Dali speakers are often overlooked for some reason, in my opinion Dali has some of the best entry/mid-level speakers in the market. I really love the design philosophy with woodpulp drivers and simple yet beautiful aesthetics; Scandinavian form and function 👌 Of all the speakers I've owned and listened to, to this day Oberon 5 is perhaps the speaker I would recommend to any new enthusiasts. Beautifully crafted, really fun and engaging sound, unfuzzy about room/placement, work really well with cheaper electronics aswell and they're just super easy and so cheap!
In my view, the Rubicon series is the gem in the entire Dali catalogue, considering the price /performance ratio. Would love to see the Rubicon 2 (bookshelf) and 6 (floorstanders) reviewed by you. 🙂
Thanks Tarun, I heard the epicon 2s in a showroom a few years ago, my jaw dropped. I could literally walk around David Bowie as he was positioned in 3d space in front of me. They remain my benchmark
Ive gone through a bunch of speakers in my early days and upgraded early to the rubicon 2. Being the novice that i am, i sold them to try out other brands from kef atc dynaudio wharfedale. But none of them did it for me as the dalis did. So i went back and could not be happier. Even the rubicon 2 are endgame for me and my limited budget.
It's very glad to see my current speakers dealt with on my favorite hifi channel. I purchased them 2 months ago and they are fed by Marantz pm-15. The sound they make is just beyond words. I'm just listening to all kinds of music more than 3 hours a day. I've never listened to music like this before although I'm a huge music lover. By the way, for some reason Dali product is a big bargain here in Korea. In my case, Epicon 2s cost me about under 2500 pound. It's such a blessing. 🙂
I really like your reviews. I own the Epicons 2 in walnut with the original stands for half a year now. Partnered them with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium integrated tube amp and Cambridge CXN V2 streamer. Very happy with them. They are so beautiful! You do have to give them some room to breathe. In my living room I don't have the possibility to pull them away from the rear wall enough. I had some serious acoustic bass issues. I solved this by adding the MiniDSP flex with Dirac Live. Night and day difference! Bass issues solved. It's tight and fast with much definition. I have 2 Rel T5i subwoofers connected as well. I don't think the Epicons really need them for music listening, but it's the cherry on the pie for me. I have to say that I don't recognize the low volume listening issue you mention. I think they do very well in that regard. I previously owned the Totem Sttaf and Dynaudio Special Forty (also with the Primaluna) and this is much better. Keep up the good work 👍
Epicons 2 with PL dialogue premium + Rel is my next upgrade. What power tubes are you using and does PL has enough power to drive Epicons? I listen at max 70db so no need lots of power but want that tube magic. What about top end? Do you feel too much energy in that frequency range?
The recommendation for the Dali Epicon 2's by Rel is the S/510, because they are a very fast speaker. I gues the t5x will work also, but the S line is alot better and with music as well.
@@frankygoossens955 Yes, If you have space and money and ofc two would be ideal. But if not, Ti and Tx series will be ok. You have reviews on yt of T7i with magnepan LRS which is very fast speaker and users are very satisfied. Not such speed and low end as S series but for smaller spaces does the job.
@@vedranklaic2911 I have 1 S510 and it already sounds amazing, btw my 2 favourites colours are walnut and the black matt finish. matt black looks cool with my Hegel H 590 amp.
I picked up some Menuet SEs at Xmas (£950, 2nd hand), and I'm enjoying their quality enormously. Looking at Dali's wide range, it's hard not to wonder what the differences might be, so thanks for this review. £5k is out of my range, and a pity you got the white, when the curved veneers look so beautiful. I was actually just looking at Dali's new flagship Kore speakers - £70K, 148kg each, 2 delivered in a 248kg crate - If I can dream, I may aswell start there!
Congratulations Tarun. Three years and going strong. What an enjoyable journey it'd been. It was obvious from the start that your channel was something special. End game speakers is a tough one. There was something just so right about classic British speakers. Maybe a little 'woodiness' in the sound of a speaker is a good thing. And I always loved the bundle of straws in the port of Proacs.
Dear Tarun, dear all British Audio followers! Excelent review ...nothing less! For me perssonaly ...for the 5k £...I think I could get deminishing value in return. My old standing mounts ProAc-s and Q type KEFs with the SMS sub...I do not intend to change. All the best to You Tarun and to all your passionate followers!
Hi Tarun. Insightful review as usual. The problem with this hobby is it always boils down to synergy. To be meaningful, one has to set a reference system sans the speaker and then review different speakers to see who wins given that specific system given your specific room. Conversely we can anchor an excellent pair of speakers and source, then search for the best amplification for them, synergy. All relative, all subjective, what makes this passionate curiosity last longer than most marriages.
Small speakers today sound way bigger than their diminutive dimensions would suggest & combine this with their inherent disappearing & sound stage prowess, makes them even more compelling. However, they can lack deep bass but that can be supplemented with good subs.
What I believe is my endgame speaker is in my living room - Volti Audio Rival Special Edition horns. They're quite large, very heavy and way more money than I could afford at the time so I had to take out a loan to get them - which I'm still paying off. As I live in a modest condo, they are probably more than I need in this space (yeah ... almost certainly more). Allow me to explain my reasoning. These were the third pair of speakers I'd purchased since I got into this hobby (addiction?), and I know myself well enough to realize that given my fascination with all the technology that goes into making speakers these days, not to mention the aesthetic designs on tap, I could easily keep buying and selling with reckless abandon and never stop chasing that elusive idea of perfection. I needed to draw a line - a hard line. Knowing that, I decided to force my hand and commit to a speaker that I would have to keep around for some time to come and leave all my fiddling to the electronics that would feed them. As of now, I couldn't be happier. I've gone through a number of amps/preamps/dacs and have landed on a combination that suits me to a T. I know it may seem ridiculous to approach my audiophile journey in this way, but so far I'm very satisfied.
Thank you for being so generous with your time at the Bristol show it was great to chat, as I know you did with many others. Again my sincerest compliments on a great channel and your depth of explanations. I really was only joking about 'retiring' the ProAcs though😊👍.
Thank you my friend. Great chatting with you too. I hope the Math teaching is going well. I would like to retire my ProAcs, just need to find something better 😉👍
Terrific review. I enjoy your calm and complete evaluation of what wows or works and what could be better--particularly at the price point the Epicon 2 is at. As I'm in my 70's, I listen daily to my "endgame" speakers: Spendor A7's. We listen to everything but, particularly, to classical and jazz. The Spendors do it all so very well for us. I particularly admire how they give music a palpably physical dimension. Now, if I hit the lottery, I would love to hear how a pair of Magico "M6's" might light up our listening space. Thank you, Tarun.
For me the Dynaudio confidence 20i is my dream, end point speaker. I have been squirreling away money for almost 2 years. Yes they are out of my budget, but after hearing them, nothing else will do. The good news is, if the price doesn’t go up, that within 6-8 months they will be in my grasp. Pavlov’s got nothing on me, lol.
For my needs and constraints, it isn't always going up in price, it's how it performs in my space and in achieving the attributes I tend to prefer or focus on. Example, I prefer the Dali Opticon 1 MK1 to the Menuet SE even in nearfield. I found the SE too refined for my liking although it does some things better over the Opticon. Overall, in spite of being a lower line, I prefer the Opticon. Still looking at better, small speakers preferably no more than 14 in tall, so that takes some off the table with either a 5 inch to up to 7 inch driver, feeling there is something special about 5.25 to 5.5 in driver designs, but looking for realism in mids to highs and a more holographic sound rather than an outright visceral experience at louder volumes. More of an in my head and heart kind of listener at low to moderate volume. I can give up absolute ability in a low end (can use sub even though I prefer not to) and resolution, perhaps details too if much isn't missing. Can't stand a flat, 2D stage wall of sound. Speakers can vary in resolution, detail, stage width, depth, height, impact, forwardness or more laid back, etc., and I am willing to give up a bit of this or that to achieve certain qualities I am sensitive to and want to have. Not easy without a demo, where system matching and room dynamics come into play, even with efforts to make adjustments. When you move from one location to another, it can all start again. Not so much as an endgame speaker, amp or source but moving towards a direction that balances preferred attributes in one's space and achieving those goals, which may even change over time as one's tastes may change. Then there's price...as most of us have limits. Endgame anything is probably what I have at the time when I expire but it is a fun, involving as well as maddening hobby to involve oneself in. It seems, from my experience, that Bose owners seem to have that we don't...is bliss.
I really enjoyed my B&W 805 Signatures - terrific sound stage and bass . I then moved to Meridian active DSPs (7200SEs) and was happy with them in the context of an all meridian system . However I have now reached my end game speaker - the stenheim Alumine 3 floorstanders partnered with ch precision amplification. Ridiculously transparent and neutral - they just get out of the way . I am able to listen to this combo for extended periods and rarely feel fatigued which is a stark contrast to the Wilson’s I’ve heard in a home environment which initially sound incredibly holographic but after an extended period make you feel like your ears are bleeding . Nice review again and look forward to the accuphase video !
HI I really appreciate all your reviews - you can never get enough information with a hobby like this. I wonder if finding an endgame component is really in the cards as an audiophile. I think often it is finding the budget ceiling that determines the endgame, and not the desire for better and better. I have my eyes on two speakers at the moment - The Gershman Acoustics Grand Avant Garde or the Dynaudio 60i, both around the same price. I think one of those will be my endgame speaker, but time will tell. In other words, what I have now I don't believe is my final speaker (B&W 804 D3).
I purchased the Dali Epicon 2s two weeks ago to be powered by Rotel RC/RB-1590 pre/power combo. I must admit I did not experience your complaints, perhaps due to 380 wpc (8 ohms) power amp grip on these speakers. I tested them with rock, classical, pop and jazz Cds and to my ears all sounded wonderful, especially with well recorded modern jazz music with multiple instruments playing, was extremely infectious thanks to excellent and clean mids and highs of the speakers. Since I am not a deep bass freak, bass sound was of good quality and enough for me in my 3m x 7m living room. With Dali Epicon 2s and Rotel combo, I've finalised my HiFi upgrades, that is until I win the euro millions.
