开云体育

1. Find current day, equivalent (new condition, closest match to original specs) replacements for original drivers, or (refresh the speaker)
2. Find drivers that might deviate in design (for the better) from original drivers (goal is to improve speaker BUT also control costs and minimize Xover mismatch)
3. Go all out and find the best options for each driver (cost less critical, performance and specs rule) (goal is a "new and improved" DQ-10, no limits)

If you liken it to guys who restore cars, some are purists - they must replace everything with as close to original as possible to honor the goal and design of the original, and only deviate when ts absolutely necessary. A noble pursuit and I (for the most part) lean that way. If you start to wander too far from the original you're progressively abandoning the whole reason for owning that speaker in the first place. On the other end (C), there are some who feel the original drivers are now (and maybe always were) inferior to those currently available, and seek to "upgrade to improve" on the original design. Option B is somewhere in the middle...improve what we can....accept what we can't, maybe?

Also worth pondering...I suspect Jon and Saul could have fitted the 10 with more expensive, esoteric drivers, but mass manufacturing limitations at the time, along with selecting widely available components that allowed them to turn a profit and achieve a sustainable margin. These parts also had to be durable and reliable so they didn't have people complaining of failures. Since the 10 was a mass-marketed product, all these elements factored into their ultimate design choices. I'm always reminded that Jon was designing a "Quad ESL for the everyman."

But swapping old for new isn't always a taboo thing. As long as a driver syncs with the original in "design and intent," but over time has become even better performing and maybe even cost less (think any electronics over time), then it seems reasonable (and possibly smart) to consider those components. But realistically, I doubt many owners today would seriously consider dropping $225 for a tweeter to replace one that cost $35 back in the day, for a speaker that only fetches $500-600 a pair in the resale market. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't do it. Not saying you're considering this....just saying that if the goal is to identify drivers that are cost-effective substitutes, then the two you suggest might be good options (performance aside for now). IMO, the real value-add of your effort is helping those of use who own a pair (or in my case two) and eventually want or need to replace a driver, have a list of objectively-evaluated and tested comparables to work from without have to do massive retooling of the Xover.

I don't think there's a "right" approach. Regardless of your choices the debates of "this driver vs that one" will rage on anyway. But many of us not schooled in engineering will find your mission quite interesting and useful no matter.