Dali Helicon 800. What components match with it?

Mike, I'm not familiar with Chord speaker cable. Is this made by the company that makes Chord electronics?

Glad you're enjoying your 800s. Yes, it's nice to find a speaker that has some body and warmth without going too far in that direction, and yet have the revealing, open and airy treble. I agree that they do not have a constricted sound, and there are enough speakers that do, and yet praise is heaped upon them.

I'm not implying that Dali is the best speaker money can buy, but it has qualities not easy to find. Musicality and coherency are two of the most important ones. Without those, I cannot live with a speaker for long.

I own the Helicon 800 as a recent purchase. Mine are not burned in more than 20 hours. I have been told they take at least 100 or 200 hours, during which time there are continual changes, driver to driver.

Thus far, the Helicon 800 does many things well. They have a big sound but are not pumped up sounding or forward. They have a big soundstage that is not exaggerated, but well spread out, airy, and sort out detail superbly and in a natural manner. They are capable of playing quite loudly without stress or overload. The bass so far is very good, but I have heard even better. Voices and piano are very believeable and reproduced very well, without being pushed in your face. So, I would not call the Dali midrange forward.

I do believe that cables have a big effect on sonics in general, especially as you go up to higher end components. Thus far, the Helicon has sounded different with different cables. Some cables will provide a much better bass, a more present or more recessed midrange, and a brighter or less bright treble. Perhaps the ribbons will continue to change as they burn in, but I have a feeling that they give a transparent windowpane to the upper end. If the cables are bright, you'll get brightness. If the recording is bright, you'll hear it. Speakers with tweeters that have less extension and detail will probably be easier on the ear with bright and poor recordings, but they will have less detail and air. It's a matter of how you hear and what musical material you listen to.

Similarly, an amp with a hot high end is not a good match. I am using tube preamps with a Pass amplifier. The reason people really like tube amps with Dali speakers is that tube amps will give a less extended high end that is smoother, and this will be more complimentary to the tweeters. That said, I like my Pass amp on these speakers 90% of the time. Obviously, an overetched or bright digital player will probably not bring good results. There are many good sounding CD players and DACs out there, so I think anyone buying equipment at the level of the Dali will have digital units that have good treble response, not bright, grainy or unnatural. However, there will still be players that have a better synergistic match than others.

Again, keep in mind that I am basing these comments on a speaker that is still in the burn-in process.

Since the Helicon 800 is 90 db efficient, I would agree that high power is not needed. However, if you want to listen in a big room at concert levels, wattage demands go up, especially if you want bass control.

I certainly don't use anywhere near the 250 w. into 8 ohms my Pass amp produces, but I believe that running amps at an easy riding level produces the best sound. What I mean, is that running a 250 w. amp at a constant 40 w. on loud music, with peaks to 150 w. is probably best accomplished with a 200 w. amplifier, as it is not stressed and the outputs will remain in their most linear area of operation.

There is presently a beautiful pair for $3800 on Audiogon, and since they retailed for $7150, I think that is a steal. I'm rather surprised they didn't sell in a few days. I think Dali is relatively new in the US market, so there are many people who are not familiar with their products.

I am still breaking mine in, and they continue to sound better. I do this slow, as I'm not one to waste preamp tube life and CD player life at burning units in.

After reading this thread, I realize it was 10 months ago I posted my comments. Certainly the lovely sound continued to improve on my Helicon 800 as they burned in more.

Here are some further thoughts.

It is correct that the impedance curve on this design is quite easy to drive; that is why they perform well with tubes or solid state.

It is also true that different cables will give you different results. I feel this is a key to getting the best sonics that suit your ears the best.

The Helicon 800 has a nice body to its sound and is just slightly warm. The treble is where its revealing nature and uniquely airy quality can provide a new world to your ears, but it can also give you the true nature of some of your bright, tinny recordings. If you want the air and resolution, you don't get a masking of the ugliness on the top end of some recordings. Solution? Throw in a really warm interconnect when listening to these types of recordings. I've been told that Cardas Golden Cross or Cross would be possibilities.

With the small amount of discussion on these speakers, I think only a small number of people have discovered these quite outstanding speakers.