Tarun, I love your reviews, you are precise and articulate without fanfare or sensational claims. Your comparison's are educational. Now that I'm done buttering you up, I'm hoping you will consider a request. I am looking at purchasing a pair of HECO Celan revolution 3's. They are an older company out of Germany that I've heard a lot of very good things about. But they are not well known. I would love to hear your opinion on these.
Another great review. I like that you are looking at more higher end speakers. I believe I have found my end game speaker being the Dynaudio Heritage Special. It sounds amazing even at low levels. I would really be interested in your take on them
I'm very happy with my Von Schweikert Unifield One speakers. Bought them second hand from the importer, as good a new ones, much less than the 5000 euro price tag a few years ago. Very good at lower volumes, slightly on the warm side which suits my taste and are very well built. Really complex triple wall cabinet material and coaxial speaker design make it a very pleasant speaker for small rooms. I added a REL subwoofer, but have been playing without it the last 2 months and don't miss it with most music.
The Unifield series from VSA were stunning loudspeakers, they were not mass produced and were designed to be a statement piece for smaller European homes (I was the importer and distributor for Von Schweikert in the UK back in the early 2000’s). The Unifield Two MK III would be the one to find if you just want a standmount but the Unifield Three adds a matching bass cabinet which the monitor sits on.
Thanks Tarun for another great review. I found my end game loudspeaker 15 years ago and haven't looked back since. I own a Hyperion HPS-938, to my ears they have everything transparency, musicality, speed I could go on. The excellent reviews of the Hyperion back in the day compared them to $20-30k speakers. After many years of upgrading my system the Hyperions have scaled up to whatever I have thrown at them, they are incredible and never fail to put a smile on my face.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You might want to try a pair of PMC speakers in your search for a new reference loudspeaker, I've heard them on a few occasions and they sound great, especially sat on a pair of Townshend Seismic Podiums.
I run Epicon 2’s, 6’s and Vokal centre in a 5.1 system they sound awesome, very dynamic with a nice rich midrange, clean, full vocals. I cross them over at 120hz with a JL Audio Fathom F113 sub. Nad Masters Series M15 processor and M25 multichannel amp. It’s oldish tech but sounds way better than a lot of modern kit I audition
I don't know if it's a British trait, or something else, but I've been watching your channel for several years and never seen you become super animated and wowed by any one product. The only product I've actually purchased, due to your favorable review, was the Denefrips Pontus II. Still loving it btw. Until you happen across some speaker that out-performs your Proac's, I suppose we'll likely never get to see the overly exuberant side of you. Keep up the fine work.
Great review as always and good to see you place value on low level listening as it's a much under-rated real world attribute. I'm currently looking for an end game speaker (or long term at least 😁) and I'm leaning towards the neat majistra as it suits my musical taste perfectly, works well near walls and at low volumes and should suit my naim gear.
You're on a roll, Tarun. Another highly informative, detailed & extremely well put together video review. Chapeau! ( yet again...). Very best wishes to your good self & your family from G. in Japan.
As an Epicon 8 owner since 11 years I would say there is not much you can expect more for the money you've got to pay for any of the Epicons. But if money's no object I highly recommend to give Wilson Audios Tune Tot (accompanied with the LōKē subwoofer a listen. To me this is the pinnacle of sound quality with standmount speakers.
First, congratulations on 60K subscribers! 🎉 I really appreciate your caveats like low volume listening etc, which may be a dealbreaker for someone even in relation to a fantastic speaker, because they can’t disturb the kids or the neighbours. Even assuming I could afford these DALI’s, for this reason alone I wouldn’t buy them.
Thanks Tarun, another superb review. The search for the end of the game, or just another season :-) My journey started more than 55 years ago with a bedroom Dansette with 16/33/45/78 rpm capability and a stereo compatible cartridge. I have had various early Leak, Wharfdale, Celestion, Royd, Linn, Epos and now Neat Motive. I have heard many others, Quad Electrostatics at school and a huge pair of 1980's Music Fidelity towers with upward firing tweeters come to mind! My endgame amp was a pre and two pre-owned two Klouts which finally failed and had to go. My endgame source is my Exposure MCX CD. I suppose my endgame speakers would be bigger Neats, for a larger space. My one and only requirement for equipment is that that it needs to bring tears of listening joy to my eyes , a true test of how 'musical' a system is. If they don't make you weep; don't keep. Thanks again, best wishes and happy listening to you and all your viewers this season.
It's always a pleasure to watch your videos and I was especially enthused for your take on such a fine speaker. I don't anticipate having an endgame speaker, although I have speakers that I could never imagine parting ways with. If i were to believe that such an endgame speaker existed, I would likely have to concede that it was such because I had ended my passion and pursuit for experiencing combinations of different musical instruments. I fully consider speakers to be musical instruments in their own right. They have different voices, different use cases and varying strengths and weaknesses. It is precisely their differences, rather their similarities, that encourage me to continue seeking even after I've found the most special I've ever heard. It's that discovery that only fuels me further to continue searching and experiencing the next one!
Your reviews/videos continually improve. You are now my first watch Friday go to. Good work! I too loved the Minuets but too small. Sorry to hear the Epicon 2 downsides of bass and low volume play as those are important to me. Interesting that Dali has followed the Borresen lead by developing a non-iron magnet. I recently A/B'd the ATC 19s vs the Dynaudio Heritage Specials. In US $ now that ATC dropped the US price by 20% their 19 is just about 1/2 the price of the Heritage Special. They sounded so close I barely gave the edge to the Dynes. I currently use the John "Fritz" Heilor's Carrera 7 BE standpoints MSRP $3,500. After having 18 different stand mounts in my home last August I chose these as best for my ears. John uses a series type XO. Fewer parts in the chain. Scan Speak 7" driver and sb acoustics BE tweeter sounds excellent at 60hz.
Good review again Tarun. I have been aware of a speakers manufactuer based at Doug Brady Audio, Warrington. Andy Davis, the r&d man behind Pink Triangles Ventrical loudspeaker has his own range at Westbrookaudio. They don't appear to get a great deal of coverage (if any). Being in the NW of England, getting a pair for review would be very interesting.
Hi Tarun. It looks to me you need to audition the Audiovector R1 Arrete. I haven't come across a mediocre or bad review yet of these amazing speakers and they are around the price point of these Dali's. The r1's are my endgame speaker, as I want the kind of sound they offer. Deep punchy fast bass, detailed rich MIDs and sweet treble. They also look prestigious and stunning in Walnut. I really think you'll be impressed, so go on treat yourself 😜
Tarun, once again you've presented an excellent conveyance of pro's and con's of an expensive stand mount speaker system with remarkably low magnetic hysteresis. I too was puzzled as to why dynamics suffered at lower volumes. On the subject of end game speakers, I went back in time to get a pair of A/D/S L300C speakers, then gutted the crossover's sand cast resistors and electrolytic capacitors for non-inductive wire wound and poly-film types respectively. I augmented these diminutive speakers with a 7" A/D/S powered subwoofer in a 1 cu ft sealed enclosure to cover the lower (40 to 90Hz) 'octave'. Although the cost of this project was moderate, the sweat equity was quite a heavy lift as external shelf filters needed to be designed to reduce x-max related cone linearity distortion. The result has me listening to this system much more than the other two more costly systems in my home. I truly empathize with speaker designers over their fanatic efforts to improve the state of the art. Time spent on R&D is immense with no guarantee of 'all-round supremacy' as you showed in this latest review. Much appreciate your continued attention to detail in your review process - that no doubt takes orders of magnitude more time to prepare than the length of the video.
I’ve had a pair of Epicon 2’s in my system for about a year. Sold them recently and now have Neat Iota Explorers which to my ears do PRAT (even) better, and thus offer a cleaner window on the structure of music, a trade is shares with / is highlighted by the Rega P10 in the system. Yes, the Epicons are really great speakers, and they offer more warmth and greater tonal mass - and go louder - than the Explorers, which synamically sounds like the smaller speaker (though it isn’t). A couple of points worth noting: 1) The epicons can sound painfully bright if the electronics, cables are in any way ‘shouty’. It is not forgiving in the top end. 2) Crossover parts are really nothing special - apart from a single middle grade Mundorf cap on the tweeter - it’s all cheap sandcast resistors and even a 2£ 56uf electrolyte cap on the bass/midrange. I was about to build a new crossover for them, and bought the premium parts, but decided not to tamper and sold them instead. Dali is Danish like me, I know their speakers well, and they know how to build a crossover, and they are to my ears more musically responsive and faster (lighter cone material) than Dynaudios (also Danish) for instance - I had the Contour 20 before; better tweeter and highs but less snap and speed in the midrange. But in terms of dynamics, it’s probably the crossover part quality holding the Epicons slightly back. Neat crossover parts are better in that respect. The Neat Explorers work as well if not a bit better in my 18m2 room, the Epicons would probably beat them for scale and dynamics if I had more space to the rear wall and played louder with bigger amplifiers (I listen to classical/jazz/singer songwriter in the 70s-range, 50 watts of Sugden or Heed amplification).
The design & especially the materials of these Dali Speakers seems to be incredible…Even the cabinet is uber-engineered! I would love to put the Epicons up against my DynAudio Contour 20s (similar in price and size, and my Contours have a curved, well-engineered cabinet as well). I think that these Dalis may have more clarity up top, but mine would broadside them in the bass Dept., as long as you have some substantial power behind them. My benchmark stand-mounts would be a pair of DynAudio Confidence 20s…but we are talking about a MUCH higher-price speaker there. Still…I can dream! 😎 Great review, Tarun!
