Dali Rubikore 2 speakers
Dali, or Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, has something of a cult following judging by their crowded rooms at hi-fi shows. So popular is the brand that it’s often impossible to find space at these events. I was therefore very excited to be offered their latest two-way bookshelf to try in my own system.
Rubikore is a new range of five loudspeakers, replacing Rubicon, catering for both two-channel and home theatre systems. There are two floor-standing models, the stand-mount reviewed here, an on-wall unit plus an LCR home cinema speaker. They were all unveiled at May’s High End event in Munich and are now reaching the high street.
Founded in 1983 by Peter Lyngdorf, Dali has become a mass market provider although it keeps as much manufacturing as possible in-house in Denmark to retain quality control over its products while many rivals have resorted to European design with Chinese production.
Design
The Rubikore 2’s reflex-ported cabinet houses an all-new 6.5-inch paper/wood-fibre coned mid/bass unit featuring double magnets with pressed-in dimples that are intended to break-up the cone resonances found with symmetrical finishes. The large 29mm soft-dome tweeter used has been inspired by the Dali Kore flagship: the Rubikore 2 employs a proprietary Clarity Cone Technology SMC driver; a brand new ferrofluid-free, low-loss dome tweeter. Omitting magnetic oil in the voice coil, there to provide cooling and resonance damping, is a bold move but Dali say it slows the coil’s movement and thereby reduces dynamics.
The crossover network comprises SMC Kore inductors alongside high-performance Mundorf capacitors while the rear terminals cater for bi-wiring/bi-amping with some sturdy connectors supplied with insulated links for single-wire use.
Dali would not supply a frequency response or impedance plot but my own, rough and ready in-room measurements revealed a slight upper-bass boost, giving rise to some mild bloom and added warmth during listening. Many designers feel that small boxes do need a little bloom otherwise they can sound thin and lean. That’s why the famous BBC LS3/5A has an 80Hz bump which gives the impression of a much bigger speaker. The secret it to ensure that it doesn’t overpower the midrange and Dali seem to have achieved this quite well.
The sensitivity may give some cause for concern at a quoted 87dB, yet this is a 4 Ohm design so the true sensitivity is lower. Nevertheless, high-power amplifiers are common place nowadays and, so long as a suitable partnership is made, there should not be an issue. This was shown by improved results when moving from the 150W/ch Hegel H190 to the much more powerful H600 with its 300W/ch and known ability to handle lower impedance loads.
The review sample came in an ultra-modern looking high-gloss white with other options being high-gloss black or maroon as well as natural walnut for a more conservative look.
Setting up
In appearance, the new speaker looks very similar to its predecessor and that’s down to employing the same cabinet. A case of: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; as the saying goes. The finish is to a very high standard if the high-gloss white was rather too modern for my more sober tastes. Looks aside, the attractive grey fabric grille did reduce the visual impact and I was grateful for them.
The footprint matched a pair of Custom Design FS104 stands (central column partly filled) which brought the tweeter to ear-level, assuming this to be the on-axis point. The speakers are described as ‘bookshelf’ but with the rear reflex port I decided that stand-mounting in free space would be the preferred placement. I soon discovered that the Rubikore 2 creates an extremely wide soundstage, so toe-in is not needed and this is the Dali recommendation.
Connected first to my Hegel H190 streaming amplifier I found a significant improvement when using the much more powerful (and more expensive) H600. Perhaps not surprising given the low impedance and sensitivity of the speakers. Connected digital sources were a satellite receiver, internet tuner and Auralic Aries G1 streamer to access a higher-quality audio from Qobuz.
Sound quality
The immediate sensation from the Rubikore 2s is the immense soundscape that they create. It is quite phenomenal, more so given the size of the cabinet and drive units. We have enormous width partnered with substantial depth and height. Thus it was with one of my favourites, the giant sound of Mahler’s Eighth, his Symphony of a Thousand (CSO/Solti on Decca from 1971). Small boxes these may be but, wow, they produce a big, big sound. Not so much in terms of depth of frequency response, but in dynamics and sheer scale to fill the listening space.
In fact, the bass was not as voluminous as I was expecting and failed to excite my known room resonance around 60Hz. There would seem to be a deliberate design choice to spare the listener “fake bass” and avoid a “boom and tizz” response that is so prevalent in modern-day speaker designs, notably those from the big brands who feel the need for excitement over accurate reproduction.
Dali have got it just about spot-on as far as entertainment value is concerned and I enjoyed many hours of speech-based material (dramas, current affairs and documentaries) before the listening panel arrived. The human voice can be so hard to portray naturally if a loudspeaker is poorly designed. I am happy to say that the Rubikore 2 avoided all the usual pitfalls and there was no hint of nasality, sibilance or chestiness from my favourite voices although they were projected more than I am used to but not as much as to put the performers unnaturally forward and create an ‘in your lap’ sound.
The listening panel arrived and the genre upped its pace as we settled down to some early ‘80s jazz funk in the shape of Shakatak’s Night Birds. Well recorded in 1984 with the artistes never sounding better than here, the music filled the room and we were treated to an extremely well-detailed rendition, showing just how high the resolution of these transducers can be given the right source material. There is no restraint on oodles of meaty bass across a superbly realistic balance. That slightly forward balance came into its own with the joyous mix of voice and acoustic instruments and feet began to tap as the Rubikore 2s showed they could master timing.
At the end of a lengthy session the panel selected Turn It Up from Pink Pantheress (known for her distinctive blend of bedroom pop, drum and bass) where, again, timing was on-point and the sound stage gigantic. The bass is clean, it’s accurate and far from one-note and the entire sound so full of musical detail that it can’t fail to entertain as we are immersed in this dreamy, nostalgic track.
Dali have created an engaging loudspeaker and one that encourages the listener to keep enjoying what it can do. The little Rubikore 2 bodes well for the rest of the new Rubikore range and those floor-standing models in particular, one of which I know the Editor has on test (and enjoyed very much – Ed).
Conclusion
I have to admit that, unboxing the speakers, these Dalis didn’t look very hopeful. Would this be another mass-produced, snap-together box with mediocre sound quality. Certainly, the price suggested that there wasn’t much margin for quality. But, not only do Dali manufacture in house, benefitting from economies of scale. They also have their own marketing and distribution hubs around the world so control in-country sales with more savings achieved. Thus, the final price represents excellent value.
Design and engineering are to a very high standard and continue Peter Lyngdorf’s legacy. The Rubikore 2s could not be mistaken for broadcast monitors, that’s not what they have been balanced for. Their sound is clean, clear and crisp and perfect to sit back and enjoy the music. Lateral dispersion is commendable and, given suitable electronics, the Rubikore 2 can do loud and fairly deep. Overall, a Best Buy is assured, now I can understand the strong following that Dali designs attract.