Dali Opticon 6 MKII Review

Dali launches the second-generation Dali Opticon 6 MKII series in 2020, adding a number of strong competitors to the entry-level speaker market.

Dali has always been admirable with precision in terms of cost, price, and performance. Their layout in the low-price market over the years has been excellent every time they make a move. Have you heard of the Oberon series? Among affordable speakers, whether sound performance or appearance, it is one of the best on the recommended list.

Have you seen Katch Bluetooth speakers? The fashion sense full of youthful elements makes people happy at first sight. If you think the TV’s sound at home is low, with a Katch One, it can be used as a Soundbar, or you can listen to music. It’s beautiful to hang on the wall.

This time Opticon has been upgraded to Opticon MK2, which is another beautiful upgrade. Without the old model to compare, I can’t judge how much the sound performance has improved. However, the appearance of Opticon MK2’s improvement is obvious to all.

This pair of Opticon 6 MK2 is gorgeous. On the Dali Opticon 6 MKII’s square box, the material is used to create a touchable texture. You touch its box skin (Tobacco Oak), the three-dimensional surface of the texture, revealing the original and natural personality.

And its grille is also different. Dali chose a coarse woven fabric with a more three-dimensional warp and weft, which has a perfect touch. Among affordable speakers, the Dali Opticon MK2 series is truly unique.

Solid cabinet to reduce resonance

Although the cabinet does not have a clever design, this boxy speaker is solid. The cabinet is made of MDF. The front panel is made of 25mm thick plates. There are compartments inside, which prevent back waves from interfering with other monomers and help strengthen the cabinet structure and reduce resonance.

The Dali Opticon 6 MKII ‘s grille does not follow the trend with a magnetic design but a jack design. However, Dali cleverly hides the jack on the single frame, keeping the visual simplicity without affecting the aesthetics. The extended bracket at the bottom increases the floor area and makes the speaker stand more stable. In addition, the height-adjustable foot nails are convenient for users to adjust the level of the speaker.

Double bass reflex hole

The two bass reflex holes are located on the back of the box. Dali calls this Dual Flare and said that this design has less airflow disturbance than a single bass reflex hole. The reflex hole “breathes” more efficiently and is more helpful for the extensibility of bass.

Hybrid tweeter module

The Opticon 6 MK2 is the second leader in the series. There is also an Opticon 8 MK2 with a more prominent bass caliber, one more midrange, and a single unit weighing more than 30 kg. This small floor speaker contains many of Dali’s signature technologies. The first thing to mention is the design of its dual tweeter Hybrid Tweeter, which combines a 17 x 45 mm aluminum ribbon tweeter and a 29mm soft dome tweeter.

Dali has used this hybrid aluminum tape and soft dome dual tweeter module for many years. Perhaps there are similar designs on other Hi-End brand speakers, but few manufacturers put the Hybrid Tweeter design on affordable speakers. In addition to Dali’s bookshelf speakers, all floor speakers above Opticon MK2 are equipped with dual tweeter technology.

What are the benefits of this? Dali said that even with the best soft hemisphere tweeter, the frequency response would slowly decay after 10kHz, but the aluminum ribbon tweeter can reach higher.

Therefore, they added an aluminum ribbon tweeter to reinforce the Opticon 6 MK2 frequency band above 14,000 Hz. In this way, the frequency response of Opticon 6 MK2 with dual tweeters can reach up to 30kHz, and the ribbon tweeter has excellent horizontal dispersion, and the off-axis response is still outstanding.

SMC wood fiber woofer

Below the Dali Opticon 6 MKII ‘s dual tweeter, there are two 6.5-inch woofers. The single unit of the Dali speaker is also made by themselves to do a lot of decentralization. The woofer of the Opticon 6 MK2 looks just like the flagship Epicon series bass because this is precisely the technology decentralization from the flagship.

The bass diaphragm adopts the paper cone diaphragm of mixed wood fiber that Dali is most proud of. Its hardness and damping are sufficient, so the cone splitting distortion is extremely low, and the sound is natural. The single-frame uses a cast aluminum frame, which is challenging in texture and has high heat dissipation efficiency.

In addition, Dali Opticon 6 MKII reserves as much heat dissipation space as possible so that heat convection is better when the single body moves, and the magnetic system is not prone to distortion due to overheating.

The technology decentralization is not only the diaphragm. Dali also has a signature technology called SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound). This soft magnetic mixture is a kind of small spherical particle that can be molded into any shape.

The magnet made of this material can reduce the Eddy current effect and the magnetic hysteresis effect (magnetic hysteresis) when used on the horn. )Impact. There are still rich details at low volume, and the sound is always natural.

