Kicking off the start of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) event in Barcelona, which is one of the biggest AV trade shows in the business, Danish high-end audio brand Dali announced a new speaker series called the Phantom E-WR that looks like it will be the envy of any custom home theater installer.
From what we can glean from the spec sheet, the main difference between the two speakers in the series is that you can pay slightly extra for the more premium of the two to get a more powerful and wider soundstage that will fill any large outdoor area without the worry of distortion from background noise.
How can Dali deliver such a promise? It says it uses a hybrid tweeter module and 5° tilt in the drivers that ensures a uniform dispersion of sound "over a wide range of listening angles" to create "a smooth, uniform energy distribution within the listening room".
The Phantom E-WR speaker series aren't just designed to sound great outside but they're also built to withstand the harsh elements, such as temperatures from -20°C to more than 60°C and humidity levels of up to 100%. They also have an IP65 rating, which means they're safe from a light spray of water, dust and sand. But you don't have to install these outdoors as the Phantom E-WR series also works inside.
Dali Phantom E-60 WR and E-80 WR: Key specs
Dali has gone above and beyond to make sure that the Phantom E-WR speakers can withstand whatever is thrown at them. The company has designed its own driver with a waterproof polypropylene cone and natural rubber surround for each speaker, with a 25 mm textile dome tweeter.
The biggest difference between the two speakers is the size of these drivers. The Phantom E-60 WR is the slightly less powerful of the two and so comes with a smaller soundstage due to its 6.5-inch driver. Because of this, it costs slightly less than the E-80 WR – it will sell for $450 in the US and £299 in the UK (roughly AU$558 in Australia).
The E-80 WR, on the other hand, has an 8-inch driver so will have larger soundstage thanks to the wide dispersion. But you'll have to pay a bit extra for it, with Dali pricing it at $550 in the US and £399 in the UK (roughly AU$768 in Australia).
Dali doesn't currently feature among our roundup of the best stereo speakers but if we were to consider an outdoor speaker system, the Phantom E-WR speaker series would be straight at the top of our testing wish list. Can't wait for our review? You'll be able to order the Phantom E-60 WR and Phantom E-80 WR from March.
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