I have a set of Dali Rubicon 6. They are awesome, but also more than double the price. They do go 11hz lower and do deliver a boom. Especially in the movie "The Magnificent Seven". The boom in the beginning is just awesome. No need for a SUB. Thanks for a great review 🙂
It's honestly the cheapest way to get a good cup of coffee (with the basic version) as long as you're not after espresso, ngl. The real trick is not forcing the plunger down with all your might like you got somewhere to be in 30 seconds.
@@BruceLimozaine-c4q You are absolutely right that $2K for used would be amazing. I'm fine with my mint Boston Acoustics CR9s that I got for $3.99 apiece. And my Ohm Walsh's for $200. And my Sony $500 receiver for $17. Plus a dozen audio components from yesteryear that I just love, regardless of cost. The Cheap Audio Man is really a misnomer, IMO and in practice. The only thing I've bought new based on his recommendation was a $16 DAC. Sometimes, you just need a DAC. ;-)
Yup, Dali is kind of a sleeper in the loud speaker world except for across the pond. Great stuff. Aero press isn't a joke either. Innovative method for making great coffee.
The Dali Rubikore 8 Floorstanders are my new grail speakers!! At £6K ($8K) they will not be making an appearence in my system any time soon but sometime.....
Hi Randy, Dali specifies that NO tow-in is needed and they suggest to set up speakers firing straight into the room. What you described in your listening review much reminds me of the Dali Ikon series which was discontinued a few years ago. I think the Opticon line up replaced the Ikon series and in the IKON series the 6 was consistently an award winner in Europe and always got good press here. I used to own Ikon 2 MK2, very large bookshelf speakers, with the dome and ribbon tweeter design. I liked them alot but at the time I had too much audio gear just laying around so I gifted them to a friend. Anyway, seems like the Opticon line just picked up where the Ikon line left off.
I have enjoyed a pair of Opticon 1 MK2 for the past three months, in my opinion they sound better (to me) than: KEF LS50s first gen and B&W 600 series. An energetic, fast and lively sound without being too over the top is the signature of the brand. I can only imagine how a bigger Opticon or some Rubicon sound
I have the Mark I and love them! The sound is amazing and warm. I found that having the front covers on them reduced the harshness of the tweeter just perfect. 😊
I don't listen to Dali, I like mine with a slight toe. . It's true they do well straight into the room, but I don't mind some treble directly beamed into my old skull. Salt to taste!
Really enjoyed the review, and the branching out into hi-fi brands that don't get a ton of coverage. Your videos well made, and are very much appreciated. Keep up the great work.
I really wanted to switch from Ikon 1 to Opticon 6, and when I got ready to go to the store, it turned out that the stores only had the new Opticon 6 Mk2 with a huge overprice. 😡 In fury, I took a 4-month break from re-reading all world reviews of acoustics and bought ... MONITOR AUDIO Silver 500 6G. 🥰😘
Love all Danish speakers, dynaudio, Morell, Dali just the ones off my head... They definitely make some beauties, They are quiet very warm sounding from memory
all my home theater system 7.1 is Dali Opticon, they are neutraL, plus 2 subwoofers Rel T/7x and Receiver Onkyo TX-RZ 70 . You have a gret taste !! the center speaker Vocak Mk2 has 2 tweeter
@@ms03938 Whem it Sounds Good for You then all is fine. But when you tow them in to much the Soundstage will be small and the Highs are to much forward Sounding.
I've heard Dali speakers multiple times and they always seem to offer a very nice and clear high frequencies, yet without distortion. And I think there may be something to Dali's SMC technology, as the bass articulation is great. I'd be interested in the Opticon 8 Mk2, but not for twice the price of the Opticon 6 Mk2.
It is almost impossible to judge the sound quality of a speaker in a room with other speakers. I tried this over and over as an experiment in my 30 years as a hi-fi store owner if you listen to speakers in a room by themselves and then introduce another speaker to the room, it will drastically change what you’re hearing try it yourself
With the Opticon, there is more than meets the eye! Wait i have another one. Dali is working on a new model that you can angle in toward the listener. With the Dali Kamel toe in is encouraged
This is a 4-way design, the crossover points this out. The “super tweeter” is used up in its sweet spot, the oversized regular tweeter doesn’t go that high or too low, the upper woofer takes over at 2.2k and the lower woofer at 800 to combat baffle-step. Lots of crossover components I’m sure. Interesting the 1.25” tweeter isn’t playing lower… lots of 1” tweeters play lower than this, unless it’s in order to increase power handling to very high levels?
