Wireless speakers are very much in vogue. And, as with anything that garners that kind of popularity, some very weird and wonderful designs have crept up. Take, for instance, the latest Bluetooth speaker from Dali.
That is the Dali Katch Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, building nicely on Dali’s tendency towards cool and quirky looks, with serious build quality, drive and sound supported by brand-defining innovation. It hasn’t been around for very long, yet has already scooped up numerous awards, on top of a number of five star reviews and even more raving fans from happy music lovers thrilled by it’s design, build quality and sound. It might not look like a serious speaker, but it certainly behaves like one.
Successfully managing to be lightweight and compact enough to carry around, yet robust enough to mark its mark, Dali decided upon an extruded aluminium body for the cabinet, used in collaboration with front and rear baffles made from an ABS+PC compound.
Under the aluminium hood of the Dali Katch (a hood which comes in three rather unusual colours: Cloud Grey, Dark Shadow, Moss Green) there are two audio profiles: Why two? I’ll let Dali explain:
“…ensuring the best possible result in all scenarios. One is optimised for a linear more neutral frequency response, perfect for most listening situations, while the other adds warmth and will work perfectly when playing larger rooms or the music needs just that little extra.” ~ Dali
The 21mm soft dome twetere is grounded upon a very strong neodymium magnet. It’s small (very small) but retains a large membrane area. This means it can deliver high sensitivity to the dome, resulting in detail, accuracy and speed. This works well in conjunction with the Woofer which, at a larger 3.5” uses a specially designed chassis, inverted membrane and “spider suspension”, with the the combination of aluminium and fabric working together to lower resonance, and retaining detail and clarity.
Features-wise, the Dali Katch is a compact yet weighty speaker that boasts a few extra features not commonly seen on units like it. Features such as a 3.5mm aux connection *if you aren’t thrilled by playing everything through Bluetooth AptX) and a USB charge connector. Interestingly enough, Dali themselves have suggested plugging a Chromecast Audio dongle into that port, to build on your existing multi-room system. If you don’t want to use Bluetooth or AUX, you can simply play via your device’s inbuilt NFC chip.
Another benefit is the extended battery life (the eternal Li-Ion battery has a total capacity of 2600 mAh) which supports up to 24 hours continuous use, and can even be used as a roving charger for your smart device. And, as such is the nature of Bluetooth, you can happily play your music through the speaker whilst using it to charge your phone.
And now, for the sound. It’s not real “hi-fi” but it’s as close as it can get. It boasts a rich and velvety sound that manages to completely immerse you. It isn’t the cheapest wireless speaker on the marker at £329, but when you hear the sound it is capable of you’ll understand the price tag.
Like what you see? Click here to take a closer look, or come in store to get up close and personal.