Dali Kupid speakers
At countless hi-fi shows I’ve marvelled at the sheer size, not to mention cost, of Danish loudspeakers from Dali which are often a talking point. Now there’s the opportunity to sample the brand’s sound for a mere £300. Yes, a budget Dali is launched today (1 October) in the shape of the natty Kupid model. But does their technology transfer to such an inexpensive box?
The marque
Dali (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries) was founded in 1983 by audio legend Peter Lyngdorf. To begin with sales were just to Scandinavia as Dali was a house brand of the Hi-Fi Klubben chain of stores in that territory.
Dali became an independent company in 1985 and the following year moved to new facilities in Nørager, with its first model, the Dali 2, released the same year. The company expanded into international markets in the 1990s before 2001 saw its first international office open, in Germany, followed by a UK operation in 2005, Dali is now a near-global operation.
Among notable audio achievements, the R&D team has developed a proprietary wood-chip-reinforced cone, for midrange and woofer drivers, as well as the combination of dome and ribbon tweeters in high-end models.
Design
In Kupid (with a K so that it can be registered as a trade mark), we have Dali’s new entry-level model aimed at a new generation of users, which looks like a shrewd marketing move by the Danes. Dali’s product management chief, Krestian Pedersen, was wheeled out to say: “Kupid is about simplicity and sound; it’s for anyone who wants a real hi-fi experience without any fuss. We’ve poured everything we know about speaker design into a form factor that’s easy to live with and easy to love. Kupid is designed to fit in, stand out and make the most of your music”
Kupid has been designed and engineered in-house in Denmark but with production in China for the sake of cost-saving. The box’s small footprint is highlighted in the launch material as is its ability to work “just one inch from a wall” for those who desire, with suitable wall brackets included in the box along with a set of rubber feet. Textured magnetic grilles are provided as is a range of finish options. The Editor chose what’s described as ‘golden yellow’ although it’s more egg yolk than daffodil in hue. Also available are black ash, walnut, caramel white and chilly blue, each featuring colour-matched bass/midrange cones and grilles.
Drive units are Dali’s proprietary 4½-inch paper and wood fibre bass/midrange driver with ferrite magnet system and low-loss rubber surround, matched with a custom-developed 26mm ultra-light soft dome tweeter. The tweeter baffle design, we are told, has been carefully tuned for seamless integration with the midrange driver. To the rear are a single pair of binding posts below Dali’s ‘dual flare’ bass reflex port, time-aligned to optimise airflow and minimise unwanted resonances.
The crossover, at 2.1kHz, presents a claimed ‘constant’ 4 ohm load to the amplifier with relatively low 83dB sensitivity; both figures to be taken into consideration for amplifier matching. A quick and dirty in-room measurement, both on and off-axis, produces a plot with a decent response and the more so that it’s from a mere £300 design. Incredible what can be achieved.
Set-up
While awaiting the arrival of Hegel’s new H150 I pressed my ageing H190 streaming amp into service to run-in the factory-fresh Kupids even though the electronics have never been totally at home with lower impedance loads. Nonetheless the sonics were pretty much on-song and I was quite surprised at what can be achieved from such a compact cabinet at this price point.
While Kupid is probably intended more for bookshelf, sideboard or desk placement, I began with them atop a pair of Custom Design stands manufactured for the diminutive LS3/5A and adjusted my seating position accordingly.
Sound quality
Before the listening panel arrived, I replaced the little H190 with the blockbuster H600 powerhouse, if only to be able to use Qobuz Connect for the session. I was enjoying the Overture to Wagner’s Die Meistersinger (Bavarian RSO and Chorus under Kubelik) recorded back in 1967 although not released until 1992, it is a superb example of the work and retained so much of its magic via the little Kupids. The overall soundstage was altogether grander than one might imagine possible from such tiny enclosures; the dynamics more expansive and the tonal balance more akin to a monitor sound than a budget box aimed at a younger audience. Okay, so the overall balance was slightly thin compared to similar-sized designs such as the LS3/5A and ATC SCM10, but they cost more, a great deal more. For the money, these Kupids certainly put up a credible performance and showed they were no lightweights with this complex orchestral material.
The panel began with a Kraftwerk number from 2009, The Robots, which cemented how well the Kupids can handle dominant basslines. Their imaging credentials were also cemented with this track along with an acknowledged ability to time. While such German electronic music is not really to my taste, the panel were clearly enamoured with the Kupids’ output of vocoder-processed vocals, intricate electronic melodies, and a concept that explores themes of man and machine.
I was on more certain ground as they moved to Nils Lofgren Band’s (Live) track Keith Don’t Go, where we were struck by the midrange clarity which seemed to be in a class above what might be expected. The venue’s atmosphere was conveyed with conviction which, coupled with the overall clarity, brought the recording home with the phenomenal sounds of Lofgren’s extraordinary acoustic guitar talent, to increase the realism, power and emotion on this tribute to Keith Richards.
Coming up-to-date, we listened to One Track Mind from Ukrainian-born Maniia which retained so much of the attacking vocals through the Kupids and had not only our feet tapping but the floorboards vibrating to cement that the 53Hz reflex port was not bunged. The catchy, cinematic, and impossibly danceable track was handled well by the Kupids, from the slow, simmering start with its dreamy shimmer making the neck hairs tingle, before snapping us into pulsing beats that managed to remain tight, fast, and magnetic through speakers which are likely to be treated to this kind of material by their target audience.
Once the panel departed, I settled down to Handel’s Oboe Concertos 1-3 (Heinz Hollinger with ECO under Lappard on Philips) as a classical contrast with the earlier Wagner, this brought about a realisation that the Kupids really are very versatile little loudspeakers. Transitioning from the beat-driven anthems of Maniia to fleet and nimble virtuosity, with moments of lightness and sweetness in a rather romantic approach, one recalls the composer’s fondness for the oboe, learning to play it and featuring it in many of his masterpieces.
Conclusion
It’s quite staggering how so much loudspeaker can be produced for so little; the Kupid is a superbly designed and built speaker, even the cable terminals are as good as you’ll find on something three times the price. It’s one of those products that redefines what’s possible at the entry level and means that those starting out can do so with the minimum of compromise.
The Kupid is something of a mini marvel: its sonic balance is pleasing on the ear, it is clearly well-constructed, and room placement is quite frankly a doddle. A sure and certain five-star product in anyone’s book and an all-round entertainer that you won’t go wrong with. Plonk them down, and they do their magic.