Audiophilepure

There is no questioning that the DALI Epikore 11 are a superb-sounding pair of loudspeakers. Transparent, revealing, along with being almost insanely musical, and relentlessly appealing to listen to. They have just enough of a sonic personality to them to draw you in, yet not become tiresome or boring. You need to have the right room for them, though, because perceived bass output almost borders on the absurd (not that I minded at all). Much of the driver, crossover, and design behind the Epikore 11 are directly taken or adapted from DALI’s flagship Kore speakers, so the purely Danish R&D and craftsmanship involved here are tried, true, and essentially peerless. But beyond sounding wonderful, they also looked outrageously beautiful in the high gloss walnut finish that I experienced. For me, they legitimately crossed that realm into being an object of desire. It’s as if a Dane and an Italian got together and had an extremely pretty yet surprisingly sensible baby with a beautiful singing voice.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/devialet-phantom-ultimate-streaming-loudspeaker

On first listen, the bass output here will grab your attention. There’s no doubting the LFE reach as Devialet’s SAM technology works in the background to coordinate those two 200mm drivers in a fashion that would be impossible with a conventional passive solution. While this remarkable extension is combined with detail and fluency there are clearly practical limits to its bass amplitude [see PM’s Lab Report]. So there was a slight softening to the deepest, loudest bass notes in Paul van Dyk’s ‘Artefact’ [Vandit Records; 44.1kHz/24-bit], which is where a ‘bass-head’ might yearn for a dedicated sub, but this is a trifling niggle considering the all-round sonic appeal of these speakers.

As said, I used the ‘Monitoring’ mode for most of my listening. The app’s EQ tools are useful for adjusting the Phantom Ultimate’s sound to personal taste but remember to pay attention to Devialet’s presets. ‘Music’ mode invokes a ‘Loudness’ DSP by default, while the brand’s Active Volume Levelling is automatically switched on in ‘Movie’ mode. Also seen on Devialet’s Dione soundbar, this works to normalise dynamics – preventing, for instance, movie explosions from drowning out accompanying dialogue

https://www.hifinews.com/content/elac-concentro-20-m-807-loudspeaker

Notwithstanding the distraction of fiddling with those dispersion controls, and the need for a solid floor for the reflex port to achieve full potential, these big, complex speakers are a captivating listen. The sound integrates superbly, bass is as massive and powerful as anyone could want, and they’re as impressive with big, dense mixes as they are with super-clean, simple recordings. Notch one up for over-engineering, then