Greatest audiophile speaker no one is talking about - Dali Menuet Review

I spent a lot of time in audio shops, listening to many different speakers. Trying to find which one I will like, buy and eventually review. I usually go with the ones I read and watched here on YouTube, that other people recommend.

Underrated Speakers

I try to see will their praise meet my expectations and needs. And there is one speaker that I have not seen many reviews of, that when I heard blew me away. And it shocked me that not many people talk about them, as they might be perfect for many people here that watch these channels. And I am speaking about Dali Menuet.

Dali is far from being an unknown brand, we all know that they bring great products across many different ranges. But in their marketing, they seem to focus on Oberons, Rubicon/core, Opticon etc. But I think while it is a kind of specialist speaker, it is aimed for special audience, does everything perfect in its price range, and purpose.

Dali itself speaks about how this speaker set a bar for compact speaker. And I agree, if you are in market for small speaker to fill your small to mid size room with awesome sonics, you are in the right place.

Build Quality/Power Recommendations

But let’s first go to build quality. I have a soft spot for Danish speakers, as I believe with build quality and inner components they never skip a bit here. They will offer you maximum how much they can in its price range. So this seamless wooden cabinet is really pretty, I prefer walnut and rose color. As they seem really elegant and fit with my aesthetics.

The 4.5” woofer is air flow optimized to achieve the best possible coupling between the wood fiber cone and the real wood veneer cabinet. Even the woofer cut-out in the cabinet is made larger than normal to optimize openness and dynamic response. The “oversized” 28 mm/1.1” soft dome tweeter is able to start and stop with great speed and precision due to the very low mass of the dome assembly and a powerful motor system (the dome is approximately 30% lighter than comparable standard domes and the magnet in the motor system is made of the strongest neodymium material available). The DALI designed drivers, sturdy binding posts and high quality crossover are the keys to achieving extraordinary performance from such a compact loudspeaker.

And with large integrated bass port and terminal tray it does have a bass that is far larger than its compact size would make you believe.

And it truly is, I had big reservations for these speakers, I thought they could only work as near field speakers. But I was so wrong, which does not mean I recommend this speaker to be placed in bigger rooms. Even though they far far larger than what they are supposed to be, they still will feel reserved in big rooms.

But let’s talk about this for a second. If you have big large room, wouldn’t something like floor speakers work well. Putting it in that situation is a bit unfair to Menuet. In many scenarios, many audiophiles will have small to mid sized room. And this just excels here. From details to soundstage to precision.

I felt a bit bigger problem here would be 86 db sensitivity, which means that you will need to add a bit volume for them to really open. It requires a bit of pampering from your amp for them to show you all its talents. But they are not that hard to be driven actually. Which again big plus.

If you have around 70W in 4 ohms, it is a threshold minimum for them to be driven and even more power to be driven more efficiently.

So they are really not demanding but be ready to turn that volume knob for them to be ready to really sing.

The meaning behind name Menuet

And I really like the names of Dali speakers, they always tell a tale of how they speakers are going to sound. And this one Menuet, is actually a different pronunciation of Minuet, a social dance from France that is made specifically for two people written in ¾ time signature. I think one of the most favourite pieces written for Minuet is Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart but also Bach, Haydn etc.

It was elegant dance that is being displayed in royal chambers of Versailles, it is mid tempo, that can rise that can add a bit of vigour and energy and resolve it back to mid tempo. It was done in small steps, so it could seem faster than it really is.

The thing I said this is Menuet, is that small steps, that are very vigorous, emotional and elegant. That is how I would explain the sound of it perfectly.

It is a detailed sound, with so much musicality and emotion to move even the sun king. Lot of agility and precision as well creates this speaker pretty unique in its small factor.

With scope of soundstage and details, but yet precision, there is not many speakers like this,

And let’s speak about sound.

Much Larger sound, than expected

And how I like to do it bottom up. The biggest fear that I had about this speakers is bass, was completely unjustified. Is it the best, biggest, bass in this price range..... No. Wharfedale Linton can kill the Menuet in this department.

But even though it is not the best, it is still very very good. The Bass port is exceptionally big, and the bass complements its bit brighter sound so well. There was certain punch, presence and attack in it.

Good example is New Order The Age of Consent. It is song that builds upon that synth bass. And it is important for it to be present and not be too much that you don’t enjoy the melody and vocals. It is important that bass is not bouncy here, but rather to have softer thump, and precision. And it does it creates the lower rhythm that extends really well, has a nice scope and remaining constrained and full of details.

My greatest fears have been dispersed and it is all to praise the Dali's engineering. There is also one great thing for this as this helped soundstage to spread, but more on that later.

Now comes the weird part. My greatest part and weakest part of speakers lies in mids. Let’s start first with the weakest thing, as it is not that bad but I would love it to be better.

Greatest and worst part of this speakers

When you have such a powerful and defined bass, and you have eccentric and lively and detailed treble. Mids are going to suffer in one way or other. While it was decently clear and uncluttered in mids, I would still prefer a bit more decluttering here in soundstage.