I’m very happy with my Epicon 2’s, could be my endgame speakers. But… as you said, at low volumes, maybe there’s another one to consider… in a shop i heard The Focal Sopra 1’s, and i liked them very much! Maybe i’ll buy them in The future, to compare them at home. Could be a tough fight! 🎉
As an ATC SCM19 owner, I would suggest you try the 20 or 50. The latter might be my endgame. Yes it is expensive but it does everything the 19 does at a higher level. Even the 19 passives just love power. I moved from a 125W power amp to a pair of 325W monos and the lack of bottom end you mention is no longer an issue. I was planning to buy sub woofers but I don't think they are necessary anymore now. These ATCs just scale so well with better amps.
He did the 40s, which the 20 would just be a inferior version of. I know you will disagree with this, but the active models absolutely destroy the passive with equivalently priced frount end. He did a review of the SCM19 and the active version, and he wasn't able to replicate the performance of the active one no matter the frount end. I fail to see any reason at all to get the passive model, at least from me hearing them over the years.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 not necessary. The 20s have the SL bass driver and the 40s don't. The 40s have a dedicated mid dome tweeter which the 20s don't. For Tarun's room size, 20s are the way to go
As I currently own Rubicon 2, this is one of my favourite reviews. I've personally not heard the Epicon range, but someone I do know has their Epicons powered by Leema Tucana and loves the combo. For a sub 2k speaker the Rubis are some of the best I've heard between 2-3k speakers I've demoed. We are talking about Neat SX2, Harbeth P3 XD version, Amphion Argon 3s. I don't think any hi-fi component is perfect, it's more about managing expectations. That's the trick of owning and enjoying your bundles. What's my end game speaker? Probably Wilson Benesch matched with something like a Luxman, whether it will happen I doubt... way beyond my pay grade for the foreseeable....
@Alan Crane Thank you Alan. I appreciate the time, dedication and "manual science" behind crafting all equipment of old. Most still look appealing to my eye and I'm sure they sound amazing.
Great review! I had the epicon 2 in my home for auditioning actually, at a pretty hefty discount. They were extremely impressive, especially for their size. Especially in terms of resolution as you point out, and they could play at absolutely insane levels without breaking a sweat or losing their composure. Plus that Dali tone and texture that I find pleasing, and distinctly solidly built. What made me return them, was actually ultimately the high end. Both I and my wife agreed that after a while it became much too much of the good stuff. As you point out, at lower volumes they were much less impressive, but when turning it up, all that detail and sparkle started grating at us. The chafing of diamond dust in my ear canals. Could I EQ it somewhat and toe them out etc? Yes to a degree. Did that make it easier to consider alternatives that were much cheaper? Also yes.
Fredrik…The top-end would be my concern with these Dalis, too…but I am overly sensitive in that area. May I ask what you were powering The Epicons with when you were auditioning?…and what speakers that you decided on in their stead?
@@bobb.9917 Most of the auditioning was done with a Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. Maybe with a soft-edged AB amp it could have made things more bearable. I ended up with a pair of Buchardt S400 mk2. They still amaze me to this day. Part of the reason though, wasn't just raw sonic performance; things like wood veneer and general looks (WAF...), ability to be placed fairly near boundaries, wanting to support a small upshot manufacturer, and the fact that it's a small fraction of the price NEW compared to the used epicons I were auditioning... Etc. So it's a bit of a personal choice, Epicon are clearly better in SOME regards so you're getting value for money there surely, but they absolutely do not put the Buchardts to shame either.
@@eldloppa2 Thanks for the detailed response. I just got off the phone with my buddy in N.C. He JUST took delivery of a pair of the Buchardts! He is using"The Cambridge Audio Break-in Method" as I type…so I will have a full report in a few days. I am running a pair of DyAudio Contour 20s with a lot of power behind them and a tub-a-licious preamp. I love these speakers SO MUCH and I think I read that DynAudio was Max Buchardt's Alma Mater…His business is not far from DynAudio, so I bet the S400s sound GREAT! 👍🏼
@@bobb.9917 Sweet. Yeah my first serious speakers many years ago were Dynaudio Audience 72, and I auditioned both the special 40 and the Contour 20i at the same time as the Epicon, so those were among the candidates. Dynaudio in general have a very very honest and pleasant manner, if that makes sense as an expression. Of course it varies depending on which of their different series we're talking about. The Audience floorstanders were so beautifully warm and forgiving; it's like they made everything a pleasant listen, no matter the source. Still remember them fondly, even though they were budget. The special 40 weren't really my cup of tea; did well technically but didn't evoke (hah! See what I did there?) much emotion. The esotar in the 20i was absolutely fantastic; the amount of air and separation was intoxicating especially on acoustic and classic music. Maybe not as much of a favorite of mine for like techno or gritty or party music. They're "very hifi" in that regard. I'm envious though, I wish I could own those too and switch every now and then. They were that good. Great choice. Another one at the top, last to lose out against the S400, was totem reference one. Man that thing sure has character.
It would be interesting for you to check out one of their towers, which have the double tweeter. Thats what dali is really known for, but I've unfortunately never heard one.
Great review as usual, love your work and how much you put into each video! I think you'd really enjoy the Dynaudio Heritage Special bookshelf speakers... about the same price as the Epicon 2's here in Canada: $10K. Also, seeing as you enjoy your PSB Imagine Mini's so much, they have a newly revamped Synchrony line. The Synchrony B600 bookshelf speakers are supposed to be very clean, detailed, neutral, with excellent pinpoint imaging, very tonally correct/realistic, and a very full but well controlled low end. Think the PSB in particular would be very interesting to hear, and less than 1/2 the price of the Dyn HS or DALI Epicon 2.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: Not only are those 3 years almost unbelievably short, compared to the impact the ABA Show has on us, but the audiophiles and music lovers, The Interview-Partners you already presented on your channel are also impressive people themselves! There were stars of the industry in your show, that are warshipped for a long time by now, and you interviewed them, easygoing, as if you would know them forever!...
Nice review and assessment. I had the Epicon 2's for a couple of years, and my change was to go downmarket/ down price for amps and speakers, rather than out of any sense of need for 'more'. The Epi 2's are a wonderful all around speaker. Pared with a Devialet 220 Pro CI, the entire frequency range was wonderful. I can't say that any speaker in that price range is 'worth it' (for me at this time in life) but I think Dali has a very strong line up at all price points. Years ago, I had a pair of the original ProAc Tablettes: shy on the bottom end but to captivating otherwise, I hard a hard time finding anything to replace them... but eventually did so with Neat speakers. I must be using your ears!
Thanks - great review. I like how you cover virtually all aspects of Speakers/ Equipment (which some other reviewers often don't). As for your Proacs's, well.... IMO if ya like/ enjoy them and they work well in your room, that's oftentimes hard to achieve (that goes for any set of Speakers & Equip.), and changing/ spending more may only provide a horizontal change (different, but not necessarily an improvement). Anyway, enjoy your system and continue on with your great reviews!
Fantastic as always. It would be marvellous to hear your thoughts on the Harbeth M30.2 XDs. I know they don’t hand them out but surely someone could do you and all of us a favour and lend you some! It’s the elephant in the room, British standmount-wise, no? Also would be wonderful to hear your reviewing approach to the modern classics of alternative speaker design: klipsch heresy iv, magnepan LRS+, Cube Audio single drivers, Devore fidelity oragutan series, quads, audionote corner mounted ANEs or Js and some Zu audio options. It would also be cool to see your approach to contrasting the ultimate objectivist measurement first and last British companies like Harbeth and DCS vs *the* subjectivist through and through British company audio note! Thanks again for all your work!
The System Audio Pandion 50, is my endgame floorstander for sure. I think I've hit Nirvana as well with the Dali Menuet speakers (which also get high praise from you.) The Epicon line is a bit too bright for me, but I might hit the bullet on those Dali Rubicon 8 as a guilty pleasure, if my wife doesn't kill me first. They will then replace my B&W cm7s, on the speaker B section of my amp (Dali Menuet on speaker A😂) It's not the destination, it is the journey, after all. Merry Christmas, and thank you for all your excellent content ❤🎉 you make it even more wonderful to be an audiophile😘
Great review ! I'm intrigued with the Perlisten brand and their bookies. The floor standers are out of my budget. Next would be the new Martin Logan traditional passive floor standers followed by the Polk R700's. The new Kef R Meta's are annoyingly attractive too 😂
I haven't read all the comments yet but I'm inclined to wonder if I'm the only one who thinks that the best game-ending speaker for a fan of the ProAc Response 1sc ... is the ProAc Response 1sc.
Just saw you at the Bristol hifi show. Got a little star struck ! How good were those Dali, PMC and 700 s3 speakers ! Spoke to a chap from b and W, I was disappointed that no 800 range was on show, but he explained that the. 700 s3 was their promotion at the moment and winked when I asked about a 800 upgrade
If you're already doing stand-mount speakers, might as well go to Linkwitz LX-Mini (even smaller profile). Make them yourself for around $700, and use the DSP to modify the sound to you're liking or use Siegfried Linkwitz own recommended settings. All this talk about how speakers sound is mute (pun intended), when you can make them sound however you like even live while listening for immediate A-B comparison. Add some Rel subs for lower octaves or better-yet open-baffle subs for the best full-range experience. You were going to need subs anyway for these stand-mounts (and most floor-standers).
I heard these a few years ago in the What Hi-fi test room on their reference system. The soundstage depth and bass was something else. I went home and threw my own hifi in the bin and cried.
A few years ago I stepped away from the commercial speaker brands and moved to DIY solutions and smaller brands. Since then I never looked back. Unless you have to much money or you just don't care to throw it away you can find so many nice designs with the best drivers, cabinets and cross-overs and all this for a fraction of these prices. Yes, you must invest a little more time in getting to know these brands but I find the journey as interesting as the result. Next to a great speaker you also end up with something original 🙂
Another great review and upping the game regarding price point...Not in my budget i'm afraid but interesting all the same. If you could get hold of a pair of Totem Signature One's (must be well run in with at least 200hrs use) it would be a match for any bookshelf at that price range, but that's just IMHO...
