I rotate my speakers and amps frequently in my bedroom and office. It's so much fun to okay with them. The family room, with the big TV and large space, that stays put. But i do have two different sets of speakers for those and i use a switcher for those. I could add two more sets because my switcher box has 4 in 1 out, but then my house would look like a stereo store. I really enjoy your channel. It's entertaining and informative. Years ago i used to buy higher end gear, but in the past few years it's become more affordable and technology has gotten better. I sold my high end gear and was able to but cheaper that sounds as good to me, and can have more fun.
I bought these little beautiful speakers last August and they play with a 1978 Kenwood amplifier (rebuilt) and the Project P2 turntable, as a second system. Good sound at a very good price. You gave yourself a good gift.👍happy New Year, greetings from Athens, Greece.
I own the dali's for in our bedroom... Got both the blind tests correct. They do get better with a little "Run in" but not 100hrs. Highly recommended from me.
Dalis have great tonality I thought. I just bought myself some PSB Alpha P3s for near field desktop use. I was so impressed by them I went and bought the larger P5s as well.
I totally agree with you. Dali sounder a little more to my taste. I also understand that some may prefer different sounds, it's very personal. Dalis sound even greater with very good amps, I know I have a pair of Optikon 2 MK2 with a Marantz....pretty sweet.
The Oberon 1 is absolutely bloody fab one of my fav spoeakers ever, and way better than the Oberon 3 which is more expensive. I did a demo of the Spector vs the oberon 1 to see if it was worth the extra money, I thought the spector was a little bit more forward, but the Oberon was way more dynamic. The oberon played well in a big room the spector did not it struggled so got the oberon 1 as it suited the space i was gonna put it in better. But i was so surprised how good the specktor was given the money, I thought it was well buit too. Perfect for desktop/small room. Merry Xmas to you and thank you for this year of great vids.
@@rupe82 apologies your right oberon 3 is what I was referring too, the oberon 3 to me was a good speaker too, I just thought the Oberon 1 was actually a much better speaker despite being the cheaper option. But thats just my humble preference, you may like your 3 way better and thats great too.
Hey Martin - happy Christmas. Your videos give me so much pleasure, especially when I'm immersed in tedious video editing of my own stuff and need a break! - I know, from experience how time-consuming it all is. One day I will give you a run-down of my gear and I'd love to show you a few videos too. Looking forward to keeping in touch in 2025! Kindest regards - Richard
I had those on my pc system, but something seemed off. I really like them when used in a farfield setup especially on a Cambridge CXA61. I have moved them now to my summerhouse as I am using other speakers on my main system. My pc system now has a pair of Kef Q350 and I was amazed by the soundstage and imaging. The sounds now comes all around in front of me, even at the back of my monitor as it should. I think that if it is not a nearfield designed speaker, coaxial design speakers are the only way to go in this cases. Spektor's sound was clearly more on left and right and I think that the two drivers were completely off, stealing the magic from what can be heard in a farfield setup.
I have the Dali Oberon 1, I liked them so much I bought the Dali Menuet se, incredible near,mid field speakers. Can't really go wrong with Dali speakers ..
A very Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year to you, Martin. Thank you for another year of brilliantly made videos! Thanks to you I now own an S.M.S.L RAW-HA1amplifier, an FX Audio FX3 DAC, an Arylic S10+ streamer and yet another S.M.S.L SU-1 DAC! This has got to stop! I'm a pensioner, you know. How can I afford to keep up with these tempting goodies you parade before me every few days? I hope the guilt doesn't spoil your Christmas. Now where can I get a pair of those great sounding Cambridge Audio speakers?
Love the shirt! I bought my Christmas present yesterday...a new 2 bedroom townhouse using my IRA money ( I couldn't get a mortgage because I didn't have enough income), so I probably won't be able to get any mew speakers for a while :)
I gave myself a little Xmas present too, some used older Chario Hiper 1000 speakers with real wood veneer. Sound great natural detailed, great sound stage.
The better your equipment the more effect single components have in your chain. A good system is more sensitive to changes. I preferred the wharfedale over Dali over Cambridge. Never buy speakers from a company whose main business is electronics. Almost always lacklustre. Especially for Soundstage burn in is important. There is an imbalance in the sound that has to even out. At some point everything will fall into it's place.
