- Dali's new Kupid stereo audio system value £299 (about $400 / AU$625)
- 4.5-inch woofer with 26mm custom-designed tweeter
- 4-ohm impedence makes them simple to play from any stereo amp
Danish hi-fi firm Dali has simply introduced a brand new pair of finances stereo bookshelf audio system, and as somebody who's been testing the mannequin simply above them within the vary at residence lately, I feel these might be very attention-grabbing.
The brand new audio system are known as the Dali Kupid, they usually're hoping to make you fall in love with their funky colour choices (in addition to extra conventional wooden finishes), and their promise of detailed, audiophile-pleasing sound for a low worth of simply £299(about $400 / AU$625 – no worth has been confirmed for the US or Australia on the time of writing).
They sit between the most cost effective Dali Spektor 1 bookshelf audio system ($280 / £199 / AU$499) and the spectacular Dali Oberon 1 audio system ($600 / £399 / AU$749) – each of which scored 5 stars from our mates at What Hello-Fi? of their critiques of these merchandise.
I've been utilizing the Dali Oberon 1 at residence lately as a part of testing a brand new streaming amp, they usually're actually fairly astounding for the value relating to element and musicality – which suggests I feel these genuinely might be improbable worth.
The Kupid are constructed with a custom-designed 26mm tweeter paired with a 4.5-inch mid-woofer. Whereas the woofer seems to be similar to one within the Spektor 1, the mix with a brand new tweeter and totally different bass reflex design may produce wider-ranging sound than the Spektor 1.
Although having mentioned that, I ought to observe that the Kupid are rated for barely much less intensive bass frequencies than the Spektor 1 (63Hz for the Kupid and 59Hz for the Spektor) – however spec numbers by no means inform the entire story with audio system, so I might count on a extra full sound from the Kupid when factoring in all parts of the design.
One of many large focuses of the Kupid appears to be making them simple to reside with – Dali suggests they need to be fairly unfussy to put and get good sound from, they usually include wall brackets within the field in addition to rubber ft.
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They're additionally fairly small, and they are often powered comfortably from 4-ohm amplification, so finances amps shouldn’t have any drawback getting their finest sound. Dali says they need to sound nice quiet in addition to loud, so that they're suited to a whole lot of totally different environments – that is one thing the Oberon 1 are nice at, so I don't doubt it right here.
And maybe coolest of all, they arrive in 5 nice finishes for various tastes: Black Ash, Walnut, Caramel White, Golden Yellow, and Chilly Blue.
An effective way to step as much as the element of bookshelf audio system?
These appear to be they’d pair properly with one thing just like the Professional-Ject Stereo Field E amp, which prices $349 / £199 and may have sufficient energy for these audio system, plus has Bluetooth inbuilt. That may get you pretty analog audio elements from two nice hi-fi makers, all in a compact dimension, plus the comfort of wi-fi connectivity – all for below £500 whole, within the UK.
For those who examine to an identical wi-fi stereo speaker setup – one thing like a pair of Sonos Period 100 audio system prices solely rather less – you'd virtually definitely hear a significant distinction intimately and readability from the hi-fi system.
With far larger speaker drivers, extra air moved, and more room for {powerful} elements, you'll discover that music has much more room to specific itself than from a smaller system. This often means you'll get the expertise of listening to 'new' parts in songs, or simply have the ability to recognize them anew with an improved sound profile.
I truly did a comparability listening take a look at lately between a pair of stereo Sonos Period 300 audio system and the Dali Oberon 1 audio system with the brand new Wiim Amp Extremely powering them – and though the Sonos audio system gave an amazing account of themselves with the sound dispersal and hefty low-end, the Oberon 1 had a transparent edge when it got here of mid-range expression, element throughout the frequencies, and the dealing with of advanced instrument mixes. Principally, all of the issues that make you’re feeling actually immersed in a track are boosted.
Clearly, we'll have to offer these an actual take a look at to see if they’ll do the identical at a lower cost, however given my current expertise with Dali audio system, and the corporate's historical past, I feel these appear to be a very good menace to our listing of the perfect stereo audio system.
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