[MrYaldi]

Would I be right in thinking that the Dali's internal DAC would improve a mobile phone sound when streaming tidal/Qobuz? My phone is on its last legs and I'm eyeing a Bluetooth 5/aptx hd phone like the OnePlus 7T or Xiaomi Mi 9 but I'm wondering if the sound quality will be noticeably worse/quieter than say, a fiio m6 over Bluetooth?

 

[ms1988355]

Theoretically the best quality you can get between a phone and the Dali's in wireless mode will be with a phone that supports AptX HD. I don't have experience with the Fiio M6, but my guess is that if you connect the Dali in wired/passive mode to the M6 it will sound better than wireless from the phone to the Dali's directly.

I think the Dali's are the most balanced/neutral in wireless mode paired to a phone supporting AptX HD in comparison to Sony WH1000XM2 and NAD VISO HP70.

I have the Radsone EarStudio ES100 and the ifi Zen Blue and if I hook up these wireless headphones in passive mode or other wired headphones through those components things sound fantastic, but that is really not a fair comparison. The reason these sound great is that they use additional DACs and don't just rely on the Qualcomm SOC to do audio processing. The ES100 is really a fantastic little device for the price. I usually leverage that in the car, but it is great if you want to stream a hi definition wireless source and output to wired headphones. The ifi is really designed to receive any of the high definition bluetooth codecs and output to home audio gear. I have used the ifi to output directly to a JDS Labs Atom and then to headphones or powered speakers. I could also hook these things up to my main hifi setup, but I also have the Chromecast audio. I have listened to the Dali's in passive mode connected to the JDS Labs Atom and OL DAC and they sound great in that configuration. All the source material I am using is either local FLAC or uncompressed streams from Qobuz, Tidal, or Amazon HD.

Ultimately your ears will tell you whether any of these things will make a difference, but in general I would say things won't be significantly worse/quieter.

Like I said earlier I think Sony provides the best noise cancelling overall, but I think most people that are looking for a more neutral/balanced sound will like the Dali's. Most of what I have read in this thread is consistent with my experience; with the exception that I've had no issues with comfort or the head band.

 

[subtec]

These seem like pretty compelling cans, though I've decided to lure me away from my current BT setup (using an ES100), whatever I use will need to support aptX Adaptive. I want good quality audio, but I also have a lot of mixed multimedia use (movies, games) that benefit from the lower latency that the Adaptive codec can provide. I would hope that might be considered for the second generation, whenever that might be.

 

[fiolmattias]

I also have a lot of mixed multimedia use (movies, games) that benefit from the lower latency that the Adaptive codec can provide.

On my iPhone 11 and iPad Pro I have no video lag what so ever.

 

[subtec]

On my iPhone 11 and iPad Pro I have no video lag what so ever.

Nice. I don't use any Apple products though, so that doesn't really help me.

 

[WDitters]

Nice. I don't use any Apple products though, so that doesn't really help me.

No lag whatsoever on my Galaxy Note 10+ either

 

[subtec]

No lag whatsoever on my Galaxy Note 10+ either

Thanks for the input. However the issue is that none of the codecs supported by these headphones can guarantee low-latency operation like aptX-LL and aptX Adaptive can (and I would much prefer the latter as it has the potential for better quality).

 

[smaragd]

Thanks for the input. However the issue is that none of the codecs supported by these headphones can guarantee low-latency operation like aptX-LL and aptX Adaptive can (and I would much prefer the latter as it has the potential for better quality).

As they say... you don’t know if you don’t try...
You might be surprised with the outcome.

 

[WDitters]

As they say... you don’t know if you don’t try...
You might be surprised with the outcome.

True .. and depending on the retailer that you pick you may have a trial period anyway ..

 

[Brintkiks]

Do you mean to say that when connected passively you do switch off the internal amp, but it is not taken out of the signal path? So the analog signal still runs through the inactive internal amp path, albeit quasi untouched.

No, it IS taken out of the signal path, when turned off.

 

[WDitters]

No, it IS taken out of the signal path, when turned off.

Excellent!!!

 

[sluggishuser]

Just got mine from Amazon UK today! So excited to try them. They sound very clear, with good amount of bass. Only problem is that the headband can’t be extended long enough, but my head is relatively big so I feel a bit pressure from the top.

 

[AudioJimmy]

Just got mine from Amazon UK today! So excited to try them. They sound very clear, with good amount of bass. Only problem is that the headband can’t be extended long enough, but my head is relatively big so I feel a bit pressure from the top.

Congrats. Just ordered mine on Amazon Germany. Should arrive on Monday. Can't wait
Can I ask you which kind of Music you listened to when you tried the IO's? Just curious...

 

[WDitters]

Congrats. Just ordered mine on Amazon Germany. Should arrive on Monday. Can't wait
Can I ask you which kind of Music you listened to when you tried the IO's? Just curious...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dali-headphones.914701/page-27#post-15306871

 

[AudioJimmy]

Thanks @WDitters . I think I wasn't completely honest. I'm worried about the bass. I bought some AEons last year and to me they are too "soft" for some music genres. That's why I'm asking