Had the Dali Spektor 2 as my desktop speakers for a year. They were great! Could not quite compare to the Kef Q150 (my new desktop speakers) which produced an even greater soundstage for me.
Happy Christmas UTV! I recently went for a pair of JBL A170. Had them for two weeks, not a bad speaker, sound ok and easy to drive. After 2 weeks I put my Wharfedale 12.2 back into the system and the difference in detail was night and day. I returned the JBL’s the next day. I will be sticking with my 12.2, they have pretty much trumped the SX60 from Cambridge too for long listening sessions. To keep within my field I may look at a pair of Elac Debut 3 in the new year although they have been reputed to have a little roll off at the top.
Why are you looking at passive loudspeakers rather than near field monitors? I use Presonus Eris 4.5 for my computer and they sound amazing are powered so no amp necesary.
Hi Mart. I’ve had the Spector 2s for about a year and recently I bought the Wharfedale 12.1s. which I much prefer. In fact I also prefer my Diamond 9.1s to them also. I listen just over 3metres away. In my bedroom system I found the Spectors had too much bass for long listening sessions. The Diamonds on the other hand were not fatiguing at all. Sounds like I’m a Wharfedale fan!! I did offer you my Spectors for free but you must have missed that in the comments when you said you were hoping to get them soon.
Kind of curious how these compare to the Wharfedale 220 (which I have). Guessing the Wharfies have the edge as they are larger and pretty hard to beat in general. The Dalis will probably improve a bit with time tho, not so impressive in this sound test to me.
I have Spektor 1's on my desk and I'm VERY happy with the way they sound. Beautiful detail and bass way enough for near field listening. Merry Christmas!
26 днів тому+1
What about Wharfedale 12.1 or Monitor audio bronze 50.
How about a once a month special for second hand speakers that are still great that your viewers can actually still get, I'll start by suggesting the mission qx2.s open box for around £200 and maybe the last monitor audio radius 90,s for around £100 for desktop and still going for £399 New, merry Christmas from Peterlee
The recording of the Dali has woolly bass and recessed midrange. No idea what they actually sound like in person. The Cambridge recording sounds much more neutral/accurate. Even 10 or 20 hours of burn in is nonsense, 10 or 20 minutes maybe, it's your ears that burn in. If you don't like a speaker after one day send it back. What kind of speaker stands are those, they look nice.
General tuning of Dali is dipped upper mid and enhanced treble. Their bass is usually fine ; small woofer of course will be less clean. But you're likely hearing the room more than the speaker for the bass.
I didn't have headphones to hand but I'll not let that stop me giving an opinion. They sound quite different but I didn't like either which is a pity as I have a hankering for a new pair of desktop loudspeakers and was hoping the Dali's would fit the bill.
Those woofers are almost the size of the midranges on my LS12 Cerwin Vega three ways--lol Ive tried a few of these little two ways and me having grown up in the old era where most all speakers had midranges, today theyre getting three way money from two way speakers - ALMOST NO ONE makes a three way speaker anymore. Two ways almost always struggle to make clean bass even at easy volume settings without the woofers sounding like theyre bottoming out unless you keep that bass control near to nothing - but my comments arent totally fair cause I was buying stereo gear back in the 70's and 80's when near everything had a midrange - nowadays they take a two way speaker throw in a super tweeter and call it a three way speaker and charge three way money - ugh!
I guess that’s pretty accurate as far as modern box speakers go. Many don’t come with a midrange. Same thing for many of the tower speakers cheat us out of the mids. I’m with you, give me my mids😊
Idk, there's plenty of three way speakers about. You won't find stuff for the same dollar amount as stuff from 40 years ago due to inflation etc. I've heard some CVs before and I prefer many of my little two way speakers over them. Big speakers have their place but doesn't automatically qualify them to be better. Little speakers of course won't go to concert levels with bass. At the same time, I find many speakers are harsh or too loud by the time the woofers reach their limits for my ears :)
Dalis are better than the Wharfedales. More control of the low bass. And I'd say the Cambridge is also better than the Wharfedales - but it's closer in that case. The Dalis are (slightly) better than the Cambridge. Once again, more control of the low bass - but also listen to the piano! The ultralight tweeters of the Dali reveal the brilliance and harmonics (overtones) of the piano strings. 1) Dali, 2) Cambridge, and let's give the Wharfies a break, equal 2) Wharfedale. S30 and Spektor in reality have the same size woofer - you've only got to step back and look at them to draw that conclusion. The confusion comes from the different ways manufacturers quote the size: some only count the actual cone, while others measure the roll surrounds as well. IMO you could sell your Wharfedales. I think they are good, but in 2024 smaller speakers can do everything - and better. I think you might know this at some level yourself - and that's why you've talked yourself into this theory that bass only travels 2.5 metres from the Dalis. God bless you - I get attached to some of my gear too!
