Dali speakers - Page 6

Mozvz,

Your pictures of the Rose Nut finish are gorgeous. I had a hard time picking which finish to choose, but ended up going with the Cherry.

How do you post pictures?

Thanks
Bruce

Bruce,

Both finishes I've seen (cherry + rose nut) are luscious. High gloss sheen is not for everyone, but the finish on the Dali's is world class.

I forgot to post a photo of the entire accessories package that comes with each speaker. One of the items that was cool is they included white gloves with the packaging. Other manufactures may do this, but it's the first time I've run into it.

One thing to remember is the Dali's also reproduce high quality music and home theater sound. All show and no go does not make a desirable product.

I do not have the time this evening, but I will send you a PM tomorrow how to attach photo's. There may even be a help menu on AVS with instructions.

Hello,

I have never heard Dali before, but a pair of Dali Helicon 400 have come up on Audiogon, that are about 100 miles from me.

Are these worth looking into for Home Theater? I have a big room 21 x 21 and use Anthem Gear.

AnthemAVM,

Well, I own a pair of Helicon 400s and I think they are fantastic. I have a 7.1 system, use the 400s for front L and R, and I listen to everything in 7.1 so my comment is yes, they are great.

Good luck,
Bruce

AnthemAVM,

I doubt if anyone who owns these speakers will tell you NO, don't listen to them

Generally if a product does music well that characteristic will prevail in HT. The Helicon's do music very well.

I have heard through the grapevine that the Helicon's went up in price and the Euphonia's went down in price. Some of the dealers will be more in touch then I am.

Are you hypothetically going to use them in a HT setup? What about your other speakers? 2 channel system for the Dali's?

Here are some photos of the boxing and internal packaging that Dali uses. I've always enjoyed when people post this stuff so I try to reciprocate. If it's not needed, I'll just delete them.

The entire 5 speaker set was delivered by Fed Ex Freight, skidded, strapped and well protected.

The price on the 400's was good, so I would end up buying matching center and surrounds.

Michael

Talked to Dali USA today Euphonia MS4's are now $9400.00 down
from $10,500.00 for Alpi finish.

Any of you check out the new Mentor series yet. We just got them in and they are phenomenal!

The Mentors are going to be the value speaker to beat this year. Build quality is superior to most everything Ive seen for the price. Very close sounding to the Helicon just not quite as refined in the highs, and cant play as loud without compression like the Helicon can. But the Mentor 6 is one of the best sounding 3K/pair loudspeakers Ive come across. In fact for music, that would probably be my pick. I could easily live with these and forget about upgrading for some time. For those who want the performance of the Helicon without the additional costs of the finish, the Mentor is the value product.

Did you notice the little hourglass thingy the put on the side of the shipment that shows if it was jostled around at all during shipment.

I thought that was a cool little touch, and added sense of security.

Yes I did. The shipping security device (disposable) adheres to the packing as it has a sticky substance on the back. If the shipment is tipped or rolls over, the chemicals inside the device mix and the color changes solid, rather then the color being only at the bottom.

It's the first time I've seen such a measurement tool to assure that product is not abused during transit to its destination. I used to work in logistics in a warehouse in my past corporate life and never encountered this device. As you write AA, it's a nice sense of security knowing your product was not abused.

Just think: If we developed such simple, common sense technology, patented it, marketed it well with a cost effective business plan, we'd all be purchasing the MEGALINE line, sitting in the comfort of our beach house listening to a MEGALINE 5.1 system with 2 JL Gotham subs.

Charles

Charles,

There is no way I would do that ..... mine would be a 7.1 system, not 5.1!

Bruce

Charles,

There is no way I would do that ..... mine would be a 7.1 system, not 5.1!

Bruce

I am also interested in the Dali 400's vs Revel F32's. I listened extensively to the Dali's at one place in NJ, and will be going to another store (with other electronics) to audition the F32's. Would love to hear from someone that has done a side-by-side comparision with the same source/eletronics. I was extremely impressed with the 400's, and auditioned them in 2 channel mode with tube pre-amps (Conrad Johnson among favorite) and solid state amps (Classe one of them). Will be using a receiver to do the rest of the HT, as it is 2nd priority to the 2 channel performance.

Mike

I have been looking at the Ms-4s for a while, I am concerned about it's lack of mid-range. Does anyone have experience with the 4s with music?

Thanks

Here are some reviews:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/news.../dali_ms4.html

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Iss...lieuphonia.htm

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr...7892&read&3&4&

http://www.guidetohometheater.com/subwoofers/1103dali/

Both speakers are very good sounding, but I prefer Dali 400's look and finish much better.

Mike,

The closest I got to that comparison was the F32 Vs. Mentor 2 at different retailers using different electronics, etc. The Revel had very stout and defined bass with a clarity in the treble range I am unaccustomed to. Not grainy or harsh in any way... just a really fatiguing experience from hearing ALL the recording. The mids seemed a bit more palpable than the Ikons I listened to.

