Dali Ikon vs. Lektor

[admin_exported]

I am in the process of choosing new speakers for my Marantz pm6003. To date I have listened to Dali Ikon 1's and liked their neutral, detailed sound. My only doubt is the depth of the bass from these small speakers; though I may still choose them.

Given my limited budget (£450) and the impossibility of finding a dealer that stocks all the available options I am trying to put together a short list of 2 alternatives. Do the Dali Lektor 3's have the same neutral/detailed sound as the Ikons, but with more bass? Or am I better looking else where?

From what I have read suitable alternatives might be:

Focal Chorus v706

Morduant Short Mezzo 2

Has anyone compared the Ikons and Lektors or have any other thoughts?

Cheers

 

[plastic penguin]

The only Dalis I've heard is the Ikon 2. They are superb standmounters and should sound really impressive with Marantz. The only snag is: I doubt whether you could buy brand new for less than £500. Look on ebay and you may find the odd pair popping up.

 

[batonwielder]

If it's bass you want Dali is the wrong brand to look at. Even their floorstanders I've found to be lightly balanced.

Have you tried the B&W 685's?

 

[Anonymous]

batonwielder:
If it's bass you want Dali is the wrong brand to look at. Even their floorstanders I've found to be lightly balanced.

Have you tried the B&W 685's?

Not with Marantz. Are B&W a good match to Marantz? The advice that I've had to date is no; is this correct? Neutral speakers seem to be recommended for Marantz.

I'm not after lots of bass, just something in the middle ground. My thought was a larger Dali would provide that.

 

[ear]

my only doubt is if that marantz can cope with large floorstanders...

 

[Anonymous]

ear:my only doubt is if that marantz can cope with large floorstanders...

I am thinking of something the size of Focal 706/Lektor 3/MS Mezzo 2. The Ikon 1s are about 2/3rds the size of those.

 

[matthewpiano]

The Ikons are wonderful. I had a pair of Ikon 1s here for home demo a few months ago and loved their open, detailed, and natural approach to music. Like you, however, I did find them to be just a little too light in the bass. I never got chance to hear the next size up but I'd expect them to be pretty special.

The Mezzo 2s (which I ran for quite a while with a CA 740A) are superb speakers but ideally they need a cleaner sounding amp than the Marantz.

The 685s are great but work better with NAD or Rotel than with Marantz.

I think some Dalis, either Lektors or Ikons, would be the best solution here although, if you have the space, I'd also highly recommend looking into the Q Acoustics floorstanders which are amazing value for money and very easy to drive (although they do respond significantly to bi-wiring).

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

The Dali / Marantz combination really works - it was one of the most surprising sounds at the Bristol show last year - search through the threads.

We had the Lektor 1's with the Marantz today in our demonstration room and you really do get a big detailed sound .

The Ikon 1's are a big step up though. A much cleaner bass with a far more accurate and detailed top end. With the Lektor 1's at a new price of £259 and the Ikon 1's available for £399 rather than the usual £579 the step up in price is well worth IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

TheHomeCinemaCentre:
The Ikon 1's are a big step up though. A much cleaner bass with a far more accurate and detailed top end. With the Lektor 1's at a new price of £259 and the Ikon 1's available for £399 rather than the usual £579 the step up in price is well worth IMO.

How would you compare the depth of bass of the Lektor 3's vs. the Ikon 1's? They will be used in a room 4.5 x 3.5m.

Thanks

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

The Lektor 3 has a good amount of bass but the Ikon 1 still wins it for me. The top end detail is far better and that helps the whole range of frequencies sound more complete.

Your room size is fine for either.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been looking a pair of small quality speakers, and ended up in the exact same choice as you: Ikon 1 vs. Lektor 3. So tomorrow i'm putting it to the test at a local dealer. If you are still in doubt i'd be happy to rapport in with my findings.

Update: I have now been at the store.

Middelrange: The two speakers are almost identical.

Treble: The Ikon 1 has more treble, and at all volumes it is much more precise. The speakers are really worlds apart in this range.

Bass: Of cause neither will rock the house, that's what sub-woofers are for. The Lektor 3 has more bass, however at high levels, the Lektor 3 becomes boomy, where the Ikon 1 bass was still precise.

Conclusion: Yes, without a sub-woofer you cannot play as loud with the Ikon 1 as with the Lektor 3, but i would gladly sacrifice 10% in volume for 25% more treble precision.

So what did i buy? Well having a boss at home (aka wife) i ended up getting Dali Ikon W2 (On-Wall), even though i was able to audit them. This way i just might persuade her to go for the 5.1/7.1 solution in the living room.