Not a bad point, but still maybe in some more pricey Dalis I would have even this point executed perfectly. But the soundstage and mids are if any other speaker I would say good, even excellent. But I just want a bit more here to truly excite me and floor me.

But now a great point, and the reason why this speaker bought me. It is just with how much passion, and musicality these speakers were firing. It oozes passion.

This is done by detailed treble, this is done by good bass, and expressive mids that comes to you rather than you to them. It is this kind of musicality you remember why you are here and why you started to like this hobby.

It’s presentation of vocals that seamlessly weaves through layers of instrumentation, but yet have enough of details to move through it and be a force of nature with so much love that you are in that moment transcending space and time to merge with the sound waves.

Your arms tap your knee in rhythm of song, you are singing choruses, you are one with albums you love.

It is an incredible sonic journey, that is done by expertly crafting crossover. When

I say that Danish speakers bring best at utmost component quality for money, this is what I mean. It masterfully separates its current into bass, woofer and tweeter. Sending enough for everyone to coexist together greatly.

A year and half ago I reviewed Dali Oberon 3 and 5 and in that review I spoke about Joni Mitchell album Both Sides Now, and how amazing it sounds through it.

Again I have to return to my dear Joni, for this one. In the span of time between these two reviews I found myself in love with The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Especially the 2022 remaster and remix they did. They just managed to extract a lot more details from the jazzy instrumentation in background and put it more at front with Joni’s vocals.

And this is a good thing, as when I listened the original 1975 recording the vocals were pure and pristine, and beautiful. Here in new it crashes with other instrumentation, and could maybe this speaker did a bit more to isolate Joni from instruments it could. But did I care, was I amazed. Yes I was, now this album has a new life, a new energy, a fantastic clash of percussions, brass, pianos and bass.

My recommendation is Shades of Scarlet Conquering. It makes you emotional when Joni says; Given in the night to dark dreamsFrom the dark things she feelsShe covers her eyes in the x-rated scenesRunning from the reels.

This speaker really makes you feel it, there is lot of timbre in her voice, it is fast sound, but yet it dances a bit. Making it a joy to listen. The instrumentation is so rich in details, and depth that this is amazing. I recommend quality pairing here to make the most of it. I was enamored and fell in love again with this record.

One more thing, Rest in Peace Rebecca Del Rio, she just recently passed away. So I had to play No Stars. Or to recommend here. Rebecca’s enormous range, followed by slow emotional backing is just magic. I cannot tell to you how well it sounds, when Rebecca sings “On a story night”, it truly expands from mids in that treble territory and just it has so much dynamics to it. I was so happy and in love with everything I heard.

Detailed Treble soaring high, maybe sometimes too high

Treble is a bit problematic wild animal here. When I did measurements, you can clearly see the V curve here. It just expands here. Now depending on your pairing, depending on your music and tastes, this could be amazing, or this could be problematic.

There is a lot of details and texture here, it extends dynamically also far. It is not the brightest of speakers not as Bowers and Wilkins and such similar brothers. The speakers are shaving it, but it needs help from your amp to make them even more manageable.

Yet again nothing crazy problematic here, just to get that out of the way. Otherwise if you love your rhythmic section to shine, it is here. Just be wary of high pianos, electric guitars and violins.

To summarize it, if you listen to Dire Straits which I think are mastered too brightly, something like Money for Nothing. You might not appreciate how piercing the guitar can sound, you definitely need to add darkness with an amp to tame it. Some might like it, but that is a general rule.

So let’s continue with pairing and synergy.

Pairing and Synergy recommendation

As expected there are two types of amps that go well with Menuet. And that is warm amps, or amps that are balanced but bit tipped on darkness.

So something from Marantz like Model 50 goes really well. If you have Electrocompaniet it goes super well, but they are pricey amps. The reason why this synergy works is that you will get even more bass out of this device, and those treble highs are going to be more put down on earth for sound to be more smoother. I am not a huge fan of this combination, but some people might find this preferable. The reason for that is that its liveliness and expression is something I value a lot in this speaker. But then again vocals are definitely more smoother, and more silky which I have seen many people enjoy. Making highs more manageable is great, and makes this far more easier to listen speakers. And I think it is good, but next synergy I like far more.

But also also goes well with Musical Fidelity M3si, or Roksan Attessa. The reason for that, is their masculinity and precision goes well with Dali. They are balanced with hints of darkness, and that will allow Dalis to be Dalis. With all their bad and good. It will be clear enough, detailed enough, forward enough with good bass. Everything that makes me fall in love with this amp.

