Dali Spektor 2 Review
Speaking of small bookshelf speakers, the most beautiful speakers probably is the Spektor series of Danish speaker company DALI. Among them, the floor-standing speaker Spektor 6 won the 2017 European Audiovisual Association EISA “Best Value Speaker” award, which means that the audio media appreciate Spektor from 25 European countries. The Spektor 2 introduced in this post also won the British What Hi-Fi Annual award The best speaker under £200. Want to step into the Hi-Fi world and immerse yourself in high-quality music? Spektor 2 will be your best entry choice.
Design
Spektor is an entry-level series of the famous Danish speaker manufacturer DALI. There are two bookshelf speakers in the series. The Spektor 2 reviewed in this post is larger in size and has three finishes of walnut, black ash, and white.
The tweeter is responsible for replaying the frequency range from 2.6kHz to 26kHz (the upper limit of the human ear’s high frequency is 22kHz), and the mid-woofer is responsible for 2.6kHz to 54Hz. Except for a few bass instruments (such as Double Bass), most instruments can be replayed well by Spektor 2.
Spektor 2’s wood grain veneer is admirable. The frequency response of DALI Spektor 2 is 54Hz to 26kHz. Through the bass reflex hole of the back panel, it can dive down to 51.5Hz, provided that the speaker is at least 50 cm away from the wall. For the speaker inputs, both Y plug and banana plug are applicable.
Although the mid-bass unit is not big, it is easy to push beyond imagination. With an exclusive wood fibre diaphragm, it gives clean and impactful low-frequency dynamics.
The Dali Spektor2 has a rear-ported design. Looking through the bass reflex port of Spektor 2, you can see the back of the tweeter. It displays the code name of DALI’s own driver unit factory (located in Nørager, Denmark). It shows that DALI’s strength as a large speaker manufacturer is different from other ODM and OEM brands.
Dali Spektor 2 uses a silk diaphragm for the tweeter. Generally speaking, as long as the diaphragm is stiffer and lighter, the replayable frequency will be higher. The diaphragm used in DALI is exceptionally light (0.056 mg/mm2), so it can be replayed up to 26kHz.
For the mid-bass monomer, the wood fibre cone is the most significant feature of DALI. The method is based on a paper cone and adding a certain proportion of wood fibre to optimize the quality of the diaphragm and effectively reduce the resonance point of the diaphragm. For a woofer of the same size, it is rare that Spektor 2 can reach 54Hz.
An excellent single-piece design is about the whole, from the metal frame, voice coil, magnet, magnetic pole, elastic wave, suspension, etc. Dali pays attention to all of them. If the design and manufacturing standards are sophisticated enough, the power conversion efficiency can be maintained at a high level.
The general speaker placement will require the toe-in position. The speaker’s direction is aimed at the human ear to produce the best listening position, calling sweet pot. To expand the scope of the sweet spot, DALI pays more attention to the diffusibility of monomers than other competitors.
FeaturesThe sound and music are both excellent. The resolution is comparable to a studio monitor speaker, and its musicality meets the needs of the home audio market, making music sound more lively and energetic.
Spektor 2 can be used as a two-channel speaker system and can also be used with the same series of products to form a multi-channel home theatre system.
From vinyl to CD, mp3, to the most popular Internet streaming, the most significant incentive for technological advancement is convenience. That is human nature. What about the convenience needs? I think that the quality of the music will be the next battlefield, just listeners who have been nurtured by technology for a long time. How can they develop an understanding of good sound quality? The first step is to pick a pair of high-quality passive speakers and experience the so-called stereo sound three-dimensional sound field.
Wait, what is a passive speaker? Simply put, it is a speaker that requires an external amplifier and player to make a sound. The Bluetooth speakers and the speakers in mobile phones/computers/TVs that we commonly see in our daily lives will have built-in amplifier circuit modules and active designs. Of course, active speakers do not mean poor sound quality (many high-quality active speakers are on the market, especially monitor speakers). Still, under the premise of low cost and multi-function, the first sacrifice is often the invisible place: the internal electronics element.
When testing the speakers, I mainly review them from two different perspectives: acoustics and musicality. The relationship between the two is very subtle. The former belongs to rational aspects, taking speakers as tools. We all know that there are no perfect replay pieces of equipment in the world. It seems that the camera lens cannot replace the naked eye. Any audio system will be distorted, just the amount of distortion and how to control the distortion.
