Tom Martin is a treasure. He often states things in a way that aligns perfectly with my thoughts and really rings my bells. He had me at "If you are of the opinion that nothing should be priced based upon quality, advanced materials,........"
Thanks, Tom. Your comments on these cans helped me a lot for making decision to purchase the IO-12. I am also very curious about your review on the IO-8, especially on the comparison to IO-12. It is a fantastic pair of headphones. But right after out of the box, my first impressions on the sound quality was not that good. It is a little dissociated with all the comments here. But I recommend that you guys don't return this until at least 40-50 hrs of initial burning in if you purchase this as a brand new. These sounds start to improves at the certain time point and I am in the middle of the spot. I don't know where it's final stable sound station could be. But one thing for sure, my current impression for these are already absolutely incredible.
The first time I've tried them, I was a bit confused. They did not sound like a headphone, how strange it may be. At least not like any headphone I used to listen. And just one word came to my mind, during the listening - beauty. That air, details and clarity in vocals were my reasons to buy IO 12. I've compared them with IO 6, for more than an hour. IO 6 sounded great, and "headphone like". They were more "aggressive", which I liked on Soulfly and Machine Head tracks. But IO 12 offered a whole new listening experience for me. And, surprisingly, ANS performed very well during my 3.5 hours flight. Note, that ANC increases a bass a bit. This is truly a pleasure tool, in my opinion. Reopening my favorite records these past days.
Thanks for that review. I am still interested in these headphones -- I bought recently the Hifiman HE-R10D on a good deal but I'm not convinced by their sound and so I'm still looking around... I value a good sound via the passive input, from my headphone-amp & DAC. I get the impression from your review that these headphones do, so that's encouraging! Now I need to find time to try them out in person in a hifi store nearby. Once again, thanks for your thorough review! EDIT: I also just watched your review of the Focal Bathys and I wonder how you compare the sound and features of these two headphones, and how would you compare them to for instance the Mark-Levinson 5909 if you have listened to those? (A comparison of sound quality in passive mode between the Dali IO-12 and ML 5909 would be of interest to me, the Focal Bathys doesn't do a passive mode though).
Listening on my Dali io 12’s and you are spot on when you say exceptional…they are. I have the 5909 and love them too, sold the Bathys to finance the Dalis and they are great headphones too but the Dalis are on another level when it comes to separation and tone. Great review 😄👍
Tom, I've enjoyed your reviews of the Dali and the Focal Bathys headphones. After seeing your review, I'm going to try out the Bathys at our local Focal dealer. I'm sensitive to the ear pressure from some headphones like the B&w P7, which I didn't keep due to the headaches they caused. I'm hoping the Focal don't cause the pressure issue. I think I might like their total balance better, and ok giving up a bit of resolution. I don't think there is a Seattle dealer to try the Dali anyway. Hope to see more headphone videos from you.
Thank you, Tom, for this exceptional review. I have now watched it a couple of times and I find that your description of the Dali io-12s is incredibly similar to my experience with the T+A Solitaire T headphones. I would absolutely love to know if you've listened to them, and of course, your impressions. Fingers crossed that you see this comment and have an opportunity to reply.
I think many people (60%?) would prefer the overall sonic profile of the Bathys because it has somewhat more output in the mid and low bass. In my discussions with listeners this is commonly a preference with headphones. And fortunately the Bathys isn’t off the scale overcooked in the bass. What the Dali i0-12s do is to deliver a sense of transparency that the Bathys can’t match. I think this will appeal greatly to experienced audiophiles. And the Dalis sound rather balanced, just not quite as punchy as the Bathys. If the budget for each is acceptable, a reasonable person might choose based on their typical musical selections (simplistic version: Bathys for modern pop and rap, iO-12 for folk, classical, jazz). And another factor would be listening session length. The Dali is lighter and more comfortable. YMMV of course.