Have a pair of Oberon 3's in my office and I love them. Bass is big and articulate enough, has a pretty "natural" sound to them, despite a little colouring and they are super sharp without zinging. I think Dali are a company that goes a little under the radar really. Oh and as others have said, Dali say don't toe them in. I tried both, Dali were right. Suspect they might know what they are talking about haha!
I was just thinking it would be great to see Dali on this channel. Great job. And don’t let the haters keep you from reviewing great, affordable speakers.
I've been around DALI speakers for about 25 years. By now, I've +/- figured them out : they do have a basic line, then a mid line, hi-fi line and hi-end. BUT here and there, they "hide a mine" in form of a pretty cheap series, that don't sound cheap. Today - it is the Oberon 1 ! If properly placed, they sound VERY good. Other models, with "super tweeters" depends allot on how they are implemented. In some cases they are for entertainment, or irritation the 🦟🦟🦇🦇🐱🐱🐶🐶🐁🐁🐀🐀.... Just a reminder to the Oberon 1 owners : If Oberon 1 are meant to be played louder than average - crossover components - better to be upgraded. They are very basic - still sound great, but will not tolerate long term high current .....
My ribbon tweeter in my ‘Dali Ikon 8’ died and replaced with AMT. pulled apart the ribbon tweeters and discovered that the magnets go bad and the outer finish of the magnets peal off. But I love my Ikon 8’s 😊
I’ve just purchased these and can honestly say I love them £1600. In uk and I can’t fault them. I sold my PMC twenty5 24s because I felt these gave me so much more( well done Dali)
I recently bought a pair of PMC twenty 5 22's and they are an amazing speaker. Mind you i have them pairs with a Sugden IA-4 Pure class A amp. Great pairing.
@@garywatkins8823 that seems to be an very good combo according to you and others. There is a review here on RU-vid with those speakers and mk1 version of the Cambridge 81. Seems to me that Randy in this video has something similar. I bought a pair of these speakers few months ago and still hunting for an Integrated amplifier that has good synergy with the Opticon 6 MK2. Haven't heard the Cambridge yet...
@@questionyourself718 There is a 30 percent sonic improvement-that makes all the difference. Priceless really. From our standpoint, as owners of $800 Dynaudio speakers, the 5000 euro Rubikore would be a meaningful improvement. In a better world the manufacturer would price the Rubikore at $2000 so that mere mortals could also go to audio heaven. They were powering those Rubiokeres with a $1500 amplifier.
Nice to see you figure out what makes you get into music more as you follow this journey. I've done it and also agree a ribbon integrated well with other drivers is the best way to go; to hear the sweet details without the hard bite. (I really like Piega's.) Integrating a ribbon takes a lot of work... I can't believe Dali's done this much at this price. However, I haven't heard Dali's. (Functionally/WAF... They don't make it in a light color. Also a rear port isn't great for me/my space.. but you never know...) Front ports are a little more predictable and easier to position. But anyway, great review, and it's been a joy watching you find better gear that brings you closer to music enjoyment 'bliss'.
Randy ! You have outdone yourself, excellent video, light years away from the dude that was comparing the cheep Denon amp vs Emotiva back in rhe days... We need some comment on tested amps with those Dali's, just a tease with dark Cambridge... Did you test them with A10 Advance Paris or what is your take on heavenly matching amp ? .... Best regards, Long time follower and fellow coffee drinker/ audio enthusiast
You could get more useful information out of them if the reviewers did blind comparisons, but that's too much work. Instead they talk about burn-in and ignore acclimitization.
@@gwine9087 Sure. Use previous speakers which you've described with flowery and usually useless verbiage and compare similar speakers. CAM just had a video on cheap vs expensive speakers that sound similar. Put it to the test. I wasn't even saying do ABX (that would just be embarrassing). Just a simple blind test to prove to yourself and the world that you really like what you say you like. Might be some surprises. Much better than "I love this speaker more than life. But you might not!" and "I hate this speaker more than life. But you might not!"
Indeed. What Randy should do as part of his review is to take some of these speakers apart and show us how they are really built. Most would be shocked that many of these expensive speakers are not worth their asking price. He should start with those Sonus Faber speakers. After seeinging the insides of those, then we can talk about what a ripoff the asking price is. That speaker shouldn't be selling for more than half its asking price...period!
