Is the Dali IO-12 Worth $1300...for Wireless??

[@cheddaslice5332]

Ive had the Dali io12s for a year. I listen to them bluetooth with the Questyle M15 and the Questyle CMA 18. These are absolutely the best BT headphones in my opinion. I also have the Bathys but rarely use them because the Dali are addicting. I listen to these the most with the CMA 18, it's magical and hard to put down. The separation of instruments and detail is stupendous. I also have the Hifiman HE1000SE which are one of the most detailed (planar) HPs out there. But i probably listen to the Dalis more. One thing I recommend doing is turning up your EQ features on your source device. I play everything using Amazon Music of my Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy phones have a feature called ADAPT SOUND. You can do a hearing test for it to automatically set it to your hearing profile or you can set it to an age range. Im 38 but i have mine set to 60 years old + which boosts ALL frequencies. I find that to be the winner because it opens everything up 10 fold. It has massive more body and way more clarity and detail than when I have the Adapt Sound off. Just a little tip. Music is medicine. Happy listening 😊

[@GEFELICITEERD45]

I like the T&A solitaire T more than the Dali IO-12

[@Spyplane2005]

​@GEFELICITEERD45 T&A is also $1600, they sounded more bright to me and the earcups are way smaller

[@thomasferrarojr.9772]

​@@GEFELICITEERD45 Not in my opinion. Too thin sounding and bright.

[@MrDjillest303]

I don't believe you

[@TheOneInYellow]

Awesome review! For me, this is the only competitor to the awesome T+A Solitaire T hybrid wireless/wired headphone! (I own the Solitaire T, but seriously consider the IO-12 as another fantastic option in the world of high-end wireless playback). Both Solitaire T and Dali IO-12 are similar in certain areas, especially treble. I consider IO-12 to be a bit more fun on the bass and more smooth in the mids, with a lovely extended treble that's detailed but a tad dark (in my opinion). The Solitaire T has less bass in your face but is more textured and detailed, and more subass extension (but less oomph), incredible natural, addictive, and holographic mids, and a near perfect, liquid sounding treble. Both headphones have similar on treble reproduction, with T+A Solitaire T more airy versus the darker Dali IO-12 tonality, but neither peak into sibilance, just very close. As hybrid headphones, the Solitaire T does go further with sonic voicing almost matching any mode it is in, including Bluetooth HQ (Qualcomm decodes codec, but sends signal to an ESS chip for final DAC and Class A amp) and true passive wired balanced playback due to internal balanced cabling- Solitaire T uses one earcup 2.5mm TRRS connector, and the headphones come with both 1x 2.5mm TRRS to 4.4mm TRRS balanced cable, and 1x 2.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRS single-ended cable. However, IO-12 is remarkably close on technicalities too. The fact that both headphones have properly tuned and damped drivers, for passive wired and electronic wireless operation, is awesome! Of course, T+A Solitaire T is far more expensive, so Dali IO-12 is an easier recommendation, but both are stellar in both passive and wireless operation.

[@MarceloPaciorek]

I’ve got a desktop speaker from Dali, and it’s great. Im now interested in the IO-12. I'm excited that there is no app for EQ, which is excellent for me.

[@hilmargunnars]

Very happy with mine. Excellent sound!

[@stephenwest673]

I have the IO 12 and Levinson 5909…both are wonderful headphones for £1000, the 5909 give you a great all round sound and their bass is present but not over stated. The Dali have a separation between instruments and vocals with air to breathe that has too be heard to be believed in hifi mode which i prefer, they are exceptional headphones 👍

[@Skeeb23]

This. That's why I said using them passive doesn't take full advantage of their capabilities!

[@LiLSCRIBE]

Which one is better for hip-hop in your opinion? I dont care too much about sound stage and i am interested in sound accuracy and comfort. Thanks :)

[@MrJ.31]

