Dali Spektor 6

FOR Wide spread of sound; easy going, likeable character AGAINST Rivals offer greater insight and rhythmic ability

When Dali first announced a new budget range of speakers, we immediately wondered if this was the death knell for the much-admired Zensor series. But the Spektor range isn’t there to replace the long-standing Zensors; it offers a new, slightly lower-priced entry point to the Danish loudspeaker company’s range.

We’ve got the flagship and only floorstanders of the range here, and expectations are high: the £500 Spektor 6s promise to offer big wallops of exciting sound for an affordable price.

Solid and smart

One look at the wood-pulp drivers and the mix of cabinet textures (vinyl wrap and leather e„ect) and you won’t mistake these Spektors for anything but a Dali. These are two-way speakers with the 25mm soft-dome tweeter joined by two 16.5cm mid/bass units. At the back you’ll Œnd two bass reŽex ports, which help to augment the low frequency output.

The build quality is good rather than great. While these don’t have the luxury feel of rivals such as the Q Acoustics 3050s, they remain solid and smartly finished. There are two vinyl finish options: black ash and classic walnut.

Since they’re entry-level floorstanders, the materials are a step down from the Zensors. The wood-fibre cones aren’t the same ones, for instance, but have the same resonance-reducing properties.

Just because Dali has to use more cost-effective materials doesn’t mean it’s ignored one of the speaker company’s core principles: wide dispersion. It means that the Spektors – just like other Dali speakers – should be placed straight on, not toed in. Their dispersion characteristics make for a broader listening sweet spot, which means you can get the full blast across a wider range of listening positions.

Sure enough, the most prominent feature of the Spektor 6s is how big and e„ortless they sound. The Žoorstanders easily fill a room with their large-scale, open sound. They can go pretty loud, too.

Well-balanced

There’s plenty of body to the presentation. It’s upfront, with a bouncy low end that keeps us tapping along to The White Stripes’ brooding bassline in Seven Nation Army. The guitars crash and whine with crunchy textures, and the Spektors handle changing dynamics with gusto. And unlike some other Dalis, the top end does a better job of blending in with the rest of the frequencies. It’s well-balanced.

The Spektors have an easygoing character that bodes well for any genre that you throw at them. This unfussy nature does mean they’re not the most transparent of speakers – you won’t hear these Dalis trying too hard to differentiate the tone between a Tom Waits song and Of Monsters And Men. But they’re fun and easy to listen to.

They’re neither particularly analytical, nor precision masters – they’re just happy playing music in the most crowd-pleasing way possible.

Missing out

We would like a more substantial and insightful midrange, however. Voices can sometimes sound a touch vague, with not enough solidity driving Stevie Nicks’ singing in Rumours – it loses a bit of edge and power because of that. Switch to the Q Acoustics 3050, and you can hear more nuances and better organisation. The beats land more precisely, too, and the

“If they were priced a bit more competitively, we’d happily overlook their shortcomings in light of that big, easy, even-toned performance”

speakers handle every rhythmic and dynamic shift with an elegance and maturity that the Dalis can’t quite match.

If the Dali Spektor 6s were priced a bit more competitively, we’d happily overlook their shortcomings in light of that big, easy, even-toned performance. They may not be the budget bargain they sought to be (and the Zensors have nothing to worry about), but we can imagine many liking – even preferring – their big and cheery character.

They’re not up to the quality of the 3050s but are still jolly good fun