Dali Spektor 1 Bookshelf Speaker

DALI SPEKTOR 1

The ultra-compact speaker in the range. Built around a 4½” wood fibre woofer and a 21 mm soft dome tweeter, the SPEKTOR 1 is perfect for almost any situation that requires a small but well performing speaker. Front, rear or side speakers in a surround system, or alone in a compact stereo setup.

WOOD FIBRE CONES

Our low-loss drivers uses a mix of low-mass paper cones with wood fibre reinforcement. The embedded wood fibres give the surface an uneven structure, which dramatically minimizes the resonance of the surface. This creates the best possible reproduction of every detail in the audio signal.

AMPLIFIER FRIENDLY

The amplifier friendly design makes the SPEKTOR series a perfect fit for almost any of the amplifiers in its price category. No matter if we look at compact Hi-Fi, stereo amplifiers or surround receivers, SPEKTOR will bring out the best in them, showing you just how good music and movies can sound.

SOFT DOME TWEETER

The dome tweeter offers best-in-class resolution with an extended frequency response, wide dispersion and low coloration. A clear heritage from our high-end series. The tweeter is based on an ultra-lightweight weaved fabric, which weighs less than half of the market standard (0.056 mg/mm2).

LOW SIGNAL LOSS

By using only DALI designed and custom-built drivers, the need for frequency correction in the crossover is eliminated. This enables us to design an exact crossover which together with carefully selected quality components ensures that the signal loss is close to zero.

PRODUCT DETAILS

The DALI SPEKTOR 1 brings the DALI sound design principals to a new price bracket, opening the possibility for many new music and movies lovers to experience the seduction of true Hi-Fi. Getting this much Hi-Fi performance from a speaker in this price range not only took all of our experience and knowhow, but also hours and hours spent in the listening room, improving the driver and crossover designs to create the perfect audio performance.

The DALI SPEKTOR 1, like all DALI loudspeakers, has been designed in accordance with our fundamental acoustic and electro-acoustic principles, and a strong belief that clarity and an authentic, honest sound reproduction will get you even closer to the full impact of a live music experience.

The ultra-compact SPEKTOR 1 - and its slightly larger sibling SPEKTOR 2 - are ideal for wall mounting, shelf or stand positioning in combination with any compact Hi-Fi music system.

DALI SPEKTOR 1 SPECS
Product series    SPEKTOR
Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]    59 - 26,000 Hz
Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB]    83.0 dB
Nominal Impedance [ohms]    6 ohms
Maximum SPL [dB]    103 dB
Recommended Amplifier Power [W]    40 - 100 Watt
Crossover Frequency [Hz]    2,100 Hz
Crossover Principle    2-way
High frequency driver, Quantity    1 x 21 mm
High frequency driver, Diaphragm type    Soft Textile Dome
Low frequency driver, Quantity    1 x 4,5"
Low frequency driver, Diaphragm type    Wood Fibre Cone
Enclosure type    Bass Reflex
Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz]    58.0 Hz
Connection Input    Single Wire
Recommended Placement    Shelf or stand
On-Wall
Recommended Distance From Wall [cm]    1 - 50 cm
Dimensions (HxWxD) [mm]    237 x 140 x 195 mm
Accessories Included    Rubber Feet
Manual
Wall Bracket
Weight [kg]    2.6 kg

Dali Spektor 1 review

The babies of the Spektor range turn out to be sparkling performers. Tested at £160

By What Hi-Fi? November 17, 2017

OUR VERDICT

The Spektor 1s are ideal if you’re looking for small, affordable, great-sounding speakers

FOR

• Energetic and entertaining sound
• Good detail, expressive dynamics
• Usefully small size

AGAINST

• Beyond the limitations set by size and price, nothing at all

Our current favourite budget speakers are Dali’s Spektor 2s. £200 put their way gets you a dynamic and involving sound that puts most rivals to shame when it comes to getting to the core of the music.

But what if the Spektor 2s’ 29cm tall physique is too big, or if that price is just too much of a stretch? In either case, you might want to consider the babies of the range, these Spektor 1s, instead.

They deliver pretty much all that's good about their bigger brothers, just in a scaled-down form.

Build and compatibility

The 1s are almost toy-like. At just shy of 24cm, they’re about twice as tall as a CD case and not much wider. These speakers will fit onto all sorts of shelves and into spaces most serious hi-fi speakers wouldn’t.

We see them as an ideal partner for a micro-system or part of a starter separates set-up - or even either side of a TV.

As is the case with their big brothers, build is good for the money. The boxes are so small that rigidity almost comes as standard, while the finish is neat too.

Our review samples are wrapped in the walnut finish option, though a black ash alternative is also available. These speakers are single-wired only, which keeps things simple and clutter-free. That’s just fine with us.

MORE: How to build the perfect speaker

That budget price doesn’t mean Dali has compromised on the drive units. The 11cm mid/bass driver uses one of the company’s distinctive wood-fibre cones, just like those in the brand’s high-end products.

Wood-fibre is claimed to offer a good balance between rigidity, low weight and self-damping.

The 21mm dome tweeter is more conventional but, even here, Dali claims to use a lighter dome than most that, combined with the shaped faceplate, better controls dispersion.

This wide dispersion is the reason Dali recommends its speakers fire straight ahead rather than be angled towards the listener. This recommendation always rings true in use.

MORE: How to buy speakers and set them up for the best sound

Sensibly for something so small, these speakers sound right at home close to a rear wall. Their low frequency performance stays balanced and tuneful when used this way.

In an attempt to give these tiny speakers acceptable bass extension, the engineers have ended up with a relatively low sensitivity of just 83dB/W/m.

You’ll get reasonable volume, but don’t expect party levels from your micro-system.

MORE: Best hi-fi speakers 2017

Sound

We give the Spektor 1s a few days of running in before we get to serious listening. They mellow somewhat during that time, gaining a little refinement and losing a slightly hard edge.

These speakers are fun, much like their bigger siblings. They charge headlong into Radiohead’s 15 Step, delivering the hard-driving beat and rhythmic flourishes with enthusiasm.

These speakers dig up plenty of detail too, and organise them in a musically cohesive way. Subtle instrumental stands aren’t ignored, and remain easy to follow even when the production gets dense.

MORE: How to build the perfect hi-fi system

These are small boxes, so really deep bass isn’t on the menu. But place them close to a rear wall and there’s enough in the way of low-end power and authority to keep us satisfied.

The low frequencies are tuneful and rendered with agility, rather than grumbling on in the manner of most compact rivals.

Playing Debussy’s Clair De Lune allows the Dalis to show their sophistication. They sound precise and dynamic enough to deliver each piano stroke with the nuance it deserves.

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While their sonic scale can't match their pricier brothers, the 1s do well enough to leave us concentrating on the music.

These are great all-rounders. They have the midrange skill to make the most of Beyoncé's emotional vocals on Halo, rendering them with equal doses of power and delicacy, while they’re happy to rock along to The White Stripes on Seven Nation Army.

Rarely have we come across compact budget speakers with such a broad range of talents.

Verdict

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If you’re looking for really small budget speakers, buy these. We can’t be much clearer than that.

Yes, the Spektor 2s deliver more in the way of authority, scale and bass reach for not much more money but, for places where they’re too big, the 1s are a tremendous option.