Hi Marti, Merry Xmas. I have the Spector 2's and I'm 25 hours run time so far. What amp have you used in the test. And what amps based on your experience would be a good fit?
In the test I used the pioneer a-307r and on the desktop I used the SMSL raw-ha1. These speakers seem to work well with most amps. Probably better with amps over 40-50 watts per channel.
Happy Christmas. I've got a pair of dali oberon 7s. Tried Fyne audio 501s. Oberon 5s. Q acoustics. Warfedale diamond 12.3s. The Dali 7s are the absolute dogs. They did take time to wear in. Once they did I was absolutely amazed. When they test these i dont think they run them long enough. I think speakers kind of ease in become kind of more elastic or whatever. Great videos. Thank you
I've had the Dali Spektor 2s,for over a year now ,once the had a run in ,they settled down to be sweet sounding little beauties..you'll enjoy them guaranteed ,they don't like bright amps ,but paired with the Yamaha range ..they are a superb listen .🙂
i got those speakers.. not currently in my rotation though.. at moment using my mission m74's and bk gem 2 downstairs and boston acoustic A26 upstairs.. upstairs with technics 900mk2 and downstairs with Arcam Alpha 10... vintage and not quite so vintage.. my sub is in a small room by the way. you dont have to blast it.. but a sub just fills in that low end, even with floorstanders.. in fact you find yourself enjoying music at lower volumes cos yoyu are no longter trying to chase the bass..
As for running in I tried these speakers years ago and 10 hours running is nowhere near enough 🙂 If Dali say 100 hours you should heed their advice. Just leave them on quietly in a spare room if needed. Monitor Audio used to say 150 hours! I found treble sweetens and sound 'fills out' with tighter bass. So give them a chance...👍
After speakers I’d say your source and source cable / connection (coax vs. optical vs. usb etc), make a big difference. I have a gustard r26 and a WiiM Ultra streamer. I’ve noticed that if I skip the WiiM and use the LAN connection directly on the R26 the sound is much more expensive sounding. USB from WiiM is good but nothing beats LAN connection. I’ve also tried silver interconnects one time and made a big sound difference not to the good…
I rotate my speakers and amps frequently in my bedroom and office. It's so much fun to okay with them.
The family room, with the big TV and large space, that stays put. But i do have two different sets of speakers for those and i use a switcher for those.
I could add two more sets because my switcher box has 4 in 1 out, but then my house would look like a stereo store.
I really enjoy your channel. It's entertaining and informative.
Years ago i used to buy higher end gear, but in the past few years it's become more affordable and technology has gotten better. I sold my high end gear and was able to but cheaper that sounds as good to me, and can have more fun.
Merry Christmas Martin! Thanks for the creative and fun videos you put out!
Thank you very much, hope you have a great Christmas!
I bought these little beautiful speakers last August and they play with a 1978 Kenwood amplifier
(rebuilt) and the Project P2 turntable, as a second system. Good sound at a very good price.
You gave yourself a good gift.👍happy New Year, greetings from Athens, Greece.
I have the Dali Opticon 6 Mk2 and absolutely love them. They are highly resolving and balanced in my opinion 😊
I love the humour on this channel!
I own the dali's for in our bedroom... Got both the blind tests correct. They do get better with a little "Run in" but not 100hrs. Highly recommended from me.
Peter Lyngdorf did a great job. Dali are some of the most beautiful speakers on the market.
I always enjoy your reviews! Nice one!
Dalis have great tonality I thought. I just bought myself some PSB Alpha P3s for near field desktop use. I was so impressed by them I went and bought the larger P5s as well.
I thought the Wharfedales sounded a bit veiled . It was a bit closer with the S30 but the Dalis had a lot of clarity and openess.
