Dali Katch G2
£330
The all-new Dali Katch G2 brings a raft of improvements to the familiar slender, oval design, including even more stamina, wider Bluetooth support and tweaks to the audio design.
While at the pricey end of the market for a portable Bluetooth speaker, in a sea of barrel-shaped speakers clad in fun, fabric jackets and ruggedised rubber, the Dali has an altogether classier feel thanks to the gold coin branding, the curved volume lights surrounding the power button, genuine leather handle and sound profile and battery life indication.
Despite the G2’s svelte dimensions, there’s enough volume within the speaker’s aluminium body for its woofers to deliver crisp, deep lows. The cabinet now has an internal wall dividing it into two inner volumes for improved channel separation. The speaker’s soundfield, meanwhile, is created by a two-way system powered by a pair of 25W Class D amplifiers, which feed two 21mm soft textile-dome tweeters, two 9cm aluminium-cone low-frequency drivers and two steel-cone passive bass radiators. The drivers located on both sides of the speaker help to create as wide a stereo effect as possible. It’s a solution that boasts a maximum sound pressure level of 95db.
Dali has implemented True Wireless Stereo here, enabling users to pair two Katch G2s in stereo for increased volume and separation, with aptx HD to support better-quality streams at 24-bit/48khz.
Steely Dan’s live Rikki Don’t Lose That Number comes through brimming with detail, from the abstract melodica and key progressions to the electric guitar, flugelhorn and backing vocal. More than that, the Katch G2 is able to capture faithfully the sense of audience – the background texture of a live gig.
The Dali doesn’t scrimp on veracity or grip when it comes to the low notes, either. As we increase the volume, we find the Katch G2’s room-filling sound neither loses clarity nor errs toward harshness – no small achievement from something so bijou.
Sonically, the Katch G2 is a delight. If you don’t care about daisy-chaining several (or a hundred) Bluetooth speakers at the push of a button, the Dali Katch G2 is the classiest and best-sounding speaker of its kind you can buy for the money.