded and "lifted" with every upgrade I've made to my electronics. They are lush, smooth, warm, romantic, detailed and have a real sense of authority and realism in the bottom end. I can just listen to them for hours on end and they're relatively easy to drive and great on low volumes. I have both speakers paired with a pair of canary audio ca-339 mkII monos which host 4 x 300B tubes aside @ 50 watts each and i think both pairs of speakers deserve these amps. 

So along come the PCL's and the word "monitor" is mentioned in their description and its only now that i realize what that word truly means. The PCL's punish and reward recordings. There is no-where for music to hide. A poor recording can become unlistenable while a great recording can sound euphoric. The PCL's just do as they are told ! They disappear and then re-appear. They lack bottom end on one album and go subsonic on another.  Every hidden detail of the recording is revealed and I would describe them as being "submissive" to the music. Im not sure i can listen to them for hours on end given how demanding they are of good material. Did I mention that they're hungry ! The canaries are no slouches at 50 watts PP per side but the Duntechs just gobble up all that power. Whilst playing an electronic test track ( yes im one of them ) heavily ladened with fast deep bass I could hear the shortcomings of my amplification. To my surprise I ran out of headroom.

The PCL-25's have educated me on what the word "monitor" means. They do not lie. I dont like using all the audiophile jargon but yes they do all that too. They prefer to be played loud and not so well suited to low level listening. They're are not very dis-similar to the whatmough's but the 202's give a more relaxed presention without the hyper-detail and ae easier to drive.

I think I will have to live with my 'good problem' and keep both pairs !

[Silver Audiophile]

13 hours ago, $piro said:

Did I mention that they're hungry ! The canaries are no slouches at 50 watts PP per side but the Duntechs just gobble up all that power. Whilst playing an electronic test track ( yes im one of them ) heavily ladened with fast deep bass I could hear the shortcomings of my amplification. To my surprise I ran out of headroom.

Going from the old classic series (Marquis) to newer Senators, I noticed this too. Older Duntechs despite their stated impressive efficiency figures, as you say need a fair bit of power to make them sing. 

I own 7 different SET tube amps, and I can run a 8 watt Single ended triode 300B amp (pre amp volume at barely quarter turn) on the Senators to make them envelop a large listen room with cathedral heigh ceilings with music. 

Another interesting thing you mentioned about the lack of forgiveness between poor and great recordings, I found this too with the Marquis. It essentially limited my Tidal favourite list. 

Senators are much more forgiving with poorer recordings, to an extent I no longer limit my listening list based on poor recording alone. 

 

[kelossus]

I would take Silver Audiophiles anecdote with a grain of salt..

 

Firstly, Kiat recommends a minimum of 100 watts yet somehow the speakers are able to "envelop a large listen room with cathedral heigh ceilings with music." with 8 watts? Yeah, no way. Not without massive compromises, Kiat would even agree with that.

 

Secondly, every single component listed in that chain is on the warmer side. SET Pre/Power, tube dacs etc. If these speakers were truely forgiving (this implies inherent and measurable warmth and a de-emphasis on detail) I doubt the chain would look the way it does. The system has been made to sound on the ripe side, not a problem at all, I dig that sound but you could achieve the same with the original Dunlavy designs, albeit with better resale value and QC.

 

Claiming 90db 4 ohm sealed speakers are filling a huge room with 8 watts is ludicrous.

[Silver Audiophile]

7 minutes ago, kelossus said:

I would take Silver Audiophiles anecdote with a grain of salt..

Firstly, Kiat recommends a minimum of 100 watts yet somehow the speakers are able to "envelop a large listen room with cathedral heigh ceilings with music." with 8 watts? Yeah, no way. Not without massive compromises, Kiat would even agree with that.

Secondly, every single component listed in that chain is on the warmer side. SET Pre/Power, tube dacs etc. If these speakers were truely forgiving (this implies inherent and measurable warmth and a de-emphasis on detail) I doubt the chain would look the way it does. The system has been made to sound on the ripe side, not a problem at all, I dig that sound but you could achieve the same with the original Dunlavy designs, albeit with better resale value and QC.

Claiming 90db 4 ohm sealed speakers are filling a huge room with 8 watts is ludicrous.

Chris, you are in Qld. So it is a little far, but if you are traveling locally you are more than welcome to drop round and have a listen to the system.