Merry Xmas Mart, just watched Die Hard with my brother. It’s not Xmas until Hans Gruber falls from the Nakatomi Plaza
Yippee ki yay!
I totally agree with you. Dali sounder a little more to my taste. I also understand that some may prefer different sounds, it's very personal. Dalis sound even greater with very good amps, I know I have a pair of Optikon 2 MK2 with a Marantz....pretty sweet.
Love the shirt Martin, wishing you and your family the best this holiday season..
Wharfedale sound sweet and lovely 😊
The Oberon 1 is absolutely bloody fab one of my fav spoeakers ever, and way better than the Oberon 3 which is more expensive. I did a demo of the Spector vs the oberon 1 to see if it was worth the extra money, I thought the spector was a little bit more forward, but the Oberon was way more dynamic. The oberon played well in a big room the spector did not it struggled so got the oberon 1 as it suited the space i was gonna put it in better. But i was so surprised how good the specktor was given the money, I thought it was well buit too. Perfect for desktop/small room. Merry Xmas to you and thank you for this year of great vids.
You mean Oberon 3? I have the Oberon 3 and I think they sound fantastic.
@@rupe82 apologies your right oberon 3 is what I was referring too, the oberon 3 to me was a good speaker too, I just thought the Oberon 1 was actually a much better speaker despite being the cheaper option. But thats just my humble preference, you may like your 3 way better and thats great too.
Hey Martin - happy Christmas. Your videos give me so much pleasure, especially when I'm immersed in tedious video editing of my own stuff and need a break! - I know, from experience how time-consuming it all is. One day I will give you a run-down of my gear and I'd love to show you a few videos too. Looking forward to keeping in touch in 2025! Kindest regards - Richard
Looks like you put a lot of work into your videos and music! Merry Christmas!
Have a great Xmas to you and yours
I had those on my pc system, but something seemed off. I really like them when used in a farfield setup especially on a Cambridge CXA61. I have moved them now to my summerhouse as I am using other speakers on my main system. My pc system now has a pair of Kef Q350 and I was amazed by the soundstage and imaging. The sounds now comes all around in front of me, even at the back of my monitor as it should. I think that if it is not a nearfield designed speaker, coaxial design speakers are the only way to go in this cases. Spektor's sound was clearly more on left and right and I think that the two drivers were completely off, stealing the magic from what can be heard in a farfield setup.
I have the Dali Oberon 1, I liked them so much I bought the Dali Menuet se, incredible near,mid field speakers.
Can't really go wrong with Dali speakers ..
Love this channel, brilliant reviews.
Merry Christmas fella. Prosperous and Peaceful New Year 2025.
I hope you can test the new Elac Debut 3 models, they seem to have very good reviews and i'm thinking on getting one of them.
A very Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year to you, Martin.
Thank you for another year of brilliantly made videos!
Thanks to you I now own an S.M.S.L RAW-HA1amplifier, an FX Audio FX3 DAC, an Arylic S10+ streamer and yet another S.M.S.L SU-1 DAC!
This has got to stop! I'm a pensioner, you know. How can I afford to keep up with these tempting goodies you parade before me every few days?
I hope the guilt doesn't spoil your Christmas. Now where can I get a pair of those great sounding Cambridge Audio speakers?
Love the shirt! I bought my Christmas present yesterday...a new 2 bedroom townhouse using my IRA money ( I couldn't get a mortgage because I didn't have enough income), so I probably won't be able to get any mew speakers for a while :)
I gave myself a little Xmas present too, some used older Chario Hiper 1000 speakers with real wood veneer. Sound great natural detailed, great sound stage.
The better your equipment the more effect single components have in your chain. A good system is more sensitive to changes. I preferred the wharfedale over Dali over Cambridge. Never buy speakers from a company whose main business is electronics. Almost always lacklustre. Especially for Soundstage burn in is important. There is an imbalance in the sound that has to even out. At some point everything will fall into it's place.
Had the Dali Spektor 2 as my desktop speakers for a year. They were great! Could not quite compare to the Kef Q150 (my new desktop speakers) which produced an even greater soundstage for me.
