In my opinion, the first version of Opticon not only looks better but also sounds better. The sound is more musical and fuller. The MKII are less demanding when it comes to the room because they have a thinner bass, but they do not give the pleasure of listening as the first version. Thanks for a great demo as always. Greetings from Ireland
I havn't loved many of the Dali speakers I have heard. The little Minuetes and these Opticon towers are my two favorites. Just a trace of Dali's lively and presencey house sound, but better balanced and more musical to me than most of them..and really nice looking.
Sounds marvelous! Thx for sharing! Will you comment on your listening experience? Really hard to hear differences to other speakers (e.g. TAD Evo 2 ;-) …
I appreciated their overall sound, however, its not quite 'there', almost. It feels like it's holding back (introvert) in this setup. Bass feels like going clubbin', which is always a good sign.😄
Thanks for sharing but I bet you can make far better judgment than we could via TH-cam. With your new reference system you should be able to find differences more easy than before. But then there is the fact that not all components match very well with each other. So it is probably hard for each new component to impress 😀
It is not impress, but to test what a given component is capable of. If you compare this with other samples, it is clear what these Dali speakers do offer and what they are lacking.
Ik heb laatst je demo van de oberon 5 gezien. Hoe vond je zelf de opticons in vergelijking Jaap? We hebben dezelfde smaak qua speaker keuze vandaar de vraag
@TheAlphaAudio Very nice demo, Jaap. Thank you once again. And thank you also for the introduction to Mammal Hands....I have a new favorite track. I play both saxophone and drums, haha. ;-) I thought that the bass definition, impact, and ambience/room reverb was quite impressive with these Dalis on the Jacques Loussier track, which is always a good test. Maybe not so much the piano's presentation, but still very good. I "got into" or more involved with Lttle Fugue than normal, so it was a very "musical" presentation for me. But I wasn't able to listen to this on my best setup yet, though. Can we hear the same tracks on your new TADs?!?! PLEASE! :-P
@@klaverro dat zegt niets over de match . Je kunt van alle audio merken de beste componenten aan elkaar hangen , maar als niet samen gaat/ matcht , dan heb je goud in de woestijn .
@@theflyingdutchman7127 Ik stelde die vraag omdat je die conclusie absoluut niet kunt trekken vanuit een TH-cam filmpje met gecompressed geluid. Er zijn veel meer factoren dan alleen de versterker die dit kunnen beinvloeden. Dat het niet optimaal klinkt in jouw oren kan ik me voorstellen, maar dat jij hier de conclusie van een onjuiste versterker aan verbind lijkt me heel voorbarig.
Wow! Fun sound. Kind of detail. Can never really tell a difference when you test some new dacs or audio cables in general. That's because to my ears / headphone set up coming out of my computer is not detail or revealing enough. Speakers and amps are easier for me to tell anything through this youtube video channel. Like anything through the youtube videos. There will always be some compression! Even in a 4k quality over the internet. At least it's a fun listening experience. Only can get a rough idea! Turntables / records maybe. But again. Nobody really is into that anymore. For the high end stuff! Select small niche market to tell a difference. You guys make it way better than most anyway. Revealing somehow! Expensive as hell for your set ups!
Hey Wayne! Thanks! Yes, it's an expensive sample set-up. But this is the only way to do it properly. You can also download lossless files if you want to get a better idea. Just login on www.alpha-audio.nl or www.alpha-audio.net. You can find a link to our database.
@@TheAlphaAudio Haha. Ik zal nog eens recht proberen. Het heeft allebei wel iets. Beetje scherper plaatje en minder reflecties versus een homogener geluid.
Which driver is the best for a mid range, Sir? 2", 4", 6"?... I think that there is a difference, and a tend to prefer 6" because of a more natural sound. Do you have any "statistics" yet?
