Last Thursday, representatives from DALI, Luxman, Chord Company and Yorkshire AV packed up a good part of our demonstration room and headed down to Whittlebury Hall near Silverstone to deliver an exceptional listening experience with the new DALI Epikore 11 loudspeakers, a full Luxman reference stack and a complete SaurmT loom.
The show is at a stunning venue and has a lot of our brands on display across 35 rooms. The show is aimed at the high end audio lover - but that shouldn’t deter anyone from coming and having a listen at what’s on offer in the future as the canapes, drinks and entertainment were worth the drive alone, never mind some superbly presented hifi systems.
What did we take?
DALI Epikore 11 in Gloss Black
PD-191A Turntable with the new LMC5 cartridge
NT-07 Streamer (first UK viewing/playback of this new streamer)
Full Chord Company Sarum T loom
Above links will take you to the show page with follow on links to each product.
On static display we took the L-507Z, L-509Z, MQ-88uC, D-03X, DALI Menuet SE and the new DALI IO-12 headphones.
We were honoured to have Thomas Holm from Denmark with us for the weekend too.
Thomas is a senior product specialist from DALI - but as well as having incredible knowledge about their products, he’s also a talented musician, recording engineer and is incredibly passionate about his music. Thus we were treated to some fantastic Danish tracks (a list of which can be found at the bottom of this email).
In between tracks, Thomas gave the room which was typically full with 30-40 people at any given point plenty of nuggets about DALI speakers and more directly, the Epikore 11 which we have in store - the only pair north of London!
What resonated with a lot of people was the synergy between the DALI and Luxman products. There is a reason I run the combination in store and it’s a combination I would urge you to consider if you’re looking into something on the higher end of the market. The Luxman L-507Z is an excellent analogue amplifier that will control any loudspeaker from Rubicon series and up effortlessly.
We played a lot of “hifi show” music but we intermingled this with tracks from Pearl Jam, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Johan Strauss II, ACDC and more! We also introduced a number of Danish artists such as Agnes Obel, Bjorn Fjaestad, Nils Frahm, Jacob Guretvitsch and a stand out customer request from Hok-man Yim.
Feedback on forums and facebook has been overwhelmingly positive so thank you to everyone for your support!
DALI Design Principals
I will try to capture some of the key points about DALI speakers here - but please, should you have any questions on the technology or the product range(s), don’t hesitate to give me a call. Please note - I am out of the office this week but David and Jenson are in store and can take messages where needed.
Paper and Wood-Fibre driver
For over 40 years, DALI have been using a combination of wood and paper in their speakers. It’s been selected and continues to be their proprietary technology for the following reasons:
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It has great, natural dampening properties. Find a paper cup and flick it. Now take a ceramic cup and do the same. The paper cup is significantly more inert, and cancels out any resonance quickly. DALI have mastered manufacturing paper and wood-fibre drivers now over the years.
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The fibres are random in orientation which enables greater stiffness and provide it with a non-uniform break up characteristics (2nd harmonic). They’re incredibly low loss - meaning as much signal from the amplifier is turned into performance at the driver.
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They’re surrounded with a very low loss rubber - which pushes non-linear mechanical noise right to the outside edge. This lowers the distortion levels experienced on the driver by 15dB permitting greater output.
Tweeter / Hybrid Tweeter (Rubicon+)
The Soft Dome Tweeter is characterized by low resonance frequency, high power handling, and exceptional headroom for high sound pressure levels as well as extreme excursions. It is designed to reach higher into the very high frequencies than the norm for a soft dome tweeter.
Furthermore, it incorporates an ultra-thin magnetic fluid for cooling, which has very high flux saturation to achieve greater power handling. This induces a superb control of coil movement – even at very high sound pressure levels.
The dome material itself is very lightweight. It is so thin that the coating contributes significantly to the dome's structural stiffness.
The Planar Tweeter is a true master of horizontal distribution of high frequencies and it is a superb partner for the Soft Dome.
The Planar Tweeter features a broad frequency band as well as an excellent dispersion in the higher frequencies. Furthermore, it is equipped with a rear chamber that is fitted with rigid bracing, and it is, therefore, shielded from the disruptive influence of the woofers.
In the Hybrid Tweeter, the Planar Tweeter is a magneto static type of tweeter where four bands of conductive material make up the active diaphragm, which is controlled by a strong magnetic field formed around it.
Combine these two and magic happens….
Indeed - in the Rubicon series (floor standing and LCR) and above, the two tweeters are combined into a single module. DALI call this the “Hybrid Tweeter”.
Taking the benefit of the power handling of the dome and how distortion peaks high in the frequency band, there’s a natural crossover where the planar tweeter becomes effective and the soft dome naturally rolls off. This is true in the Rubicon and Epicon series. On the newer KORE and Epikore models, this is handled via a crossover (making the tweeter a 2 way unit!).