Great review as always! Would be curious if you could get your hands on a pair of Wilson Audio Tune Tot's at some point for a review. Outrageously expensive at >$10K USD, (stands add another $3-4K or so if memory serves.) At the other extreme is the Emotiva B1+ at about $300 USD and their bigger brother the B2+ at about $450 USD. The B1+'s performance hits way above it's bargain basement price and is my current main speaker!
Wilson audio tune tot very good indeed. I was thinking of going for a pair but I tried Fyne Audio F1-8 over 7k with stand's and fell in love with them. F1-8 and tune tott retail same price in own country the Wilson audio tune tot £7495 dollars in USA UK £10,000. Pounds Fyne Audio F1-8 £7495 pounds UK £10,000. Dollars USA.
I'm at my end game now, Naim Audio source and amplification with power supplies, Fyne Audio speakers. We all hear differently i personally did not enjoy any of those speakers. I was waiting to try out Wilson audio speakers but managed to hear fyne audio F1-8 and WOW! So purchased those. Owned bower's and Wilkins diamond and PMC TB1 great speakers for the equipment I had.
I make due with Magnepan MMGs and DALI IKON IIs. The Magnepans were reasonably priced direct from the manufacturer and the DALIs were a steal at an estate sale. As a working class stiff, I can't afford to move beyond what I've already got.
You should definitely try Neat Ultimatum, XL S, although higher in price, they are pretty much full range and compete with most floorstanding speakers around the same price…
Great review as usual. Interested to hear if you’ve given the Dali Rubicon 2s a go - coming in at less than £2k I wonder if there really is a £3k step up in quality moving to the Epicons.
I auditioned the Dali Epicon 2s and really liked them… but in the end I bought Dali Rubicon 2s… they were less than half the price… and did everything almost as good as the Epicon 2s… I listened to a ton of others that were in the 1 to 4K range… and for me anyway… the Rubicons came out on top for the money… now if I my pockets were deeper… or if I put a really high premium on looks the Epicon 2s would have been my choice… AFTER my purchase I leaned of the Rubicon 5s… which might be even a bit better for my own situ… DOH!
Hi Tarun, many thanks for your truly insightful and helpful reviews. Out of curiosity, why not review and compare a new production Proac? Maybe a D2R or DB1. These are highly loved by owners. These will give your viewers a true impression of modern Proacs, their sound signature and guide us accordingly. Thanks Tarun and all the best 🥂
Thank you for the excelent descriptions. You are right about the Epicon2. It`s about the quality rather the quantities. I personaly will go for75db of good sound than 92db of mediocre one. I hope in the future you will review the last high end standmount Rubicon2 belonging the 2k range and make a comparison :) W.H.R
Diapason Adamantes for getting out of the way and throwing a large stage, I also have Proac D2 and Kef 201/2 three very different standmounts and amp loads
Great review as always Tarun. I own the Epicon 2s with dual REL S510 subs and like you realized they come alive at 80db and also prefer toe in. I’ve heard many other speakers looking for improvement but these perform quite well and not as popular as other brands. How wide apart did you have them? Looking forward to more reviews like this for comparable to EP2 caliber speakers, hopefully the manufacturers keep sending them your way. Cheers
@@frankygoossens955 I started with two T7x, then upgraded to two S510 and the S series a clear step up. definitely dual balances out the sound to me and I run them right next to the speakers on 180 phase. If you’re able to try a second highly recommended.
@@andyrocha The Epicon2 realy needs to have 1 or better 2 subs and i have no issues of listening on low volumes because of it. Also there are comments that the highs are a bit elevated and on the bright side, i have no problems with that at all, had the Sopra1 and that was to bright to me.
@@frankygoossens955 I don’t find the highs elevated either it’s a great speaker with any music genre. Any issues with it are likely gear matching I’ve not found better in the same or slightly higher price range yet.
IF ONLY I had the money... I would probably go for SONUS FABER Electa Amateur III 😎 One reviewer wrote about them: "The sound of the Electa entered me like butter. And the second general reflection: while listening to these speakers, I felt like at a psychotherapeutic session or under the influence of antidepressants - as I imagine it..." Indeed, music is the best therapy, and I imagine, especially with these speakers. 😉
Your reviews are great. Thank you. Especially appreciated your comments about listening at low to moderate volumes, I wish more reviewers would address this. What bookshelf speakers do you think really excel at lower volumes?
Thank you kindly. A lot of the classic British monitors are great at low level listened. Harbeth, Graham Audio, Spendor (Classic series), ProAc, and the LS3/5A manufacturers 😊👍
Great video. I recently bought a pair of Dali Oberon 3… my third different Dali bookshelf. I think they are fine speakers. Agreed with the slight toe in for sharper centre image. Though the rule book states no roe in. What’s the distance between the speakers? My guess about 6 feet. As for end game. My end game is very simple…. Buy a component that if it were to die and breakdown, you could replace it from a shop again with relative ease within two months. So these Oberon at £600 are just about in reach to keep a marriage also. Amazing channel. My fav for an audiophile so far All the best.
If Proac is your thing, I would go up the level on the same brand. I had your Proac speakers and upgraded to the Response D2. These are a pain to position, but oh boy, the typical British mids and stage, are Proacs all right. Could not beat with speakers costing considerably more. They are also easy to drive, even with valves. Good luck!
I think my end game speaker would be Focal Sopra No1 period, that Beryllium tweeter... you need to hear it, no other way to understand how good that speaker is 👍Exposure and Hegel one of the best match for Sopra's.
I agree with you. Sopra No.1 are something else, but in all fairness, they are not in the same price range either. As everything else in this world, you get (roughly) what you pay for. The only way I could improve my Sopra No.1 + Luxman L-509X combo would be... Sopra No.2! But again, not in the same price range!
Dali speakers are often overlooked for some reason, in my opinion Dali has some of the best entry/mid-level speakers in the market.
I really love the design philosophy with woodpulp drivers and simple yet beautiful aesthetics; Scandinavian form and function 👌
Of all the speakers I've owned and listened to, to this day Oberon 5 is perhaps the speaker I would recommend to any new enthusiasts. Beautifully crafted, really fun and engaging sound, unfuzzy about room/placement, work really well with cheaper electronics aswell and they're just super easy and so cheap!
Thank you for sharing 😊
In my view, the Rubicon series is the gem in the entire Dali catalogue, considering the price /performance ratio. Would love to see the Rubicon 2 (bookshelf) and 6 (floorstanders) reviewed by you. 🙂
Thank you. I hope to get to them in time 😊
Thanks Tarun, I heard the epicon 2s in a showroom a few years ago, my jaw dropped. I could literally walk around David Bowie as he was positioned in 3d space in front of me.
They remain my benchmark
Thank you. The soundstage is very impressive 👍
Ive gone through a bunch of speakers in my early days and upgraded early to the rubicon 2. Being the novice that i am, i sold them to try out other brands from kef atc dynaudio wharfedale. But none of them did it for me as the dalis did. So i went back and could not be happier. Even the rubicon 2 are endgame for me and my limited budget.
That is great. Thank you 🙂
It's very glad to see my current speakers dealt with on my favorite hifi channel. I purchased them 2 months ago and they are fed by Marantz pm-15. The sound they make is just beyond words. I'm just listening to all kinds of music more than 3 hours a day. I've never listened to music like this before although I'm a huge music lover.
By the way, for some reason Dali product is a big bargain here in Korea. In my case, Epicon 2s cost me about under 2500 pound. It's such a blessing. 🙂
That is a bargain for the Epicon 2s. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
I found them for 2900 pounds which is $3600 here in the US
Great, would love to see more dali reviews, I feel like there’s a lack of them on the internet unfortunately
Thank you 🙂
I really like your reviews. I own the Epicons 2 in walnut with the original stands for half a year now. Partnered them with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium integrated tube amp and Cambridge CXN V2 streamer. Very happy with them. They are so beautiful! You do have to give them some room to breathe. In my living room I don't have the possibility to pull them away from the rear wall enough. I had some serious acoustic bass issues. I solved this by adding the MiniDSP flex with Dirac Live. Night and day difference! Bass issues solved. It's tight and fast with much definition. I have 2 Rel T5i subwoofers connected as well. I don't think the Epicons really need them for music listening, but it's the cherry on the pie for me. I have to say that I don't recognize the low volume listening issue you mention. I think they do very well in that regard. I previously owned the Totem Sttaf and Dynaudio Special Forty (also with the Primaluna) and this is much better. Keep up the good work 👍
Epicons 2 with PL dialogue premium + Rel is my next upgrade. What power tubes are you using and does PL has enough power to drive Epicons? I listen at max 70db so no need lots of power but want that tube magic. What about top end? Do you feel too much energy in that frequency range?
The recommendation for the Dali Epicon 2's by Rel is the S/510, because they
are a very fast speaker.
I gues the t5x will work also, but the S line is alot better and with music as well.
@@frankygoossens955 Yes, If you have space and money and ofc two would be ideal. But if not, Ti and Tx series will be ok. You have reviews on yt of T7i with magnepan LRS which is very fast speaker and users are very satisfied. Not such speed and low end as S series but for smaller spaces does the job.
@@vedranklaic2911
I have 1 S510 and it already sounds amazing, btw my 2 favourites colours are walnut and the black matt finish.
matt black looks cool with my Hegel H 590 amp.
@@frankygoossens955 Nice setup. Have you tried to drive Epicon with other amps? If so, which one and what was the sound like?
Can't wait to hear your Accuphase review. Always wanted one.
Out now. I hope you enjoy it 👍
Another vote for the dynaudio heritage special would be fantastic to have your opinion 🤘
Thank you 🙂
I picked up some Menuet SEs at Xmas (£950, 2nd hand), and I'm enjoying their quality enormously. Looking at Dali's wide range, it's hard not to wonder
what the differences might be, so thanks for this review. £5k is out of my range, and a pity you got the white, when the curved veneers look so beautiful.