Happy Christmas UTV! I recently went for a pair of JBL A170. Had them for two weeks, not a bad speaker, sound ok and easy to drive. After 2 weeks I put my Wharfedale 12.2 back into the system and the difference in detail was night and day. I returned the JBL’s the next day. I will be sticking with my 12.2, they have pretty much trumped the SX60 from Cambridge too for long listening sessions. To keep within my field I may look at a pair of Elac Debut 3 in the new year although they have been reputed to have a little roll off at the top.
Hi Marti , those are great speakers had very good reviews . Have a great Xmas
They are different, can't tell wich one I like better. Speakers and the room make most of the sound, is my opinion.
I am tempted or at least have a desire to hear the Polk R200’s. Those are £450 at the moment from £750. 86db which for my 50w Denon amp might be ok.
B Better. Merry Christmas 🎁
Nice speakers! Merry "Christmas" (not xmas) & Happy New Year!
Both are nice speakers. But I think you always should use a subwoofer, 8" 100 watts and crossover at 80 hz.
Why are you looking at passive loudspeakers rather than near field monitors? I use Presonus Eris 4.5 for my computer and they sound amazing are powered so no amp necesary.
hello.what you like more the diamond 220 or spektor2
I'd have to go for the Spektors due to the better bass response.
Hi Mart. I’ve had the Spector 2s for about a year and recently I bought the Wharfedale 12.1s. which I much prefer. In fact I also prefer my Diamond 9.1s to them also. I listen just over 3metres away. In my bedroom system I found the Spectors had too much bass for long listening sessions. The Diamonds on the other hand were not fatiguing at all. Sounds like I’m a Wharfedale fan!! I did offer you my Spectors for free but you must have missed that in the comments when you said you were hoping to get them soon.
I’ll take them for free haha
Kind of curious how these compare to the Wharfedale 220 (which I have). Guessing the Wharfies have the edge as they are larger and pretty hard to beat in general. The Dalis will probably improve a bit with time tho, not so impressive in this sound test to me.
The general tonality of Dali speakers will be what you hear in this video. Smaller one may have less body lower down.
Where is the stand you have you hifi on from? It’s just want I’m after
It's an IKEA kallax www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/kallax-tv-bench-with-underframe-black-brown-s39552175/#content
I have Spektor 1's on my desk and I'm VERY happy with the way they sound. Beautiful detail and bass way enough for near field listening. Merry Christmas!
What about Wharfedale 12.1 or Monitor audio bronze 50.
I have Monitor Bronze Audio 50 paired with a Rotel A11 Tribute amp. The sound is impressive.
How about a once a month special for second hand speakers that are still great that your viewers can actually still get, I'll start by suggesting the mission qx2.s open box for around £200 and maybe the last monitor audio radius 90,s for around £100 for desktop and still going for £399 New, merry Christmas from Peterlee
The recording of the Dali has woolly bass and recessed midrange. No idea what they actually sound like in person. The Cambridge recording sounds much more neutral/accurate. Even 10 or 20 hours of burn in is nonsense, 10 or 20 minutes maybe, it's your ears that burn in. If you don't like a speaker after one day send it back. What kind of speaker stands are those, they look nice.
General tuning of Dali is dipped upper mid and enhanced treble.
Their bass is usually fine ; small woofer of course will be less clean. But you're likely hearing the room more than the speaker for the bass.
I didn't have headphones to hand but I'll not let that stop me giving an opinion. They sound quite different but I didn't like either which is a pity as I have a hankering for a new pair of desktop loudspeakers and was hoping the Dali's would fit the bill.
You're also hearing his room and placements. Liking something in the video isn't a guarantee you'll like it on your desk :)
Those woofers are almost the size of the midranges on my LS12 Cerwin Vega three ways--lol Ive tried a few of these little two ways and me having grown up in the old era where most all speakers had midranges, today theyre getting three way money from two way speakers - ALMOST NO ONE makes a three way speaker anymore. Two ways almost always struggle to make clean bass even at easy volume settings without the woofers sounding like theyre bottoming out unless you keep that bass control near to nothing - but my comments arent totally fair cause I was buying stereo gear back in the 70's and 80's when near everything had a midrange - nowadays they take a two way speaker throw in a super tweeter and call it a three way speaker and charge three way money - ugh!
