The Official Dali Speakers Thread

[Big Daddy]

Please discuss your Dali speakers in this thread. You can include pictures, reviews, or any other comments regarding your speakers.

Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.dali.dk/display_content.p.../speakers.html

[Big Daddy]

This is MarkMash's set up as reported here.


TV: 50" Panasonic TH50PZ850A (Australian model)
AMPLIFIER: VSXLX60 pioneer AMP
CENTRE: Dali Concept Centre
FRONTS: Dali Concept 8's
REARS: Dali Concept 6's
SURROUND REARS: Dali Concept 1's
SUB: Canton Karat AS 725
BLU-RAY PLAYER: PlayStation 3

Probably would've rather gone an Onkyo Amplifier but I was offered the Pioneer amp at a price I couldn't refuse.

Also Would rather a Pioneer TV, but the price difference wasn't worth it so much as a similar offer was presented on the Panasonic.

Only Down side: Electricity use = LOADS.

But - I'm fully happy with it. Great setup, very pleased with the result - It currently sits in a temporary home.

Currently, the centre isn't in an optimal position sitting behind the TV. There is a big sound blockage from the panel itself, but for no it's the only place it can sit.

To the pics:

[mdabb]

A few older shots of mine. Will have better ones when I get done remodeling within a month, give or take. For now.............. this is what I could find on my PC of my speakers.


Dali Helicon 800's...........








Dali Helicon 300........... Don't mind my "old school" speaker stand . Gonna be making my own, kind of hard to find speaker stands for speakers like the 300's. They are bookshelf speakers that I use for surrounds and Dali does have matching stands, I just don't like them .




Dali Helicon C200 Center Channel.................

[rded]

mdabb, you have to give Danish people for their craftsmanship and their know-how when it comes to speaker design. BTW your helicons rock dude!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by mdabb

A few older shots of mine. Will have better ones when I get done remodeling within a month, give or take. For now.............. this is what I could find on my PC of my speakers.

Dali Helicon 800's...........

Dali Helicon 300........... Don't mind my "old school" speaker stand . Gonna be making my own, kind of hard to find speaker stands for speakers like the 300's. They are bookshelf speakers that I use for surrounds and Dali does have matching stands, I just don't like them .

Dali Helicon C200 Center Channel.................

]

I love the curvature, color, and the awesome tweeters. Viva the great Danes.

Have you considered attaching the surround speakers to the wall? They need to be slightly above ear level.

[mdabb]

Thanks for the compliments guys, much appreciated !!!

I really do love these babies and plan on keeping them for good. I know they won't be the last speakers I ever own, I just won't get rid of them. They are as beautiful looking, especially in person, as they are sounding !!!

Big D, there is no way of mounting the 300's on the wall from what I can imagine. I know it doesn't look like it, but they are kind of big and deep, rear ported, and it would ruin the finish if I tried to mount them. I do need to raise them a tad bit (really heavy) and mess with the placing.......... all in due time though. Everything is placed temporarily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve when I remodel. We are talking a complete gut job/major structural changes

[JasonR]

I love the setup mdabb, just beautiful!

[crazyBLUE]

As I do to Jason !

mdabb ~ Was that A ribbon tweeter & A dome tweeter on the same speaker & what is that sound like !!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by mdabb

Thanks for the compliments guys, much appreciated !!!

I really do love these babies and plan on keeping them for good. I know they won't be the last speakers I ever own, I just won't get rid of them. They are as beautiful looking, especially in person, as they are sounding !!!

Big D, there is no way of mounting the 300's on the wall from what I can imagine. I know it doesn't look like it, but they are kind of big and deep, rear ported, and it would ruin the finish if I tried to mount them. I do need to raise them a tad bit (really heavy) and mess with the placing.......... all in due time though. Everything is placed temporarily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve when I remodel. We are talking a complete gut job/major structural changes

I attached the Bose 901's to the wall. I believe they are heavier.

I used TV wall mount.

http://www.standsandmounts.com/index...S&Category=230

[mdabb]

Thanks Jason and Crazy !!!

Crazy, not sure how to properly describe it in audio terms, but the combo sounds really natural and so damn nice The overall sound of the speakers are spacious, very enveloping and most of all convincing. Feels like nothing is missing. I still get excited to listen to them. Just have to be heard !!!


