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Dali Ikon2

mustvid

mustvid

Marty
I am considering taking step up with my speakers. Currently I have a pair of Nola Mini's. The speaker I'm considering is the Dali Ikon2. I really like ribbon tweeters and this speaker has ribbons and domes. I going to audition them soon but am curious if these speakers are truly a step up from the Nola's. I'm not concerned with fit and finish, so by step up I am referring to sound. The Nola's are black boxes but when compared to the beautiful Grand Haydns they don't look as good but produce a more open and dynamic sound and are more artiuclate in my opinion. The Dali intrigues me because of the dual tweeter arrangement. Thoughts?
 
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Good choice! They're a very nice speaker! :thmbsp:

The pair I heard was setup in a dealer's showroom, using a CD source and driven with a Manley Stingray. That was a very nice combination! Good imaging, with a nice 3-dimensional soundstage. I was really impressed by them!

Of course that system represented a pretty good chunk of change invested in tube gear, so it should sound great! I would definitely want to hear them driven by solidstage gear too, because I would be concerned that they might sound really bright when matched up with the wrong gear. But they are a little slice of heaven when driven with good tube gear.

I'm not familiar with your Nola Minis, so I can't help you there. Sorry!
 
No Art, not yet. I have la ocal dealer that I plan to visit once I find out if they have a demo pair to listen to. This dealer is currently advertising them buy one speaker get one free. Not sure of the price yet, waiting for a call back. I know you've heard the Nola's, do you think the Dali's are a step up?
 
thunderroad said:
Good choice! They're a very nice speaker! :thmbsp:

The pair I heard was setup in a dealer's showroom, using a CD source and driven with a Manley Stingray. That was a very nice combination! Good imaging, with a nice 3-dimensional soundstage. I was really impressed by them!

Of course that system represented a pretty good chunk of change invested in tube gear, so it should sound great! I would definitely want to hear them driven by solidstage gear too, because I would be concerned that they might sound really bright when matched up with the wrong gear. But they are a little slice of heaven when driven with good tube gear.

I'm not familiar with your Nola Minis, so I can't help you there. Sorry!
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My amp is a NAD C372 and my source is a PC with lossless files with HRT 2 DAC. I do have some ribbon tweeter speakers in my HT and I like the way music sounds from them. I like acoustic, rock and film scores.
 
mustvid said:
No Art, not yet. I have la ocal dealer that I plan to visit once I find out if they have a demo pair to listen to. This dealer is currently advertising them buy one speaker get one free. Not sure of the price yet, waiting for a call back. I know you've heard the Nola's, do you think the Dali's are a step up?
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It's been a while since I've listened to Dali speakers and my impressions were that they were pretty good though I remember thinking that the high end was a bit hot for me. I wondered if I could live with them. Best to give them an audition.
 
The high end on the Dali speakers I've heard seems very gear-dependent. It can get hot, but when well matched they can sound really nice. I have a tiny bit of listening experience with the Ikon but mostly this comment is based upon the larger upper range Helicon 800. That was a very nice speaker. It was being driven by Rogue Audio tube amps and Cary preamp when I heard it. It sounded bright and slightly fatiguing on a Cambridge Audio amplifier, with the same Cary preamp.
 
JohnVF said:
The high end on the Dali speakers I've heard seems very gear-dependent. It can get hot, but when well matched they can sound really nice. I have a tiny bit of listening experience with the Ikon but mostly this comment is based upon the larger upper range Helicon 800. That was a very nice speaker. It was being driven by Rogue Audio tube amps and Cary preamp when I heard it. It sounded bright and slightly fatiguing on a Cambridge Audio amplifier, with the same Cary preamp.
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Most of my listening was done with the Helicon as well. The gear was high end solid state and I can't remember the brand at present, even though I can see the room in my head. It was edgy. Listened to the Ikon's in another room.
 
So Art, are the Dali's a step up from the Nola's? I really like the Nola's but I'm always interested in listening to different gear.
 
mustvid said:
So Art, are the Dali's a step up from the Nola's? I really like the Nola's but I'm always interested in listening to different gear.
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More lateral than a step up IMO. You may like the sound better though, so do audition and let us know.
 