I was actually just looking at Dali's new flagship Kore speakers - £70K, 148kg each, 2 delivered in a 248kg crate - If I can dream, I may aswell start there!
Thank you my friend. Great to know that you are enjoying your Menuet SEs 👍
Well... there may be more to it than just Danish technology, but I swear your voice sounds better every week!
Congratulations Tarun. Three years and going strong. What an enjoyable journey it'd been. It was obvious from the start that your channel was something special.
End game speakers is a tough one. There was something just so right about classic British speakers. Maybe a little 'woodiness' in the sound of a speaker is a good thing. And I always loved the bundle of straws in the port of Proacs.
It has Neen quite the journey. Thank you for all the support my friend 🙂👍
Dear Tarun, dear all British Audio followers!
Excelent review ...nothing less!
For me perssonaly ...for the 5k £...I think I could get deminishing value in return.
My old standing mounts ProAc-s and Q type KEFs with the SMS sub...I do not intend to change.
All the best to You Tarun and to all your passionate followers!
Thank you Hrvoje. Much appreciated 🙂 👍
Hi Tarun. Insightful review as usual. The problem with this hobby is it always boils down to synergy.
To be meaningful, one has to set a reference system sans the speaker and then review different speakers to see who wins given that specific system given your specific room.
Conversely we can anchor an excellent pair of speakers and source, then search for the best amplification for them, synergy.
All relative, all subjective, what makes this passionate curiosity last longer than most marriages.
Thank you Bobby. 🙂
Thanks Tarun for the excellent reviews that you do. Always detailed, informative and above all - honest.
Thank you. Much appreciated 🙂👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Might be worth looking at Russell K speakers. I have heard them at a dealer and was impressed.
It's so amazing how smaller speaker's have gained such a presence in the audio world !!! 😊👍👍
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Small speakers today sound way bigger than their diminutive dimensions would suggest & combine this with their inherent disappearing & sound stage prowess, makes them even more compelling. However, they can lack deep bass but that can be supplemented with good subs.
What I believe is my endgame speaker is in my living room - Volti Audio Rival Special Edition horns. They're quite large, very heavy and way more money than I could afford at the time so I had to take out a loan to get them - which I'm still paying off. As I live in a modest condo, they are probably more than I need in this space (yeah ... almost certainly more). Allow me to explain my reasoning. These were the third pair of speakers I'd purchased since I got into this hobby (addiction?), and I know myself well enough to realize that given my fascination with all the technology that goes into making speakers these days, not to mention the aesthetic designs on tap, I could easily keep buying and selling with reckless abandon and never stop chasing that elusive idea of perfection. I needed to draw a line - a hard line. Knowing that, I decided to force my hand and commit to a speaker that I would have to keep around for some time to come and leave all my fiddling to the electronics that would feed them. As of now, I couldn't be happier. I've gone through a number of amps/preamps/dacs and have landed on a combination that suits me to a T. I know it may seem ridiculous to approach my audiophile journey in this way, but so far I'm very satisfied.
Thank you David 😊
I have the Epicon 2 speakers. I mainly listen between 65 and 75 db. I am very impressed. Have them firing straight ahead.
Straight ahead ...do you mean parallel to each other or towards the lisner in the sweet spot ?
Parallel with each other.
@@stephenlegg262 Thank You !
Thank you for sharing your experiences 🙂
Toe in 10 percent and use value amp.
Thank you for being so generous with your time at the Bristol show it was great to chat, as I know you did with many others. Again my sincerest compliments on a great channel and your depth of explanations. I really was only joking about 'retiring' the ProAcs though😊👍.
Thank you my friend. Great chatting with you too. I hope the Math teaching is going well. I would like to retire my ProAcs, just need to find something better 😉👍
Terrific review. I enjoy your calm and complete evaluation of what wows or works and what could be better--particularly at the price point the Epicon 2 is at.
As I'm in my 70's, I listen daily to my "endgame" speakers: Spendor A7's. We listen to everything but, particularly, to classical and jazz. The Spendors do it all so very well for us. I particularly admire how they give music a palpably physical dimension.
Now, if I hit the lottery, I would love to hear how a pair of Magico "M6's" might light up our listening space. Thank you, Tarun.
Thank you Mike. I appreciate you sharing and your support 🙂👍
Great review! End game for me is
Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX
Powered by Pass Labs pre and Power Amplifiers, but who’s talking money!
Thank you Adrian 👍
For me the Dynaudio confidence 20i is my dream, end point speaker. I have been squirreling away money for almost 2 years. Yes they are out of my budget, but after hearing them, nothing else will do. The good news is, if the price doesn’t go up, that within 6-8 months they will be in my grasp. Pavlov’s got nothing on me, lol.
Cool 😎
Hi Tarun. Great to meet Terry Ellis and yourself at Bristol yesterday. We had a really good chat. Keep up the good work.
Thank you. Great to meet you Bernhard 😊👍
For my needs and constraints, it isn't always going up in price, it's how it performs in my space and in achieving the attributes I tend to prefer or focus on. Example, I prefer the Dali Opticon 1 MK1 to the Menuet SE even in nearfield. I found the SE too refined for my liking although it does some things better over the Opticon. Overall, in spite of being a lower line, I prefer the Opticon.
Still looking at better, small speakers preferably no more than 14 in tall, so that takes some off the table with either a 5 inch to up to 7 inch driver, feeling there is something special about 5.25 to 5.5 in driver designs, but looking for realism in mids to highs and a more holographic sound rather than an outright visceral experience at louder volumes. More of an in my head and heart kind of listener at low to moderate volume.
I can give up absolute ability in a low end (can use sub even though I prefer not to) and resolution, perhaps details too if much isn't missing. Can't stand a flat, 2D stage wall of sound.
Speakers can vary in resolution, detail, stage width, depth, height, impact, forwardness or more laid back, etc., and I am willing to give up a bit of this or that to achieve certain qualities I am sensitive to and want to have. Not easy without a demo, where system matching and room dynamics come into play, even with efforts to make adjustments. When you move from one location to another, it can all start again.
Not so much as an endgame speaker, amp or source but moving towards a direction that balances preferred attributes in one's space and achieving those goals, which may even change over time as one's tastes may change. Then there's price...as most of us have limits.
Endgame anything is probably what I have at the time when I expire but it is a fun, involving as well as maddening hobby to involve oneself in.
It seems, from my experience, that Bose owners seem to have that we don't...is bliss.
Great to learn about your experiences 🙂
Another good review Tarun. My favorite part was hearing you have an Accuphase review on the way!!!🎉
Thank you. That will be out soon 👍
Its absolutely amazing how you bring out your reviews. The technical details , comparisons are very helpful. Love to see review on Sonus Faber Sonetto
Thank you. Very kind 😊👍
I really enjoyed my B&W 805 Signatures - terrific sound stage and bass .
I then moved to Meridian active DSPs (7200SEs) and was happy with them in the context of an all meridian system . However I have now reached my end game speaker - the stenheim Alumine 3 floorstanders partnered with ch precision amplification. Ridiculously transparent and neutral - they just get out of the way . I am able to listen to this combo for extended periods and rarely feel fatigued which is a stark contrast to the Wilson’s I’ve heard in a home environment which initially sound incredibly holographic but after an extended period make you feel like your ears are bleeding . Nice review again and look forward to the accuphase video !
Thank you Mr. S 👍
HI I really appreciate all your reviews - you can never get enough information with a hobby like this. I wonder if finding an endgame component is really in the cards as an audiophile. I think often it is finding the budget ceiling that determines the endgame, and not the desire for better and better. I have my eyes on two speakers at the moment - The Gershman Acoustics Grand Avant Garde or the Dynaudio 60i, both around the same price. I think one of those will be my endgame speaker, but time will tell. In other words, what I have now I don't believe is my final speaker (B&W 804 D3).
Thank you Bob 👍
I purchased the Dali Epicon 2s two weeks ago to be powered by Rotel RC/RB-1590 pre/power combo.
I must admit I did not experience your complaints, perhaps due to 380 wpc (8 ohms) power amp grip on these speakers.
I tested them with rock, classical, pop and jazz Cds and to my ears all sounded wonderful, especially with well recorded modern jazz music with multiple instruments playing, was extremely infectious thanks to excellent and clean mids and highs of the speakers. Since I am not a deep bass freak, bass sound was of good quality and enough for me in my 3m x 7m living room.
With Dali Epicon 2s and Rotel combo, I've finalised my HiFi upgrades, that is until I win the euro millions.
Cool 😎
Tarun, I love your reviews, you are precise and articulate without fanfare or sensational claims. Your comparison's are educational.
Now that I'm done buttering you up, I'm hoping you will consider a request. I am looking at purchasing a pair of HECO Celan revolution 3's. They are an older company out of Germany that I've heard a lot of very good things about. But they are not well known. I would love to hear your opinion on these.
Thank you Paul. I shall check them out 😊👍
I watch all your videos and always end up with Bono in my mind singing "and I still haven't found what I'm looking for"😊
It is fun searching 😊
Another great review. I like that you are looking at more higher end speakers. I believe I have found my end game speaker being the Dynaudio Heritage Special. It sounds amazing even at low levels. I would really be interested in your take on them
Thank you John. I hope to get to them in time 👍
I'm very happy with my Von Schweikert Unifield One speakers. Bought them second hand from the importer, as good a new ones, much less than the 5000 euro price tag a few years ago. Very good at lower volumes, slightly on the warm side which suits my taste and are very well built. Really complex triple wall cabinet material and coaxial speaker design make it a very pleasant speaker for small rooms. I added a REL subwoofer, but have been playing without it the last 2 months and don't miss it with most music.
Great to learn about your frequencies Robert 👍
The Unifield series from VSA were stunning loudspeakers, they were not mass produced and were designed to be a statement piece for smaller European homes (I was the importer and distributor for Von Schweikert in the UK back in the early 2000’s). The Unifield Two MK III would be the one to find if you just want a standmount but the Unifield Three adds a matching bass cabinet which the monitor sits on.
