Dali IO-12 Headphones

Dali IO-12 headphones are a high end wireless over-ear design. Dali is renowned for using proprietary, soft magnetic compound (SMC) granules in their speaker motor systems and this is now featured in these IO-12 wireless headphones. SMC reduces distortion by controlling the Hysteresis of the magnet for a clearer sound.

IO-12 has high-bit-rate support, via Bluetooth aptX, or the headphones can be connected via a standard 3.5mm connector. There is also a USB input to connect a PC to the internal DAC.

Automatic noise cancelling is built in, and there are convenient integrated controls, for volume and track skipping. Finally, the battery life is 35 hours. The headphones are made of luxurious leather with oversized earpads for a comfortable fit.

Soft magnetic compound drivers

Dali specialises in designing magnet systems for speakers. Consequently, they decided to improve the performance of the magnetic material used for speaker drivers. The aim was to reduce the colouration of the sound, and as a result, a special compound was developed. The compound is made of a coated magnetic granule that has ideal properties for a speaker magnet. For example, it has a very high magnetic conductivity while having very low electrical conductivity.

With normal speaker magnets, the flux in the magnet gap is modulated by the audio signal, causing distortion. This can also vary with frequency. Especially if iron magnets are used. SMC eliminates these problems by reducing mechanical loss, for a much cleaner sound.

Headphone connectivity

There are several ways of connecting headphones. The IO-12 uses a 3.5mm TRS plug as well as USB and Bluetooth. TRS stands for Tip Ring Sleeve, this type of cable has three conductors. One for each stereo channel and a ground connection. There is also another type of plug, that is known as TRRS, which is Tip Ring Ring Sleeve. These have an extra connector for a microphone. Finally, there is a five-conductor plug known as TRRRS, these are used for balanced headphones.

The IO-12 are wireless and use Bluetooth to connect to your smartphone, tablet, PC or any other Bluetooth enabled device. The Bluetooth connection can use several codecs. In contrast to the early versions of Bluetooth, QUALCOMM developed a hi-res format that could transmit 24-bit HD audio files. This is known as AptX and provides much better audio quality than before.

Finally the IO-12 has a USB C socket. This can be used to connect to a computer, for direct playback of digital files

What is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

The IO-12 headphones also feature active noise cancellation (ANC). This system uses a built-in microphone to monitor the outside sound. Notably, an ANC chipset is built into the headphones, this works by providing an antiphase signal to an internal speaker. This is similar to subtracting 2 from 2 to give zero.

ANC reduces any external noise, such as traffic or crowd noise. There are two forms of ANC system, feed-forward has a microphone on the outside, while feed-back has a microphone on the inside of the earcup. There is also a hybrid system that is a combination of both.

Two sound modes and a long battery life

There are two sound modes available for playback. Hi-fi and bass sound. Hi-fi gives the best results with most music, however, you can also use ‘bass’ mode for more ‘kick’. The IO-12 is made from real leather materials, for a touch of luxury, and comfortable listening. Moreover, the earpads are oversized, although the design is lightweight.

Who is Dali?

Dali stands for Danish audiophile Loudspeaker Industries and was created over forty years ago. They began by making high quality speakers for Scandinavia's leading audio chain store. Dali speakers became renowned for outstanding performance and competitive prices. Today they make a wide range of quality speakers and headphones.