Clearaudio Double Matrix Professional Sonic Record Cleaner - Silver

DALI Built Its Cheapest Speaker Its Own Way

Most companies fill the bottom of the range with drivers bought from a catalog. DALI did not. The SPEKTOR 2 uses the same wood fibre cone and soft dome tweeter thinking as the Danish company's dearer speakers, scaled down and built in its own factory.

It is a two-way standmount with a 5¼-inch wood fibre woofer and a 1-inch soft textile dome tweeter, in a rear-ported cabinet. DALI asks for 25 to 100 watts into a nominal 6-ohm load, which covers most amplifiers and receivers sold at this end of the market.

Small Enough for a Shelf, Happier on a Stand

Each cabinet measures 11.5 inches tall, 6.7 wide and 9.4 deep, and weighs a little over 9 pounds. Finishes are black ash and walnut, both in wood-grain vinyl with gloss trim rings on the baffle. One pair of terminals per speaker. Sold as a pair.

Why the Crossover Barely Has to Work

The woofer cone is a mix of fine-grained paper and wood fibre pulp. The wood fibres leave the surface deliberately uneven, which is how DALI breaks up resonances in the cone itself. The result is light and stiff at the same time, on a low-loss rubber surround.

The tweeter is a 25 mm soft textile dome using a fabric DALI says weighs about half the industry standard. Low moving mass means the dome can start and stop quickly. Both drivers are linear enough that the crossover at 2,600 Hz mostly just divides the signal.

Where the Bass Stops, and Why

Frequency range is quoted at 54 Hz to 26 kHz within 3 dB, with the rear port tuned to 51.5 Hz. Maximum SPL is 105 dB and sensitivity is 84.5 dB at 2.83 volts. A 5¼-inch woofer in a cabinet this small has limits, and DALI publishes them plainly.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Reviewing the SPEKTOR 2 on October 28, 2020, What Hi-Fi? awarded five stars and named them a What Hi-Fi? Awards 2020 winner, calling them excellent speakers "combining Dali's traditional strengths with a generous dose of entertainment."

Craig Chase reviewed them for Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity on November 15, 2021, and added them to the Recommended Gear List. He wrote that "DALI has made a budget speaker that doesn't sound like a budget speaker."

Who Are These Bookshelf Speakers Best For?

• This is your first real pair of speakers — DALI designs and builds its own drivers rather than buying them in, so the engineering you are paying for is the same thinking that goes into speakers costing several times as much.
• The shelf is shallow or the room is small — under 12 inches tall and 9.4 deep, with the port tuned to work anywhere from 1 to 80 cm off the back wall. They fit where a bigger standmount would not.
• They are handling movies as well as music — a 105 dB ceiling and DALI's wide dispersion design mean they hold up as front pair or surrounds when the same system does duty for both.
• You would rather not chase placement — DALI voices these to be fired straight ahead, so there is no toe-in angle to dial in and no sweet spot an inch wide.
• Your amplifier has some power behind it — sensitivity is 84.5 dB into 6 ohms, and DALI asks for 25 watts minimum. A low-power tube amp or a small desktop amp will run short. Pair them with one of our integrated amplifiers and they open right up.

How Do They Connect to Your System?

Speaker cable runs from your amplifier to the single pair of terminals on each cabinet. They take spades, banana plugs or bare wire, so use whatever you already own. Rubber feet are supplied for shelf use, and there is a fixing point on the back for wall mounting.

Placement is where these repay a little care. DALI recommends firing them straight ahead rather than angling them in, and leaving a gap behind for the rear port. Get the tweeters near ear height and you are done.

Pairs Well With

What rounds out the system:

• Speaker stands — the single easiest improvement, since these were voiced for ear-height listening.
• Subwoofers — add the bottom octave the cabinet cannot reach, and the SPEKTOR 2s handle everything above it.
• Speaker cables — terminated or bare, in the length your room actually needs.
• Wall-mount brackets — for the rear fixing point, when shelf space has run out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the DALI SPEKTOR 2s sold as a pair?

Yes, they ship as a pair. Grilles and rubber feet are included, and the grilles attach to the baffle so you can run them covered or exposed.

How close to the wall can I put them?

DALI gives a recommended range of 1 to 80 cm from the back wall, which is unusually flexible for a rear-ported speaker. Closer placement lifts the bass, so start further out and move in if you want more weight.

Do I need speaker stands?

A shelf works and DALI designed for it. Stands still help, mostly by putting the tweeters at ear height and getting the cabinets off a surface that can resonate with them.

What kind of speaker cable termination fits?

The terminals accept spades, banana plugs and bare wire. There is one pair per cabinet, wired straight to the crossover, so a single run of cable per side is all you need.

Can I use them in a home theater?

They work as a front pair or as surrounds, and DALI built the SPEKTOR range with matching centre and floorstanding models. The wide dispersion helps when seats are spread across a room rather than in one chair.

Why Audio Advisor?

• 40+ Years of Expertise — Since 1981, we've helped over a million music lovers find the right gear.
• 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee — Take your time. Listen, enjoy, and make sure it's right for you.
• Real Experts, Real Help — Our team is here to answer your questions at 800-942-0220, weekdays 9am–6pm EST.
• Free Shipping — On orders over $49, delivered to your door.
• Flexible Payment Options — Financing available so you can start listening now.

Learn More

Want to learn more about speaker placement, bookshelf speakers, or matching an amplifier to your speakers? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.