I'll add an example or two below, from my uploads on YouTube. 300B Single Ended Triode - naturally 

 

 

[Silver Audiophile]

The Sunvalley SV-91B is a stereo 300B Single Ended Triode amp. Official stats are 10 watts. Pre-amp is Sunvalley SV-310 (volume is on about 10 o'clock. Range 7'oclock to 5 o'clock).

 

 

Edited December 12, 2024 by Silver Audiophile

[kelossus]

Play something with big bass and let me know how that 8 watts go filling the room. Unless your speakers are somehow defying the laws of physics you aren't "filling a large room with cathedral ceilings" or whatever you said with 8 watts. It's ridiculous to say and posting videos is pointless.

 

Get an SPL meter out and play Dave Grusin - Modaji with peaks of 90-95db from the listening position. That's filling a room.

 

 

 

[Bunno77]

17 minutes ago, Silver Audiophile said:

Chris, you are in Qld. So it is a little far, but if you are traveling locally you are more than welcome to drop round and have a listen to the system.

I'll add an example or two below, from my uploads on YouTube. 300B Single Ended Triode - naturally 

 

 

 

13 minutes ago, Silver Audiophile said:

The Sunvalley SV-91B is a stereo 300B Single Ended Triode amp. Official stats are 10 watts. Pre-amp is Sunvalley SV-310 (volume is on about 10 o'clock. Range 7'oclock to 5 o'clock).

 

 

Even through youtube it sounds great. Can tell it has full bass. 

As the great man said 'it is the first watt that matters'.

[Silver Audiophile]

I haven't heard of that track but I'll find it and grab the SPL meter this weekend 

 

 

 

[Silver Audiophile]

On 12/12/2024 at 6:19 PM, Bunno77 said:

Even through youtube it sounds great. Can tell it has full bass. 

As the great man said 'it is the first watt that matters'.

My mate had that same amp with his Duntech Senators. His room is different from mine. 

He commented, he absolutely love it. Never heard more bass out of the Senators. His PS Audio BHK 300 monos doesn't have as much heft in the low bass. I agree fully. 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2024 by Silver Audiophile

[Silver Audiophile]

Here is another 300B SET monoblock amp I own. The pre amps is also 300B. 300B drives 300B- love it! Circa 8 watts. Senators.

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2024 by Silver Audiophile

[Pedro 76]

I thought i would share a pic of my Duntech Gemstone Series Sapphires. They were a bit shabby cosmetically when I got them but I have given them a good birthday to get them back to thier best. 

 

Stripping, repairing and refinishing the veneers. Repainting the bases in black wrinkle coat. Replace missing bass post tubes and replacing the cloths. They are looking great again.. pics don't do them justice to be honest. I have also since added outriggers and new jumpers.. back on the system now. 

 

Happy to share more pics if anyone's interested. 

 

I also have a pair of Ambassadors too that I plan to refurbish. 

[Pedro 76]

I thought i would share a pic of my Duntech Gemstone Series Sapphires. They were a bit shabby cosmetically when I got them but I have given them a good birthday to get them back to thier best. 

 

Stripping, repairing and refinishing the veneers. Repainting the bases in black wrinkle coat. Replace missing bass post tubes and replacing the cloths. They are looking great again.. pics don't do them justice to be honest. I have also since added outriggers and new jumpers.. back on the system now. 

 

Happy to share more pics if anyone's interested. 

 

I also have a pair of Ambassadors too that I plan to refurbish. 

[Pedro 76]

I thought i would share a pic of my Duntech Gemstone Series Sapphires. They were a bit shabby cosmetically when I got them but I have given them a good birthday to get them back to thier best. 

 

Stripping, repairing and refinishing the veneers. Repainting the bases in black wrinkle coat. Replace missing bass post tubes and replacing the cloths. They are looking great again.. pics don't do them justice to be honest. I have also since added outriggers and new jumpers.. back on the system now. 

 

Happy to share more pics if anyone's interested. 

 

I also have a pair of Ambassadors too that I plan to refurbish. 

[Pedro 76]

I thought i would share a pic of my Duntech Gemstone Series Sapphires. They were a bit shabby cosmetically when I got them but I have given them a good birthday to get them back to thier best. 

 

Stripping, repairing and refinishing the veneers. Repainting the bases in black wrinkle coat. Replace missing bass post tubes and replacing the cloths. They are looking great again.. pics don't do them justice to be honest. I have also since added outriggers and new jumpers.. back on the system now. 

 

Happy to share more pics if anyone's interested. 

 

I also have a pair of Ambassadors too that I plan to refurbish. 

