Dali Zensor 1 review (repost)

So where do I begin this review. You've probably all heard of Dali right? Well Dali makes some pretty phenomenal loudspeakers. Dali (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, if were being formal) loudspeakers originated from Scandinavia's leading audio retail chain in 1983 and have begun to flourish as a company in their own right. Dali is now recognised as being at the forefront of high quality loudspeaker design and manufacturing.

So what makes Dali so special? Well for a start they use very high quality components that you will only see in Dali products. For example their driver units were designed from the ground up by their specialist engineers whilst collaborating with some of the leading experts in driver manufacturing. They also use their own unique driver technology that enables us to listen to our favourite music exactly as it was intended by the artist. But does all this translate. Let’s find out.

So to begin the review let’s talk about the Aesthetic design. 

Aesthetic design

What can I say… starting with the very traditional and classical squared off design. I know it doesn’t sound adventurous but you will understand why this fits in well with the rest of the classy and subtle styling.

Remove the superbly designed speaker grille and the Zensor 1 speakers are simply exquisite. You are drawn straight to the 5.25 inch wood fibre driver which is a lovely deep and earthy brown. This is in contrast to the glossy black finish of the cabinet. Surrounding the main driver is a matt black and silver ring that really separates the strong colours but yet manages to tie in the design to make it coherent and very elegant. Look further up to the 1 inch silk dome tweeter and you’re treated to the same silver surround with the words "Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries" printed onto it. All in all the Zensor 1s are some of the best if not the best looking speakers in their respective class.

The main cabinet of the speaker is covered in very high quality vinyl, it’s so good that you can actually see and feel the depth of the grain. Yes I know it’s just vinyl but it some of the best I have seen on speakers costing less than £200. The Zensor 1 is available in three finishes. 1. Black Ash vinyl 2. Light Walnut vinyl and 3. White vinyl. All the finishes look great, but I have to say the white looks the best. 

Build quality

The build quality for these speakers is like the look which is really high quality. The construction is really solid and the speakers have a reassuringly nice weight to them which would suggest a high grade MDF cabinet, with a lot of sound isolation inside as well. Like I mentioned already the vinyl quality is top notch and really nicely secured to the speaker. There are no rough edges or bad spots that you can sometimes find on lesser quality finishes.

On the rear, you have the gold plated terminals which are enclosed in a plastic surround, which to be honest doesn't look amazing and feels a little inexpensive in comparison to the rest of the build. But then again you don't see the back the speakers every day. Speaking of the terminals they are very high quality and offer great cable securement for both banana plugs and raw cable.

You then get to the wall mounting which looks a little cheap and not very well thought out. For speakers costing £199 you would that this would have warranted a bit more attention. The speaker grilles look and feel well made, they are not at all bendy or flexible and they feel very sturdy and solid.

Overall the build is very good apart from the few minor issues round the back. 

Specifications

The Zensor 1 has a bass reflex enclosure type. A frequency range of 53Hz to 26500Hz. Sensitivity (dB) 86.5. The speaker Impedance is 6 ohm. Max SPL (dB) 106. Crossover frequency is 2900Hz. The recommended amp power (W) 25 – 100.

The dimensions (H x W x D) (mm) are 274 x 162 x 220. Weight (kg) 4.2 per speaker.

Accessories included: manual and rubber isolation feet. 

Placement

As for speaker placement in your room, that would all depend on the size and shape of your room. I would suggest that they sound best on stands, placed approximately 1m away from the side walls and around 30cm from rear walls. However this will vary room to room. So my only advice is to try the speakers and place them in accordance to your listening position. I know it’s a hassle but to get the best from your set up its worth it.

Once you get this right, you’re in for a real acoustic treat. 

Sound quality

At the minute I have these set up with a Denon Dm39, Pixel T80 stands, Van Damme Blue studio cable and Sewell Pro Maestro Banana Plugs with 24K Gold Connectors and they sound amazing even on this relatively low level set up. The Dali’s have an incredible presence and really can show some of their more expensive rivals how it’s done.

The Zensors are quite the masters of balance and finesse, managing to perfectly blend the sound spectrum into one seamless and very enjoyable listening experience.

With detailed and deep lows, vivid and purposeful highs and a mid-range that really provides a meticulous attention to detail and really shows off a great vocal track.

Pair the Dali’s with something higher end than the Denon and you really are in for a real treat of audio clarity that I haven't heard on anything under £200, in my opinion these are probably the best sounding speakers under £200. I know I keep saying it but in my view it’s true.

Not only that but the Dali’s really can really hold their own with genres of music you may not expect, like dubstep, drum n bass and hip hop and I know that's not what the Dali’s were designed for, but that doesn't mean they don’t sound great.

However get the Dali’s playing Jazz or Classical music and they really show their true potential.  They really do come alive and shine delivering dynamic, detailed and amazingly realistic sound reproduction.

To show this further I have given these speakers a few, fairly thorough sound tests on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/AcousticAppraisal. With more planned at a later date. Just remember that they sound even better as I can only portray their quality to a certain extent. 

Value for money

Now for the money, yes they are a considered purchase and do cost a lot of money but in my opinion they are totally worth it. Like I have said these are possible the best sounding speakers I've heard and reviewed costing under £200, add the amazing build quality, the beautifully classy design and they really are worth it.