DALI and Q accoustics are up there when it comes to refined performance/price balance. You definitely can see and hear where your money is going with them.
..yeah, I've seen huge... (& apparently 'hugely expensive' to build if for measuring the longer wavelengths approaching down near to 20'ish hertz of v.deep bass) ...Anechoic Chamber's that a few u.k. speaker makers would rent for testing their products & advertise the massive anechoic chamber's "Freq Vs dB" sound output graphs in all the pre-net hi-fi mags. Japanese speakers advertised those graphs a lot too, tho those graphs don't hint at what you'll hear from the same speakers in your own non-anachoic nor wall-defraction edged & shaped living / listening room, tho upper mid to high treble is far more directional so the graphs might give clues at higher frequency in-room. But bass is important to me, the foundation in any genre where low harmonics of higher frequency gives texture & substance even to s voice like Joni Mitchell's, imo, & that's why I'll either need a home demo' or a "money back if not delighted" deal & pay the postage, just to avoid gross regret for my last ever speaker, soon, 'ish, it's not so easy when you ain't loaded with spare cash. P.S. i got a bass-drop area bang in the listening position whenever I use a long ago bought REL Q400 Sub' & wherever i put the d*** thing, it only does great bass when you're head's less then a foot from the side of back walls, I tried both phase positions to get no difference, 0 or 180' deg', yet many subs I've noticed, have a continuously variable 0 to 180'deg calibrated knob-turning phase offset adjustment, where i or anyone's room shape might call for a 90' Deg phase shift for bass at the listening sofa or seat, all my REL's 0 or 180'deg 2 positioned switch does is give the identical "bass hole" at the listening sofa. My next Sub' will not be a 0 or 180'deg only phase shift choice, many folk get lucky with just those 2 extreme offsets & position moving, not me, why do some very expensive subs give you a choice of any shift necessary, room dependant ..you just might need a 47'deg shift, or a 132'deg shift for perfect bass at your chosen listening position without having the sub hanging from the roof in front of your face, or some other trip-over stupid place.
I have the Dali Opticon 1 and like its resolution and imaging. Tried the Menuet SE and it was too refined in the mids and highs obscuring some of the fine detail. On desktop, the Menuet SE painted a very holographic sound with really nice weight, still the fine details and some background effects were either less impactful or even missing. Sitting more than 5 feet away the Menuet SE started losing what it was good at and a pig for power. It will heat up your amp. The Opticon 1 MK1 didn't obscure the details, more subdued than some French speakers but they were there. Good on desktop or even 10 feet away. You lose a bit of resolution, note weight versus the Menuet, and only vinyl veneer but much more versatile in placement and great for watching movies given its imaging and resolution to voices. The newer Opticon bookshelves seem to have been designed to more mimic the frequency curve of the Menuet SE from what have seen/read and have a little less sensitivity versus the older MK1 series. I still think they will retain their versatility but will sound a bit less spicy in the highs. Still, the new Opticons should be easy to drive. If anything, I would have liked a real wood unglossed wood veneer, especially at the now higher retail pricing. I have Triangle Zetas too. The Zeta sounds larger, has more bass (less textured) and is more euphonic with music but less resolution, less note weight but I can prefer this with alot of music for a fun, more relaxed but still very engaging sound. It plays more complex music better being slightly larger. So I can swap between the two depending on my preference generally preferring the zetas for music and the Dali for movies but I could enjoy both for either. The other small speaker which I liked for movies was the ML 15i with a bit more clarity in voices and was fun with movies but didn't like for music. Sold that as the Dali had better imaging and spatial capabilities while keeping most of the clarity. The Emotiva B series small speakers have been stated to sound alot like the ML 15i. My main driver was the Focal 807W and currently up for sale but I may plug those back in as I have a new amp that really ups the transparency and space in a performance in the V/A CA-1. The 807W is more accomplished and a bigger sound but I like really small speakers for what they can do and don't listen loud either. I looked at Rubicon 1 as a potential replacement but I don't think I would gain enough to justify the outlay when the Opticon 1 with a small sub really shines. A bit more transparency and resolution perhaps and a nicer veneer but its marked down at $2K which is still too high to justify for me. The new Opticon 2 is stated to keep up with Dynaudio Special 40s. There a YT video on that. Still, it may or may not be the sound you may be looking for. But a definite must hear if you can. Not inexpensive for their build but they make good speakers. The Rubicore is supposed to up the performance but pricing is nuts in the US.
