what would you choose Dali ikon 6 or Mordaunt short Mezzo6?

[poldo]

Hi all you folks,

I can get the Dali Ikon 6 or the Mordaunt short Mezzo6 for 625 pounds. I have a budget of 650 pounds for 2 floorstanders.

What speaker should I get, my living room is quiet hard, with concrete walls and wooden floor. The room size about 30m2.

My amp is the NAD 355Bee+Marantz cd6002, At the moment I have Dali Lektor 2 but I want to upgrade the speakers.

Should I choose between ikon 6 and mezzo6 for this price, or should I look at Kef iq50 (500 pounds) or Monitor audio RS6 (625pounds)

could you guys give me some advice?

Thnx

Rob

 

[d_a_n1979]

IMO Dali Ikon 's all the way but for that budget see if you can get yourself some Monitor Audio RX6's

You really do need to demo as the soundstage differences between the Mezzo's and Ikons is vast (and the same with the RX6's)

 

[poldo]

Hi Dan,

Why should you choose Ikon6 above the mezzo6? And RX6 above Ikon6? What is it what you like/hate about the speakers? Did you demo them all?

thnx

Rob

 

[d_a_n1979]

The Ikon 6's are superb speakers but they do have a love/hate sound. Theyre very open and honest indeed.

The Mezzo's just didnt do it for me; a little muddled and bass sloppy when pushed

The RX6's are a brilliant speaker. Very taut and punchy in their bass which goes very deep but its always well controlled. The midrange is detailed and open and the treble is crips/clear

For me it was a tough call between the Ikon 6's, QUAD 22L2's (which I will add should also be demo'd; fantastic speakers) and the RX6's

The RX6's eventually won as they were just that bit better in bass punch and clarity but I was also offered a really good price for them in gloss black

I find the Ikon 6's ugly TBH

 

[plastic penguin]

The only problem with Dali floorstanders is they need lots of room to breath, so no good close to walls. The MS, like dan said, just don't have the all-round performance for my ears. That leaves the RX6. Not not heard them myself, but my RS6s were very good 12" or so from wall and are a little more forgiving when it comes to hard floors (with a Nad amp).

 

[lussen]

you should look for mordaunt short aviano

 

[ear]

nad and ikon all the way.

 

[poldo]

Is the aviano better then mezzo?

By the way I like rock music, like Muse, Metallica, Nirvana, Kyuss. I don't want to the speakers more then 20 inch from the back wall.

What is the best speaker for wall, speaker distance 20 inch?

thnks

Rob

 

[d_a_n1979]

20" is a fair gap so the above speakers will be fine

But IMO the B&W 684's should be auditioned as well; theyre forward firing and sit fairly close to a wall without losing it

For me though you'll not get better for your budget than the QUAD 22L2's (work well against a rear wall as well even though theyre rear firing) and the M/A RX6's (they have an upper rear firing port for the mid/bass driver but it comes with a dedicated bung and they work well close to a wall.

I listen a lot of Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Beastie Boys, UNKLE, Last Shadow Puppets as well as a lot of modern Electronica (Fischerspooner, Layo & Bushwacka, Massive Attack etc...) and have had my RX6's fiarly close to the back wall (up to about 10cm away) and they did very well

 

[poldo]

`ok, so good that I asked, because the Mezzo's 6 were my first pick at the moment, I did demo the rx8, 684, lektor 6 and focal 716.

I did not liked the focals, B&W sounded very dark, lektors were nice but the bass was very loose not as good as the b&W, the rx8 was very good, i compared them to the B&Wcm9 and there was very little difference, MA was a liitle bit more raw not as polished as the B&W but def. more energy and swung.

 

[d_a_n1979]

The RX6's are better than the RX8's so thats worth thinking about

The QUAD 22L2's are superb speakers so deffo need to be demo'd. Better than the B&W 684's by a long shot IMO as I had similar feedback as you re the 684's but I found them a little wooly as well

 

[poldo]

True, wooly is the best description, but with Rotel that will go away a bit, B&W+rotel+marantz cd was very nice. It is a very good speaker for the money but not for my music pref. Prodigy sounded perfect, but nirvana sucked on the B&W's.

The rx8 played all music very good, I think the rx6 will outperform the 684 in all leagues. That's why I thought the mezzo 6 was a very nice alternative with the price drop. But I get a lot of negative responses for the Mezzo6. The Ikon 6 is very ugly indeed, but sound matters to me not the looks.

thnks,

Rob

 

[bretty]

Hi Poldo,

I demoed both the Dali Ikon and Mezzo 6 a couple of years ago. Both are very good speakers. However, If you mainly listen to rock/metal then I would go for the Mezzo, as it has a deeper bass and more attack. The Dalis have a stunning midrange and play acoustic music flawlessly, but will sound a bit thin with rock/metal.

 

[poldo]

Oke, someone like the mezzo's too. The Mezzo is 625 pounds, the RX6 720 pounds in the shops so I have to upgrade my budget when I go for the rx6/

But I am willing to spend a little more, if the rx6 is that much better comparing the Mezzo's 6.

