This is a fantastic speaker - especially for the money. I finally decided after swapping speakers every 3-4 months because it wasn't quite what I wanted, I bought several speakers at once and then decided which ones I wanted to keep. I pretty much had the B&W 685 as the expected winner for my price range and for the fact that I was able to listen to them in a store on a previous occasion (the Dalis were a hope based on internet reviews that I could find). At the same time for my comparison I also compared a B&W 685, B&W 602 S2, "homemade speaker with about $450 in components of just part cost (including ribbon tweeters), a Martin Logan encore TF, and a Martin Logan Motion 12 (the fact that the Motion was a floorstander didn't exactly make it part of my comparison). In doing some basic listening tests and A/B comparisons I did feel the Martin Logan Motion series had the best and cleanest sound for vocals - similar to what I would expect for an electrostatic speaker. However, as just an overall bookshelf it was pretty much a tie with a slight favoritism for me to the Dali Concept 2. The vocals were clear, you could hear the guitars being "strung", and the woofer and tweeter blended well together. For me the B&W 685 was probably about as good with the caveat that there were a few song types that may have a very slight advantage to the B&W 685. I thought the rest of my speakers were very good, but just didn't have the "'character" and distinct sounds that the 685 and Dali Concept had. I still may purchase and compare the Martin Logan Motion bookshelves, but as of right now my system will likely consist of a Martin Logan Motion for the center channel based on the extremely clear dialogue of the tweeters, the Dali Concept 2's as my fronts (no acceptance of floorstanders for this room), and the B&W 685 as my rears. I was lucky that the colors I had matched well for the Dali's and B&W and they seem to blend very well together when doing A/B comparisons with very similar specs.

crispy clear sound i'm amazed

Small price
Small size
Big frequency range
Accurate sounding
Quality construction
Good cable connection - bare wire, bananas

They are not compulsory for people who don't know better
Grills are a little hard to get off
One pair of terminals - not bi-wireable.
Needs a stand

After listening to Energy C300, C500, C100, RC30, Definitive Technology BP7006, Usher 520, Q Acoustics 1020, 1050, Dali Ikon 6 and Mentor 6, I clearly recognised that my Wharfedale 9.5 floor-standers are just not up to the task, even after replacing or fitting all of the foam which seals the speakers against the cabinet, all cabling with Supra 4*2.5 in a bi-wire configuration and fitting internal pronged T-nuts so that I bolt the speaker to the cabinet with M4's as opposed to just screwing the speaker to the cabinet.

Even though I noticed a tightening of the sound and better focus with my 'adjustments' to the 9.5's, all of the above speakers sounded better. Obviously the book shelf's didn't have quite the bass of the 9.5's but I intend to invest in an Energy 8.3S Sub to fill in the missing 25 to 45 Hertz I miss from the Dali Concept 2's.

That being said however, after using Tara Labs cascade burn-in track for a few weeks - speakers out of phase, moderate volume at 9 oclock position and facing each other a closely as possible to reduce the ambient noise - these speakers are just lovely. The intitial harshness and slight lack of bass was all noticeably smoothed out and relaxed wfter a few weeks of physical burn-in.

I almost don't miss the very bottom end as kicks sound great and accurate as well as a sounds such as thunder and engines. The clarity is so much better than my Wharfedales as it sounds like a thick blanket has been taken off the tweeters. Lips smacking and little ambient sounds are revealed and it simply begs for a re-listening of ones audio sources.

I teamed my Concepts up with Tara Lab Supra 4*2.5 using 2 cores for+ and 2 for - as this cable allows for, Nad BEE355 stereo amplifier and Nad T535 DVD player. Having replaced my old Technics A900 pre and power combo and Kimber 4TC previously, I noticed the immediate and obvious advantages to replacing all of my 15+ year old gear and love coming home every day to hear something enjoyable.

I recommend the Dali Concept 2's to any one with a small budget and a small space - our lounge is approx. 4 * 6 meters, so the 355 and Concept 2 combo fills the room well and we almost never need to go above the 10 o'clock position. They are especially good when you get them below cost as they are shop 'scratched' stock. Oh the delight. They are simply a pleasure to listen too, revealing and involving.

To be honest I never knew what I was missing until I A B'd these against my 9.5's and am so glad to have moved up in quality. Now just to save up for the Mentor 6's or perhaps that should be the 8's, Then that would mean a new amp, new cables, .....................:-)

Customer Service

Excellent service, will make them my first stop next time.

Similar Products Used:

Energy C300, C500, C100, RC30
Definitive Technology BP7006
Usher 520
Q Acoustics 1020, 1050
Dali Ikon 6, Mentor 6