I'll try to check this out tonight and keep you posted.

Curtis

OK - this is based on listening to one CD, but what I found was.

With no center - the 1050 toggles through stereo, natural, hall, stadium, jazz and phantom. 'surround' is not available (I guess it knows that no center means phantom is the only surround version available?)

Vocals sound fine in phantom mode.

Just for laughs - I ran through all the surround modes with the center turned back on. Phantom sounds exactly the same as it did with center off - but now vocals fall way off in 'surround' (compared to stereo and all other DSP modes). Go figure.

FWIW - Bottom line with my setup is that for music listening (based on this one CD; Annie Lennox - Bare) leaving the center off makes all DSP modes sound better than they do with the center on. Phantom and stereo sound the same either way (as one assumes they should).

Curtis

Glad to find out you were able to duplicate my experience. FWIW, when I replaced my DQ-10's with a pair of NHT's VT 1.4's and their matching VS1.4 center I found that Home Theater really took on a new life. Whether it was the just the addition of a real center channel or the fact that the speakers were matched (both tweeters and mids), it was a bigger add then I anticipated.

I am not recommending the NHT's per se. While they sound OK, my choice was driven primarily by space considerations forced by the acquistion of a HDTV and the NHTs are ony 5 & 1/4" wide. For music the DQ-10's were clearly superior with better imaging, clarity and overall "musicality". Not bad for an almost 30 year old set of speakers

Whoa - it's deja vu all over again. Although I have never owned them - I had the good fortune to live with some DQ-10's for four years in college. A current friend in town also has a 30+/- year old pair that serve as his main L/R's, and I get to listen to them occasionally.

You're right, I don't think I have heard any speakers that have the sheer presence, imaging, ... as them. (although my parents have a seriously underutilized pair of Maggies that I would love to put in the same room as the Dalquist's just to do a little A/B testing).

I am curious if you were driving your DQ's with the 1050 - or were you using the pre-outs on the 1050 to a dedicated power amp? Both systems I have seen with DQ-10's were using hefty power amps (Phase Linear 200w/ch, and a Crown 250w/ch). It would be a testament to the power amp section in the 1050 if it could push those speakers to any respectable level.

Actually, I never tried to run the DQ-10's off of the 1050. But you are correct that they need a lot of power.

My original system had a Quatre power amp (100 W per channel). Given the tiny size of my original condo, this was adequate. Later when we moved I added a subwoofer, which reduced the power demand substantially. Finally, I acquired a Parasound 1200 (205 wpc) that I am still using to power my NHT fronts today.

I only use the 1050 for my center and rears. I am looking to add a used NHT VS1.2 as a rear center channel for 6.1 mode which means that I will be asking the 1050 to power 4 speakers. Despite the testimonials, I have always been suspect of the 1050's power capabilities for HT, so this will be a good test as to how well it works as I can easily forsee situations where all of the rears and the front center are playing at the same time.

If anyone reading this is interested, I still have the DQ-10s and am getting ready to put them on the market.