Dali Zensor 3 compared with Dali Lektor 2

[Tibor]

My question is that which speaker would be better for classical music? What is the diference Zensor 3 vs. Lektor 2?

My system: Arcam Diva A 65 plus amp, Arcam Diva CD 73 player, my room is small 6*6 m

I think Zensor 3 has stronger bass, but the bass power is not really important for me, the wide and precise soundstage and the honest, uncolured, detalied, natural sound are far more important factors.

I would buy the speakers online, because I have no possibylity to listen the Dalis

I replacing my Quad 11 L classic speakers, which are very good, but ocasionally have unprecise bass (bass overhang)

Thank you for response

 

[Blackdawn]

My question is that which speaker would be better for classical music? What is the diference Zensor 3 vs. Lektor 2?

My system: Arcam Diva A 65 plus amp, Arcam Diva CD 73 player, my room is small 6*6 m

I think Zensor 3 has stronger bass, but the bass power is not really important for me, the wide and precise soundstage and the honest, uncolured, detalied, natural sound are far more important factors.

I would buy the speakers online, because I have no possibylity to listen the Dalis

I replacing my Quad 11 L classic speakers, which are very good, but ocasionally have unprecise bass (bass overhang)

Thank you for response

Before you start swapping speakers of a similar value what about tweeking the position of your Quads or listening position? Maybe placement is causing the issue you have with the bass?

For the price your never going to get perfect speakers but the Lektor 2s come up on ebay quite often for £100. I wouldn't change mine for similar price speakers - no way, they are very good and enjoyable - however need running in well, plus very versatile when it come to placement. Do you get the same result using the Quads with a different amp other than the Arcam?

 

[Blacksabbath25]

My question is that which speaker would be better for classical music? What is the diference Zensor 3 vs. Lektor 2?

My system: Arcam Diva A 65 plus amp, Arcam Diva CD 73 player, my room is small 6*6 m

I think Zensor 3 has stronger bass, but the bass power is not really important for me, the wide and precise soundstage and the honest, uncolured, detalied, natural sound are far more important factors.

I would buy the speakers online, because I have no possibylity to listen the Dalis

I replacing my Quad 11 L classic speakers, which are very good, but ocasionally have unprecise bass (bass overhang)

Thank you for response

well I had some Dali 3s they are very good value for money I heard this on an arcam A19 to be honest they did not work with the A19 amp as they sounded very plan with this amp . If your into classical music you need a neutral sounding speaker some like monitor audio bronze or sliver , B&Ws but Dali speakers work really well with marantz stuff but Have you tried finding a dealer that would let you try some speakers on sale on return that way if you did not like them you could send them back with in a time scale of say 14 days if you did not like them and you get your money back I know it's a pain sending stuff back but at least your getting a home demo

 

[Tibor]

My Quads are placed on Mission stand, and indifferent from placement occasionally have smeared bass .

Can tell me something about Lektor 2' bass?

I have only Arcam amplifier.

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi, Well the bass and frequency response are very good considering the Lektor 2 only has a 5" driver. Mine are right close to the wall so obviously this helps with the bass output. Out into the room you tend to feel they are a bit lacking. They match well with my Pioneer amp.

The Quads are more of a monitor type speaker so you shouldn't really have an issue with what you mention. Maybe it is caused by the Arcams? I would double the budget to find something with a better sound.

 

[Blackdawn]

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/hi-fi-and-av-speakers/dali-lektor-2-587855/review

http://www.whathifi.com/dali/lektor-2/review

 

[Tibor]

I think the Zensor 3 with stronger bass would be better choice than Lektor 2. Both speakers have the same price as new.

Thank you, the question is: the Zensor 3 would be better than my Quad 11L classics. The Zensor 3 are highly praised speakers, I suppose have no any weakness in bass quality.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

The Dali's will not be better than the Quads.

I have to guess you've gone through the options available to you - your amp has tone controls and you've experimented with speaker location etc.

You've also confirmed the problem is not the source material.

The Quads are good speakers and would probably benefit from a more powerful amp than the Arcam.

Imo the Dali Zensors are 'toy' speakers designed for the 'yuff' never heard the Lektor but audition if at all possible - bring your Quads along.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

To add.....

