Dali Kubik One £800

A winning combination of sound quality, features, looks and build

The competition is stiff, but it’s the Dali Kubik One that comes out on top of this test. Sonically, it’s a soundbar that just commands attention whenever it’s playing. The bass is substantial and packed full of dynamism, and is significantly more responsive than the bass-heavy, but less subtle, Samsung HW K850 – the Dali is ready to ex its lowfrequency muscles at any opportunity.

It also has a great deal of insight in the treble, the scales just tipping in its favour when compared with the five-star Yamaha YSP 2700 – the Kubik One delivers more expression in dialogue and greater nuance in the effects, without any harsh edges. It’s got a spacious soundstage too, so even busy scenes of sonic complexity have the freedom to move around.

The Dali is as good on the outside as it is on the inside, its high-quality aluminium exterior hitting all three points of a soundbar’s design triad: solidity, elegance and slimness. The micro-usb port on its back, so you can link it up with a Mac or PC, is a nice touch too, as is the extra audio output in case you want to add a subwoofer.

Whether you’re playing a film or blasting out some high-resolution music, the Dali’s 24-bit/96khz support will be able to handle it.

While the lack of an HDMI connection might be a dealbreaker for some – and in that case, we’d point you towards the Yamaha – when it comes to sound quality you won’t be able to get anything better at this price than the Dali Kubik One. It will really take something special to knock this multiple Award-winner off the podium.

“When it comes to sound quality you won’t be able to get anything better at this price than the Dali Kubik One”