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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sensible Sound
Manufacturer: Dunlavy Audio Labs, Inc., P.O. Box 49399, Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9399; 719/592-1159; www.dunlavyaudio.com
Price: $1,995/pair
Source: Manufacturer loan
Reviewer: James T. Frane
Audio designer John Dunlavy founded Dunlavy Audio Labs (DAL) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1992. DAL set forth with a stated goal to design and manufacture the best high end loudspeakers and cables in the world. While I question whether any product can be labeled "the best in the world", the DAL products I have seen have been of very high quality.
DAL's latest stand-mounted speakers, the twoway model SM-1, recently arrived on my doorstep. They were well-packaged in cartons within larger cartons.
Standing 25" tall x 11" wide x 13" deep, and weighing 45 lb., the SM-1 is no mini-monitor (DAL calls it a "desktop monitor"). The SM-1 speakers are toward the smaller end of the Dunlavy line, which comprises mostly floor- standing models. The sealed, beautifully made enclosure is constructed of 0.75" MDF covered with high quality oak veneer. The front baffle is black 3/4" MDFA. Solid oak is used at the corners where sides, top, and bottom join. The SM-1s are also available in black-stained oak as a no-cost option, with rosewood, cherry or natural cherry finishes available at extra cost.
The removable black grilles (sockets in the frame fit over posts on the baffle) are cloth-covered 0.5"-thick MDF. They also have an unusual feature: The entire inner periphery is lined with a 0.5"-thick felt-like material to prevent sound reflections and delayed sound redirection (diffraction). There are no feet, spikes, or threaded holes for feet on the enclosure. I used 1" diameter, 1/8" thick adhesive-backed felt pads at all four comers, which seemed to work well.
Two 6.5" mid/bass drivers with cast frames are mounted on the front baffle above and below a 1" composite fabric dome tweeter that is recessed to align its voice coil with those of...
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