After all, the designer must hear an excellent sound design before it is finalized before the designing and releasing. And every DALI speakers must make people in Admiration of Music.
Sound Performance
In terms of the music performance, the sound of Spektor 2 is excellent. The sensitivity of Spektor 2 is slightly lower at 84.5dB, but it is unexpectedly good. When I listened to the Helge Lien Trio jazz trio “Natsukashii”, the recording details of the bass drum, double bass plucking, mid-to high-pitched piano playing at low frequencies, and the fine-grained cymbals at high frequencies were all presented.
Dali Spektor 2 has a very good sound diffusivity, which means that the volume attenuation of the driver unit from the axis to the edge is relatively slow, and it can retain more sound details in a particular listening area. Just pay attention to the position, you can call up the ideal three-dimensional sound field. As the surround sound of a home theatre, the characteristics of Spektor 2 are needed.
I found out the more consistent characteristics of Spektor 2 through different amplifiers and cable combination in terms of musicality. What I have heard all day long is the open, balanced, and energetic sound.
What is openness? It means Spektor 2 can quite reflect the characteristics of music source equipment and cables. Compared with speakers with two distinctive characteristics, Spektor 2 has sufficient flexibility in sound changes. Balance means that Spektor 2 does not emphasize the volume of a specific frequency range.
Some floor-standing speakers have particularly full low frequencies, some bookshelf speakers emphasize high-frequency performance, some emphasize mid-range vocals, and Spektor 2 performs very consistently in all frequency range.
The musicality of audio equipment comes from the designer’s listening preferences. Through Spektor 2, I believe that DALI’s audio engineer must be a good musician at least one musical instrument because Spektor 2 has a reasonably neat, high-density sound line. With plenty of details and sound field performance, it outlines the recording scene like a painter.
Using the image as a metaphor, the so-called vigorous speaker has a certain degree of sharpness and a proper balance between colour saturation. Of course, Spektor 2 is also a sign of vitality.
Frankly speaking, with the performance and design details of Spektor 2, it will not be too expensive for speakers on the market. Because DALI has been established for 35 years (since 1983), it has accumulated much know-how to make speakers. The technology, experience, and production scale are all available. This know-how makes DALI skilled in making excellent speakers, free eliminates unnecessary expenses and returns the saved costs to consumers. Getting started in the Hi-Fi audio world is not difficult. With a pair of DALI speakers, you are on the road!
Conclusion
There are no too many fancy methods, and it won’t deliberately attract the audience’s attention. Dali SPEKTOR 2 only interprets the music, blends emotions, and gives people a sense of immersion.
This feeling is like the pleasure of gathering old friends, sharing food and wine, just like relaxing and cosiness after far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Listening to SPEKTOR 2, you only need to enjoy the beauty and dream of music quietly. I think the performance of SPEKTOR 2 is well-deserved. With balanced sound quality, stable performance, and excellent musicality, SPEKTOR 2 will take you to enjoy the pure and truly beautiful music.
SPEKTOR 2 truly embodies a comfortable and balanced music effect. When the human voice comes out of SPEKTOR 2, you seem to feel like you are shaking hands and talking with an old friend. When you think of the musical music, you seem to be lying in your favourite chair, reading a masterpiece, and sipping a cup of tea.
Dali Spektor 2 Specs
- Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]: 54 – 26,000 Hz
- Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB]: 84.5 dB
- Nominal Impedance [ohms]: 6 ohms
- Maximum SPL [dB]: 105 dB
- Recommended Amplifier Power [W]: 25 – 100 Watt
- Crossover Frequency [Hz]: 2,600 Hz
- Crossover Principle 2-way
- High frequency driver, Quantity: 1 x 25 mm
- High frequency driver, Diaphragm type: Soft Textile Dome
- Low frequency driver, Quantity: 1 x 5,25″
- Low frequency driver, Diaphragm type: Wood Fibre Cone
- Enclosure type: Bass Reflex
- Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz]: 51.5 Hz
- Connection Input: Single Wire
- Recommended Placement: Shelf or stand / On-Wall
- Recommended Distance From Wall [cm]: 1 – 80 cm
- Dimensions (HxWxD) [mm]: 292 x 170 x 238 mm
- Weight [kg]: 4.2 kg