@@DJWerkz thank you 🙂
Thanks Tarun for another great review. I found my end game loudspeaker 15 years ago and haven't looked back since. I own a Hyperion HPS-938, to my ears they have everything transparency, musicality, speed I could go on. The excellent reviews of the Hyperion back in the day compared them to $20-30k speakers. After many years of upgrading my system the Hyperions have scaled up to whatever I have thrown at them, they are incredible and never fail to put a smile on my face.
That is great. Thank you 🙂
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You might want to try a pair of PMC speakers in your search for a new reference loudspeaker, I've heard them on a few occasions and they sound great, especially sat on a pair of Townshend Seismic Podiums.
@@MrAndyb247 I have review the Twenty5.21i but plan to review more 👍
I run Epicon 2’s, 6’s and Vokal centre in a 5.1 system they sound awesome, very dynamic with a nice rich midrange, clean, full vocals. I cross them over at 120hz with a JL Audio Fathom F113 sub. Nad Masters Series M15 processor and M25 multichannel amp. It’s oldish tech but sounds way better than a lot of modern kit I audition
Cool 😎
I don't know if it's a British trait, or something else, but I've been watching your channel for several years and never seen you become super animated and wowed by any one product. The only product I've actually purchased, due to your favorable review, was the Denefrips Pontus II. Still loving it btw. Until you happen across some speaker that out-performs your Proac's, I suppose we'll likely never get to see the overly exuberant side of you. Keep up the fine work.
I'm British and get very excited like fatpigion check out his hellooo hi-fi reviews 😂
It probably is a British trait. Definitely a trait of mine though 🤣 thank you for your kind words 👍
Great review as always and good to see you place value on low level listening as it's a much under-rated real world attribute. I'm currently looking for an end game speaker (or long term at least 😁) and I'm leaning towards the neat majistra as it suits my musical taste perfectly, works well near walls and at low volumes and should suit my naim gear.
Thank you Damian 👍
You're on a roll, Tarun. Another highly informative, detailed & extremely well put together video review. Chapeau! ( yet again...). Very best wishes to your good self & your family from G. in Japan.
Very kind of you Gerri. Best to you and yours too 🙂👍
As an Epicon 8 owner since 11 years I would say there is not much you can expect more for the money you've got to pay for any of the Epicons. But if money's no object I highly recommend to give Wilson Audios Tune Tot (accompanied with the LōKē subwoofer a listen. To me this is the pinnacle of sound quality with standmount speakers.
Thank you. I hope to get to them in time 🙂
First, congratulations on 60K subscribers! 🎉 I really appreciate your caveats like low volume listening etc, which may be a dealbreaker for someone even in relation to a fantastic speaker, because they can’t disturb the kids or the neighbours. Even assuming I could afford these DALI’s, for this reason alone I wouldn’t buy them.
Thank you Jeremy. Much appreciated 🙂 👍
Thanks Tarun, another superb review. The search for the end of the game, or just another season :-) My journey started more than 55 years ago with a bedroom Dansette with 16/33/45/78 rpm capability and a stereo compatible cartridge. I have had various early Leak, Wharfdale, Celestion, Royd, Linn, Epos and now Neat Motive. I have heard many others, Quad Electrostatics at school and a huge pair of 1980's Music Fidelity towers with upward firing tweeters come to mind! My endgame amp was a pre and two pre-owned two Klouts which finally failed and had to go. My endgame source is my Exposure MCX CD. I suppose my endgame speakers would be bigger Neats, for a larger space. My one and only requirement for equipment is that that it needs to bring tears of listening joy to my eyes , a true test of how 'musical' a system is. If they don't make you weep; don't keep. Thanks again, best wishes and happy listening to you and all your viewers this season.
Thank you my friend. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Accuphase...Wohooo can't wait.
Review out soon 👍
It's always a pleasure to watch your videos and I was especially enthused for your take on such a fine speaker.
I don't anticipate having an endgame speaker, although I have speakers that I could never imagine parting ways with.
If i were to believe that such an endgame speaker existed, I would likely have to concede that it was such because I had ended my passion and pursuit for experiencing combinations of different musical instruments.
I fully consider speakers to be musical instruments in their own right. They have different voices, different use cases and varying strengths and weaknesses. It is precisely their differences, rather their similarities, that encourage me to continue seeking even after I've found the most special I've ever heard. It's that discovery that only fuels me further to continue searching and experiencing the next one!
Thank you Eric. Great to learn about your experiences. My philosophy is very similar to your 🙂👍
Your reviews/videos continually improve. You are now my first watch Friday go to. Good work! I too loved the Minuets but too small. Sorry to hear the Epicon 2 downsides of bass and low volume play as those are important to me. Interesting that Dali has followed the Borresen lead by developing a non-iron magnet.
I recently A/B'd the ATC 19s vs the Dynaudio Heritage Specials. In US $ now that ATC dropped the US price by 20% their 19 is just about 1/2 the price of the Heritage Special. They sounded so close I barely gave the edge to the Dynes.
I currently use the John "Fritz" Heilor's Carrera 7 BE standpoints MSRP $3,500. After having 18 different stand mounts in my home last August
I chose these as best for my ears. John uses a series type XO. Fewer parts in the chain. Scan Speak 7" driver and sb acoustics BE tweeter
sounds excellent at 60hz.
Thank you Jeff. Much appreciated. Great to learn about your experiences 🙂👍
Good to see you and Terry Ellis together 👍🏼
Thank you Jeremy 😊
Good review again Tarun. I have been aware of a speakers manufactuer based at Doug Brady Audio, Warrington. Andy Davis, the r&d man behind Pink Triangles Ventrical loudspeaker has his own range at Westbrookaudio. They don't appear to get a great deal of coverage (if any). Being in the NW of England, getting a pair for review would be very interesting.
Thank you Paul 😊
Hi Tarun. It looks to me you need to audition the Audiovector R1 Arrete. I haven't come across a mediocre or bad review yet of these amazing speakers and they are around the price point of these Dali's. The r1's are my endgame speaker, as I want the kind of sound they offer. Deep punchy fast bass, detailed rich MIDs and sweet treble. They also look prestigious and stunning in Walnut. I really think you'll be impressed, so go on treat yourself 😜
Thank you Steve 😊
Tarun, once again you've presented an excellent conveyance of pro's and con's of an expensive stand mount speaker system with remarkably low magnetic hysteresis. I too was puzzled as to why dynamics suffered at lower volumes.
On the subject of end game speakers, I went back in time to get a pair of A/D/S L300C speakers, then gutted the crossover's sand cast resistors and electrolytic capacitors for non-inductive wire wound and poly-film types respectively. I augmented these diminutive speakers with a 7" A/D/S powered subwoofer in a 1 cu ft sealed enclosure to cover the lower (40 to 90Hz) 'octave'.
Although the cost of this project was moderate, the sweat equity was quite a heavy lift as external shelf filters needed to be designed to reduce x-max related cone linearity distortion. The result has me listening to this system much more than the other two more costly systems in my home.
I truly empathize with speaker designers over their fanatic efforts to improve the state of the art. Time spent on R&D is immense with no guarantee of 'all-round supremacy' as you showed in this latest review.
Much appreciate your continued attention to detail in your review process - that no doubt takes orders of magnitude more time to prepare than the length of the video.
Thank you Bradley. That is very much appreciated. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Thanks awesome review. Cant wait for next.
Thank you. Much appreciated 🙂👍
I've had my Opticon 8's for 4 years now & they've been fantastic. I'll be looking at the Epicon 8's & a few others as end game speakers.
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for this review... Also what a great comments section .. thanks all
Thank you for watching 😊
I’ve had a pair of Epicon 2’s in my system for about a year. Sold them recently and now have Neat Iota Explorers which to my ears do PRAT (even) better, and thus offer a cleaner window on the structure of music, a trade is shares with / is highlighted by the Rega P10 in the system.
Yes, the Epicons are really great speakers, and they offer more warmth and greater tonal mass - and go louder - than the Explorers, which synamically sounds like the smaller speaker (though it isn’t).
A couple of points worth noting: 1) The epicons can sound painfully bright if the electronics, cables are in any way ‘shouty’. It is not forgiving in the top end. 2) Crossover parts are really nothing special - apart from a single middle grade Mundorf cap on the tweeter - it’s all cheap sandcast resistors and even a 2£ 56uf electrolyte cap on the bass/midrange. I was about to build a new crossover for them, and bought the premium parts, but decided not to tamper and sold them instead. Dali is Danish like me, I know their speakers well, and they know how to build a crossover, and they are to my ears more musically responsive and faster (lighter cone material) than Dynaudios (also Danish) for instance - I had the Contour 20 before; better tweeter and highs but less snap and speed in the midrange. But in terms of dynamics, it’s probably the crossover part quality holding the Epicons slightly back. Neat crossover parts are better in that respect. The Neat Explorers work as well if not a bit better in my 18m2 room, the Epicons would probably beat them for scale and dynamics if I had more space to the rear wall and played louder with bigger amplifiers (I listen to classical/jazz/singer songwriter in the 70s-range, 50 watts of Sugden or Heed amplification).
Thank you for sharing your experiences 🙂
The design & especially the materials of these Dali Speakers seems to be incredible…Even the cabinet is uber-engineered! I would love to put the Epicons up against my DynAudio Contour 20s (similar in price and size, and my Contours have a curved, well-engineered cabinet as well). I think that these Dalis may have more clarity up top, but mine would broadside them in the bass Dept., as long as you have some substantial power behind them.
My benchmark stand-mounts would be a pair of DynAudio Confidence 20s…but we are talking about a MUCH higher-price speaker there. Still…I can dream! 😎
Great review, Tarun!
Thank you Bob 👍
I have a pair of these and I am in love with them!!!