I have not gotten to watch yet, but I also love Dali. Not quite as fancy as the Opticons, but my Zensor 7's combined with Zensor 1's and Vokal center have been exceptional. I very much enjoy their signature.
Coffee sponsor! Makes sense, I’m actually interested because my fellow coworkers have no clue how to make coffee that’s not gross. Also, good job on the review Randy, maybe one day these’ll be on my short list, thanks again keep it up man!!! Also, I can hear Optimus prime, “autobots, roll out!”
3:00 Aeropress is like a good pair of speakers. It scales infinitely with the quality of the beans and the quality of the grind. 8:10 Center channel is a bandaid when the main pair has poor imaging. I've never found it necessary with decent speakers, and I hate the way center channels often have a different "voice" from the other speakers that breaks the immersion. Plus since a center channel is usually placed below the screen where the front sides can be directly on either side of the screen, it's less convincing because speech isn't coming from the middle of the screen but below it, where just the front sides can bring the ear directly in line with the screen.
i cannot imagine a world without my mixer. it is the link between everything (mic, guitar, piano, computer, headphones, amplifier with speakers) i have it since 2 decades ago. it was the first mixer with usb, AKA interface. the father of the home recording music studio. i can enjoy the audiovisuals of internet, but also it works to make my music. i can turn off inmediatly the sound of the youtube ads, i can record the audio of youtube. i can use a touchscreen multieffect on the fly, of course i can manipulate the songs with plugins in daw. i don't understand how most population just watches things on a android telephone and they don't even attatch the computer or tv to a hi-fi in order to listen on big speakers.
@@Munakas-wq3gp i don't use adblockers because could be virus that could have access to my computer. moving the touchpad searching the corner of skip advertisement takes some seconds, and also many ads are impossible to skip, and all them at least 5 seconds. in my mixer i installed a switch (left/ right) by the guitar brand dimarzio because the original (up/ down) button was broken. one side makes the speaker sound, the other side mutes the speakers. so it takes to me the speed of a punch to shut up silence the advertisements, even if the image is still going on. today is my payday, and after a decade thinking on purchuasing another yamaha mw12 now i finally did it, for 220 european coins. my best friend should have bought the same i have, but he always used bad interfaces that has annoying latency so his music studio sucks, because he cannot play good rhythm, because the piano sounds almost half second late, and so the same with vocals. in his system you hear your own voice when you are trying to say the next word, and it makes you talk as if you were ree tharded. same with the wireless headphones, they sound too late, it's impossible to have accuracy in timing. and even if other guys uses modern interfaces, they have other problems this unit doesn't. one of the popular brands of interfaces universal audio actually is very noisy. even if modern interfaces has higher than my humble 48kHz samplering rate, and they have modern feature of multiple digital separated outputs ( mine only the stereo final mix) all those interfaces lacks the many many volume options my machine has. and if you were on the market with the demand of all the volume options that you probably don't even knew they existed, be prepared to pay 4 figures. this heavy weight 2 decades old workhorse is the center of my room, and now i will have 2 of them. one dedicated for the piano at computer w10 without internet, and another for the computer with internet. because in one year microsoft is killing w10 so i will have to unplugg forever this computer that will run my piano and also other things of home recording studio. then the modern computer that i will have to buy will be plugged to internet, and using the external hardrives i will be able to move archives to the old computer that will be safe out of the remote self destruction programmed obsolence, because after october 2025 it will be dangerous using internet with old computers, so my plan is to preserve the old computer keep playing music for 40 years or so. i have dj friend who uses a mini jack from the headphone jack of laptop to rca cable of a PA system and call it the day. he doesn't even use a proper interface in between. maybe nobody could tell the difference. but in my case i value the many things i can do with the mixer. in example i can touch the screen of korg kaoss pad 3 over the sound of a movie that the vlc is playing. i don't trust in browsers plugins addons. i once tried a compressor, but it asked privacy permissions beyond the ethical limits, and slowed down my internet navigation like a lot. but using a analogue/ digital mixer like this, you just can place a analogue compressor to youtube, or a