I listened to the Mentor 2 ("6" not available yet) immediately after the Ikon-6. I was completely drawn into the smooth, "airy" presentation of the high notes with BOTH speakers. Ribbon tweeters indeed have a special sound. The Mentor 2 of course gave up some LF to the IKON-6, but overall I favored the sound of female vocals on the Mentor 2 though again, the mid-range of both Ikons was a bit "light" for my taste in recordings. Also, bass notes were a bit "loose" at higher volumes in either Ikon.

The bottom line... I'm still holding onto my money. I really do need to hear the H400. The reality may be that the Mentor 6 is the best compromise for my WAF/room needs.

Thanks Causa for your observations. I listened some more yeaterday to the H400's and those ribbon tweeters indeed have a special sound. In fact, I listened to a well recorded live album (Eva Cassidy, Live at Blues Alley), and her voice sounded amazing. I listened to the same vocals over a super accurate pair of Lapinski speakers a few weeks ago(recording engineers use this as a monitor), and her voice sounded harsh at certain high frequencies, and that would be consistent to what you've mentioned about the Revels. I need to put the Revels through their paces, but I'm favoring the H400's at this point.
Mike

Everyone perceives sound differently, but I have never heard the Revels criticized for being harsh in the upper registers before. If anything the opposite. When I was auditioning a year ago I almost crossed the Revels off my list because I felt they may not actually have enough zip at the high end compared to the others I was looking at. I wonder if what you were experiencing was room related - unfortunately not having the speakers side by side makes comparison very dodgy,

Agreed. That is always the damn problem when auditioning speakers or any equipment unless it's in your own room and as you suggest, side by side.

It is so very difficult at least for me when buying any audio gear to manage getting the products into your house at the same time and be able to demo side by side in the comfort of your own home.

I listened to the Revel's and the Dyn Focus series and had nothing but praise for both companies. Honestly I could have lived with any of these brands. In the end I chose the Dali's for numerous reasons, but ideally, I wish I could have auditioned them in my own room for a more advanced critical comparison.

When I did the demo's of these 3 brands, each was at a different location and a week apart from one another. Having the ability to demo in your own home is a key to the process of selection IMO. It's a time consuming job and takes a lot of diligence on your part.

Has anyone used a Auralex GRAMMA on their Dali floor standing speakers?

I am not receptive to the spikes and the cones that Dali and many manufacturer's supply with their speakers. I have hardwood floors and of course there could be damage done with just the spikes. It's a difficult scenario trying to place the cones underneath the spikes when placing them, unless I am missing something in the setup.

I'm thinking of using the Auralex GRAMMA for a base and just set the speakers on top of that forgoing the spikes and cones.

From what I've read about the Auralex GRAMMA, it's not really a major difference in sound quality. However, its function is to decouple the speaker from the floor and provide a bit tighter base. My main objective is not to destroy the hardwoods.

Any thoughts?

It took me awhile, but I think I'm finally in a position to post photos of my system.

My HT is in my living room, which is open on one side. These photos show the view from the adjoining dining room, and the front of the room. All my equipment is in the cabinet under the TV.

Bruce

These two photos show the cherry finish of the Helicons.

And these are my side and rear Ikon surrounds, which I had to mount from the ceiling.

Mozvz,

I too have hardwood floors. I bought some sliders, for lack of a better term, from the hardware store. They are round disks with a smooth, low friction, rounded plastic bottom designed to let you move furniture without scratching hardwood floors, or slide things across carpeting smoothly. I have four for each speaker, roughly 1 1/4" diameter, and they fit underneath the feet of my 400s.

I have no idea what they do acoustically, but I have the 400s crossed over at 80 Hz to my sub, so my 400s are not handling the deep bass.

I wanted something to protect my floors, and to let me easily move the 400s when needed. I have much larger versions of these furniture sliders under my cabinet. All this lets me slide the 400s out of the way, then slide the cabinet (with all the electronics and the TV) away from the wall to gain access to the wiring.

Bruce

Dali Megaline speakers are really expensive, dude! Though the quality makes the price worth it.


_____________________
McIntosh MC207 Power Amplifier - Get the MC207 Power Amplifier catalog by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

Place a quarter (25 cent coin) under each spike!

Regards,

Anthony
Audio Dynamics Div.
Wallingford, CT

DALI Dealer and authorized DALI Megaline specialists and sales

No comments about Jeff Rowland?

Ted,

When I was searching for another amp, I checked out the price on the Model MC606 Multi-Channel Amplifier.

List price was either 12 or 14 K as time has lapsed since I made the contact. I am sure it's worth every penny or many quarter's as Anthony suggests!