@sc0or It depends on if you want a 2-way design or 3-way design, and how loud AND low you want them to play (without distortion). IMO, a 5.25" midrange in a 3-way design is the ideal size when you take into account proper matching with a larger midbass driver and tweeter to provide smooth & constant directivIty (smooth and similar on-axis & off-axis response), and considering xmax vs IMD, with excellent overall SPL capability. A good 5.25" can play both high enough to match & blend properly with high quality tweeters, and low enough to blend properly with most 8" or larger midbass drivers, with the least amount of compromises on each end (beaming, xmax, & IMD). A 5.25" can cover 95% of the full vocal frequency range of both male and female singers within its passband. But this would also somewhat depend on what SPL levels you require. But for practically any loudspeaker that is used from nearfield to midfield environments (1.5m to ~4.5m), a well designed 5.25" midrange should be able to remain well within its linear, low distortion limits while providing plenty of SPL for realistic playback levels. As an example, in the custom DIY studio monitors that I designed, I use a 5"/1" concentric BMS # 5CN162-HE midrange+tweeter driver combined with a 10" Ciare # HW251N midbass driver. These replaced my previous ATC # SCM25A studio monitors, and provide more Soundstage DEPTH and better coherency, and quite a bit more SPL capability, for 1/4 the cost. :) I do, however, pair them with a 18" subwoofer for ultra clean bass down to 16Hz. :-P
@@bbfoto7248 Thank you Sir for the info. I thought about a 3-way open baffle design. We have a Monacor dealer here, so I'd like to try different of their drivers. They have few with Qts 0.6-0.8 for a woofer, and number of mid range drivers with a very flat FR and good edges (so, I'm thinking about a 1-st order crossover) 4", 5.5", 6.5", 7", 8". And when I heard these Dalis, a question about a diameter of a good mid-range driver was summoned -)
@@bbfoto7248 Thank you. Later I'd like to try number of smaller woofers and a DSP that will form a low freq sound beam using programmed delays. I think I can significantly reduce a level of energy emitted backwards. But I'm not sure yet how that will sound
They sound rather balanced, they should measure great in your room. But they have sharp non airy sound to them, making them sound a bit queer. Also Dalis are meant not to be toed in as per manual, but I feel they lack the extension when not toed in. Not exactly great at detail retrieval either.
@@82ivaylo In comparison to my speakers that I was comparing them to, totally the case. Airier, better detail retrieval and objectively measures more neutral too. Bla bla bla what again?
@@AbsoluteFidelity I had more than 25 (different models, brands) of speakers. Some more expensive, some cheap than Opticons. I can say, the Opticon mk2 are great speakers to me. But may be your speakers are the best.
@@82ivaylo great speakers dont mean they are going to be airier and better at detail retrieval than other speakers. As long as you like your speaker, that is all that matters.
This is not how you would set it up at home, but the set of electronics is there to be able to test and review what a given component can do. It's a workbench, not a sales demo.
They sound very dynamic and fun! I couldn’t say they are perfect or not but they sound like a proper and fun Hi-Fi setup! Thanks
In my opinion, the first version of Opticon not only looks better but also sounds better. The sound is more musical and fuller. The MKII are less demanding when it comes to the room because they have a thinner bass, but they do not give the pleasure of listening as the first version. Thanks for a great demo as always.
Greetings from Ireland
How can a improved version sound worse sounds weird to me
I havn't loved many of the Dali speakers I have heard. The little Minuetes and these Opticon towers are my two favorites. Just a trace of Dali's lively and presencey house sound, but better balanced and more musical to me than most of them..and really nice looking.
Have you heard the Oberon 9?
@@zonto22 Sorry, but I don't think I have.
oberon 8 mk2 should be much better
I mean, wow! The spatial sensation is great!
One of the best speakers at the price, just the only problem is the low frequency just not enough at 49hz for a floor standing speaker
Pretty amazing system.
i bloody love the options for the price range they occupy. What's track 2, I really like that artist.
*Opticons
Sounds marvelous! Thx for sharing! Will you comment on your listening experience? Really hard to hear differences to other speakers (e.g. TAD Evo 2 ;-) …
Well... the difference is huge ;-). We will post the review soon.
I appreciated their overall sound, however, its not quite 'there', almost. It feels like it's holding back (introvert) in this setup. Bass feels like going clubbin', which is always a good sign.😄
No tracks listed in description.....
I see the track list...