As always Art, I appreciate your willingness to give a frank opinion. I will give them a listen. Ok, can you recommend a few speakers that are a "true" step up? I think you told me the the Paradigm Studio 20 was in the same class as the Nola's.
 
mustvid said:
As always Art, I appreciate your willingness to give a frank opinion. I will give them a listen. Ok, can you recommend a few speakers that are a "true" step up? I think you told me the the Paradigm Studio 20 was in the same class as the Nola's.
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Pretty much. There are so many fine speakers that are a step up...

Look at Harbeth, Devore Fidelity, Audio Physic and Totem. Also for different flavors there is ProAc with a more etched sound and Spendor with a bit more easy going nature. If you are looking to move up then make it real. For me the Harbeth sound is the clincher...I'm not looking anymore. If I get another setup in the living room one day it will be with Harbeth speakers.

That said I would love to have a couple of sets of standmounts speakers to play with every now and again for a different flavor.
 
Thanks again Art. Unfortunately none of these brands are sold in my area to listen to. I don't think I can aford any of these unless I can find a pair used. I guess I like playing around with different speakers too. Im going to listen to the Dali's tomorrow possibly and check out the other brands this retailers sells.

The Totems are interesting, whiich would you recommend with my NAD IA? I was also reading about PSB. I think PSB is the sister company of NAD and heard they are a good sonic match. Saturday Audio is running a good special on PSB's. I think I'm staying with the NAD brand for now.
 
mustvid said:
Thanks again Art. Unfortunately none of these brands are sold in my area to listen to. I don't think I can aford any of these unless I can find a pair used. I guess I like playing around with different speakers too. Im going to listen to the Dali's tomorrow possibly and check out the other brands this retailers sells.

The Totems are interesting, whiich would you recommend with my NAD IA? I was also reading about PSB. I think PSB is the sister company of NAD and heard they are a good sonic match. Saturday Audio is running a good special on PSB's. I think I'm staying with the NAD brand for now.
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Of the brands I mentioned, Totem and ProAc are at the bottom for me as they both can be a bit edgy if everything isn't right. PSB is fine and they make some very nice speakers. Mordecai, you have owned some nice speakers with the Vienna's and the Nola's. Your garden variety PSB's and Paradigm's probably aren't going to cut it anymore. They may provide a moment of pleasure but you'll soon be out to upgrade again. It's fun to play with different sounds but at some point you may want to save and get the speaker that will always wind up back in the rotation.

For folks who don't know you could you tell everyone what size room you have and your listening preferences...both musically and how loud. I know you don't like anemic bass.

BTW I am still using NAD amplification and source and the Harbeth's don't object a bit...very nice match.
 
JohnVF said:
The PSB Synchrony line is pretty special. I like it quite a bit. But Harbeth is something else.
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Agreed, John.

Once you reach the retail price of the Synchrony line the competition gets pretty stiff. Good stuff though.
 
My listening room is 12x12 and I've sound treated it. I listen mostly to rock and really like acoustic stuff too. I like the low end because I listen to film scores. I hardly ever get the volume of my 372 beyond the 9:00 position. The speakers are about seven feet from my listening position. The room doubles as a theater room (Denon 3311) too. I have a REL T3 sub for music and Martin Logan Dynamo for movies. I use a 46 Samsumg LCD for a monitor and for movies. Everything is done on a small budget, so most of my equipment is used or open box stuff.
 
No right answer, Mordecai. I mentioned some brands in a previous post. I always recommend getting out there and listening but somyimes that isn't possible for one reason or the other. If you are certain that you want to listen before you buy then we kind of need to know what you have available to listen to. Otherwise we are just taking stabs in the dark.
 
I am having a hard time finding any stores that sell audiophile speakers. Best Buy opened a Magnolia
store that sells B&W, Sonus Faber and Monitor Audio. It looks like I will have to buy without listening.
 
Art, I listened to B&W CM5 and PM1's yesterday. I really liked the PM1's. I think I'm going to listen to some Paradigm S1's tomorrow. All I can find around here to audition are B&W, Paradigm, Sonus faber, and Monitor Audio. Didn't you have a pair of the S1's?
 
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