So what you think ? Mezzo 6 vs Rx6.

 

[bretty]

I can't help you with that one, mate. I haven't heard the RX6. I've heard nothing but good things bout them though. I think, whichever way you choose to go, you're gonna have some very talented speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

brighton &hove sevenoaks have dali suite 2.8 for £399 havent heard but get pretty good write ups

 

[poldo]

Does someone know if NAD and Mordaunt Short Mezzo is a good combo, or should I swap Nad for Marantz or Yamaha?

thnks

Rob

 

[Campaign]

When I was shopping at around this budget last year I tried the 684,CM7,RS6, Ikon 6 and Mezzo 6. I was quite set on the 684s until I heard them, I think they are short on mid range clarity and a touch boomy at the low end. The CM7 is a much nicer speaker the tweeter is smoother and the bass is tighter but still impressive, but then I think amplifier matching would be critical for the CM7s'.

Ikon 6 is definitely a love/hate speaker, and i wasn't perfectly sure that I loved them however they are mid range specialists, a wonderful sound certainly but I think the ribbon tweeter was the part that put me off them. Fantastic speaker though, they could be right up your alley so get a listen with your NAD. RS6 is certainly a good speaker and excel in bass, but admittedly I haven't heard the RX6. I ended up buying the Mezzos and am very happy with them, the CM7 and the Ikon 6 ran them close, but for my tastes they were the best floorstanding speak under a 1K. So important that you hear them all before you buy, if I didn't I would have bought the 684s' because I love the look of B&W speakers.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Poldo; you need to demo.

That's the only way youre going to get the answers youre after!

Try and get demo's set with the NAD & Marantz amps that youre thinking of with the speakers mentioned and see how you go on.

As I said for me and my choice the RX6's were the best but they were very closely followed by the QUAD 22L2's.

You already know that the B&W 684's arent for you so thats them ruled out

The MS Mezzo's may just be the right speaker for you so get them demo'd as well.

May be worth keeping your eyes out on eBay as well as a set of Light Oak M/A RX6's went yesterday for £549 ex-demo!

 

[poldo]

Yes, I will demo,

I did demo a lot already, but not the Mezzo and Ikon.

But i think I will not rule out the standmounters like RX1, I now have the lektor 2, they are abs. fantastic for the money, but..with metal and rock I want some more bite. Maybe Dali Ikon is not that good for rock/metal.

Monitor Audio is always mentioned as a good Roc/Metal speaker. The GS20 was great, but too expansive. Tannoy was great too, but again very expensive.

RX6 vs Tannoy DC6T vs Mezzo 6 would be a nice demo , but the DC6t costs a lot more.

My favourite store does not have MS. They do have, Sonus Faber, Wharfedale, B&W, Monitor Audio, Dali and Audio Physic.

I absolutely loved the Audio Physic, but they need a good amp like Naim, Densen or Primare, NAD is not the best partner for Ap, so then I have to sell my NAD and spend extra on the Amp.

Lots of dilemma;s but I will demo in the very near future

thanks

Rob

 

[the record spot]

You could add Epos M22i, which Superfi has for £599 down from £1200 or so. Not sure if the rest of your planned electronics are up to doing them justice, and failing that, there's the actives route if you haven't already gone down that road. Acoustic Energy AE22 Actives have balanced XLR connections, so you could plug the likes of Cambridge's CA840C or Yamaha's S2000 CD players right into them and let them do their thing.

I think I know where my money would be going!

 

[Anonymous]

ive had a little listen to the dali ikon 6's and the aviano 6s and i ended up getting the avianos, very good speakers, if you can try and get an audit before you buy, but suppose what amp you've got them with im running an old arcam alpha 10 its its a match made in heaven.

 

[JoelSim]

plastic penguin:The only problem with Dali floorstanders is they need lots of room to breath, so no good close to walls. The MS, like dan said, just don't have the all-round performance for my ears. That leaves the RX6. Not not heard them myself, but my RS6s were very good 12" or so from wall and are a little more forgiving when it comes to hard floors (with a Nad amp).

I had no problems with my Ikon 6 in the corners of my room, about 30cm from the back wall and 10cm from the side walls.

 

[poldo]

I had a demo today!

Monitor audio rx6: great speakers, but too much bass, I am sure in my room it will be fatiguing, I am sure monitor audio is not my speaker, I did demo the GS20 too and again fatiguing.

Dali Ikon Mk2 6 was better, nice punchy bass, not too boomy, too expensive for me.

B&W CM7, much better as the 684, more control and less boomy, but way above the budget of 700 pounds.

I think I have to look at other speakers who are less boomy in the bass.

Maybe Epos m12i?

Any advice?

thnks

Rob

 

[d_a_n1979]

I think there are some CM7's on eBay currently Poldo; have a nosey

I replied to brittondaves thread re the M/A RX1's that you need to get a demo with some Rega RS5's if that's possible; even the RS3's would be worth the demo.

Heard the RS5's today with the Rega Mira amp and Rega Satrurn & Apollo CDP's and wow

They're superb bit a little to bass shy for my likings