What's the second piece please? Link doesn't work
All tracks are in the description...
Could you tell me the title of this music , please?
Look in the video description
Thanks for sharing but I bet you can make far better judgment than we could via TH-cam. With your new reference system you should be able to find differences more easy than before. But then there is the fact that not all components match very well with each other. So it is probably hard for each new component to impress 😀
It is not impress, but to test what a given component is capable of. If you compare this with other samples, it is clear what these Dali speakers do offer and what they are lacking.
Ik heb laatst je demo van de oberon 5 gezien. Hoe vond je zelf de opticons in vergelijking Jaap? We hebben dezelfde smaak qua speaker keuze vandaar de vraag
@TheAlphaAudio
Very nice demo, Jaap. Thank you once again. And thank you also for the introduction to Mammal Hands....I have a new favorite track. I play both saxophone and drums, haha. ;-)
I thought that the bass definition, impact, and ambience/room reverb was quite impressive with these Dalis on the Jacques Loussier track, which is always a good test.
Maybe not so much the piano's presentation, but still very good. I "got into" or more involved with Lttle Fugue than normal, so it was a very "musical" presentation for me. But I wasn't able to listen to this on my best setup yet, though.
Can we hear the same tracks on your new TADs?!?! PLEASE! :-P
TADs wil follow very soon!
@@TheAlphaAudio yes!
@@juliusbillie8984 it is already live. Check the reference video.
Met de juiste versterker , kun je volgens mij meer uit de Dali’s halen, dan ze nu laten horen . ( is zo maar een mening )
De Pass Labs is top versterking dus dat lijkt mij hier ruim voldoende.
@@klaverro dat zegt niets over de match . Je kunt van alle audio merken de beste componenten aan elkaar hangen , maar als niet samen gaat/ matcht , dan heb je goud in de woestijn .
@@theflyingdutchman7127 En hoe weet je dat de Pass Labs en de Dali's niet matchen? Heb je dat zelf uitgeprobeerd?
@@andymill8552 dat is wat ik vind . Het klinkt in mijn beleving niet optimaal . Andere mogen daar anders overdenken .
@@theflyingdutchman7127 Ik stelde die vraag omdat je die conclusie absoluut niet kunt trekken vanuit een TH-cam filmpje met gecompressed geluid. Er zijn veel meer factoren dan alleen de versterker die dit kunnen beinvloeden. Dat het niet optimaal klinkt in jouw oren kan ik me voorstellen, maar dat jij hier de conclusie van een onjuiste versterker aan verbind lijkt me heel voorbarig.
nice content, thanks!
Welcome man.
Wow! Fun sound. Kind of detail. Can never really tell a difference when you test some new dacs or audio cables in general. That's because to my ears / headphone set up coming out of my computer is not detail or revealing enough. Speakers and amps are easier for me to tell anything through this youtube video channel. Like anything through the youtube videos. There will always be some compression! Even in a 4k quality over the internet. At least it's a fun listening experience. Only can get a rough idea! Turntables / records maybe. But again. Nobody really is into that anymore. For the high end stuff! Select small niche market to tell a difference. You guys make it way better than most anyway. Revealing somehow! Expensive as hell for your set ups!
Hey Wayne! Thanks! Yes, it's an expensive sample set-up. But this is the only way to do it properly. You can also download lossless files if you want to get a better idea. Just login on www.alpha-audio.nl or www.alpha-audio.net. You can find a link to our database.
Deze keer niet gekozen voor licht indraaien?
Nee... Dali wordt boos als ze dat zien... :-). Deze hebben dat ook niet écht nodig
@@TheAlphaAudio Haha. Ik zal nog eens recht proberen. Het heeft allebei wel iets. Beetje scherper plaatje en minder reflecties versus een homogener geluid.
@@markvanvliet5847 dat is precies het verschil!
Twee weken ingedraaid gespeeld. Vandaag weer recht geplaatst. Het komt bij mij toch wel meer los. Ik ga voor recht :) .
@@markvanvliet5847 dank voor je feedback!