Depending on your budget the Quad 12l could be a consideration if in general you're happy with the Quad sound.

But if buying new - I would seriously suggest you consider a more powerful amp. Try the Yamahas like the 500 or 700 range with dac (you could improve on your cdplayer's performance simply by utilising the digital output)- The Quads will accommodate upgrades.

That aside how can you go from the luxurious finish of the Quads to the embarrassingly cheap looking Dalis?

 

[Blacksabbath25]

This is way demoing speakers is important ! Dali 3s are very good speakers they are fast paced , good bass on them detailed too , good sound stage and good bulld quality they may look cheap but they are not as there lots of people on here who own them and are happy with them I still have a set of Dali 3s which I am keeping for home cinema but I had mine for music for a start on my old marantz pm6005 amp and they sound good for there money . Your speakers I see cost around £500 so they should be good for classical music is there a reason for you wanting to change them ?

 

[Tibor]

Yes, the Quad 11 L classics are very good speakers, and have only one weakness: ocasionally inprecise bass, I mean some bass overhang, smeared low tones. The speakers try to impress with strong bass, but ocasionally the bass tones sound artificial, smeared, indiferent of source, amplifier and placement

I suppose Zensor 3 has not so kind of weakness.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Excuse me a moment Tibor.....

I'm not knocking the Dalis (even if it looks like it.... ).... But over Quads?

But if the op is ready to spend £350 - £400 on speakers it's worth looking at upgrading the amp.

Actually BlackSabbath why not string them z3's back up as a refresher , tell us how they sound on the sa8005

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Yes, the Quad 11 L classics are very good speakers, and have only one weakness: ocasionally inprecise bass, I mean some bass overhang, smeared low tones. The speakers try to impress with strong bass, but ocasionally the bass tones sound artificial, smeared, indiferent of source, amplifier and placement

I suppose Zensor 3 has not so kind of weakness.

to be honest the Dali 3s will do the same you can get bass over hang with this too if you have not got them setup right like to close to the wall they do need to be put on some good stands too . Have you thought about changing the amp but keeping the quads

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Excuse me a moment Tibor.....

I'm not knocking the Dalis (even if it looks like it.... ).... But over Quads?

But if the op is ready to spend £350 - £400 on speakers it's worth looking at upgrading the amp.

Actually BlackSabbath why not string them z3's back up as a refresher , tell us how they sound on the sa8005

I did before I got my Dali optcon 6s the bass did inprove but the Dali 3s can get a bit mixed up on the top end they are what they are for the money which is good value But like you say the quads are meant to be better and I would be looking at a new amp if it was me

 

[manicm]

Before you change anything, try different stands. How close to the back wall are the Quads?

 

[Thompsonuxb]

 Yes, the Quad 11 L classics are very good speakers, and have only one weakness: ocasionally inprecise bass, I mean some bass overhang, smeared low tones. The speakers try to impress with strong bass, but ocasionally the bass tones sound artificial, smeared, indiferent of source, amplifier and placement

?

 I suppose Zensor 3 has not so kind of weakness.

Tibor how do you have the tone controls set on your amp?

I know some of you classical music lovers like to crank things up abit - but have you tried reducing the bass via the tone controls?

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Yes, the Quad 11 L classics are very good speakers, and have only one weakness: ocasionally inprecise bass, I mean some bass overhang, smeared low tones. The speakers try to impress with strong bass, but ocasionally the bass tones sound artificial, smeared, indiferent of source, amplifier and placement

I suppose Zensor 3 has not so kind of weakness.

Tibor how do you have the tone controls set on your amp?

I know some of you classical music lovers like to crank things up abit - but have you tried reducing the bass via the tone controls?

or if you can bypass the tone controls with no bass add from the amp but understand if using tone controls knock back the bass *** a bit then look at your speakers move them away from the wall see what this does to the sound and let us know what's happened with the sound . The other Dali speaker you could try is the opticon 1 which is the same price as the quads £499 but better then the Dali 3s

 

[Thompsonuxb]

 Yes, the Quad 11 L classics are very good speakers, and have only one weakness: ocasionally inprecise bass, I mean some bass overhang, smeared low tones. The speakers try to impress with strong bass, but ocasionally the bass tones sound artificial, smeared, indiferent of source, amplifier and placement

?

