Dali Zensor 3

[Cypher]

Here they are ;

http://www.avland.co.uk/aasp/dali/1320/zensor3/zensor3.asp

 

[Blackdawn]

Nice, thanks.

 

[KidKomet]

Thanks! Wouldn't mind giving these an audition

 

[Blackdawn]

Looks like they may have the same main driver as the Zensor 7? The vid says the tweeter is the same as the zensor 1's.

What price do you think they will appear at?

 

[Cypher]

£ 299.00

 

[Blackdawn]

http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-speakers/dali/zensor-3/dali-zensor-3-blk

so far not many places selling them.

 

[drummerman]

Proper old school standmount with decent size driver. Nice.

Hope it sounds good.

regards

 

[matthewpiano]

Anyone heard these yet?

 

[matthewpiano]

OK, I've heard them now.

They are very natural sounding with much more depth than the Zensor 1s or the Lektor 2s. Soundstaging is a real strength with the speakers set straight ahead as recommended by Dali. I suppose some might find them slightly on the reserved sound but only slightly, and they certainly don't lack rhythmic capability. The sound is more refined than either the B&W 685s or KEF Q300s and they don't shout in the treble or boom in the bass. Detailed sounding too, but in a 'laid out in front of you' way rather than an overly pushy way. They are much better balanced than the Zensor 1s - the extra bass depth really matches well with the open sound of which that 25mm tweeter is capable. They build well on the excellent tonal capabilities of the Denon 720 electronics.

Visually they are just a grown-up Zensor 1 but this makes them one of the cleaner looking standmounts out there.

They work very well with Denon, but I'd imagine they should be pretty gregarious partners for most amps and should certainly make an interesting partner for the new Marantz MCR610 system or Marantz 6004/6005 seperates.

I've always liked Dali speakers but the small size of the Zensor 1s and Lektor 2s left me feeling the whole thing was nearly but not quite. I think the Zensor 3s address this perfectly.

 

[Cypher]

Thanks for the short review. If I didn't own the Q Acoustics 2020i already I would buy these speakers without hesitation.

 

[matthewpiano]

Thanks for the short review. If I didn't own the Q Acoustics 2020i already I would buy these speakers without hesitation.

Hi Cypher. No problem. The Q 2020i are also excellent speakers and definitely my favourite sub-£200 design.

 

[ErwinC]

Do you think they can be placed close (10 inch) to the back wall?

 

[jerry klinger]

I haven't heard them yet but they won a group test review in the German magazine Audio last month.

http://www.dali-speakers.com/Files/Billeder/DALI/Awards/ZENSOR/1309_REV_AUDIO_ZENSOR3_SONDERDRUCK_ORIG.pdf

 

[matthewpiano]

Do you think they can be placed close (10 inch) to the back wall?

I've just measured where mine are, and they are almost exactly 10 inches from the back wall. The manual actually suggests placing them right up against the wall but I decided not to because if I do the front plane will be behind the front plane of the TV that sits in between them. At 10 inches they sound great. No boom at all. Of course, rooms do differ and your room might not behave in the same way.

 

[ErwinC]

I've just measured where mine are, and they are almost exactly 10 inches from the back wall. The manual actually suggests placing them right up against the wall but I decided not to because if I do the front plane will be behind the front plane of the TV that sits in between them. At 10 inches they sound great. No boom at all. Of course, rooms do differ and your room might not behave in the same way.

Thanks for the feedback. I think i know what to do now.

 

[ErwinC]

I've always liked Dali speakers but the small size of the Zensor 1s and Lektor 2s left me feeling the whole thing was nearly but not quite. I think the Zensor 3s address this perfectly.

Did you ever listen to the Dali Ikon 2 mk2 speakers? Imo these are one of the best compact speakers below £1000.

 

[Blackdawn]

Do you think they can be placed close (10 inch) to the back wall?

I've just measured where mine are, and they are almost exactly 10 inches from the back wall. The manual actually suggests placing them right up against the wall but I decided not to because if I do the front plane will be behind the front plane of the TV that sits in between them. At 10 inches they sound great. No boom at all. Of course, rooms do differ and your room might not behave in the same way.