Great. They are very nice speakers 🙂
I’m very happy with my Epicon 2’s, could be my endgame speakers. But… as you said, at low volumes, maybe there’s another one to consider… in a shop i heard The Focal Sopra 1’s, and i liked them very much! Maybe i’ll buy them in The future, to compare them at home. Could be a tough fight! 🎉
Thank you Bart. If you get them, please let me know how you get on 🙂
As an ATC SCM19 owner, I would suggest you try the 20 or 50. The latter might be my endgame. Yes it is expensive but it does everything the 19 does at a higher level. Even the 19 passives just love power. I moved from a 125W power amp to a pair of 325W monos and the lack of bottom end you mention is no longer an issue. I was planning to buy sub woofers but I don't think they are necessary anymore now. These ATCs just scale so well with better amps.
He did the 40s, which the 20 would just be a inferior version of. I know you will disagree with this, but the active models absolutely destroy the passive with equivalently priced frount end. He did a review of the SCM19 and the active version, and he wasn't able to replicate the performance of the active one no matter the frount end. I fail to see any reason at all to get the passive model, at least from me hearing them over the years.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 🙂
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 not necessary. The 20s have the SL bass driver and the 40s don't. The 40s have a dedicated mid dome tweeter which the 20s don't. For Tarun's room size, 20s are the way to go
@@GavinMarkable fine, but he should review the ASLT.
As I currently own Rubicon 2, this is one of my favourite reviews.
I've personally not heard the Epicon range, but someone I do know has their Epicons powered by Leema Tucana and loves the combo.
For a sub 2k speaker the Rubis are some of the best I've heard between 2-3k speakers I've demoed. We are talking about Neat SX2, Harbeth P3 XD version, Amphion Argon 3s.
I don't think any hi-fi component is perfect, it's more about managing expectations. That's the trick of owning and enjoying your bundles.
What's my end game speaker? Probably Wilson Benesch matched with something like a Luxman, whether it will happen I doubt... way beyond my pay grade for the foreseeable....
Thank you Richard 😊👍
Looking forward to the Accuphase review.
That will be out soon 👍
Thank you
I am amazed that such an old speaker can still perform that good!
Nevertheless, the Dali Epicon looks like a piece of art.
A great piece of hi-fi will always be a great piece of kit no matter of age. A 15 year old flagship luxman amp will still sound amazing for example.
@Alan Crane Thank you Alan.
I appreciate the time, dedication and "manual science" behind crafting all equipment of old. Most still look appealing to my eye and I'm sure they sound amazing.
Thank you Nishal. Some old speakers and amplifiers in particular can still sound great today 👍
Great review!
I had the epicon 2 in my home for auditioning actually, at a pretty hefty discount. They were extremely impressive, especially for their size. Especially in terms of resolution as you point out, and they could play at absolutely insane levels without breaking a sweat or losing their composure. Plus that Dali tone and texture that I find pleasing, and distinctly solidly built.
What made me return them, was actually ultimately the high end. Both I and my wife agreed that after a while it became much too much of the good stuff. As you point out, at lower volumes they were much less impressive, but when turning it up, all that detail and sparkle started grating at us. The chafing of diamond dust in my ear canals.
Could I EQ it somewhat and toe them out etc? Yes to a degree. Did that make it easier to consider alternatives that were much cheaper? Also yes.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 🙂
Fredrik…The top-end would be my concern with these Dalis, too…but I am overly sensitive in that area.
May I ask what you were powering The Epicons with when you were auditioning?…and what speakers that you decided on in their stead?
@@bobb.9917 Most of the auditioning was done with a Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. Maybe with a soft-edged AB amp it could have made things more bearable.
I ended up with a pair of Buchardt S400 mk2. They still amaze me to this day. Part of the reason though, wasn't just raw sonic performance; things like wood veneer and general looks (WAF...), ability to be placed fairly near boundaries, wanting to support a small upshot manufacturer, and the fact that it's a small fraction of the price NEW compared to the used epicons I were auditioning... Etc. So it's a bit of a personal choice, Epicon are clearly better in SOME regards so you're getting value for money there surely, but they absolutely do not put the Buchardts to shame either.
@@eldloppa2 Thanks for the detailed response. I just got off the phone with my buddy in N.C.
He JUST took delivery of a pair of the Buchardts! He is using"The Cambridge Audio Break-in Method" as I type…so I will have a full report in a few days. I am running a pair of DyAudio Contour 20s with a lot of power behind them and a tub-a-licious preamp. I love these speakers SO MUCH and I think I read that DynAudio was Max Buchardt's Alma Mater…His business is not far from DynAudio, so I bet the S400s sound GREAT! 👍🏼
@@bobb.9917 Sweet. Yeah my first serious speakers many years ago were Dynaudio Audience 72, and I auditioned both the special 40 and the Contour 20i at the same time as the Epicon, so those were among the candidates. Dynaudio in general have a very very honest and pleasant manner, if that makes sense as an expression. Of course it varies depending on which of their different series we're talking about. The Audience floorstanders were so beautifully warm and forgiving; it's like they made everything a pleasant listen, no matter the source. Still remember them fondly, even though they were budget. The special 40 weren't really my cup of tea; did well technically but didn't evoke (hah! See what I did there?) much emotion. The esotar in the 20i was absolutely fantastic; the amount of air and separation was intoxicating especially on acoustic and classic music. Maybe not as much of a favorite of mine for like techno or gritty or party music. They're "very hifi" in that regard. I'm envious though, I wish I could own those too and switch every now and then. They were that good. Great choice.
Another one at the top, last to lose out against the S400, was totem reference one. Man that thing sure has character.
It would be interesting for you to check out one of their towers, which have the double tweeter. Thats what dali is really known for, but I've unfortunately never heard one.
I would like to do that 👍
Great review as usual, love your work and how much you put into each video! I think you'd really enjoy the Dynaudio Heritage Special bookshelf speakers... about the same price as the Epicon 2's here in Canada: $10K. Also, seeing as you enjoy your PSB Imagine Mini's so much, they have a newly revamped Synchrony line. The Synchrony B600 bookshelf speakers are supposed to be very clean, detailed, neutral, with excellent pinpoint imaging, very tonally correct/realistic, and a very full but well controlled low end. Think the PSB in particular would be very interesting to hear, and less than 1/2 the price of the Dyn HS or DALI Epicon 2.
Thank you kindly. I appreciate the suggestions 😊👍
Oh, and I forgot to mention: Not only are those 3 years almost unbelievably short, compared to the impact the ABA Show has on us, but the audiophiles and music lovers, The Interview-Partners you already presented on your channel are also impressive people themselves! There were stars of the industry in your show, that are warshipped for a long time by now, and you interviewed them, easygoing, as if you would know them forever!...
Thank you Bernhard. That is very kind 😊👍
Nice review and assessment. I had the Epicon 2's for a couple of years, and my change was to go downmarket/ down price for amps and speakers, rather than out of any sense of need for 'more'. The Epi 2's are a wonderful all around speaker. Pared with a Devialet 220 Pro CI, the entire frequency range was wonderful. I can't say that any speaker in that price range is 'worth it' (for me at this time in life) but I think Dali has a very strong line up at all price points. Years ago, I had a pair of the original ProAc Tablettes: shy on the bottom end but to captivating otherwise, I hard a hard time finding anything to replace them... but eventually did so with Neat speakers. I must be using your ears!
Thank you for sharing Damon 👍
Thanks - great review. I like how you cover virtually all aspects of Speakers/ Equipment (which some other reviewers often don't). As for your Proacs's, well.... IMO if ya like/ enjoy them and they work well in your room, that's oftentimes hard to achieve (that goes for any set of Speakers & Equip.), and changing/ spending more may only provide a horizontal change (different, but not necessarily an improvement). Anyway, enjoy your system and continue on with your great reviews!
Thank you Mike. Much appreciated 😊👍
Fantastic as always. It would be marvellous to hear your thoughts on the Harbeth M30.2 XDs. I know they don’t hand them out but surely someone could do you and all of us a favour and lend you some! It’s the elephant in the room, British standmount-wise, no?
Also would be wonderful to hear your reviewing approach to the modern classics of alternative speaker design: klipsch heresy iv, magnepan LRS+, Cube Audio single drivers, Devore fidelity oragutan series, quads, audionote corner mounted ANEs or Js and some Zu audio options.
It would also be cool to see your approach to contrasting the ultimate objectivist measurement first and last British companies like Harbeth and DCS vs *the* subjectivist through and through British company audio note!
Thanks again for all your work!
Thank you Max. I appreciate the suggestion. Hopefully, will get a Harbeth in for review soon 😊👍
I'll be buying my endgame speaker here in April. ATC SCM20s with a Schiit Stack. Freya+ with Tyr Monoblocks. I already have the SCM19s.
Cool 😎
The System Audio Pandion 50, is my endgame floorstander for sure. I think I've hit Nirvana as well with the Dali Menuet speakers (which also get high praise from you.)
The Epicon line is a bit too bright for me, but I might hit the bullet on those Dali Rubicon 8 as a guilty pleasure, if my wife doesn't kill me first. They will then replace my B&W cm7s, on the speaker B section of my amp (Dali Menuet on speaker A😂)
It's not the destination, it is the journey, after all. Merry Christmas, and thank you for all your excellent content ❤🎉 you make it even more wonderful to be an audiophile😘
Thank you my friend. Much appreciated. Merry Christmas to you too 😊👍
Great review ! I'm intrigued with the Perlisten brand and their bookies. The floor standers are out of my budget. Next would be the new Martin Logan traditional passive floor standers followed by the Polk R700's. The new Kef R Meta's are annoyingly attractive too 😂
Thank you Ben 👍
Hey Tarun.
Try the Proac response D2R. Amazing with the ribbon tweeters. 👍 if you haven't already.
I have heard them many times 😊
I haven't read all the comments yet but I'm inclined to wonder if I'm the only one who thinks that the best game-ending speaker for a fan of the ProAc Response 1sc ... is the ProAc Response 1sc.
