There are bound to be some audiophiles out there who still hold close their pearls at the thought process of using a set ofwireless headphonesfor serious music listening , but they probably have n’t get a line what the former wireless earpiece can do . More specifically , they probably have n’t heard the Dali IO-12 .
If they had , I ’m think they ’d change their minds . Because the IO-12 make a convincing line that wireless cans can sound brilliant , and that they can also be your go - to wired earphone , thanks to an analog input that function even when the stamp battery is bushed .
Of course , to be opened to that argument , you ’ll need $ 1,300 in disposable hard cash . And that name the IO-12 among the most expensive wireless cans you may buy — and out of stretch for many euphony fan . Are they worth it ? I spent a month with them to find out .
Dali IO-12: what’s in the box?
As befits a leverage damage in inordinateness of three figure , Dali leaves you little to want . The IO-12 fall in a large , zippered computer memory case . I say “ store , ” not “ travel ” showcase because , candidly , this thing is going to be tough to fit into a backpack or purse .
The headphone fold two-dimensional inside the slip . draw close in a net sack and a concealed compartment are a USB - A - to - USB - one C high - speed charging cable television ( that doubles as a digital audio cable television ) , two lengths of 3.5 mm parallel transmission line ( 4 feet and just shy of 10 pes ) , a 3.5mm - to - quarter - column inch adapter , plus a two - prong aeroplane transcriber .
Dali IO-12: design and comfort
From a comfort perspective , the IO-12 are the headphones tantamount of a BarcaLounger . With big , leather - wrapped computer memory froth earcushions , these cans swathe your head in a grand , comfortable hug . It ’s a roomy primed with tons of space for even the biggest capitulum , and there ’s so much contact surface with your head that pressure points are non - existing . The IO-12 encourage you to sit back , relax , and give yourself over to a extended hearing session .
At 13.2 ounces , they ’re almost as heavy asApple ’s AirPods Max(13.6 ounces ) . But thanks to those outsized earcushions , I plant the IO-12 to be more comfortable than Apple ’s nates . They also make a better Navy SEAL . or else of relying on a flexible joint stage at the top of the earcups , the earcushions have their own pin in the meat of the cups , which make them a greater range of mountains of movement . This was true even when wearing glasses .
Still , that weight does n’t completely disappear when you ’re wear them . A relatively wakeful clamping force aggregate with the big the great unwashed of the earcups and cushions allow some shift when you move your head — even though the leather - covered headband use a soft but grippy rubber bottom layer . This makes them less suited to exchange that requires a lot of walk . It may also pose problem for those with small head . I had the headband adjusted to its smallest size and it just fit .
I ca n’t say I ’m a huge rooter of Dali ’s take dark chocolate Brown University with Au accent colour scheme — I ’m more of a black / silver / charcoal bozo — but it ’s backbreaking to blame the construction quality . From the hinges and swivel to the easily obliterable earcushions , and the USB port that grips the cable like a vise , they ’re very well - build .
Dali IO-12: connections and controls
Dali has kept thing remarkably dewy-eyed on the IO-12 . There ’s no support for Google Fast Pair , so Android and Apple drug user will use their phones ’ build - in Bluetooth machine card to connect the headphones . WithBluetooth Multipointsupport , you may also have a 2d gadget connected simultaneously with unlined switching between the two .
Once you ’re connected , that ’s pretty much the end of the taradiddle . Unlike almost every in high spirits - end lot of wireless earpiece , the IO-12 do n’t have their own companion app for peregrine gadget .
The IO-12 might just be the comfortably - go headphones I ’ve ever used .
This creates some potential drawback . If you ’re an EQ junkie , you ’ll have to make do with the two built - in EQ options ( more on these in a present moment ) or go in hunting of other tools to modify the sound . If Dali ever releases any microcode updates , they ’ll have to be establish via the USB cable television from a computer . And if you do n’t wish the way the headphones are configure from the manufacturing plant , there ’s no room to modify it .
Take , for instance , the auto - off feature article , which power down the seat if no euphony is find after 20 second . And also the voice prompts . Dali go to the effort of hiring a British virile voice actor to commemorate these messages ( and they voice bang-up ) , but I ’d like the ability to incapacitate them .
keep with the simplicity theme , the IO-12 ’s controller have almost no find out curve . Everything is place on the correct earcup . The inner hoop with the Dali logo provide a gentle physical button for playback , track skipping , and call management , while the tabu ring ascendence volume — click the top for more , click the bottom for less .
Dali ensured that these mouse click make as fiddling noise inside the headphones as potential , but it may have gone overboard on the central push — it has almost no travel to its mechanism , which can make the dual and three-fold clicks ask for raceway skip over a bit tricky .
The EQ way button is placed within easy reach of your thumb , but the ANC fashion button ( which I ’d contend will get used manner more often ) is mount up on the front side of the earcup — an awkward smear for both your finger and your thumb .
amazingly , give that it ’s almost ubiquitous these days on gamey - closing wireless cans , Dali has chosen not to fit the IO-12 with wear sensors to motorcar - pause and resume your music when slay or replacing them .
Dali IO-12: sound quality
The IO-12 ’s title to fame , at least according to Dali , is their purpose of the company ’s full - size speaker technology , including Dali’sSoft Magnetic Composite(SMC ) attractor arrangement , to power a set of 50 millimetre equipment driver .
The master welfare is a substantial reduction in distortion . It ’s so scummy , tell Dali , that the IO-12 reach electrostatic level of midrange lucidity .
deplorably , I did n’t have a curing of electrostatic headphone on hired hand for a direct comparison , but I ’m not sure it matter . The IO-12 might just be the best - sounding earphone I ’ve ever used .
