15 replies to this topic

[Turls]

Hey guys,

Apologies if this has been mentioned time and time again, however I can't seem to get the search form working for 'dali'.

Anyway, I've bought an Epson TW-1000 projector, and am now playing around with which sound components to go with it.  I have an 8m x 4m room (wider than it is deep) with high ceilings, so a decent amount of air to push around.  I'm 90% TV/Movie watching rather than music listening (at this stage).

Have been only to my local JB to listen to speakers and thought their Dali Concept 6 (which I think is the entry level Dali) was far superior to anything else they had on show (at a similar or less price) - Wharfedale and Jensen just didn't have the range, especially at the higher end.  I'm no audiophile, so my ears may be way off the mark, but they sounded crisp and clear, but with a good degree of warmth as well.  Demonstration was with music, so not sure of effect with movie soundtrack; will have to go have another listen.  Of course, when you're only 1m away from the speakers, I'm sure it'll sound different to a HT setup...

My dilemma is that I have $2k or thereabouts to spend (the never ending quality v price argument), and a 5.1 setup (Dali Concept 6 fronts, Dali Concept centre, Wharfedale bookshelves, Dali sub) AND Yamaha 663 receiver was around the $3k mark.  Now I can scrimp on the sub probably - they had others with price tags about $200-300 cheaper, but I really need a bigger reduction in price than that.  So here are my questions:

• Are DALI a good brand and worth the 2x price tag over Jensen
  
• Apart from JB, where else are DALI available and what sort of price tag can I realistically get these fronts for (and/or the whole package)... I am really struggling to find other retailers who stock these to either purchase off or to keep JB honest
  
• What other brands would people recommend given my needs / budget
  
• Anything else?

I ideally want to stick to $2k - which is already making me rethink the Onkyo 606 in place of the Yamaha 663 (which appears to save me $200-300).  Any suggestions as to where to cut corners?  Perhaps my DALI favouritism will change once I test them out with a DVD, however for now I'm tending towards trying to keep those fronts in my setup, as they just sounded so nice!

Any help appreciations,
Cheers,
Turls

[50MXE20]

Searching.
Try this

http://www.google.co...amp;btnG=Search

[nang3]

Turls, on Aug 12 2008, 09:32 PM, said:

Hey guys,

Apologies if this has been mentioned time and time again, however I can't seem to get the search form working for 'dali'.

Anyway, I've bought an Epson TW-1000 projector, and am now playing around with which sound components to go with it.  I have an 8m x 4m room (wider than it is deep) with high ceilings, so a decent amount of air to push around.  I'm 90% TV/Movie watching rather than music listening (at this stage).

Have been only to my local JB to listen to speakers and thought their Dali Concept 6 (which I think is the entry level Dali) was far superior to anything else they had on show (at a similar or less price) - Wharfedale and Jensen just didn't have the range, especially at the higher end.  I'm no audiophile, so my ears may be way off the mark, but they sounded crisp and clear, but with a good degree of warmth as well.  Demonstration was with music, so not sure of effect with movie soundtrack; will have to go have another listen.  Of course, when you're only 1m away from the speakers, I'm sure it'll sound different to a HT setup...

My dilemma is that I have $2k or thereabouts to spend (the never ending quality v price argument), and a 5.1 setup (Dali Concept 6 fronts, Dali Concept centre, Wharfedale bookshelves, Dali sub) AND Yamaha 663 receiver was around the $3k mark.  Now I can scrimp on the sub probably - they had others with price tags about $200-300 cheaper, but I really need a bigger reduction in price than that.  So here are my questions:

• Are DALI a good brand and worth the 2x price tag over Jensen
  
• Apart from JB, where else are DALI available and what sort of price tag can I realistically get these fronts for (and/or the whole package)... I am really struggling to find other retailers who stock these to either purchase off or to keep JB honest
  
• What other brands would people recommend given my needs / budget
  
• Anything else?

I ideally want to stick to $2k - which is already making me rethink the Onkyo 606 in place of the Yamaha 663 (which appears to save me $200-300).  Any suggestions as to where to cut corners?  Perhaps my DALI favouritism will change once I test them out with a DVD, however for now I'm tending towards trying to keep those fronts in my setup, as they just sounded so nice!

Any help appreciations,
Cheers,
Turls

what prices were you quoted for the Dalis and what state are you in??
Ive got the dali concept 8s and they are a great speaker, easily the best i heard out of all the ones (apart from the concept 10's) at JB's inc the Jamos/wharfedales etc etc..
There is a lot of markup in speakers at JB's, my 8's were under $1k IIRC and the sticker was closer to $1900 !!

