Duelund Coherent Audio: An Interview with Frederik Carøe


It has often been said that the crossover is the speaker’s brain. The unsung heroes of crossovers are of course the capacitors, inductors and resistors which, like Rodney Dangerfield, rarely get the respect they deserve. As is the case for all high-end components and devices, a superb cross-over requires a masterful blending of high quality parts and design. Duelund Coherent Audio (hereafter, “DCA”) of Denmark produces extraordinary caps, inductors and resistors for audio applications, in particular for use in crossovers. At RMAF 2009 I had the pleasure of meeting Frederik Carøe, the Co-Founder of DCA. We sat down for coffee and Frederik told me about DCA, and how he came to be involved with it.

Frederik’s association with DCA began in 2000, when he began working for the legendary designer Steen A. Duelund. Though Mr. Duelund initially wanted their relationship to be informal, Frederik, at the time in law school, suggested that they formalize the relationship. This proved to be an especially wise move as sadly, soon thereafter Steen took ill and passed away. In the intervening years Frederik has devoted himself to carrying on the work of his friend and mentor.

DCA is a small business  - it currently has two people full time, and a total of 5-7 people involved in the production  - which prides itself on its personalized attention to customers, including the ability to manufacture custom products. Approximately 40% of their business is in the United States, where their products are distributed by Parts Connexion and Electrum Audio. In addition to their LCR products, DCA also manufacturers cables for internal wiring in speakers; these products are currently used by a number of highly-regarded speaker manufacturers including Peak Consult, Ref 3A, and Gryphon. Whereas their products have typically been for AC applications, they recently introduced a new DC line of products.

Frederik explained that DCA believes in doing things the old-fashioned way. A key factor in DCA’s manufacturing capability is their unique relationship with Jensen. Jensen has machines from the 1940s-‘50s, to which DCA has access. (Frederik pointed out that despite the use of these machines, their products still require a lot of manual labor.)

The other key factor is their commitment to quality. Whereas most modern capacitors are made of plastic films which are then sprayed with metal, DCA’s capacitors use foil made entirely from metal (a 40 μF cap uses approximately 100 meters of metal foil). The foil is wound, paper is placed in-between, and then it is vacuum impregnated with wax or oil to insulate the two metal layers. The underlying principle is to damp both physical and electrical resonances. The ultimate test of course is how it sounds. Needless to say, the materials are expensive and the assembly time-consuming, but the audible results make short-cuts unacceptable. (An entry level, 40 μF cap retails for approximately $570 U.S., while a 10 μF silver cap costs approximately $6,500.) Similar attention to parts and craftsmanship goes into their inductors and resistors.

In a world of fast food and over-hyped mass-marketed goods, it is always refreshing to meet someone like Frederik Carøe, who is inspired by a deep seated passion for excellence, without the fanfare. Visit his website (http://www.duelundaudio.com) for a description of their products, and for some wonderful essays by Steen.