Dali Opticon 1 Bookshelf Speaker Made In Denmark (DU)

DALI OPTICON 1

Small but perfectly formed, the DALI OPTICON 1 stand-mount speaker is curiously capacious with a compact cabinet that, despite its dimensions, holds almost five litres of air allowing for greater sympathetic resonance and adding to the pitch-perfect power of this deceptively mighty model.

HAND-ASSEMBLED

The mounting of the drivers and the final tests and approvals on each and every speaker is also handled directly at our own assembly lines in our Danish factory.

DALI DRIVERS

All elements of the DALI drivers are designed, produced and manufactured in-house in DALI.

DALI MDF CABINETS

Keeping the manufacturing of the OPTICON series firmly in the hands of DALI we utilize our large and efficient woodworking facility in Denmark to handle everything from cutting out the Medium Density Fibre board (MDF) cabinet to applying the vinyl.

SMC-TECHNOLOGY

In the OPTICON woofer magnet motor system the pole piece is purely constructed of SMC. SMC’s unique ability to deliver a high magnetic conductivity and a very low electrical conductivity delivers all the wanted qualities of a really good speaker magnet without the traditional downsides.

PRODUCT DETAILS

The DALI OPTICON 1 is a compact stand mount loudspeaker, designed to be placed close to the wall or mounted on it. It combines its almost 5 litres of air capacity with a rear-mounted bass port, a 4 ¾ inch low-loss Wood Fibre Woofer, a 26 mm ultra-light Soft Dome Tweeter and gold-plated terminals and what the DALI OPTICON 1 delivers is the perfect balance of clear, detailed midrange and an impressive tight bass that belies its size. 

Legacy
The OPTICON 1 features the same low-loss Wood Fibre Woofer found in our flagship EPICON series, alongside our unique SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) magnet motor system and a brand new Soft Dome Tweeter developed for the OPTICON series, all of which works together along with a individual bass reflex port for the woofer to produce audio exactly as the recording artist originally envisioned it. 

Key Features

• Proprietary DALI tweeters and woofers
• Hand-assembled with in-house built cabinet construction
• Unique SMC-based magnet motor system
• Low-loss Wood Fibre Woofers
• Ultra-light 26 mm Soft Dome Tweeter
• Gold-plated Terminals
• Available in Walnut

DALI OPTICON 1 SPECS
Product series    OPTICON
Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]    62 - 26,500
Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB]    86.0
Nominal Impedance [ohms]    4
Maximum SPL [dB]    105
Recommended Amplifier Power [W]    25 - 100
Crossover Frequency [Hz]    2,000
Crossover Principle    2-way
High frequency driver, Quantity    1 x 26 mm
High frequency driver, Diaphragm type    Soft Textile Dome
Midrange driver, Quantity    1 x 4 3/4"
Midrange driver, Diaphragm type    Wood Fibre Cone
Enclosure type    Bass Reflex
Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz]    61.5
Connection Input    Single Wire
Magnetic Shielding    No
Recommended Placement    On-Wall
Shelf or stand
Recommended Distance From Wall [cm]    2 - 80
Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm]    261 x 152 x 231
Accessories Included    Manual
Rubber Bumpers
Wall Bracket
Weight [kg]    4.5

Dali Opticon 1 review

These enthusiastic speakers just need some careful pairing Tested at £500

 By What Hi-Fi? September 04, 2015

OUR VERDICT

Paired correctly, these speakers could be part of a great-sounding system

FOR

• Impressively agile midrange
• Rhythmically sound
• Good amount of detail and dynamic range

AGAINST

• Over-enthusiastic treble
• Lacking some weight and detail in the bass

Small but enthusiastic. Not an excerpt from Ronnie Corbett’s lonely-hearts ad, but our take on Dali’s brand new Opticon 1 speakers.

A “future Ikon” that borrows technology from Dali’s Epicon and Rubicon series, these standmount speakers have been teased more over the last couple of months than a bed-wetter on a school camping holiday.

Build

Getting our first proper look, we like what we see. They are little, but tidy – ideal if you’ve only a little room with which to play. And beautifully finished, too.

Remove the front grille and you’ll find a mid/bass driver of wood fibre, which is the material Dali uses for its more expensive speakers, and no dust cap. The random structure of the wood fibre, as well as producing a rich sound, stops build-up of internal resonance.

At first glance, this looks like a sealed box design, but peek round the back above the recessed speaker terminals and you’ll spot a small reflex port. Essentially, Dali has thought quite a lot here about the build.

MORE: Best hi-fi speakers 2015

Sound

And what of the sound? We position the Opticon 1s straight, not toed in, about 18cm from the back wall and two metres apart, and play Admiral Fallow’s Isn’t This World Enough? From beat one, we are struck by how animated the sound is.

The midrange is so agile and nimble, it’s difficult not to be swept along with the marching rhythms.

The vocal, too, sounds convincing, and the relationship between lead and harmonies is neatly wed. That’s a combination of good detail, dynamics and timing. The tonal balance, though, is a little top heavy.

Changing lanes with 65DaysOfStatic’s Sleepwalk City, we could still do with rounding off some of the treble and adding a bit more oomph to the bottom. We aren’t expecting something of this size to make us queasy with bass, but it would help solidify and frame what is such a positive midrange.

Of course, a little more weight can be achieved, by moving them closer to the wall. But that compromises on timing and agility, which are the Opticon 1’s prize assets.

Though you gain in bass weight, the timing loses some of its snap and you’re left with a less intense and less engaging listen.

We compare the Opticon 1s with B&W’s 685 S2, our 2014 Product of the Year Award-winner. The midrange agility and timing are still edged by Dali’s offering, but the 685 S2s are better balanced; they are true all-rounders and, at this price, that matters.

That isn’t to say you should pick B&W over Dali unquestioningly; the latter could quite easily be part of a great-sounding system, but you’ll need to take extra care and probably spend a decent amount of money pairing.

For example, something like Marantz’s £300 PM6005 amplifier, the 2014 What Hi-Fi? Awards champion, would help with the balance but struggle to keep up with the Opticon 1’s taut timing – basically not making the most of the speakers’ strengths.

To get a happy marriage, you’re probably looking at an amp around the £1000 mark - something like Naim's Nait 5si.

If you’ve spent £500 on speakers and £200 on stands, that isn’t an unreasonable price to pay for what would be a very exciting sound, but it’s probably more than most people on this budget are willing to countenance.

Verdict

So, there you have it: a great looking, well built and enthusiastic-sounding pair of speakers that will suit some listeners and some equipment down to the ground.