[Turls]

nang3, on Aug 13 2008, 12:20 PM, said:

what prices were you quoted for the Dalis and what state are you in??
Ive got the dali concept 8s and they are a great speaker, easily the best i heard out of all the ones (apart from the concept 10's) at JB's inc the Jamos/wharfedales etc etc..
There is a lot of markup in speakers at JB's, my 8's were under $1k IIRC and the sticker was closer to $1900 !!

I was quoted "around $3k" for the 5.1 (predominantly Concept range) setup with a Yammie 663 AVR, so I'm not sure what they were individually (although at $1200 list price, they were easily the biggest component of the $3k).  Yeah - I agree there's probably a heap of markup, but with few other retailers selling them, I'm finding it hard to have something to force them to lower the price more.  I'm in Brisbane - public holiday today so I might try a few other places this arvo and see how I go.

Thanks also for the search help - didn't think of doing a site-specific google search!!

[magiman05]

Turls, on Aug 13 2008, 02:03 PM, said:

I was quoted "around $3k" for the 5.1 (predominantly Concept range) setup with a Yammie 663 AVR, so I'm not sure what they were individually (although at $1200 list price, they were easily the biggest component of the $3k).  Yeah - I agree there's probably a heap of markup, but with few other retailers selling them, I'm finding it hard to have something to force them to lower the price more.  I'm in Brisbane - public holiday today so I might try a few other places this arvo and see how I go.

Thanks also for the search help - didn't think of doing a site-specific google search!!

you can try this if u in melbourne, price stil negotiate...from my experience

or

Dali concept 6 -$ 650 from JB
Dali concept centre - $250 from JB
Wharfedale bkshelves - $200 from Ebay
Krix sub siemix 3 - $720 (better than dali sub)
Denon  1508 - $760

TOTAL :$ 2580

not sure yamaha 663 worth, but if use Denon 1508 as a guide

[Turls]

magiman05, on Aug 13 2008, 02:59 PM, said:

you can try this if u in melbourne, price stil negotiate...from my experience

or

Dali concept 6 -$ 650 from JB
Dali concept centre - $250 from JB
Wharfedale bkshelves - $200 from Ebay
Krix sub siemix 3 - $720 (better than dali sub)
Denon  1508 - $760

TOTAL :$ 2580

not sure yamaha 663 worth, but if use Denon 1508 as a guide

Thanks for your suggestion - it looks pretty similar to the setup I was considering.
Haven't really looked at the Denon, but I will...

As far as subs go, is this something I can save money on?  I was beginning to think that the fronts and centre (given they are the ones that will be most often used) should be the best I can afford, however the sub I could possbily go a cheaper brand (say $500ish or less) with still a reasonably comparable power level and still achieve the same sort of outcome..?  So it's almost a different question, but is the sub (and bookshelves) the way to save some money??

[magiman05]

Turls, on Aug 13 2008, 05:44 PM, said:

Thanks for your suggestion - it looks pretty similar to the setup I was considering.
Haven't really looked at the Denon, but I will...

As far as subs go, is this something I can save money on?  I was beginning to think that the fronts and centre (given they are the ones that will be most often used) should be the best I can afford, however the sub I could possbily go a cheaper brand (say $500ish or less) with still a reasonably comparable power level and still achieve the same sort of outcome..?  So it's almost a different question, but is the sub (and bookshelves) the way to save some money??

Hi, if u would like to save money on Sub, Wharfedale SW-150 is an alternative, award winning sub too. JB should selling around $3xx less than $400. Front and centre have to be matching pair,  the rear may be, so u can save money on the rear pair, wharfedale is good value for money for that price. so probably less than 2500, you should able to get a decent 5.1 setup.

I'm used to own a concept 8 and concept centre, but now own a Ikon 6, love it looking for Ikon vokal 2 centre.

[alond]

Turls,

I would highly recommend going to a specialist hi fi shop and you will be able to get a much better idea about the speaker that you are buying and also the knowledge the salesman will have compared to jb. if your in melbourne i would recommend going to clef hi fi. wharfedale diamond series is a great speaker on a budget. for roughyl $1000 you could get 2 pairs of Diamond 9.1 a 9cm. for the money nothing can beat it.
anyways my 2c worth but goodluck with it

[Midz]

I seen some concept 10's at JB the other week, marked $2k with 10% off instore. Though I think you could probably get them down to $1600.

They looked massive, though maybe the 8's would be better if you were also getting a sub.

Edited by Midz, 13 August 2008 - 10:33 PM.