 I suppose Zensor 3 has not so kind of weakness.

Tibor how do you have the tone controls set on your amp?

I know some of you classical music lovers like to crank things up abit - but have you tried reducing the bass via the tone controls?

or if you can bypass the tone controls with no bass add from the amp but understand if using tone controls knock back the bass *** a bit then look at your speakers move them away from the wall see what this does to the sound and let us know what's happened with the sound . The other Dali speaker you could try is the opticon 1 which is the same price as the quads £499 but better then the Dali 3s 

Not a big fan of bypass buttons myself - my suggestion would be to dial the bass completely out then bring it in gradually.....

 

[Blackdawn]

I,ve heard the Quad 12s but would always choose Dali speakers instead, just my preference, i find them very musical and exciting.

I don't think your amp is the best suited for the Dalis. Denon, Pioneer, NAD, Yamaha would be my pick

 

[Tibor]

My speakers are situated at 50 cm distance of rear wall, I use source direct function at my Arcam amp, so no tone control used, I have no idea what's can be the problem with bass.

The Quads have very strong bass and small cabinet, so I think have some artificial bass boost at wofer, trying to impress the listener, but have also ocasionally some bass smearing. I suppose not easy to make a speaker with strong bass in a small box. The Quads sound veiled at low volumes, I suppose the Dalis are different

Thank you for sharing your experience

 

[Tibor]

I had Kef IQ 3, Acoustic Energy Aegis Neo 1, Polkaudio Rti 3 speakers in past, but I never experienced this problem with bass like with Quads.

A have no money for a new amp, so I suppose the Dali Lektor or Zensor will be different at bass department

 

[matthewpiano]

Quads can indeed sound veiled at lower volumes, and I have known them to occasionally be a little heavy footed in the bass.

The Zensor 3s certainly don't have the tendency to sound veiled, but they can be heavy in the bass and do need careful positioning. You will also lose an element of the Quad's seamless integration across the midband.

The Lektor 2s are much more even across the frequency range, and less sensitive to positioning, but they won't sound as open or soundstage as precisely as the Quads can.

I'd suggest investigating whether you can pick up an ex-demo or pre-owned pair of Rega RS1s. These are terrific speakers for any acoustic music, from solo and chamber music all the way up to large-scale orchestral and operatic works. They haven't got the biggest bass and do need positioning fairly close to the wall, but they have the integration, detail and openess of the Quads combined with better performance at low levels. It's one of 3 pairs of speakers I have, and I've had my RS1s in use with the NAD for the past couple of days, sounding really good. They also present a very easy load - worth considering with both your amp and mine.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

  My speakers are situated at 50 cm distance of rear wall, I use source direct function at my Arcam amp, so no tone control used,  I have no idea what's can be the problem with bass.

The Quads have  very strong bass and small cabinet, so I think  have some artificial bass boost at wofer, trying to impress the listener, but have also ocasionally some bass smearing. I suppose not easy to make a speaker with strong bass in a  small box. The Quads sound veiled at low volumes, I suppose the Dalis are different

?

Thank you for sharing your experience

Turn off the source direct - use your tone controls. You can achieve better results and a better tonal balance with them.

Don't believe the nonsense ref source direct bypassing stuff and being the 'correct way'

Set both bass and treble to minimum then dial the treble in slowly, then the bass.

Trimming the bass by a few clicks could cure the 'smearing'.

It will also allow you to play at a higher low volume too.......

 

[Tibor]

Rega RS 1 can be an option, but I suppose is over my budget, and I cannot pick up an ex-demo speaker.

I think the Quads have a little tendency for bass-boom even far away from real wall

Can you tell me someone which speaker has stronger bass response : Quad 11 L2 classic or Dali Lektor 2?

I would be happy with Lektor 2 if it has the bass power of the Quad, but whitout tendency to bass-boom mentioned before

 

[Blacksabbath25]

the only thing i can say to you is pick up a secondhand pair of dali 3s and see if this will sort your issue out or change your amp if none of the above has worked for you