So, I have the iO-12 for 20 days now and I want speaking about some things.
1. The design. When I looking at the design of the iO-12 few months ago, I'm thinking, and saying publicly (in the ST thread), that I don't like this. When I receiving the Dalis 20 days ago, I'm thinking: "This isn't looking so bad like I thinking before when only looking at videos, but still this really isn't my style". After all this days, is strange but I am actually appreciating that this headphones are some of the more NOT cool looking headphones I owning in my life...and in dark brown colour (definitely not my favourite either) making them even more bad for my eyes!
BUT here I am really starting in last week appreciating this very retro design AND even the colour...and suddenly, in my eyes, something is looking strangely cool about this headphone, and even VERY cool, actually. Strange experience. Is very good that the metal arms are more like nice bronze colour and not shiny gold (if is shiny gold, then I sending back instantly!)
2. Dali are seriously very brave (or little kamikaze maybe!) not giving users an app. So, here we have ONLY two close sounding, but tastefully different, excellent sound profiles ("hi-fi" and "bass"). No more is necessary if you know about good / correct sound. Dali, I think, is making big statement about their strong opinion of the good sound of the iO-12. If you like this 2 similar sound profiles, great, if not, then go for multitude of (very more cheap) alternatives.
3. In difference with the B&W PX8 ---a headphone with much marketing, with so many pseudo reviews, and a lot of hype here in head-fi, with more BS than real sonic substance or sonic excellence, and some poor quality control about the construction quality (I still think the 6-7 years old B&W P7 Wireless is sounding better than the PX8 and having better construction)--- and more similar with T+A's serious research and development with the Solitaire T, or Focal's true research with Bathys, or Mark Levinson's with the 5909, Dali really are doing something serious about their driver engineering and implementation with the iO-12, achieving a very reference type of sound.
Some people mentioning in this thread the treble of the iO-12 having much presence. Yes, is definitely prominent, but only if you're coming from warm / dark sounding headphones like PX8 or Sony models (with heavy bass presence and having, honestly, poor treble performance (recessed, really), allowing you playing your music very loud and not killing your ears with the treble. The treble in the iO-12 is actually in very different quality level, very good / excellent, because is never grating and isn't sibilant, two often typical characteristics of headphones with (strong) treble peaks. Even the indisputable excellent wired-only top of line and expensive Sennheiser HD800 isn't have the quality of treble that the iO-12 is offering.
The iO-12, when speaking strictly about good / correct sound quality, must comparing ONLY with the Solitaire T, ML 5909 (but is have some problematic treble performance sometimes), and maybe the Focal Bathys (but having little recessed mids and more bass than is correct and terrible volume step problems).