[Pebbles]

They look great @Pedro 76! How do they sound? I had a pair of Opals once upon a time and thought they were great for their size. Imagine yours are quite a bit bigger/ better. Regards

[Pedro 76]

9 hours ago, Pebbles said:

They look great @Pedro 76! How do they sound? I had a pair of Opals once upon a time and thought they were great for their size. Imagine yours are quite a bit bigger/ better. Regards

I love the way they sound. Very balanced with really sweet mids non fatiguing highs 

[$piro]

So what would the general consensus be on the Duntech “house sound.” Everyone on this thread has clearly owned a pair or still does so let’s all chime in and compare notes. 

[Silver Audiophile]

34 minutes ago, $piro said:

So what would the general consensus be on the Duntech “house sound.” Everyone on this thread has clearly owned a pair or still does so let’s all chime in and compare notes. 

 

First-order, time-aligned speakers like Duntech speakers are renowned for their accurate sound reproduction and natural musical presentation due to the following features:

 

1. Phase Coherence: First-order crossovers maintain the relative phase relationships between drivers. This allows the speakers to reproduce the waveform as close as possible to the original signal, resulting in cleaner, more coherent sound.

2. Time Alignment: The physical placement of drivers ensures that sound from all frequencies arrives at the listener's ear simultaneously. This improves imaging and soundstage accuracy, making the speakers excel in realistic spatial cues.

3. Natural Timbre: Accurate phase and time alignment help preserve the timbral integrity of instruments and vocals, providing a lifelike and natural tonal quality.

4. Precise Imaging and Soundstage: Duntech speakers are known for their pinpoint imaging and expansive, three-dimensional soundstage, which allows listeners to clearly place instruments and voices within the stereo field.

5. Low Listener Fatigue: The absence of phase distortion and the natural, smooth presentation of first-order designs make listening for extended periods more enjoyable without harshness or fatigue.

 

The trade-off with first-order designs is lower power handling and steeper demands on driver quality, but when executed well (as with Duntech), the results are highly accurate, musically engaging sound.

 

 

[Silver Audiophile]

Party time! 

Use quality headphones and crank up the volume 

845/EL34/6AG7 monos driving the Senators (circa 20W of SET Class A). 

Pre amp volume at 10 o'clock (range from 7 to 5 o'clock)

 

 

Edited January 4 by Silver Audiophile

[$piro]

Very nice sounding. Tell us a little bit more about those monos. They appear to have some hefty transformers strapped to them

[Silver Audiophile]

18 minutes ago, $piro said:

Very nice sounding. Tell us a little bit more about those monos. They appear to have some hefty transformers strapped to them

Thanks. This particular 845 monoblock pair is from Japan. I acquired it about 6 months ago. It's had a lovingly long couple of decade life in a Japanese restaurant, where it was used to entertain diners. Of all my tube power amps, I usually go for all 'Tango' Japanese iron. This amp, I am uncertain which brand it is? Total weight per mono is approximately 30Kg.

 

Edited January 4 by Silver Audiophile

[dtximages]

Can someone give me some information on the Duntech Prince C5500? I'm told by Duntech that it's not a traditional Duntech design but it was obviously made by them.  It uses Scanspeak drivers. I'd love to have some specs or know how it would compare to the Crown Prince.  Any information is helpful.. Thank you!!!

 

  

[frednork]

One of the very few people that may be able to give you info on how they might compare would be @VAF 

[Silver Audiophile]

On 25/02/2025 at 2:36 PM, dtximages said:

Can someone give me some information on the Duntech Prince C5500? I'm told by Duntech that it's not a traditional Duntech design but it was obviously made by them.  It uses Scanspeak drivers. I'd love to have some specs or know how it would compare to the Crown Prince.  Any information is helpful.. Thank you!!!

 

  

This model was not designed by John Dunlavy. It was designed by Jack Davis, after John left the company. Unlike other Duntech model, this model has a rear firing tweeter.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26 by Silver Audiophile

[dtximages]

9 hours ago, frednork said:

One of the very few people that may be able to give you info on how they might compare would be @VAF 

Yes, I have spoked with @VAF and he was certainly helpful. I would love to hear from someone who has owned these and may can opine on how they compare to a Crown Prince/Princess and would love to have some specs on the speakers as well. Surely there was a manual.  Kiat said he doesn't have any information like that which is a bit surprising.  It's such a nice speaker, surely it got some attention at some point?

 

I also struggle with how to value a speaker like this. With the Scanspeak drivers and crossover parts no longer available, they're due to degrade any time now if they haven't already.

Edited February 26 by dtximages