Excellent review as usual , well structured and balanced assessment. The Marten Oscar Duo or Parker Duo would be my dream standmount speakers.
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Just saw you at the Bristol hifi show. Got a little star struck ! How good were those Dali, PMC and 700 s3 speakers ! Spoke to a chap from b and W, I was disappointed that no 800 range was on show, but he explained that the. 700 s3 was their promotion at the moment and winked when I asked about a 800 upgrade
Thank you Barry. It was great to meet so many people who follow the channel, such as yourself 😊👍
That caliber of speaker requires and deserves more power. Schiit Tyr 200 watt per Channel Monoblocks for under $3500 would be perfect.
Hegel H190 is 150 WPC 😊
If you're already doing stand-mount speakers, might as well go to Linkwitz LX-Mini (even smaller profile). Make them yourself for around $700, and use the DSP to modify the sound to you're liking or use Siegfried Linkwitz own recommended settings. All this talk about how speakers sound is mute (pun intended), when you can make them sound however you like even live while listening for immediate A-B comparison. Add some Rel subs for lower octaves or better-yet open-baffle subs for the best full-range experience. You were going to need subs anyway for these stand-mounts (and most floor-standers).
Thank you 😊
I heard these a few years ago in the What Hi-fi test room on their reference system. The soundstage depth and bass was something else.
I went home and threw my own hifi in the bin and cried.
Oh dear 😥
😂😂😂😢😢😢 funny stuff I just got my pair because of this review at fantastic price and they are quite incredible
A few years ago I stepped away from the commercial speaker brands and moved to DIY solutions and smaller brands. Since then I never looked back. Unless you have to much money or you just don't care to throw it away you can find so many nice designs with the best drivers, cabinets and cross-overs and all this for a fraction of these prices. Yes, you must invest a little more time in getting to know these brands but I find the journey as interesting as the result. Next to a great speaker you also end up with something original 🙂
Could you name some of the DIY brands, please? I'm specially interested in open baffle speakers.
@@johncallaghan3097 my speakers are made by YB Audio (Poland) but they don't have any open baffle design..
Thank you for sharing 😊
I had a pair of Dali, and they were fabulous speakers.
Cool 😎
Another great review and upping the game regarding price point...Not in my budget i'm afraid but interesting all the same. If you could get hold of a pair of Totem Signature One's (must be well run in with at least 200hrs use) it would be a match for any bookshelf at that price range, but that's just IMHO...
Thank you Peter 👍
Great review as always! Would be curious if you could get your hands on a pair of Wilson Audio Tune Tot's at some point for a review. Outrageously expensive at >$10K USD, (stands add another $3-4K or so if memory serves.) At the other extreme is the Emotiva B1+ at about $300 USD and their bigger brother the B2+ at about $450 USD. The B1+'s performance hits way above it's bargain basement price and is my current main speaker!
Wilson audio tune tot very good indeed. I was thinking of going for a pair but I tried Fyne Audio F1-8 over 7k with stand's and fell in love with them. F1-8 and tune tott retail same price in own country the Wilson audio tune tot £7495 dollars in USA UK £10,000. Pounds Fyne Audio F1-8 £7495 pounds UK £10,000. Dollars USA.
Thank you Alan. I would like to review both of them 👍
I'm at my end game now, Naim Audio source and amplification with power supplies, Fyne Audio speakers. We all hear differently i personally did not enjoy any of those speakers. I was waiting to try out Wilson audio speakers but managed to hear fyne audio F1-8 and WOW! So purchased those. Owned bower's and Wilkins diamond and PMC TB1 great speakers for the equipment I had.
Thank you for sharing 😊
I make due with Magnepan MMGs and DALI IKON IIs. The Magnepans were reasonably priced direct from the manufacturer and the DALIs were a steal at an estate sale. As a working class stiff, I can't afford to move beyond what I've already got.
That is great 👍
Great review, thanks
Thank you 👍
You should definitely try Neat Ultimatum, XL S, although higher in price, they are pretty much full range and compete with most floorstanding speakers around the same price…
Thank you 😊
Great video as always , great entertainment and information keep up the good work
Thank you Mark. Much appreciated 😊👍
Great review as usual. Interested to hear if you’ve given the Dali Rubicon 2s a go - coming in at less than £2k I wonder if there really is a £3k step up in quality moving to the Epicons.
I hd the Rubicons before the Epicons. They are great speakers but the Epicons are much better in my opinion.
I hope to find out 🙂
Looking forward to the Epicon / Accuphase review . That pairing is on my shortlist and am enthusiastic to get your opinion.
Thank you. It will be out soon 👍
I auditioned the Dali Epicon 2s and really liked them… but in the end I bought Dali Rubicon 2s… they were less than half the price… and did everything almost as good as the Epicon 2s… I listened to a ton of others that were in the 1 to 4K range… and for me anyway… the Rubicons came out on top for the money… now if I my pockets were deeper… or if I put a really high premium on looks the Epicon 2s would have been my choice… AFTER my purchase I leaned of the Rubicon 5s… which might be even a bit better for my own situ… DOH!
Great to learn about your experiences 😊
Thanks for another great video. End game soeaker; Spendor Classic 2/3 or Proac Response D2 or D2R. I don't have a big room.😀
Thank you Ada 👍
Hi Tarun, many thanks for your truly insightful and helpful reviews. Out of curiosity, why not review and compare a new production Proac? Maybe a D2R or DB1. These are highly loved by owners. These will give your viewers a true impression of modern Proacs, their sound signature and guide us accordingly. Thanks Tarun and all the best 🥂
Thank you. I have asked ProAc to send me some speakers on a couple of occasions so I could compare them with my old 1SCs. They declined 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 it is truly their loss
Thank you for the excelent descriptions. You are right about the Epicon2. It`s about the quality rather the quantities. I personaly will go for75db of good sound than 92db of mediocre one. I hope in the future you will review the last high end standmount Rubicon2 belonging the 2k range and make a comparison :) W.H.R
Thank you 🙂
Diapason Adamantes for getting out of the way and throwing a large stage, I also have Proac D2 and Kef 201/2 three very different standmounts and amp loads
Thank you 🙂
Great review as always Tarun. I own the Epicon 2s with dual REL S510 subs and like you realized they come alive at 80db and also prefer toe in. I’ve heard many other speakers looking for improvement but these perform quite well and not as popular as other brands. How wide apart did you have them? Looking forward to more reviews like this for comparable to EP2 caliber speakers, hopefully the manufacturers keep sending them your way. Cheers
I run them with 1 rel S/510, did you start with one and added one later, depending on the room did you have much benefts?
@@frankygoossens955 I started with two T7x, then upgraded to two S510 and the S series a clear step up. definitely dual balances out the sound to me and I run them right next to the speakers on 180 phase. If you’re able to try a second highly recommended.
@@andyrocha
The Epicon2 realy needs to have 1 or better 2 subs and i have no issues of listening on low volumes because of it.
Also there are comments that the highs are a bit elevated and on the bright
side, i have no problems with that at all, had the Sopra1 and that was to bright to me.
@@frankygoossens955 I don’t find the highs elevated either it’s a great speaker with any music genre. Any issues with it are likely gear matching I’ve not found better in the same or slightly higher price range yet.
@@andyrocha
Using Hegel H590
IF ONLY I had the money... I would probably go for SONUS FABER Electa Amateur III 😎 One reviewer wrote about them: "The sound of the Electa entered me like butter. And the second general reflection: while listening to these speakers, I felt like at a psychotherapeutic session or under the influence of antidepressants - as I imagine it..." Indeed, music is the best therapy, and I imagine, especially with these speakers. 😉
Thank you. Watch this space 👍
Your reviews are great. Thank you. Especially appreciated your comments about listening at low to moderate volumes, I wish more reviewers would address this. What bookshelf speakers do you think really excel at lower volumes?
Thank you kindly. A lot of the classic British monitors are great at low level listened. Harbeth, Graham Audio, Spendor (Classic series), ProAc, and the LS3/5A manufacturers 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314let us not forget clips and JBL
Great video. I recently bought a pair of Dali Oberon 3… my third different Dali bookshelf. I think they are fine speakers. Agreed with the slight toe in for sharper centre image. Though the rule book states no roe in. What’s the distance between the speakers? My guess about 6 feet.
As for end game.
My end game is very simple…. Buy a component that if it were to die and breakdown, you could replace it from a shop again with relative ease within two months. So these Oberon at £600 are just about in reach to keep a marriage also.
Amazing channel. My fav for an audiophile so far
All the best.
If Proac is your thing, I would go up the level on the same brand. I had your Proac speakers and upgraded to the Response D2. These are a pain to position, but oh boy, the typical British mids and stage, are Proacs all right. Could not beat with speakers costing considerably more. They are also easy to drive, even with valves. Good luck!
I drive proacs with SET valves amp...pure audio nirvana!
I suspect I would need to go for the K1s. The bank manager and the Mrs won’t be smiling 😂
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Exactly !
My end game speakers are the ATC SCM 100s with a matching ATC sub. Complete overkill for my small flat, but...
Thank you. Great speaker 👍
The Dali Epicons are a fantastic speaker. Superb modern design.
In comparison, you would need to look at the ATC SCM20 in my opinion.
Thank you. I plan to do that 😊
I had this speakers some years ago, and I approve this message. The limited dynamics were a turn off.
Thank you for sharing. Great speakers but not the best at low levels 🙂
I think my end game speaker would be Focal Sopra No1 period, that Beryllium tweeter... you need to hear it, no other way to understand how good that speaker is 👍Exposure and Hegel one of the best match for Sopra's.
Thank you Neal 🙂
I agree with you. Sopra No.1 are something else, but in all fairness, they are not in the same price range either. As everything else in this world, you get (roughly) what you pay for.
The only way I could improve my Sopra No.1 + Luxman L-509X combo would be... Sopra No.2! But again, not in the same price range!