Cerwin vega, that's a blast from the past, as a mid teen my mate had CV and I loved them
I guess that’s pretty accurate as far as modern box speakers go. Many don’t come with a midrange. Same thing for many of the tower speakers cheat us out of the mids. I’m with you, give me my mids😊
B is best suited for me
Idk, there's plenty of three way speakers about.
You won't find stuff for the same dollar amount as stuff from 40 years ago due to inflation etc.
I've heard some CVs before and I prefer many of my little two way speakers over them. Big speakers have their place but doesn't automatically qualify them to be better.
Little speakers of course won't go to concert levels with bass. At the same time, I find many speakers are harsh or too loud by the time the woofers reach their limits for my ears :)
Dalis are better than the Wharfedales. More control of the low bass. And I'd say the Cambridge is also better than the Wharfedales - but it's closer in that case.
The Dalis are (slightly) better than the Cambridge. Once again, more control of the low bass - but also listen to the piano! The ultralight tweeters of the Dali reveal the brilliance and harmonics (overtones) of the piano strings. 1) Dali, 2) Cambridge, and let's give the Wharfies a break, equal 2) Wharfedale.
S30 and Spektor in reality have the same size woofer - you've only got to step back and look at them to draw that conclusion. The confusion comes from the different ways manufacturers quote the size: some only count the actual cone, while others measure the roll surrounds as well.
IMO you could sell your Wharfedales. I think they are good, but in 2024 smaller speakers can do everything - and better. I think you might know this at some level yourself - and that's why you've talked yourself into this theory that bass only travels 2.5 metres from the Dalis. God bless you - I get attached to some of my gear too!
Hi Marti, Merry Xmas. I have the Spector 2's and I'm 25 hours run time so far. What amp have you used in the test. And what amps based on your experience would be a good fit?
In the test I used the pioneer a-307r and on the desktop I used the SMSL raw-ha1. These speakers seem to work well with most amps. Probably better with amps over 40-50 watts per channel.
Can you test the wharfedale Linton versus Dali spektor 2 with a subwoofer, please. Thanks
Happy Christmas. I've got a pair of dali oberon 7s. Tried Fyne audio 501s. Oberon 5s. Q acoustics. Warfedale diamond 12.3s. The Dali 7s are the absolute dogs. They did take time to wear in. Once they did I was absolutely amazed. When they test these i dont think they run them long enough. I think speakers kind of ease in become kind of more elastic or whatever. Great videos. Thank you
I've had the Dali Spektor 2s,for over a year now ,once the had a run in ,they settled down to be sweet sounding little beauties..you'll enjoy them guaranteed ,they don't like bright amps ,but paired with the Yamaha range ..they are a superb listen .🙂
i got those speakers.. not currently in my rotation though.. at moment using my mission m74's and bk gem 2 downstairs and boston acoustic A26 upstairs.. upstairs with technics 900mk2 and downstairs with Arcam Alpha 10... vintage and not quite so vintage..
my sub is in a small room by the way. you dont have to blast it.. but a sub just fills in that low end, even with floorstanders.. in fact you find yourself enjoying music at lower volumes cos yoyu are no longter trying to chase the bass..
B sounded better through my Linton's lol
Amp matching is the key. Find your favorite speaker, then find an amp that matches it.
That is terrible advice.
As for running in I tried these speakers years ago and 10 hours running is nowhere near enough 🙂 If Dali say 100 hours you should heed their advice. Just leave them on quietly in a spare room if needed. Monitor Audio used to say 150 hours! I found treble sweetens and sound 'fills out' with tighter bass. So give them a chance...👍
They'll "run in" faster when stuff actually moves. (Without being over driven)
Most of run in is you getting used to the sound.
@ No it isn't. That's a fallacy.... They are electro-mechanical devices and need to 'loosen up' and 'bed in' to give their best sound.
Just dont like the colour of the cone otherwise i would audition them.
After speakers I’d say your source and source cable / connection (coax vs. optical vs. usb etc), make a big difference. I have a gustard r26 and a WiiM Ultra streamer. I’ve noticed that if I skip the WiiM and use the LAN connection directly on the R26 the sound is much more expensive sounding. USB from WiiM is good but nothing beats LAN connection. I’ve also tried silver interconnects one time and made a big sound difference not to the good…
I've personally never been able to tell the difference between optical, USB and coax.
Can you test the wharfedale Linton versus Dali spektor 2 with a subwoofer, please. Thanks