Which driver is the best for a mid range, Sir? 2", 4", 6"?... I think that there is a difference, and a tend to prefer 6" because of a more natural sound. Do you have any "statistics" yet?
6 to 6.5 is Ideal according to lots of producers.
@@TheAlphaAudio Thank you, Sir! )
@sc0or
It depends on if you want a 2-way design or 3-way design, and how loud AND low you want them to play (without distortion).
IMO, a 5.25" midrange in a 3-way design is the ideal size when you take into account proper matching with a larger midbass driver and tweeter to provide smooth & constant directivIty (smooth and similar on-axis & off-axis response), and considering xmax vs IMD, with excellent overall SPL capability.
A good 5.25" can play both high enough to match & blend properly with high quality tweeters, and low enough to blend properly with most 8" or larger midbass drivers, with the least amount of compromises on each end (beaming, xmax, & IMD).
A 5.25" can cover 95% of the full vocal frequency range of both male and female singers within its passband.
But this would also somewhat depend on what SPL levels you require. But for practically any loudspeaker that is used from nearfield to midfield environments (1.5m to ~4.5m), a well designed 5.25" midrange should be able to remain well within its linear, low distortion limits while providing plenty of SPL for realistic playback levels.
As an example, in the custom DIY studio monitors that I designed, I use a 5"/1" concentric BMS # 5CN162-HE midrange+tweeter driver combined with a 10" Ciare # HW251N midbass driver.
These replaced my previous ATC # SCM25A studio monitors, and provide more Soundstage DEPTH and better coherency, and quite a bit more SPL capability, for 1/4 the cost. :)
I do, however, pair them with a 18" subwoofer for ultra clean bass down to 16Hz. :-P
@@bbfoto7248 Thank you Sir for the info. I thought about a 3-way open baffle design. We have a Monacor dealer here, so I'd like to try different of their drivers. They have few with Qts 0.6-0.8 for a woofer, and number of mid range drivers with a very flat FR and good edges (so, I'm thinking about a 1-st order crossover) 4", 5.5", 6.5", 7", 8".
And when I heard these Dalis, a question about a diameter of a good mid-range driver was summoned -)
@@bbfoto7248 Thank you. Later I'd like to try number of smaller woofers and a DSP that will form a low freq sound beam using programmed delays. I think I can significantly reduce a level of energy emitted backwards. But I'm not sure yet how that will sound
Some comments hear might have a better set up to tell a difference here in this video.
Sounds really nice in my well damped room.
They sound rather balanced, they should measure great in your room. But they have sharp non airy sound to them, making them sound a bit queer. Also Dalis are meant not to be toed in as per manual, but I feel they lack the extension when not toed in. Not exactly great at detail retrieval either.
Your opinion is just bla, bla, bla, bla. "Non airy sound, not exactly great at detail retrieval either". Totally untrue.
@@82ivaylo In comparison to my speakers that I was comparing them to, totally the case. Airier, better detail retrieval and objectively measures more neutral too. Bla bla bla what again?
@@AbsoluteFidelity I had more than 25 (different models, brands) of speakers. Some more expensive, some cheap than Opticons. I can say, the Opticon mk2 are great speakers to me. But may be your speakers are the best.
@@82ivaylo great speakers dont mean they are going to be airier and better at detail retrieval than other speakers. As long as you like your speaker, that is all that matters.
@@AbsoluteFidelity Have a great day and enjoy the music.
Sounds very expensive!
Uau!
?
Wat is Satie toch een goede componist 🤭
Mooi hè! :-)
Not a fan. Too bright and lean for my taste. The new reference system lacks the richness of the previous one, sound is more modern and not as musical.
This is not our reference speaker...
They sound just like the iPhone I’m listening on
TH-cam качество. Подключите их например к Магнат МА 1000+мсд1050 и послушайте))
@@georggenich6556 магнат ма1000 хороший усилок?
Electronics around 50k and loudspeakers around 2k, yes they sound good, no voices heard, the comparison is lame because it's ridiculous.
This is not how you would set it up at home, but the set of electronics is there to be able to test and review what a given component can do. It's a workbench, not a sales demo.
Way too much bright speaker, too much of the treble!