This gives amazingly natural and spatial high frequency without distortion and with the dispersal characteristics of both, amazing detail across the room (and not just in one sweet spot).
SMC
SMC debuted in 2012 with the flagship Epicon series. SMC is short for “Soft Magnetic Compound” and is used in the magnet on the Oberon series all the way to the KORE. Some of the key information is here:
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SMC in it’s simplest form is like iron filings that are coated in a secret ingredient which enables them it to function still has a high output magnet but with very low electrical conductivity.
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Why is this important I hear you say in your head?
Using SMC in the magnet system reduces mechanical loss and lowers distortion. Again, coming back to the “low loss” message of the drivers - reducing eddy currents from an electrically charged magnet and minimising the braking effect of the magnet to the voice coil, the driver is able to reproduce output in a much more stable environment.
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Easier output improves listening at quieter levels and again, lowers distortion at all levels improving the listening experience and ensuring a more accurate playback.
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The improvement in distortion levels can be measured both in a lab and also with our own ears!
Wide Dispersion - no “toeing in” required!
By optimising the audio signal for off-axis listening (i.e. not sat in the absolute centre of the room), the sound that reaches your ears, both directly and reflected off the room's surfaces, will have a coherent balance. This results in a consistent, high-quality sound, not only across a much wider listening area, but it also increases the 'sweet spot' where you experience the best possible sound. In addition, it gives greater freedom and flexibility when positioning your loudspeakers.
More importantly - most distortion occurs “on axis” - so having your listening position off axis slightly gives a wider “sweet spot” for enjoyment over a wider row of seats. Fun for all the family!
Optimised for nearly all amplifiers
When listening to a loudspeaker, you are in fact hearing the amplifier as much as the loudspeaker itself. The interplay between amplifier and speaker is an essential part of improving the quality of sound from the amplifier, which we achieve by creating a stable, linear environment for the amplifier when driving the loudspeaker load.
Fluctuating impedance loads tend to destabilise an amplifier's internal feedback loops, increasing as the frequency rises. An uneven impedance curve at higher frequencies makes the amplifier less 'relaxed', which reduces the perceived musicality from the amplifier. The purpose of the amplifier, as well as the loudspeaker, is to reproduce the signal exactly as it is without adding or subtracting anything. If the impedance of the loudspeaker changes at different frequencies, the amplifier encounters constantly varying load, which makes it much harder for the amplifier to define the signal, and thereby the music, accurately.
Our proprietary driver and crossover design ensure the best possible working conditions for the amplifier. By delivering linear impedance with minimal phase shifting, we create the conditions that allow any amplifier to sound its best, which enhances the performance of the entire sound system.
In our DALI Epikore 11 for example (the huge floor standing speakers we took the show), the impendence doesn’t drop below 3.8ohms from 500Hz -> 20,000Hz. As such - this reduces the load on the amplifier and gives more headroom (available power) for the more demanding part of the music: bass.
What do we carry in store to demo?
Perhaps the most extensive range in the whole country?
DALI was one of my first brands and you have supported me and the brand incredibly. So thank you for that!
Because of your commitment to the brand, we’ve grown from the Oberon series, new Opticon, Rubicon, Epicon, Menuet SE and more recently Epikore.
We also have the CI (custom install) speakers in the ceiling too for demonstration where needed. We’ve also installed many cinema rooms with the Phantom installation series - contact us any time for information on a room plan/design if needed.
We’re happy to showcase any product from the Oberon 1 and up as required and carry nearly all products either on the shop floor or in the back. And this week - we’re finally starting to get deliveries again now that warehouse has almost finished the move to the UK meaning next day deliveries will be available across the range!
Lee’s favourite combinations
If you’re interested in DALI loudspeakers and are looking for some advice on what products work really well together, here are a few popular combinations which we pair regularly in store and for customers in their home.
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DALI Menuet SE + Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 (my home office system which I’m listening to as I write this)
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DALI Oberon 1 + WiiM Amp
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DALI Oberon 3 + Bluesound Powernode
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DALI Oberon 5 + audiolab 6000A
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DALI Opticon 2 + audiolab 7000A
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DALI Opticon 6 + Primare i15
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DALI Rubicon 6 + audiolab 9000A
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DALI Rubicon 2 + Lyngdorf TDAI-1120
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DALI Rubicon 6 + HiFi Rose RA280
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DALI Epicon 2 + Lyngdorf TDAI-3400
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DALI Epicon 2 + HiFi Rose RA280
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DALI Epicon 2 + Synthesis 510AC
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DALI Epicon 6 + Lyngdorf TDAI-3400
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DALI Epicon 6 + HiFi Rose RA180
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DALI Epicon 6 + Luxman L-507Z
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