I will go through some alternatives in its price range, and I will go fast through them. As there are few of them and I don’t want this video to go on forever.

vs. Wharfedale Linton

Wharfedale Linton is a bigger alternative. And that is it.... I am kidding. But its size plays a pivotal role in differentiating them, as Linton does sound bigger, both in bass and in soundstage. It has 90db sensitivity making it easier to drive, and at lower volumes. It is definitely more warmer sound. But Dali more detailed, more precise, more expressive, more clear and just more musical than Linton.

vs. KEF Q Concerto Meta

We also have wonderful KEF Q Concerto Meta. More clear and balanced. Definitely more for clinical listeners as it does a lot of insight in production. Bass is also a bit smoother and bigger. Mids are more uncluttered as well. But same as Linton but in less degree here. Dali provides more fun and details. And definitely more expression.

vs. Bowers and Wilkins 606 S3

Bowers and Wilkins 606 S3. I just love Dalis much more than them, but reality for that ultimate insight in top end Bowers does better, and it certainly does create more dynamic and rhythmic sound. But everything else it goes to Dali to be honest, better bass, better clarity, better engagement in mids etc.

vs. Sonus Faber Lumina 2

Sonus Faber Lumina 2 a gorgeous speaker. It does have better imaging than Dali, and also isolates vocals exceptionally well. It is smooth, and fun speaker that is similar to Dali. But Dali does have a bit more details, better bass and just rhythmic talent. But if you want incredible smooth and exceptional voices you should try Sonus Faber.

Some more expensive alternatives

Some speakers that I think are great alternatives to this, but are expensive are Revel Performa M106, (and I have to mention I have not heard M105), and Buchardt S400 MK2. But for that review and comparisons some other time. But if I had more money I would look in that direction including Dali Rubicon.

Almost Perfect?

So almost perfect right? Well there is no perfect speakers in Hi-Fi, as flavors same like flavors of any other consumable goods, are prone to subjective feeling of listener. It could be for you not even close.

And these speakers are not perfect. There are issues I spoke with, regarding physical limitations, to produce deep big bass and soundstage. A need to add a bit power for them to truly open. And bit hot at top.

But then again you get so much, that is close to being perfect. Amazing expression in midrange, amazing details, great clarity and soundstage, an almost impossible big and commanding bass for size of these speakers. And an emotional experience to deeply connect to your favorite tracks. All of that make them almost, almost perfect.

But there is something that this speaker does which awoke my passion for this hobby which I am now took so seriously that I film myself to share my opinion with everyone who thinks my thumbnails and title are interesting.

It sings to me, to my soul, and pushes me into nostalgic territory when I was kid collecting CDs and vinyl and listening to 8–10 hours of music every day. That kid is still here inside somewhere, still happy when we listen together and we can dance and sing to music coming from High Fidelity gear.

I am happy when such a gear comes to my house, that imperfect gear but gear that touches me emotionally. I started all of this because I love music, I love the whole mythology of music. The emotional impulses it shares, the places it takes us back, the memories we relive with them.

I was always asocial kid, listening to CD through my CD player, later MP3 players, constantly in my own world. And same thing is happening here, on this channel in this video I am in my own world of words that I create, that I try to share that passion with you guys.

Love music first, gear second and you will always be happy.

Thanks to everyone watching this, thank you for being here with me on this 2 years journey, on this 2 year anniversary.

✅ Pros

Sound Quality & Musicality

• Exceptional musicality: Highly expressive, emotional, and engaging presentation.

• Detailed and dynamic treble: Rich in texture and extends well, without being overly sharp for most users.

• Impressive bass for size: Surprisingly punchy and deep bass from a compact form, helped by a large bass port.

• Good soundstage and clarity: Wide scope of sound with impressive layering and detail retrieval.

• Great vocal presentation: Vocals are emotional and well-placed in the mix, described as “seamlessly weaving through instrumentation.”

• Fast and precise: Agile and rhythmic performance, making it suitable for a variety of music genres.

• Great crossover design: Thoughtful engineering allows all drivers to work in harmony.

  
  

Design & Build

• Premium build quality: Danish craftsmanship with high-quality components and beautiful wooden cabinets (walnut and rosewood praised).

• Compact and elegant: Small footprint but a luxury aesthetic and sound performance.

  
  

Technical Performance

• Not hard to drive: While they benefit from power, they are not extremely demanding (70W @ 4 ohms minimum recommended).

• Well-engineered components: Neodymium tweeter, airflow-optimized woofer, and refined crossover enhance performance.

• Good synergy potential: Works well with both warm and balanced amps like Marantz Model 50, Roksan Attessa, Musical Fidelity M3si, etc.

  
  

Emotional Engagement

• Expressive midrange: Especially good with emotionally rich music like Joni Mitchell and Rebecca Del Rio.

  
  

❌ Cons

Sound Balance & Limitations

• Mids could be cleaner: Slight congestion or lack of clarity in midrange compared to the excellent treble and bass.

• Treble can be hot: Slightly V-shaped tuning; highs can be piercing on some recordings

• Needs careful amp pairing: Requires warm or dark-leaning amps to tame treble and balance sound.

  
  

Physical/Use Constraints

• Not ideal for large rooms: Performs best in small to mid-sized spaces; can feel underwhelming in large areas.

• Low sensitivity (86dB): Requires turning up the volume to "open up"; might not be ideal for low-power amp setups.