guitar pedal, if you wanted to. i can choose for instance not only the volume of headphones, but also how much of my voice i wsnt to hear, or how much internet level has, or i can cut the peaks, and or or i can apply eq and or i can add gain, and some of these things different to headphones than what the recording daw gets which might be different mix than what the 3 types of outputs might give to speakers, with or without the background music with or without the mic. with the mixer i can plug microphones, electric guitars, midi piano. i've visited many friends and none has the television linked to the hi-fi linked to mics or piano or guitars linked to computer. in example when my nieces watched Frozen in my music studio, i improvised electric guitar during the entire movie, one of my best performances ever, without distracting them, because the guitar is blended. the difference between me and my neighbour who bothers me practicing bass is that he doesn't have a mixer, so he plays loud as in a concert. me on the other hand i can record my singing, and the neighbors are not listening to the background music. i played for 20 years electric guitar at night wearing headphones. and during the day using a hi-fi instead of a guitar amp, which is considered sacrilege, but actually a hifi is a better pedal platform, it does sound better than guitar amps the moment you use guitar pedals like hendrix digitech. everybody has a mobile telephone, coach and fridge, but most population who are music lovers doesn't know they need a music recording studio. preparing the songs with plugins in a daw makes more impact in the sound rather than the speakers used and the acoustic treatment. i can be another musician, the leader of the group, remix, remaster, play over, manipulate, take action rather than just a passive listener. and i can thanks to this yamaha mw12 that i love. now 2.
I’ve had these for almost 2 months. They are fkn superb. I’ve gone Spektor 1>Spektor 2>Oberon 3>Oberon 5>Opticon 6. Every time the improvements are beyond belief. AIC MTV never sounded better. My local DALI dealer actually undersold these. They are easily better than 2x better than my Oberon 5s (which were great anyways). Yeah. $2200 is not exactly cheap. But better than anything else under $4500. I tried a pair of KEF R7 Metas against them. The Opticons are way, WAY better. The KEFs are much more expensive and DEFINITELY need a subwoofer.
i have the former reference the euphonia ms4 (8000dollar new) bought for 2k used, best buy i have made in hifi so far. and you def gain a lot by going up the dali range i have tried and liisten to many. hoping to someday be able to afford a used pair of epicon 6s. here in sweden its a household brand
I prefer monster speakers that are warmer. If you're going for long listening sessions, you don't want shrill clarity that ultimately gives quicker fatigue.
Fatigue often comes from boosted treble to give the APPEARANCE of clarity. True clarity is the furthest thing from fatiguing. Also resonances in metal dome tweeters can cause fatigue .
I had some ELAC BS 403’s and although the bass and mid range were incredible, the ribbon tweeter was too much for my ears (partly due to some hearing damage) and that was running it with an ELAC amp as well (which btw is incredible) I now have Wharfedale Lintons and because their treble is rolled off at 12khz it’s much better for my ears.
These are very interesting…. I also love air and detail. The design with the combination is very cool. Would love to hear it. Are you planning on keeping them?
Have a pair of DALI Opticon 1 (Mk 2). Small boxes, great sound. Got an open box a year ago for £599 I think? Cheapest DALI's that are manufactured in Denmark.......🇩🇰🎶🎶
Dali speakers are definitely on my wish list. I think you indoctrinated me right at the beginning of our journey together. Take care, Sir, and thank you for all your content and support.
The Oberon 1 is an amazing speaker for the money, and I think is the best value speaker Dali make. I have heard many Dali speakers and own several pairs for differnt rooms, as a brand I think thy take some beating. Great to see you reviewing a pair.
Great Review Randy. I've never heard any speakers by Dali but your review has peaked my interest. I hope they're at Capital Audio Fest! Thanks for what you do!!! 👍
Is there such a thing? I'd say it is subjective and everyone has their preferences and favorites. Back in the days when HiFi was a passion for many of us, I came across some amazing setups one in particular being a Denon turntable, McIntosh amp and Infinity Quantum Line and Magnaplanar rear speakers I heard at an 'audio emporium' many years ago.
Have you tried listening to the song Della Brown by Queensryche? Lots of things going on in the song. Right to the end you get the sound of some kind of birds on the beach. It’s a very intimate song. Love the show, enjoy.
I've heard Dali's before. They seemed bright and forward almost obnoxiously so even after burning in. For this amount of cash I'll take the Warfdale Evo 4.4's ..