The Bathys look more spectacular and luxurious while the Dali io-12 ear cups feel too plasticky given its price. But the Dali's are more comfortable (clamp force, leather quality, weight distribution). Sound-wise, they're both great for Bluetooth headphones. I slightly prefer the Dali's as they feel more natural. I usually go for a warmer sound (aka "musical") so I'm not a neutral-sound nut. But somehow they found the perfect balance for my ears. For a warmer sound and more intimate soundstage, I use my B&W Px8 (their craftsmanship is top notch). For longer sessions, or more critical listening, I use either my Dali io-12 or my wired headphones. But once you get used to wireless convenience, it's hard to go back to wires! Hope this helps!
Just a small correction. The Dali iO-12 is not priced at $1,499 as you state on your video, but is actually $200 cheaper, priced at $1300. On a separate note, and having also watched your Focal Bathys review, I noticed how much you praised the bass response and the transition to the midrange on the Focals. Knowing both headphones very well, I believe the iO-12 has a more accurate (reference/neutral) response in both the low and mid frequencies, even when there's a slight, but really very slight, roll off in the lowest part of sub-bass. Now, although by and large I quite agree with your assessment that the Bathys may be a better recommendation for more modern pop music, and the Dalis more so for folk, classical and jazz, I do believe the iO-12's more neutral tonality performs exceedingly well with pretty much all genres you throw at them, except with some unnaturally bright, often thin and poor sounding albums. Of course it's a different matter if the general public tend to prefer a more bassy type of sound after so many mainstream products have tended to emphasize the low registers for so many years. I must say that it was very good seeing all the different albums you mentioned in your iO-12 review, BTW. Incidentally, as you rightly point out, Rush albums suffer from fairly poor sonics, so not so sure these were appropriate examples of albums where the iO-12s don't perform so well from a dynamics point of view. Otherwise, a very good, pretty thorough and fair review.
Also, if you want to have more views of your video review, I suggest you change the title from I0-12 to IO-12 (the latter being the correct name), that is, using the letter "O" instead of the number "0", as this makes a difference when doing a Google search of this product.
Great review and insight! Though I would have loved a comparison to the mighty T+A Solitaire T, I am aware, from various users in forums, that both those and Dali IO-12 are the two major premiere hybrid headphones on the market, objectively and subjectively! I'll continue to use my Solitaire T, but really pleased that the competition is moving or advancing forward for high-resolution playback in both wired and wireless modes together 🎶🎧
@@thomasmartin2219 I'm very glad you have a T+A headphone to assess! However, which model? If it's the T+A Solitaire P or SE (the planar magnetic models), both are only wired. However, if it's the T+A Solitaire T (dynamic driver), the one I discussed earlier, then that has multiple modes, each are stellar: - Bluetooth (via Qualcomm QCC5127 chipset) - Bluetooth ANC (via Qualcomm and Sony CXD chip) - Bluetooth HQ (via Qualcomm to decode Bluetooth codec, but DAC via ESS Saber ES9218 chip) - USB-C (via ESS Saber DAC) - Passive balanced (via single 2.5mm TRRS to 4.4mm TRRS cable) or single 2.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRS single-ended What's remarkable is that the Solitaire T was developed and engineered sonically in passive mode first, then the electronics were added and voiced to match the passive voicing! As a bonus, these headphones have no DSP requirements to work optimally (unlike, for example, Sony WH-1000XM5 or Focal Bathys). I can't wait for your review on any of the T+A headphones, and especially the Solitaire T, however please take your time due to the multiple modes. 🎶🎧
Nicely done review looking like a really nice headphone. But if your an audiophile on a budget, just get the HD 600 and csll it a day. Cheers. And yes its not cheaply made by Sennheiser. If you have the budget then get the best by the same Company HE-1 priced in the ultra high end at usd 59k up to a year waiting period. Refreshingly simpler in the personal audio side. The HE-1 simply sounds right more than the alternatives Likely the Wilson Chronosonic of the headphone world.
@sicebim1 You do get the headphone, dramatic rising tube amp / pre and DAC and professional carrying case. And the one year waiting period so your in very rare company.