[magiman05]

alond, on Aug 13 2008, 06:37 PM, said:

Turls,

I would highly recommend going to a specialist hi fi shop and you will be able to get a much better idea about the speaker that you are buying and also the knowledge the salesman will have compared to jb. if your in melbourne i would recommend going to clef hi fi. wharfedale diamond series is a great speaker on a budget. for roughyl $1000 you could get 2 pairs of Diamond 9.1 a 9cm. for the money nothing can beat it.
anyways my 2c worth but goodluck with it

I second that, Clef Hifi is a good audition for wharfedale series. should try on 9.6 series on 5.1 setup, there are good, you should do a price research before heading to any of the hifi shop, imo, because they alway pull up the price. good luck.

[nang3]

Midz, on Aug 13 2008, 08:32 PM, said:

I seen some concept 10's at JB the other week, marked $2k with 10% off instore. Though I think you could probably get them down to $1600.

They looked massive, though maybe the 8's would be better if you were also getting a sub.

1600 is close to cost for the 10's, great speaker though but farken massive and overkill IMO if you also have a good sub...
would be awesome speakers for a huge bar/gamesroom type room!

[vassp]

i heard the concept 10s too, they are a msaaive speaker, like nang3 said they need a big room.
did you listen to the Dali ikon 5s or 6s, i think the DALI range are the best speaker JB offers.

[Turls]

magiman05, on Aug 14 2008, 12:11 AM, said:

I second that, Clef Hifi is a good audition for wharfedale series. should try on 9.6 series on 5.1 setup, there are good, you should do a price research before heading to any of the hifi shop, imo, because they alway pull up the price. good luck.

Thanks for the suggestion...  I'm in Brisbane, so I can't get to Clef, although I might make a call to see what sort of prices they can do.... Haven't heard the Wharfedale 9.6 yet...

vassp, on Aug 15 2008, 05:16 PM, said:

i heard the concept 10s too, they are a msaaive speaker, like nang3 said they need a big room.
did you listen to the Dali ikon 5s or 6s, i think the DALI range are the best speaker JB offers.

I can't quite remember what the other Dali's were at JB, although they were massive, so they could've been the 10s...  Too large - I know the missus will appreciate the relatively thin 6s, but probably nothing much wider...

I agree - the DALI's really stood out to me... and they were the recommendation of a specialist HT store employee who fobbed me off with my below $10k budget  (let alone below $3k)

Given I'm needing to get down more towards $2k than $3k (including AVR), I think I'll be stuck with the cheaper Concepts though than the Ikons - and hopefully they'll still prove a decent investment after a year or three...  

Speaking of the AVR - I'm thinking the Yammy 663, rather than the Onkyo 606 (simply because it's cheaper, and I haven't researched them enough to know whether there's any other sacrifices but the 2 less HDMI ports on the Yamaha)... I imagine when the Denon 1909 comes out it's not going to be ~$800 either, so not really considering it...

[Mitcon]

Hard to get a set-up in the level of quality your after for the budget range. Maybe a look on ebay will help out. I have seen lots of factory referb Onks and HK AVR's with full warranties, also if your trying really hard to squeeze the price for rears & sub lower you could look at some of the Dream Acoustics gear or simular brands. Just a quick look and I see a centre with matching rears sold for $1 lol, how can you go wrong ? http://cgi.ebay.com....idZp1638Q2em124

And they have a 350w 12" sub that sells for around the $200
http://cgi.ebay.com....1QQcmdZViewItem

Not the last word in quality by any means but certainly gets you going until budget will alow for upgrades (if you think you still need better). Personally I'm not a huge fan of Dali, they are an ok speaker for sure but your paying more for the name than the actual speaker. You could maybe get better from somewhere like Adelaide Speakers http://www.adelaides...me-theatre.html

But my first thought would be to hit the yellow pages and go look/listen at a few local HiFi/HT stores where the people know what they are doing. Places like JB are not a great place for quality gear or even for demo-ing a system. Another thing to remember that when you say you like the sound of a speaker you demo'd in a store don't expect it sound sound like that at home. The room acoustics and dynamics will be totally different in your own home and give you a totally different sound let alone the fact that you will prolly be using a different AVR/AMP to drive them. The only real way to lsiten and demo speakers/HT gear to know how it's going to sound is in your own home/settings, you really can't go by how they sound at the store IMHO.

Edited by Mitcon, 15 August 2008 - 10:52 PM.

[snowboy]

I recently purchased the Jamo HCS606 5.1 pack & a Yamaha 663 for 2k which I am happy with.  Could be another option to consider if your not set on the Dali's.

Al.

[AndrewW]

Midz, on Aug 13 2008, 10:32 PM, said:

I seen some concept 10's at JB the other week, marked $2k with 10% off instore. Though I think you could probably get them down to $1600.

If you can fit them in your room get the 10s.

After listening to them at Kazz's place last night, all I can say is "wow".

I would never have picked that these were a speaker purchased from JB ...

Edited by AndrewW, 17 August 2008 - 10:04 AM.