DALI Spektor 6 Floor standing speakers
Just on the recent day we tested shelf models DALI Spektor 2 and found that only the price tag deserves an uncensorious attitude. Both the finish and the sound quality of the new loudspeakers, developed in Denmark and manufactured in China, were at the height that be attributed to True Hi-Fi.
The floor and the biggest in the new Spektor 6 series are made in the same way - at least, externally. Vinyl film is used to finish the bodies, which realistically imitates American walnut veneer with its spectacular texture. The front panel is covered with other material, by texture reminding natural leather. Take my word for it, you will not find such luxury now in loudspeakers costing much less than $1000. Even the weight does not give grounds to be suspicious of cheapness. Almost 14 kg for a loudspeaker with a height of about one meter is quite a decent indicator. The kit has everything you need: a dustproof mesh to protect the front side, spikes and elastic legs. From behind we find two bass-reflexes and a pair of decent gold-plated terminals.
The tweeter has a ribbed flange-bell and a 25-mm dome, which is so thin and weightless (according to the manufacturer, it is twice lighter than an average tweeter of a similar design) that a sound-absorbing felt pad is visible under it. And the diffusers of 16-cm woofers are manufactured using the same technology that DALI has long used for the production of unique drivers of the most advanced class - from cellulose and finely split wood fibers. The advantages of such a material are that fibers randomly distributed over the surface of the diffuser "wash out" its own resonance.
We note in particular that all drivers were designed specifically for the new series and were optimized precisely for the characteristics that are important for coherence. Simply put, they do not need additional frequency correction circuits in crossovers, so the filters are the simplest and "correct" - Low-loss, as DALI calls them. At the same time, crossovers, in addition, are friendly to any type of amplifier. Even the impressive Spektor 6 can be safely connected to a budget receiver that is not designed for loads less than 6 ohms or to weak micro-systems.
Well, now let's check out what they did. Our room is rather damped, it's area is 36 square meters. If the systems are installed as recommended by the manufacturer - with a direct orientation, without targeting the listening point - the tonal balance is somewhat dark. This is normal.
A good "visual" scene begins to emerge from 40 to 50 centimeters away from the wall, which, by the way, falls into the range recommended by the manufacturer from 20 to 100 centimeters. But if possible, it is better to place the loudspeakers even further. Experiments with the orientation of the installation will also be useful - with a properly selected angle, the binding of the flanking images to the drivers disappears, and the high-frequency lightness of the playback does not deteriorate.
Such adequate responsiveness to any attempts to build a sound field is the evidence of really high-class loudspeakers. Try to do the same with any multi-band "coffins" equipped with five-dollar drivers - you get tired of looking for a compromise. As for DALI Spektor 6, there are no technical problems. You can easily switch from the search of sound stimuli to a purely aesthetic perception of music.
This does not mean that Spektor 6 has no shortcomings. The lower range is quite extensive, supported by energy, but in the area of 90-150 Hz there is a slight accent. The attack of the drums is quite fast and energetic at medium levels, but as the volume rises, the sound seems to be slightly compressed. In the middle lane, all timbres are natural and clear, many musical details are heard, all timbres and even all shades are open. But I am afraid that this will cease to be an advantage when the acoustics are switched from the reference path to the cheap amplifier and the source - with one hundred percent guarantee DALI Spektor 6 will also openly and unceremoniously point out the wretchedness of the path. And in the upper register you can face the same problem - the detailed and generally neutral character of the tweeters' sound can be distorted beyond recognition.