You mean Bluetooth? The signals are very weak and cannot interact with your genes or electrical impulses. Your body is always exposed to much stronger radiation (sun/background radiation etc). If you wore Bluetooth headsets every day all day you would not die a day earlier. Only if you get hit by a car that you didn't hear due to noise canceling xD
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Tom Martin is a treasure. He often states things in a way that aligns perfectly with my thoughts and really rings my bells. He had me at "If you are of the opinion that nothing should be priced based upon quality, advanced materials,........"
Yes.. Tom is the best at offering up a fair and balanced approach….
100% agree
I love my io-12s. Best headphones, sound and features are top of the line.
Solid unbiased review, love the dali io12s!
Thanks, Tom. Your comments on these cans helped me a lot for making decision to purchase the IO-12. I am also very curious about your review on the IO-8, especially on the comparison to IO-12.
It is a fantastic pair of headphones. But right after out of the box, my first impressions on the sound quality was not that good. It is a little dissociated with all the comments here. But I recommend that you guys don't return this until at least 40-50 hrs of initial burning in if you purchase this as a brand new.
These sounds start to improves at the certain time point and I am in the middle of the spot. I don't know where it's final stable sound station could be. But one thing for sure, my current impression for these are already absolutely incredible.
The first time I've tried them, I was a bit confused. They did not sound like a headphone, how strange it may be. At least not like any headphone I used to listen.
And just one word came to my mind, during the listening - beauty. That air, details and clarity in vocals were my reasons to buy IO 12.
I've compared them with IO 6, for more than an hour. IO 6 sounded great, and "headphone like". They were more "aggressive", which I liked on Soulfly and Machine Head tracks.
But IO 12 offered a whole new listening experience for me.
And, surprisingly, ANS performed very well during my 3.5 hours flight.
Note, that ANC increases a bass a bit.
This is truly a pleasure tool, in my opinion. Reopening my favorite records these past days.
Still like it?
@@TheFbiFilesRepeat sure
How is the ANC versus something like Sony WH XM4 or Sennheiser Momentum 4?
Thanks for that review. I am still interested in these headphones -- I bought recently the Hifiman HE-R10D on a good deal but I'm not convinced by their sound and so I'm still looking around...
I value a good sound via the passive input, from my headphone-amp & DAC.
I get the impression from your review that these headphones do, so that's encouraging! Now I need to find time to try them out in person in a hifi store nearby.
Once again, thanks for your thorough review!
EDIT: I also just watched your review of the Focal Bathys and I wonder how you compare the sound and features of these two headphones, and how would you compare them to for instance the Mark-Levinson 5909 if you have listened to those? (A comparison of sound quality in passive mode between the Dali IO-12 and ML 5909 would be of interest to me, the Focal Bathys doesn't do a passive mode though).
Ditto below--Tom seems terrific. My first video by him but subscribed. Thank you Tom!
Listening on my Dali io 12’s and you are spot on when you say exceptional…they are. I have the 5909 and love them too, sold the Bathys to finance the Dalis and they are great headphones too but the Dalis are on another level when it comes to separation and tone. Great review 😄👍
Which is better. Dali or 5909 wired or bt. Thx
Thank you so much, Tom 😇😇😇😇
Tom, I've enjoyed your reviews of the Dali and the Focal Bathys headphones. After seeing your review, I'm going to try out the Bathys at our local Focal dealer. I'm sensitive to the ear pressure from some headphones like the B&w P7, which I didn't keep due to the headaches they caused. I'm hoping the Focal don't cause the pressure issue. I think I might like their total balance better, and ok giving up a bit of resolution. I don't think there is a Seattle dealer to try the Dali anyway. Hope to see more headphone videos from you.
Nice review, can any owners tell me if these are good for rock and metal or is the lack of clear bass an issue? Thank you
Thank you, Tom, for this exceptional review.
I have now watched it a couple of times and I find that your description of the Dali io-12s is incredibly similar to my experience with the T+A Solitaire T headphones.