When we talk about speakers or phone possess a flat or neutral sound , we imply that they do n’t add ( or detract ) anything from a recording . No supercharge sea bass ; no superfluous sparkle in the highs — just as true a replication of sound as is possible .
The hassle is if a set of phone does n’t have a comparable power to show each frequency authentically , “ savourless ” can sound just that — devoid of deepness , life , and energy .
So when I say the IO-12 deliver a beautifully neutral sound signature , I mean that in the best way of life potential .
As I fired up my usual 20 to 25 test tracks , I almost blank out I was there to test headphones . Old favorites , new favorites — the literary genre did n’t count . The IO-12 rendered each song as well or better than I ’d ever heard them . Bass lines were tight and musical , transient proved lightning - fast , and vocals were clear and effortless .
In these characteristic , the IO-12 are n’t dissimilar to theMaster & Dynamic MW75or theBowers & Wilkins Px8 . But where the IO-12 raise superior is their soundstage .
Closed - back headphones tend to keep everything carry . Not so with the IO-12 , which sound as roomy as they feel .
OnWhite Collar Whiskey , Emily Wolfe ’s vocals have a distinct echo that pairs with ( and accentuates ) the distortion - rich guitar strike . On the MW75 and Px8 , I can hear that echo clearly . With the IO-12 , I could hear it move outward as it decayed into blank , throw the Sung dynasty an entirely new dimension .
Two phone modes are uncommitted via the EQ push : Hi - Fi and Bass . Aloha State - Fi is for those seeking that flat EQ . But do n’t dominate out Bass mode . I find some tracks a little too pierce in the highest registers , while some songs beg to be devote an extra snow leopard of sex appeal . In both scenarios , bass mode does the trick .
As I say in the former section , EQ fanatics may not love it , but with just these two style , I was able to get the correct sound for my ears every time .
The IO-12 do a tremendous job over Bluetooth ( withaptX HD / aptX Adaptivephones have slightly better performance than an iOS - based gadget ) , but for an even more elaborated hearing sitting , utilise the included USB cable to stop up into a estimator and let the phone ’ built - in digital - to - analog convertor ( DAC ) hand over lossless , hi - rhenium audioup to 24 - bit/96kHz from a source likeApple MusicorAmazon Music .
I ’m a bit surprised that Dali did n’t include a USB - A - to - USB - carbon transcriber for the data processor end of the cable television service — I tried one and was capable to listen to Android phones , too . Sadly , an Apple Lightning adapter did n’t get the phone recognized as a valid output by an iPhone .
For the purist , the two analogue cables ( plus optional fourth part - inch adapter ) are just as exciting , but in an entirely different way . When the power is wrick off , the IO-12 ’s architecture routes the analog jack stimulus directly to the driver , with only a peaceful filter in the signal path .
However , if you want to mix the IO-12 ’s processing with your parallel source , you may do that too — power the earpiece on , and the signal will be convert to digital and then routed through the same path as incoming digital source .
With a humble , 25 - ohm impedance , you should be able to drive these throne with just about anyheadphone amp , includingmobile DAC / ampsand the headphone jack on any laptop computer .
Dali IO-12: noise cancellation and transparency
combat-ready noise - canceling ( ANC ) on the IO-12 mostly reduces broken - frequency sound in your environment . With only four mics , it ’s not as inviolable or as adaptable as theBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones(10 mics ) , theSony WH-1000XM5(eight mics ) , or theApple AirPods Max(also eight mics ) , but you ’ll definitely notice a departure . Most important is that it does n’t strike good timbre one minute .
Transparency mode is astonishingly good — I say that because transparency seems to be harder than ANC to get correct for many headphones . you could easily carry on a conversation and get word your own voice with very effective clearness .
What I dislike about Dali ’s ANC setup ( other than the less - than - ergonomic button location ) is there ’s no way to toggle between just ANC on and transparence modality — the ANC clit always takes you through an in - between “ off ” manner .
Most headphones give up you to customize the behavior of ANC mode switching , but without a companion app , there ’s no way to do this .
Dali IO-12: call quality
maintain a high-pitched arcdegree of voice quality while also call off out background racket can be a baffling balancing act . Only a very modest telephone number of phone get it right . divertingly , it seems like Dali simply decided not to try .
The microphones are impeccably tune — they deliver an almost studio apartment level of detail . Your voice will hail through for your callers with impressive limpidity . However , so will everything else . I did one test recording after a snow and laughed as I listened to it later — you’re able to get word my boot crunch through the snow .
Bottom business line : your caller-out will finger like you ’re in the elbow room next to them . But depending on where you ’re sitting ( or standing ) , they may also feel like you ’re not in that elbow room alone .
Dali IO-12: battery life
Dali claims about 35 60 minutes of barrage fire life for the IO-12 , a bit that apparently alter little through your use of ANC . It sham 50 % bulk , and from what I ’ve seen , it ’s more or less what you ’ll get .
That ’s not bad for a set of wireless posterior . It ’s roughly on equality with the Sony WH-1000XM5 ( 30 hours ) and handily beats the AirPods Max ( 20 hours . ) The IO-12 do n’t have a spry - flush procedure . But sacrifice their power to operate as wired cans without any magnate at all , I ’m disposed to say that part matter a lot less .
Yes , the Dali IO-12 are expensive . Some might say too expensive for a set of wireless earpiece . And yet , if you come in a very eminent priority on good quality because you’re able to hear and appreciate the small , subtle differences that high - end gear can provide , the IO-12 might be worth the price of admission .
I wo n’t tell you that they go doubly as honest as wireless headphones that be half as much , but I ’ll say this : I ’ve yet to listen wireless bum that sound substantially .
bring to this their lineament materials and build , top - notch comfort , and first-class sustenance for analog , lossless digital , and wireless audio , and the Dali IO-12 start to calculate like a worthwhile investment for those who are serious about their speech sound .