Can you hang the Zensor 3 speakers on the wall like the Lektor 2's or are they too heavy? My Lektor 2's have a little hook built into the cabinet, seems a better design than the Monitor Audio wall fitting system on the BX series. I would worry the Zensor 3s might be too bass heavy up against the wall although I'd love a pair to try. Still happy with my Lektors in my room.

 

[Dougal1331]

I've just set a friend up with some Zensor 1s, and I'm impressed.

Richer's have some Zensor 3s in and I may well buy a pair today... I shall report back later!

 

[matthewpiano]

Do you think they can be placed close (10 inch) to the back wall?

I've just measured where mine are, and they are almost exactly 10 inches from the back wall. The manual actually suggests placing them right up against the wall but I decided not to because if I do the front plane will be behind the front plane of the TV that sits in between them. At 10 inches they sound great. No boom at all. Of course, rooms do differ and your room might not behave in the same way.

Can you hang the Zensor 3 speakers on the wall like the Lektor 2's or are they too heavy? My Lektor 2's have a little hook built into the cabinet, seems a better design than the Monitor Audio wall fitting system on the BX series. I would worry the Zensor 3s might be too bass heavy up against the wall although I'd love a pair to try. Still happy with my Lektors in my room.

No hook on the Zensor 3s. You might find the front ported Lektor 2s are still the better choice for your room and placement.

 

[Um]

I actually think the Dali Lektor range is more impressive than the Zensors.
Still not a patch on the current Q Acoustics range though.

 

[matthewpiano]

I actually think the Dali Lektor range is more impressive than the Zensors. Still not a patch on the current Q Acoustics range though.

I disagree. The Zensor 3s are a good step up from the QA 2020i, excellent though they are. I would also say the Zensor 3s are more complete sounding than the Lektors, but being a larger speaker with a bigger mid/bass driver they do need a little more space than the Lektors.

Ultimately we are talking about 3 excellent affordable speaker designs here and each will suit different environments.

 

[Um]

I actually think the Dali Lektor range is more impressive than the Zensors. Still not a patch on the current Q Acoustics range though.

I disagree. The Zensor 3s are a good step up from the QA 2020i, excellent though they are. I would also say the Zensor 3s are more complete sounding than the Lektors, but being a larger speaker with a bigger mid/bass driver they do need a little more space than the Lektors.

Ultimately we are talking about 3 excellent affordable speaker designs here and each will suit different environments.

Sorry to disagree Matthew, but to my ears the Q acoustics are far more natural sounding than the Dali range. A really well designed speaker. I guess life would be boring if we all agreed.

 

[Um]

However I'm sure we would agree on the Denon amp being brilliant, and just as good as the Rotel and Marantz offerings in the same class.

 

[matthewpiano]

Hi Um,

No problem with disagreeing!! As I said all three are excellent affordable speaker designs and each will suit different rooms and tastes. Certainly, if Dali hadn't bought out the Zensor 3s, I would still have the 2020i. I do prefer the 2020i to the Zensor 1 but I like the extra scale that the Zensor 3s bring and, with a better balance between frequency extremes than the Zensor 1, the Zensor 3s sound more natural than the smaller Dali. Different horses for different courses. I'd rather have any of them over the Monitor Audio BX2s or the B&W 685s, both of which get very tiring to listen to over any length of time.

Yes, agree totally about the Denon amp. It is every bit as good as anything else at the price. Sounds excellent with both the QA and Dali speakers. I think you and I have both got relatively inexpensive systems that punch way above their price. I really don't think the WHFS&V review 'gets' the Denon right as I find it capable of immense subtelty and deftness of touch when required. The CD player is excellent too.

I think the only change I'm likely to make in the near future is to sort out the network side of my system and move on from the SBT. The forthcoming Sony USB DAC looks very interesting as does the new NAD DAC. I was thinking about the new NAD D3020 amp/DAC but every time I listen to music on my system I ask myself why I would want to change the amp!

 

[Cypher]

I actually think the Dali Lektor range is more impressive than the Zensors. Still not a patch on the current Q Acoustics range though.

I had the Dali Zensor 1 speakers for over a year and they are excellent speakers. When I bought the q acoustics 2020i speakers I couldn't believe the improvement. They sounded better in every way. Really, really good speakers.

But please q acoustics.............next time speaker terminals on the back !!! Please

Haven't heard the Zensor 3 speakers though. A review in the next What Hifi would be great.