Another lost soul looking for the light (Dali/MA/Klipsch)

[SDK2]

HI All,
my first post in this great community.
Looking for some advice.

Environment:
Room: ~20m2 (maybe ~30 soon)
Amp: Cambridge Audio CXA81
Wall distance : max 20/30 cm (don't mind usign some acoustic foam to take away some bass if needed )

I'm lookingfor a balanced but not very laid back sound. and definitively not something that will make my years bleed after 30 min. Music plays on and on 16h a day in my home

i'm deciding between two price buckets. my local dealers arenn't very keen on letting people try-before-buy much so i only managed to test the Dali Rubicons and i do like htem a lot. Even if they may be a bit overkill for the room size i think i can manage to control the bass with some acoustic foam (or not ?) . I was looking at the Opticon 6's initially but think the Rubicons are worth the potential future upgrade

Any comments on comparing the rest of the speakers in each bucket will be appreciated.

(bucket A
Dali Rubicon 6
KEF R7
Focal Area 936/948
Monitor Audio Gold 200

(bucket B
Dali Rubicon 8
Klipsch Forte III
Monitor Audio Gold 300

From what i'm reading my class AB amp wont give justice to Forte's but they should still sound pretty damn good. And value-for-money Dali's do seem better then MA's .

So i guess at the end i'm a bit torn between the Forte's and Rubicon's

 

[marcos alvarenga]

I have this same amp with a pair of B&W 606S2 about 10cm from the shelf MDF rear wall. In low volumes (~20%), which are my usual possible listening level, the bass is not impaired at all. But in the rare moments I can listen to loud music I need the foams which came with the 606s.

 

[Helix Hifi]

Dali is great. Fun dynamic sound. They could be smoother in the midrange, tweeter.

The Monitor Audio speakers are smoother, while still being dynamic. Can be placed as little as 20 cm from the back walls.

Amplifiers. Difficult to say. Since it’s crucial to find the right one. Go audition yourself. This is the best advice I can give you. Home demo is important too.

 

[Helix Hifi]

Don’t rule out the KEF speakers.

 

[Helix Hifi]

I see you own the Cambridge amplifier. It we’ll suit many speakers.

 

[Helix Hifi]

The rubicon are more refined then the Opticon. They should be, considering the price. But as always the room, amplifier and to some degree source/cables matters.

Monitor Audio silver 200 I found bit harsh in the upper midrange on my setup. Could be more break in is needed. Otherwise much smother then Dali in the midrange.

Perhaps it’s wrong calling Dali analytic speakers, they aren’t. Just more upfront in the midrange, tweeter. But for some they are. Matching is key. Perhaps I’ll buy Dali speakers in the future again. Owned the Oberon 5.

KEF is somewhere in the middle. If it were me, I would buy either the KEF or the Monitor Audio speakers.

Little, to none experience with Klipsch. But if you are talking about the more expensive models. I don’t think you’ll have any issues.

Klipsch only needs 10 watts to rock the house. The sensitivity is very high, hence you need less gain on the volume control.

I’d just want to add. I find Dali more sensitive to the sound if placed 20 cm to the walls. 80 cm is the sweet spot. At least in my room.

Dali also don’t supply magnetic grills. Don’t supply rubber feet’s. Only spike. So you need something to protect the floor. Granite etc. If it were I’d invest in Soundcare super spikes. They tighten up the bass. Protect the floor also. Google them online. Very pricey though.

The Silver 300 I own now don’t have any issues with being placed closed to the walls. I’ve never used the bungs which are supplied in the box from the fabric. Also they include rubber feet’s. Outrigger feet’s they call it.

Plus I find them smother then the Silver 200.

Good luck.

 

[FRFT]

Of the speakers you are looking at, I've only heard the kef r7. They're very neutral and balanced, so they could be what you're looking for.

As they are neutral, depending on your room and partnering equipment, they could get tilted to bright or warm.

I don't think the Klipsch will be balanced, and from having a quick look they seem to be a bit light on bass. They look really cool though. I noticed they're 4000usd in the US and 4000 GBP in the UK, so it's a bit of a shame you lose a lot of value. Something to consider.

Foam won't help with controlling bass, but eq will. The whole argument about a speaker being too big for a room is basically voided by eq.

 

[musicphil]

How you thought of the Klipsch and a good tube amp?
This would give you a smooth 3d holographic sound without any harshness.

 

[nomorelandings]

The rubicon are more refined then the Opticon. They should be, considering the price. But as always the room, amplifier and to some degree source/cables matters.

Monitor Audio silver 200 I found bit harsh in the upper midrange on my setup. Could be more break in is needed. Otherwise much smother then Dali in the midrange.

Perhaps it’s wrong calling Dali analytic speakers, they aren’t. Just more upfront in the midrange, tweeter. But for some they are. Matching is key. Perhaps I’ll buy Dali speakers in the future again. Owned the Oberon 5.

KEF is somewhere in the middle. If it were me, I would buy either the KEF or the Monitor Audio speakers.

Little, to none experience with Klipsch. But if you are talking about the more expensive models. I don’t think you’ll have any issues.

Klipsch only needs 10 watts to rock the house. The sensitivity is very high, hence you need less gain on the volume control.

I’d just want to add. I find Dali more sensitive to the sound if placed 20 cm to the walls. 80 cm is the sweet spot. At least in my room.

Dali also don’t supply magnetic grills. Don’t supply rubber feet’s. Only spike. So you need something to protect the floor. Granite etc. If it were I’d invest in Soundcare super spikes. They tighten up the bass. Protect the floor also. Google them online. Very pricey though.

The Silver 300 I own now don’t have any issues with being placed closed to the walls. I’ve never used the bungs which are supplied in the box from the fabric. Also they include rubber feet’s. Outrigger feet’s they call it.

Plus I find them smother then the Silver 200.

Good luck.

Hi Helix,
My Rubicon 6s came with rubber feet and outriggers/spikes I replaced spikes with GAIA feet and agree, 65 cms was ideal after much fiddling. They are room sensitive, but once set, excellent to my ears. When I bought the Epicons, they were placed in exactly the same spot and not moved since. Consistency through the range. Never had any listening fatigue and I listen a lot! I suspect that you need a big room for the 8s. Hard to advise as not heard the others, but prefer built in Denmark with in house components to anything from covid central. That said, my DACs are PRC and are great value.