Hi everyone, ive joined ASR to post my experience with DALI.
I had a pair of B&W DM600 bookshelf speakers that were used as height channels in my old home.
When we moved we placed the tv in the corner and the speakers were redundant as the mrs allowed me to put atmos speakers in the ceiling, (one of the factors in asking her to marry me a year later).
The 600s were surplus to requirements. We put a small office in a bedroom and i used the 600s in the one day and had a blast listening to music. But the 600s werent enough so I went to Richer sounds and did a demo of ALL the bookshelf speakers they had for under £1000. I liked the Focal Aria K6 (i think) for £699, the Oberon2 sounded good, but the bass was to baggy. After a couple of hours we'd finished our tests and i was underwhelmed with what I heard, i nearly chose the focals but just to make sure I got the salesman to stick the Rubicon 2s on and they blew me away. Chaka Khans vocals in Aint Nobody connected with me like never before. Id never connected with music like Dali rubicon 2s that day. The bass was strong but controlled, vocals were like the singing wasnt coming out of a speaker, the singer was in the room. My mrs didnt want me to spend £1599 on speakers so I asked her how much would you pay for chaka khan to come to your living room and sing? It worked.
They did a deal with me and when i got them home they were too strong for that room; having neighbours through a party wall. They recommended going for the menuet. These were the perfect compromise. Beautiful clarity and detail with controlled bass but not so much that it affects the neighbours. IMO Dali tune their speakers for female vocals. Acoustic guitar sound life like to, you can hear the wood vibrate as Ben Howard plucks the strings.
After a few months I upgradedthe crossover in the menuet to the SE version and noticed even more clarity but this time piano sounded clearer and more life-like but it took something away from acoustic guitar. The SE has the better sound over a narrower spectrum of music than the standard Menuet, the clarity is a step up but it reveals poor recordings more. The standard menuet are more forgiving.
On the back of this ive purchased Rubicon 5, Rubicon vokal (living room), Rubicon 2 (garage gym), Dali Atmos E60 in ceiling speakers and a DALI Kubik for the bedroom.
Id love to get some Epicons but I cant justify the price hike over the rubicons. Rubicons are 70% of the tech for 40% of the price of the Epicons.
They do require a decent amp to drive them though, ive had to spend thousands on amps to drive them, bare that in mind when testing them.
The KEF R series are excellent in their own right, its more focused, weightier, neutral and dispersion seems more even across the room. But it doesn't have the soulful sound of the Dali that I always crave. Might just be me and my subjective tastes.
