Dali Ikon6 Weak Bass or Amp

[jpoci]

Greetings folks -
I'm soliciting opinions. I've been auditioning speakers for a mixed music/HT setup. I'm down to Monitor Audio RS6s or Dali Ikon6s as the fronts. The one thing that bothers me is what sounds to be a real lack of bass on the Dalis, although the treble and midrange is the best I've heard at this price. What's bothering me is that I haven't seen a comment to this effect in any of the reviews (professional or otherwise) that I've read. Is the bass on the weak side? ...or is it me listening to a receiver amp for the first time. I'll be disappointed if it is since it's an Arcam 280 and this is the route I was planning to go with the electronics.

Any thoughts?

Jim

 

[jamie2112]

Could you hook the dalis up to a receiver that you are used to hearing? I have heard the dalis and they sound great. I heard them thru a conrad johnson pre and acurus a250 amp.That is a little different than the system you listened to but I thought the dalis had plenty of bass. I personally would add a sub to any speaker setup because I love bass. That is just me though.I am sure there will be some great advice given out to you through this forum. People on here ar every helpful.

 

[codexp3]

I'd look at the speaker before I looked at the electronics. Most people can't pick a receiver/amp in a blind A/B. The electronics have the smallest effect on sound...

 

[emorphien]

I have not heard them, but what size room were you auditioning them in and do you know if they were properly positioned? That can have a big impact on some speakers, depending on how they're ported, room boundaries, etc.

Also, will you be using a subwoofer to handle the bass? If you are going to have a sub then the Icons would make more sense perhaps since you liked their mids and highs better so you can have that combined with the better bass from a dedicated subwoofer.

 

[gus6464]

Greetings folks -
I'm soliciting opinions. I've been auditioning speakers for a mixed music/HT setup. I'm down to Monitor Audio RS6s or Dali Ikon6s as the fronts. The one thing that bothers me is what sounds to be a real lack of bass on the Dalis, although the treble and midrange is the best I've heard at this price. What's bothering me is that I haven't seen a comment to this effect in any of the reviews (professional or otherwise) that I've read. Is the bass on the weak side? ...or is it me listening to a receiver amp for the first time. I'll be disappointed if it is since it's an Arcam 280 and this is the route I was planning to go with the electronics.

Any thoughts?

Jim

As an Ikon2 owner and having also heard most Dali models all the way up to the Helicon MKI I would say you are correct about the bass on the Dali not having that "punch". But the mids and high more than make up for that lack in bass. I myself can't go back to another speaker after having heard the detail that's in the Dali hybrid tweeter. At first I thought my Epos ELS-3 which the Dali replaced had more extension than the Ikon2 but after running some test tones I realized that it was the Epos crossover which was emphasizing the midbass and the Dali actually had more extension. Maybe you are used to speakers which emphasize the midbass as most british speakers do this.

On the amp side I bought a used Arcam A80 integrated to replace my 7 year old Sony AVR and I ended up putting it back on audiogon a week later. The Arcam didn't sound any different than the Sony. If you don't have an integrated yet I would recommend you check out NAD as they pair well with Dali and for the most part they're cheaper than Arcam gear.

 

[DaleAV]

Similar to my experience. I have Ikon 6 up front (L/R) Vokal 2 for a center, and OnWalls for surrounds.
The bass is very good, but it is not extended as much as some other speakers.
The definition and voicing is excellent. Something you will not hear on just any speaker. They do require a fair amount of break-in. But once they loosen up they improve noticeably including more slam.
I use them with an Arcam AVR receiver, and have enjoyed a good amount of music in 2 ch direct mode. For more casual listening I listen in 'regular' if you will, stereo so my sub (Velodyne DLS-5000R) can play.
For some recordings that definitely helps, and for home theater there is no other way to go!
Everything is a trade off.. but any way you decide to go with speakers never leave proper placement and the room itself out of the equation or you are missing almost half the experience of superior sound.