DALI KUPID

Introduction

Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries (DALI to you and me) has a pedigree, a proper £40,000 EPIKORE 11 loudspeaker pedigree.

Here at Hifiandmusicsource, the £1499 MENUET SE received an Outstanding award for their notable vocal performance. Does the magic sauce from the MENUET or the EPIKORE rub off on a £300 pair of DALIs?

Design

The DALI KUPID features a traditional two-way design with rear-firing dual flare bass reflex ports, making it an ideal choice for bookshelf speaker setups. It features an 11.4cm (4½-inch) low-loss bass/midrange driver with a wood-fibre paper cone and a custom-made 26 mm soft-dome tweeter. This tweeter is designed for this loudspeaker where their Planar based Hybrid Tweeter module is used higher up the loudspeaker range, including in the KORE, EPIKORE and EPICON series.

Quality

These loudspeakers are lightweight at about 3 kilos each, making them easy to place and relocate.  They are very tactile, made from MDF and a faultless vinyl wrap, and built in a DALI facility in China.

The binding posts at the rear are functional in a plastic housing that matches the rear port flare.

Specification and Price

Performance

Review Equipment

I’m using a Naim Uniti Star (about to have service, with the CD broken) with a REL T/5i in our listening space, using some Kudos KS1 loudspeaker cable. It is a real-time living space that is in constant use, particularly over Christmas.

I’ve also had the opportunity to use the Rega Brio Mk7 with KS1 loudspeaker cable with a 99-quid FiiO SR11 streamer! They are about 1.5 meters apart, toed in towards me, and I’m sitting about 2 meters away.

Separately, I’ve had a Bluesound Powernode hooked up for a bit of HybridDigital amplifier comparison.

Amplifier Comparison, Naim Uniti Star, Class AB, 70W: Rega Brio Mk7, Class AB, 50W: Bluesound Powernode HybridDigital Class D, 100W

Naim Uniti Star

In our living space over Christmas, the KUPIDs were in constant use, and those quieter moments over the holiday period revealed enough detail to engage the listener. There is limited bass response with these loudspeakers, resulting in a midrange-focused delivery. The addition of the REL T/5i certainly added weight to the delivery, and an impromptu party night was well served by the KUPIDs at a fairly high party volume.

Rega Brio Mk7

After Christmas, in the review space, the Brio was a worthy and lively partner. The soundstage was investigated at this stage. Here, with a modest FiiO SR11 streamer in Airplay mode (16 bit, 44.1kHz), Fontaines DC’s Starburster was delivered with energy and verve. I had three goes at it to make sure it sounded great.

I noted that I improved the bass response from the KUPIDs to a limited degree with an older Bluesound Node 2i streamer, set to fixed output to the digital stage of the Brio 7. There’s no subwoofer involved here.

Bluesound Powernode

The Powernode also proved to be an excellent, easier partner with one less box in the setup, and the Class D amplification suited the KUPIDs nicely, though the loudspeakers were a fraction livelier. I preferred the Brio Mk7 presentation, which felt more in control of the KUPIDs, but there’s nothing to complain about with the Powernode’s (N331, 2025) efficiency.

Slipping a FiiO R2R DAC in place of the Brio’s digital platform (Bluesound Node 2i fixed out->FiiO BR15 R2R DAC fixed out->Brio Mk7) delivered a preferred midrange lift and reduced the angular tones in the repeated replay of Starburster. Plot spoiler for the upcoming FiiO review: it is simply terrific!

Thoughts

With these DALI KUPID at £300, this HiFi stuff is starting to get silly. With an entry-level hundred-quid streamer and a proper value integrated Rega Brio, for a thousand pounds or so, you can start off on a HiFi journey that will do you well for the foreseeable future. I’m conscious some may label this sort of product LoFi, but I don’t think this Lo, anything.

The fact that the features of the differing DACs can be reproduced by these loudspeakers is a testament to the KUPIDs quality and performance.

Overall

A terrific product. The definition of the phrase ‘punching well above its price point’! Pick a funky colour, and you’re off. At the beginning of the review, I asked if the magic sauce from the MENUETs or the EPIKORE rubs off on a £300 pair of DALIs? It does, in style.