I would absolutely love to know if you've listened to them, and of course, your impressions.
Fingers crossed that you see this comment and have an opportunity to reply.
like to know which one is better? dali io-12s or t+a solitaire T in sound, and, dac, comfort
Could it be please possible to have the dimensions of the inside of the ear cups? Thanks
Curious how this would compare to the Focal Bathys headphones as far as sound quality.
I think many people (60%?) would prefer the overall sonic profile of the Bathys because it has somewhat more output in the mid and low bass. In my discussions with listeners this is commonly a preference with headphones. And fortunately the Bathys isn’t off the scale overcooked in the bass. What the Dali i0-12s do is to deliver a sense of transparency that the Bathys can’t match. I think this will appeal greatly to experienced audiophiles. And the Dalis sound rather balanced, just not quite as punchy as the Bathys. If the budget for each is acceptable, a reasonable person might choose based on their typical musical selections (simplistic version: Bathys for modern pop and rap, iO-12 for folk, classical, jazz). And another factor would be listening session length. The Dali is lighter and more comfortable. YMMV of course.
The Bathys look more spectacular and luxurious while the Dali io-12 ear cups feel too plasticky given its price. But the Dali's are more comfortable (clamp force, leather quality, weight distribution). Sound-wise, they're both great for Bluetooth headphones. I slightly prefer the Dali's as they feel more natural. I usually go for a warmer sound (aka "musical") so I'm not a neutral-sound nut. But somehow they found the perfect balance for my ears. For a warmer sound and more intimate soundstage, I use my B&W Px8 (their craftsmanship is top notch). For longer sessions, or more critical listening, I use either my Dali io-12 or my wired headphones. But once you get used to wireless convenience, it's hard to go back to wires! Hope this helps!
It kills the Bathys. I tried both. The Bathys look weird af
What about the soundstage between Dali and Bathys??
I do listen almost everything, except house, techno, hip hop...
Thank you in advance
I have Focal home stereo and love it. But Dali headphones crush focal bathys
I love loud volume and i love punchy strong bass .
Do these headphones deliver that and are they truly worth every penny ?
What about these compared to the B&O Beoplay H95's? I ended up giving mine away. It was all bark and no bite to me.
Which of these are the Best Bluetooth Wireless Headphones?
1)Mark Levinson No. 5909?
Or the
2)FOCAL - Bathy’s Headphones 🎧?
How do these compare for listening to hiphop and reggae music compared to the T+A Solitaire T Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones 🎧?
Dali should fix one huge bug: you cannot control the phone call volume using either headphones or iPhone.
How is the ANC versus something like Sony WH XM4 or Sennheiser Momentum 4?
Just a small correction. The Dali iO-12 is not priced at $1,499 as you state on your video, but is actually $200 cheaper, priced at $1300.
On a separate note, and having also watched your Focal Bathys review, I noticed how much you praised the bass response and the transition to the midrange on the Focals. Knowing both headphones very well, I believe the iO-12 has a more accurate (reference/neutral) response in both the low and mid frequencies, even when there's a slight, but really very slight, roll off in the lowest part of sub-bass.
Now, although by and large I quite agree with your assessment that the Bathys may be a better recommendation for more modern pop music, and the Dalis more so for folk, classical and jazz, I do believe the iO-12's more neutral tonality performs exceedingly well with pretty much all genres you throw at them, except with some unnaturally bright, often thin and poor sounding albums. Of course it's a different matter if the general public tend to prefer a more bassy type of sound after so many mainstream products have tended to emphasize the low registers for so many years. I must say that it was very good seeing all the different albums you mentioned in your iO-12 review, BTW. Incidentally, as you rightly point out, Rush albums suffer from fairly poor sonics, so not so sure these were appropriate examples of albums where the iO-12s don't perform so well from a dynamics point of view.
Otherwise, a very good, pretty thorough and fair review.
Yes. We corrected it on screen. Thanks.
