Dali Menuet SE
They lack low-end muscle, but if you are tight for space, these speakers are as good as it gets at this price
For anyone tight on space, the choice of speakers is pretty limited. One of our favourite options in this situation is the long-running Dali Menuets. We originally reviewed them around a decade ago and they have remained essentially unchanged since then. Rather than replace them, Dali has now added this SE model. It’s clear that the company didn’t want to mess with a winning recipe, so the changes are relatively subtle.
On the outside, there’s a lovely Wild Walnut real-wood veneer covered in an immaculately applied high gloss finish. The rest of the tiny 25cm tall cabinet remains unchanged. It feels immensely solid and the overall build is excellent. We can’t think of a similarly priced alternative that does better.
Desirable properties
The drive unit complement is the same as before. That 11.5cm mid/bass driver uses the company’s favoured wood-fibre cone material, which is claimed to give a good balance between rigidity, low weight and damping properties. This unit has been designed to cope with wide ranging dynamics, so the chassis is as open as possible to help with airflow.
The dome tweeter is fairly typical at 28mm diameter, but is claimed to be around 30 per cent lighter than similar designs, which helps in its ability to track the input signal.
The biggest change in engineering terms is the upgraded crossover that links the two drive units. This is now built on a higher-quality circuit board that reduces electrical interference. The circuit features Mundorf capacitors, more usually seen on high-end speakers. A set of high-grade single-wire terminals completes the design.
These Menuet SES are rated at 86db/w/m and have a nominal impedance of 4 ohms, so will perform best with an amplifier with a decent amount of grunt – Cambridge’s CXA81 would be a good starting point. You’ll need a similarly capable source, or these Dalis will bite with aggressive recordings or partnering equipment.
They work best close to a rear wall. In our test room, we settle on around 20cm out from the wall, but go too far and the speakers start to sound insubstantial and lack solidity. Also, make sure you fire the Menuets straight ahead, rather than angling towards the listening position. Dali always designs its speakers to sound better when positioned this way.
Precise and agile performers
The Menuet SE are impressively fast and responsive performers. We can’t think of an alternative that sounds so precise or agile. We play Dvořák’s New World Symphony and are pleased by their ability to render detail and organise it in a musically convincing manner.
These Dalis generate a sense of scale that’s out of keeping with their modest dimensions. They image well, producing an expansive, well-focused soundstage. There’s also a pleasing lack of restraint to the presentation that makes music exciting and entertaining.
Speakers this small are never going to dig particularly deep at low frequencies, but when positioned close to a wall these Dalis do better than expected. They cover their tracks well enough that a lack of bass isn’t a big issue in smaller rooms. The shortfall of bass muscle shows through in a lack of sonic authority and the inability to reproduce enough of the power of an orchestra to truly convince. But we can forgive that, given the Menuet’s compact stature.
Tonally, things are nicely judged. There’s a pleasing richness to the midband that gives the sound a decent dose of solidity. The treble is a little forward, but remains refined and well integrated as long as the speakers are carefully partnered.
We switch to High Hopes by Bruce Springsteen, and the Dalis shine. These Menuets have an explicit and wellprojected midrange that makes the most of Springsteen’s passionate vocals. His voice comes through with a level of texture and nuance that’s hard to better at this price.
They can party too, conveying rhythms with precision and drive, and having enough in the way of punch to satisfy. Given appropriate source material, these boxes deliver a thrilling listen that brims with energy.
These Dalis are tiny speakers, and that means bigger alternatives will invariably give more when it comes to low-end muscle, sonic authority and dynamic reach. But, when it comes to detail, agility and dynamic expression, particularly in the midrange, these are as good as it gets for the price. If you’re tight for listening space, then these Dali Menuet SES could be the speakers you have been waiting for.