Big D, never thought about that before, unique and ingenious. Something like that would have to be done in my next home after I finish the one I'm currently in. I need my own space for a home theater/listening room. No way I can get away with too much once I remodel, as I have plans for the home once it's finished.

Seems like a lot of us have certain factors/conditions that limit us to not having the perfect space or setup. Hopefully one day when my kids are grown up I can go back to being a kid myself !!!

[Johnny Vinyl]

I have never had the pleasure of auditioning DALI speakers, but they have always had a certain intrigue for me. Their build quality and finish look amazing, which gives me the sense that this manufacturer is all about providing the consumer with the best available product for the money. (NOTE: I'm not saying others don't)

If I were to change speakers down the road I would look very hard to find a dealer so I could audition these, because I have a feeling I would really like them.

John

[mdabb]

John, I know you'll love them !!!

My first chance to hear them was in Toronto. I think there is 3-5 Dali dealers in the Toronto area and a few more throughout Ontario.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by mdabb

John, I know you'll love them !!!

My first chance to hear them was in Toronto. I think there is 3-5 Dali dealers in the Toronto area and a few more throughout Ontario.

I'm gonna have to have a look then. I'll do some searching. Some other speakers I've heard that impress me are the new QUAD's, the Canton's and the Vienna Acoustics. They are all so musical to me. Like terrific if one had a 2-channel setup.

John

[bobbyg1983]

mdabb,

First, LOVE the setup, those Helicons are so gorgeous.

I've got a question for you. Have you ever tried running the 300s as fronts? I'd love to know how competent they are up there. My father has Helicon 400s and I don't think that I've ever heard a more seductive top end... the amount of "air" is exquisite.

I've currently got av123 X-Statiks, and I really really love the huge open sound they throw (open baffle design), but as with most into this hobby, I'm always thinking about my next step. I'm thinking some Helicon 300s would be a nice jump, without absolutely destroying my bank account. I have heard some of the Mentor series floorstanders as well, and I feel like their performance is pretty close to the Helicons, but with the Helicons you just get a speaker that's so much more beautiful. Hum... guess I'm losing track of my thoughts here a bit, back to the original question:

What do you think of Helicon 300s as fronts? (in an apartment setup, so I do not have to fill a huge space (and have a MFW-15 sub for the low-end))

[gamebred]

I didn't see an official Dali thread so I was just wondering if anyone here has had the opportunity to audition/own any of the speakers in the Ikon series? What were your thoughts as to how they compare to other speakers in Dali's line-up? While I understand the cabinets aren't wood veneer like thier higher end series, I only care about the tonal characteristics. I was eyeballing the Ikon 6 in particular but am unable to find a dealer around. Only Dalis I have ever heard were a set of bookshelfs that cost twice as much as the Ikon 6, the Helicons. I absolutely loved this speakers as they had such detail with a warmth to them, nothing about them was in your face. I would love to be able to afford these but that's not going to happen any time soon.

One more question...Any thoughts on how the Dalis might sound with an Elite receiver? Couldn't find any info about this either. Seems as though most folks buying these speakers are pairing them with Arcam, Denon, Onkyo and Rotel.

Thanks in advance.

[BigAl87]

I intent to give the Concept from Dali a listen shortly probably the next 2 weeks or so, so I'll give the Ikon a shot but I would hope they are laid back sounding as well but I'll let you know. Did you pm Callas to find out if he did hear the Ikon?

I know he heard a few Dalis.

[callas01]

Dali Ikons. My Ninja...

I heard the Ikon 7s, I believe they were. Fantastic speakers. Ribbon tweeter had the same highs as say a bright speaker without ever getting bright, actually they probably went higher, but just stayed smooth and nice. These speakers had Warmth... like a snuggie. You could hear a violin just peak way up. And then the lows were tight and thumpy and deep. Midrange was fantasic, detailed, fast and crystal clear. Heard a Piano roll through them and it was on point. I heard the same piano through the Monitor Audio RS6, which is an awesome speaker also, but the piano was not as precise and detailed... which is hard to say given all the detail that comes from the RS6's.

Likewise the Concept 8s were just awesome to. They were very similar with lows and mids, but the highs could reach as high, but thats because of the lack of the ribbon tweeter.

