Who is using Dali Speakers?


I heard the model 4 Dali speakers with Classe CDP, preamps and CAM 350 mono blocks and I was really not impressed. Today I am going to hear the model 5s from a reviewer who is telling me that these are the real thing (alot more $$$ than the 4s).

He is advising me that the 4s were probably not properly set up and that placement is 70% or more the issue of great sound. I think he is correct as the 4s were just moved out into the room with no specific placement and no spikes. I under stand the spike issue as I have tried a few on my B&W matrix 803s but the 4s really seemed rolled off completely and very boxy sounding. The sound was not musical at and they had no dynamics.

Any thoughts from Dali owners?

Thanks and Happy Listening.
bigkidz
Bigkidz,
What part of the country are you from? I listened to the MS4 this past weekend and the dealer here in NYC had the same setup. They didn't strike me as rolled-off but I thought they would sound better. I also figured that bad placement had A LOT do with the not so great sound.
I've been talking to my dealer about these for the past few weeks. I'd also like to hear your opinion on the MS5.

Thanks,
Jose.
Jose,

I probably heard them at the same dealer. The speakers had no spikes and placement was out into the room but just eyed into place.

The 5s are a much better speaker than the 4s but at a higher cost. Today I heard speakers from Talon, the Raven Cs and I would buy them over the 5s and over most speakers I have heard over the past several months. Why the Ravens, size, cost, faster, play louder better, more detailed sound and depth. The Dalis are somewhat smoother sounding overall but the Talons had more slam and dynamic impact. The listening took over four hours but the differences in the speakers were immediate. The Ravens are the speaker to beat for me at this point. I will be hearing the VS VR-4SEs this week and a few other name brands. I did not really want to believe that a 2 way speaker could sound as good as it did. They sound like monitors with bass. There is a Talon dealer in NYC (not sure if he has the Ravens) so if you get the chance go take a listen; hey I will go with you. They are one of the most detailed speakers I have ever heard without sounding too analytical.

The speakers were driven with very high-end tube mono block amps, and the EMC CDP. Email me directly if you want to go into more details.

Happy Listening.
i am using dali grand coupes, and imho, these may be the finest stand mounts available. they aren't the last word in treble, but the sheer heft of the bass and the transparency of the mids is astounding. they are pricey-- around 3g's, but not much touches them in that price range. i'm surprised that there's so little discussion of these speakers on audiogon... maybe due to the fact that they are new to the states...
Maybe your problem, besides the set up, was that the amps didn't work well with the speakers. Sounds like the speaker were not broken in either. I've just bought a pair of Helicon 800's and they sound fantastic. They totally disappear in the room. I am using Sim Audio gear, definetely better than Classe. I recently had a chance to listen to some Quads but they couldn't touch the Dali's. Soundstaging was similar but what a difference in dynamics.
Go listen again to a pair that is broken in and properly set up (not toed in).