Agreed. The transparency of the iO-12 is quite an accomplishment, and I think will appeal to and impress experienced audiophiles.
Also, if you want to have more views of your video review, I suggest you change the title from I0-12 to IO-12 (the latter being the correct name), that is, using the letter "O" instead of the number "0", as this makes a difference when doing a Google search of this product.
After taxes it'll probably be that price anyway
What are the best wireless headphones for listening to EDM ?
They must be loud and truly deliver sub bass .
On an airplane, will they work. There are a wire into the controll
Great review and insight!
Though I would have loved a comparison to the mighty T+A Solitaire T, I am aware, from various users in forums, that both those and Dali IO-12 are the two major premiere hybrid headphones on the market, objectively and subjectively!
I'll continue to use my Solitaire T, but really pleased that the competition is moving or advancing forward for high-resolution playback in both wired and wireless modes together 🎶🎧
We have a T+A review coming. I believe it is wired.
@@thomasmartin2219 I'm very glad you have a T+A headphone to assess!
However, which model? If it's the T+A Solitaire P or SE (the planar magnetic models), both are only wired.
However, if it's the T+A Solitaire T (dynamic driver), the one I discussed earlier, then that has multiple modes, each are stellar:
- Bluetooth (via Qualcomm QCC5127 chipset)
- Bluetooth ANC (via Qualcomm and Sony CXD chip)
- Bluetooth HQ (via Qualcomm to decode Bluetooth codec, but DAC via ESS Saber ES9218 chip)
- USB-C (via ESS Saber DAC)
- Passive balanced (via single 2.5mm TRRS to 4.4mm TRRS cable) or single 2.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRS single-ended
What's remarkable is that the Solitaire T was developed and engineered sonically in passive mode first, then the electronics were added and voiced to match the passive voicing!
As a bonus, these headphones have no DSP requirements to work optimally (unlike, for example, Sony WH-1000XM5 or Focal Bathys).
I can't wait for your review on any of the T+A headphones, and especially the Solitaire T, however please take your time due to the multiple modes. 🎶🎧
T&A solitaire t are better than the Dali IO-12 i have both
@@GEFELICITEERD45Umm.. how so?
@gerwinvink5787 Umm... how so?
My brother bought a pair he loved the sound but went back to the B&w px8 because of the low end punch from B&w
I compared them to PX8 too and on Bluetooth B&W were simply better sounding. Only after connecting them to a proper preamp changed my opinion.
Hop on board, folks! The Hype Train is about to pull out of the station 😂😂😂😂
I'll trade my Beoplay for this one 😊
Nicely done review looking like a really nice headphone. But if your an audiophile on a budget, just get the HD 600 and csll it a day. Cheers. And yes its not cheaply made by Sennheiser. If you have the budget then get the best by the same Company HE-1 priced in the ultra high end at usd 59k up to a year waiting period. Refreshingly simpler in the personal audio side. The HE-1 simply sounds right more than the alternatives Likely the Wilson Chronosonic of the headphone world.
$59k! 😧
@sicebim1 You do get the headphone, dramatic rising tube amp / pre and DAC and professional carrying case. And the one year waiting period so your in very rare company.
can u make video on AirPods max
Dali iO-12 or B&O H100?
We've requested the B&O, but it isn't at the lab yet. Dali has a lower cost iO model coming too.
Am i the only one wondering about the actual safety from the radiation of wireless headphones? Nobody can tell me that it’s harmless technology
I know. And those 5G masts also broadcasted COVID. I wear a tin hat when wearing my headphones just to be safe.
lmao, better not expose yourself to the sun
You mean Bluetooth? The signals are very weak and cannot interact with your genes or electrical impulses. Your body is always exposed to much stronger radiation (sun/background radiation etc). If you wore Bluetooth headsets every day all day you would not die a day earlier. Only if you get hit by a car that you didn't hear due to noise canceling xD
I think you need folium hat to protect yourself from 5G and other frequencies.