Dali Opticon 2 Bookshelf Speakers
Dali Opticon 2 Bookshelf Speakers
The DALI OPTICON 2 is our second compact stand-mount option that builds upon the power of the OPTICON 1 with a sizeable 6½ inch low-loss Wood Fibre Woofer and a 28 mm ultra-light Soft Dome Tweeter to make it musically meatier and bringing a little more muscle to the party.
PRODUCT DETAILS
The OPTICON 2's 6½ inch woofer and the more voluminous cabinet make this speaker a true 2-way compact performer. The size of the woofer is matched with a large 28 mm soft dome tweeter to bring out every detail in the audio signal.
Exactingly engineered to extract every last nuance from your music, the use of DALI’s unique SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) magnet motor system (originally developed for the EPICON range) means audio that comes almost completely free from distortion thanks to the SMC’s low-level electrical conductivity. Expect nothing but a dynamic, well-defined and powerful audio reproduction from this loudspeaker.
Available in striking White Matt Satin, Black and Walnut finishes and with high-gloss white or black front baffle, the OPTICON 2 is small in scale but big on performance perfection. A part of the EISA award winning OPTICON 5.1 system together with the OPTICON 6 and the OPTICON VOKAL.
Key Features
Proprietary DALI tweeters and woofers
Hand-assembled with in-house built cabinet construction
Unique SMC-based magnet motor system
Low-loss Wood Fibre Woofers
Ultra-light 28 mm Soft Dome Tweeter
Gold-plated Terminals
Available in White Matt Satin, Black and Walnut
BASSPORT
The OPTICON 2 relies on the bass reflex principle. The bass reflex port has been tuned to minimise distortion from the woofers, and to control the time response of the roll-off from the bass system.
Timing is the absolute keyword when tuning bass ports. Correct timing without any unwanted interaction between the drivers and frequencies creates a holographic sound stage. Research clearly shows that speakers with superior time coherence deliver enhanced sonic realism.
SMC
Soft Magnetic Compound (SMC) is a coated magnet granule that can be shaped into any form that you would want. SMC has many advantages, and used in a speakers magnet motor system it result in a significant reduction of distortion from mechanical loss.
SMC’s unique ability to deliver a high magnetic conductivity and a very low electrical conductivity delivers all the wanted qualities of a really good speaker magnet without the traditional downsides. The result is a significant lowering of the colouration of the reproduced sound.
In the OPTICON 2 woofer magnet motor system the pole piece is purely constructed of SMC. This important addition to the ferrite based motor system is paramount to the audio performance of the OPTICON series.
SOFT DOME
The OPTICON 2 makes use of a larger Soft Dome Tweeter compared to the OPTICON 1. The soft dome is developed for the OPTICON series, which features low resonance frequency, high power handling, and exceptional headroom for high sound pressure levels and extreme excursions. It is rolled in carefully around 2.0 - 2.5 kHz, depending on the model. And the dome is allowed to operate up to its high frequency limit well beyond 20 kHz without being rolled off in the crossover.
Incorporating an ultra-thin magnetic fluid for cooling, the fluid has a very high flux saturation point for greater power handling. This also means superb control of coil movement - even at very high sound pressure levels.
The dome material itself is very lightweight, and actually so thin that a coating has to be applied to hold the material together and uniform.
WOOFER
The woofer for the OPTICON 2 is designed with a strong focus on DALI sound principles of low-loss, low distortion and low colouration of the reproduced sound. The ideal speaker plays just what the amplifier intented, with nothing added and nothing subtracted.
To meet these ideals every part in the OPTICON woofer is carefully chosen for its low-loss abilities. The cone is made from a pulp mix of paper and wood fibre that ensures very low surface resonance and gives the cones their distinctive colour. The cone terminates in a rubber surround that is chosen for its soft and very flexible properties. This gives the cone free movement with very low dampening effect, and leaves control of the cone movement to the WOOFER magnet motor. The rubber surround is attached to an aluminium chassis that, due to the properties of aluminium, offers almost no interference to the magnetic field surrounding the magnet motor.
The magnet motor itself consists of a large ferrite magnet that surrounds a pole piece made entirely of the unique material SMC. The pole piece and the ferrite magnet are secured between two soft iron plates. This forms a close to optimum environment for the 2 layer voice coil to work within. The voice coil is therefore able to transform the signals from the amplifier in to an undistorted, uncoloured and very well timed reproduction of the original signal, leaving the listener with a close to live experience.
CABINET
Keeping the manufacturing of the OPTICON series firmly in the hands of DALI we utilize our large and efficient woodworking facility in Denmark to handle everything from cutting out the Medium Density Fibre board (MDF) cabinet to applying the vinyl. The mounting of the drivers and the final tests and approvals on each and every speaker is also handled directly at our own assembly lines in our Danish factory.
The OPTICON 2’s front baffle form a rigid base for the drivers, which are screw-mounted directly into the 25 mm thick MDF. To ensure the best possible hold on the woofer and thereby integration with the cabinet, the 5 screw holes are placed along the arms of the woofer chassis. The tweeter module is held securely in place with 6 screws to eliminate vibrations and resonance. A rubber gasket is placed between the woofer and the milled out rim to ensure a 100% airtight fixture.
The baffle sports a black or white high-gloss finish, for a more exclusive look and feel. The slim-line design of the front baffle contributes to the stereo perspective. And the ‘clean’ surface is not only pleasing to the eye; it reduces diffractions to an absolute minimum.
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