​@LiLSCRIBE Truthfully to me it depends on how you wanna use them. Brought my 5909 to a local audio shop that has Dali IO-12 as well as T+A Solitaire T for demoing and I found the Solitaire T to be the fastest with the most energetic sound signature with emphasis on the mids and made the music feel thicker than the other two, also had the smallest soundstage and the smallest earcups and I only loved them in HQ mode as standard mode didn't really stand out. They were comfortable but not as much as the other two. The Dali had the biggest soundstage with a more noticeable bass presence and slightly better instrument separation. It was the most comfortable to wear and has the largest earcups out of the bunch but may not be the most comfortable for someone with a smaller head cause it also had the lightest clamping force and didn't stay in place as well as the others. My Mark Levinson kinda stayed in the middle of the other two (2nd place for comfort and soundstage). It has a little more lean in the Treble which made vocals come across a little clearer and was the most balanced and analytical of the three. One weird thing is I can tell it's a little bit more bass lean than the other two but it seemed to have more bass extension and growl than the others. This was all wireless and depending on what you listen to each one could be better than the other. To me the Solitaire T sounded best with EDM and Pop, ML sounded best with Classical, Rock, and Latin, and Dali sounded best with Instrumental, Jazz, and movies. They all sounded great with HipHop. I will also say that the ML5909 sounded the best passively. Ran all three from a Chord MOJO 2, Ifi XDSD Gryphon, Ifi IDSD Neo, Chord Hugo 2, DCS Lina and Mcintosh MDA200 and the ML5909 outshined the other two in nearly every way except soundstage. The differences weren't major but noticeable enough. Sorry for the rant I just really get into this stuff. On a sidenote if your primary thing to listen to is Rap/HipHop and you don't care about running your headphones through a DAC I would look at the B&O H95. It's honestly VERY hard to beat in that category not only cause of how heavy and deep Rap sounds coming from it but you just FEEL it. I honestly love those things and if I was primarily listening to Rap I would probably put them at the top

[@LiLSCRIBE]

Wow, thank you so much for the detailed reply, I really appreciate! Kimd regards and have a great weekend🙏😌

[@MrJ.31]

@@LiLSCRIBE No worries bro my pleasure 😎

[@SeasonalParadise]

You put me over the edge. I bought after seeing your video. Thanks.

[@Marian1st.]

I got the PX8, and they sound great. Not accurate, but just a fun sound that’s never harsh, fatiguing or too boomy.

[@CORVUSMAXYMUS]

Dali is a king in headphone industry.Is not the only one but is there in TOP 5.

[@emiliostieca]

Good review. Would personally not pay 1300 for these as i tried them and was kinda underwhelmed. I ended up buying the Hifiman Ananda Nano and could not be more happy.

[@MrJ.31]

I know they're a little older at this point but now I'm curious what your take would be on the Mark Levinson 5909 and T+A Solitaire T

[@enriqueali]

Would have been helpful to have compared them to other ANC headphones in its price bracket (or close to). Something like the Mark Levinson or the T + A offerings...

[@Skeeb23]

Yes, I wish I did as well. The T & A is touted pretty good as well. Sorry for that...growing this channel will help me for future things like that.

[@KainSwiss]

@@Skeeb23 The T & A costs way more! Great review on the Dali. I have these. What you missed was the integration of using a portable Dac. It pushes these cans even further!

[@romanoonamor7690]

Would it be possible to have the measurement of the inside of the pads please?

[@Marian1st.]

Great review and awesome music choice for testing headphones.

[@Skeeb23]

@@Marian1st. Thank you. I think music references are important to understand a reference point. Happy to hear you appreciate it. 🍻

[@VitiateTheImmortal]

I love my Dali Io 12s. Best headphone that i ever owned! Bathys and H95s behind. I also tried some wired focal stellias at a store once and man these get closer to those than the other bluetooth devices.

[@diegorivera985]

I’m torn between Bathys and IO12 could you maybe talk about the differences on the sound

[@linehand5246]

Great review!!! In your opinion, what are the best headphones for EDM music? Thanks in advance

[@Spinks345]

Excellent review. How does the BT sound compare to an Airpods Max?

[@Thinair24]

Any high end headphones will sound better than AirPods Max. Even my turtle beach stealth pro gaming headset has much better sound quality.

[@MickBokulich-gg1ro]

Dumb

[@lololololololol444]

Great production value

[@RX-rd4sc]

Can you review denon d7200 Mid 2022 or Later manufactured unit as they increased the fidelity acc to some folks

[@beefsupreme510]

I want some dark chocolate now

[@Skeeb23]

Silky smooth

[@spanishdownload]

Are these a waste if I just use apples Bluetooth codec and not AptX? I have Hifiman edition XS with a day amp combo and I daily drive Sennheiser Momentum 4’s. Bluetooth from my iPhone to the M4s is surprisingly saucy. Wondering what it will be like with the Dali’s.

[@Skeeb23]

I can't comment on apple since I didn't test. If you do a quick Google search, you'll find plenty of comments on the Dali. Seems as though others liked with Apple. I'd go that route first.

[@Cp48533]

How do you find this amazing music?

[@Hijynx87]

That intro music sounds phenomenal on my cklvx d41 lol.

[@Skeeb23]

I loved it upon first listen and thought...yep thats it! ha!