Crossover capacitor upgrade

In terms of crossover, Opticon 6 MK2 maintains Dali’s consistent style. Try not to use too many components to avoid energy loss. Dali Opticon MK2 has changed the components with lower loss capacitors. This move makes the MK2 full range of speakers have a smoother response, more details, and more accurate sound than the previous generation Opticon.

In addition, Dali installs the crossover directly behind the Dali Opticon 6 MKII speaker terminal to shorten the transmission path. The large-scale pure copper and gold-plated speaker terminals are even more luxurious at the same price.

Sound Performance

s for the sound performance, I have to say that Opticon 6 MK2 is a pair of speakers that you won’t regret buying. It is pretty easy to drive, the sound is natural and smooth, the texture is a bit full, but the overall sound is loose, and the appearance of the sounding body is carved, but it is not aggressive.

And it’s perfect for positioning. I tried the front face, added a little inward inclination, attempted a large angle toe in, tried a two-meter spacing, and tried to stretch it to a width of about 1.5 meters approximately placed on both sides of the TV. Of course, various positioning methods will bring different hearing feelings, but Opticon 6 MK2 never makes any nasty noises. Dali is a friendly speaker.

Regarding sound quality and timbre, I will give an example of an album by Goran Sollscher and Patrick Gallois co-starring Piazzolla. The compilation of this CD is simple, with only one classical guitar and one flute. Due to the small size, the texture of the instrument itself is particularly clear.

Opticon 6 MK2 surpassed my imagination in expressing the charm of this guitar, which is surprising. As for the flute, the airflow in the metal tube is full of life, and when the high notes are played, the sound is full of energy and strength.

The sound of Opticon 6 MK2 is very fresh and natural, and it does not deliberately pursue the thick sound, making the music sound more dynamic. Listening to Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 10 by Liza Ferschtman and Inon Barnatan, this album has a full and rich recording. Under the replay of Opticon 6 MK2, the violin and piano are played in perfect harmony, which is inspiring. The violin is concrete and solid, with a transparent and three-dimensional shape.

When playing large-scale music, Opticon 6 MK2 can pull out an open stage, wide and deep. The hierarchical distribution of the various parts in the music is clear at a glance. Even if the volume is slightly increased, it will not be chaotic.

Listening to John Williams directing the Vienna Philharmonic to perform his work, in “The Flight to Neverland”, the simple theme is constantly flipped, fast but changeable, the drums are full of weight, and the music advances in a joyful rhythm.

Opticon 6 MK2 played Michael Jackson’s songs to make people excited. The mid and high pitches are fresh, open, and natural, fully expressing Michael’s singing and voice, clearly sorting out the complex composition and various elements of Michael’s songs, and the controlled and fast low frequency makes the rhythm more lively and vigorous.

The strong rhythm in “They Don’t Care about Us” never stops. Those electronic drum sounds are fast and robust, and every sound is violent. Opticon 6 MK2 fully demonstrates the short and sharp side of these drum sounds.

Conclusion

Every time I listen to the Dali speakers, it is a pleasant experience, and this time I hear the Dali Opticon 6 MKII floor-standing speaker, it still presents me with the same experience. Dali Opticon 6 MKII brings me the joy of listening and the surprises I smell in music, not only beyond my imagination but also will be beyond your imagination.

Dali Opticon 6 MKII Specs

• Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]: 49 – 30,000
• Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB]: 88.0
• Nominal Impedance [ohms]: 4
• Maximum SPL [dB]: 110
• Recommended Amplifier Power [W]: 25 – 200
• Crossover Frequency [Hz]: 800 / 2,200 / 14,000
• Crossover Principle: 2½ + ½-way
• Hybrid tweeter module, Super high freq. driver, Quantity: 1 x 17 x 45 mm
• Hybrid tweeter module, Super high freq. driver, Diaphragm type: Ribbon
• Hybrid tweeter module, High-frequency driver, Quantity: 1 x 29 mm
• Hybrid tweeter module, High-frequency driver Diaphragm type: Soft Textile Dome
• Midrange driver, Quantity:2 x 6 1/2″
• Midrange driver, Diaphragm type: Wood Fibre Cone
• Enclosure type: Bass Reflex
• Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz]: 43.5
• Connection Input: Bi-Wiring
• Bi-Amping: (INT)
• Magnetic Shielding: No
• Recommended Placement : Floor
• Recommended Distance From Wall [cm]: 20 – 100
• Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm]: 1001 x 195 x 330
• Weight [kg]: 19.3