As I sat there auditioning them I thought to myself, that I would love either speaker, but I don't think the addition of the Ribbon tweeter for my uses would be worth the added expense. I use my Energys 65/35 HT to Music, and to me, the Concepts would easily have worked for me. Concept 8s about $1100-1300/pr. Ikon 7 $4000/pr, willing to do $3500 he said, I'm in California.

I Heard them on a Parasound pre-pro and amp, so I cant say exactly how they would sound, but perhaps the added brightness of the receiver could bring the laidback sound upfront a little.

[gamebred]

Callas, it seems as if you really liked the Ikon 7s. I'm curious about those Concepts too, especially considering the price difference. Did you, by any chance, hear anything from the Helicon series? I felt like I was right there on stage with the artist. These speakers just had a way of making me feel like I wasn't even listening to them, just the instruments. Great imaging, very well balanced and warm (like a snuggie.....lol) but not overpronounced in any range....just amazing. I can't even imagine what the Euphonia series sounds like.

That's funny how you comnpared the to the MA RS-6s in certain aspects because I was almost dead set on getting the RS 6s. I had the chance to hear the new RX series just recently. There is a difference between these two series but I just couldn't seem to narrow it down, mainly due to my local audio store not having any RS series to compare them too. I would say they were a bit brighter than I remember the RS series being. They were still excellent speakers, I just couldn't justify that new price tag. I just feel I can do a little better in that price range.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough room for the Ikon 7s to open up and I feel that it would be a bit overkill. I was even considering the Ikon 2 bookshelves but I listen to alot of music and just prefer the sound of a good floorstander, personally. I have been looking at Salks, Totem, Dynaudio and various Zaph/Seas designs for DIY. Many of these are power hungry rascals and I'm trying to go with a lower impedence and avoid having to purchase an amp. The Elite I own does sport the ICE amplifier and provides quite a bit of power on it's own. I beleive it will pair nicely with a laid back set of speakers.

BigAl, please keep us up to date on your Dali audition as I will be looking forward to hearing your initial thoughts on them.

[callas01]

Um, no I never heard the Helicons. My audition really I told the guy that I wasn't going to purchase anything and I just wanted to come in and hear the Monitor Audio RS6, but it was the Concepts that stole the day. truly one of my favorite speakers at the moment. There were some Cantons and another Dali (I think the larger Ikon 8?) there that I just briefly heard. There was the Helicon 300s bookshelf speakers, but they were not hooked up, but they did look amazing. I felt sorta bad, being there and not really shopping, but then I also asked him to bring in some Energy C7s so I could give them a listen too. The dealer was willing to let go of the Concept 8 floormodels for $950 which is what he said the Concept 6s were going for.

The Concept 6s, I never heard, but they have the same frequency response and are 8 ohm speakers, they only have 2 6.5" woofers, instead of the 1 5" and 2 8", but the Ikon7 had 6.5" woofer (3) and the bass on them were just as good as the Concept 8s. I have been debating what I would change out my speakers for if I ever do decide to switch. But I can tell you that my Auditioning list would be as follows: Dali Concepts 6/8's, PSB Image T5, Energy RC50's, Totem Arro/Staff, and Jamo Concert series C 670s.

Are these strictly for Music or HT too?

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by gamebred

BigAl, please keep us up to date on your Dali audition as I will be looking forward to hearing your initial thoughts on them.

I certaily will, Gamebred I think you should consider Totem in the lot like the Staffs or the Arro but Personally if you want versatility I recommend the Staffs, Arro will shine in the high frequency department with female vocals reproduction, but not in your face so to speak it's just that the tweeters seems to reproduce sounds you just don't hear with other tweeter, very natural sounding, almost undescribable.

The Staffs are by far more versatile for home theather applications and for music they truly are amazing and in the low frequency department they outperform the Arrow They still reprduce highs naturally with a warmth that not alot of speakers can match. The highs are somehow amazing and unmatched for speakers in that price range but once you hear the Arro you wonder how it's possible to be even better than the Staffs in higher frequencies.

Only down side on the Staffs if you are going to order a matching Mite Center, this guy come in 4 ohms only. Odd but I'd ask the guy if possible to have it custom at 8 ohms since they are hand made, unless you are using an amp 4 ohms capable.