[@Cp48533]

@@Skeeb23 what is the intro music?

[@Skeeb23]

@@Cp48533 the track is called C-TROX and it is by Kyrie Irving (instrumental version). I have a subscription to Audiio and that is where I get all of my music from. Excellent site for creators!

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

How does the Myer compare with other earphones in your collection?

[@Hijynx87]

@@ReverendDr.Thomas for the price it beats the aful performer 5 and most around the $200 price range. It has a smooth sound, some say it’s a cheaper dusk 2024. To me it sounds very similar to the mangird tea 2. Like scary close, but I only paid $140 for it lol. The sliivo sl41 mkii is even better, like the stage is very good and it’s a lot more detailed. It’s like an aful performer 8 with more bass. Sliivo is a smaller iem (about same as ziigaat doscinco/cincotres), while the cklvx is about the same size as the hype 4 and tea 2 with the semi custom shell.

[@stephenwest673]

Levinson i would say…more bass presence than the Dali 👍

[@shaaf5453]

Are these comparable with wired headphones in 1k$ range like focal celestee, radiance , sony, denon or planars lineup?

[@Skeeb23]

Yes, I absolutely think they are when you use the USBC out or analogue but powering on the headphone for the HiFi EQ. It's not as punchy as the Radiance or as boomy, but more balanced. I think detail retrieval is also very good in comparison. Now, I would personally not take these over my E3 for $700 more though.

[@shaaf5453]

@@Skeeb23 so would you suggest me to get radiance or celestee over these for pure sound quality perspective? And have you heard sony mdr z1r?

[@Skeeb23]

@@shaaf5453 I have not heard the Sony. I owned the Radiance but never heard the Celeste. It all comes down to what you are looking for. Comfort and fit play a role too. Focal pads are smaller and tighter clamp than the Dali is. What sound are you looking for? Every person's preferences are different remember.

[@shaaf5453]

@@Skeeb23 i listen to modern music, classical, edm, hip hop, jazz, rap If radiance is a major step up from dali ion-12 then i will consider it And do you think the io-12 has some limitations vs wired headphones? Like every other anc headphones on the market

[@Skeeb23]

@@shaaf5453 if you want a good quality headphone that you can take and not have wires to worry about - the IO-12 is an excellent option. If you are just wanting a headphone to be wired with, then I would not suggest the IO-12. The Radiance is a very fun sounding headphone with good technical details. Just be prepared for some slam! Also the tighter fit. The IO-12 works great wired on USB. If you do the analogue, I still suggest using the internal dac/amp of the headphone to unlock the DSP. I do not care for the plain, non-eq sound of the IO-12 fwiw.

[@rajendrabiswas]

if there is not spatial atmosphere ? wants the point for movies

[@GEFELICITEERD45]

I Love the T&A solitaire T dont like the Dali IO-12 very bulky headphones

[@whyyoushouldknow]

Keeps dropping bluetooth

[@Ricer-b4n]

It aint hifi if you gotta constantly remind people it's hifi.

[@raymondwebby2441]

No

[@beefsupreme510]

Yes

[@beefsupreme510]

Maybe

[@adam.dzwoniarek72]

So in a nutshell: I bought Focal Bathys Dune a couple of weeks back and I've been real impressed with the sound quality and the clarity of it. I thought I'd give Dali iO 12 a shot, you know, just to compare the two and I just decided to send both back. Focal Bathys' sound clarity is way superior. Dali just sounds soft and muffled to me. They're both going back and I'm ordering Focal Bathys again, this time the black version. Bathys: 1. Dali 12: 0

[@dp5559]

After watching and reading countless reviews on the bathys I was sure they were going to be the BT headphones for me, I had the oopportunity to sample a pair the other day and while they were very good (the best BT headphones i'd heard to date) I wasnt blown away.....the sales assistant also had a pair of Dali IO12's on hand he let me sample (tbh I hadn't even heard of them before, wasn't aware Dali did headphones but at 1k a pop I thought id give them a shot while i was there) man the Dali's blow the Bathys away sorry 😂 how anyone can think the Bathys produce a better sound is beyond me and from what I've been reading your opinion is in the minority. I was honestly hoping the Bathys would be the best too because imo they do look better and a pair of cans I'd actually wear in public where as the Dali's I wouldn't wear outside, they're just too big but damn sound wise they are on another level to the Bathys! Made me want to listen to my entire music library in the shop

[@thomasferrarojr.9772]

​@dp5559 This. Exactly. Bathy's aren't even close. I'm not sure how you can feel they sound superior. Yikes.