Floorstanding loudspeakers — DALI OPTICON 6 MK2

The OPTICON 6 MK2 is the smaller of two tower models in the second-generation OPTICON range from DALI, the Danish loudspeaker company. The MK2 family arrived in early 2021 with six members - the OPTICON 1 MK2 and OPTICON 2 MK2 stand-mounts, the OPTICON 6 MK2 and OPTICON 8 MK2 towers, the OPTICON VOKAL MK2 centre and the OPTICON LCR MK2. At launch the US price of the OPTICON 6 MK2 was USD 2,499 per pair. DALI states that the speaker is designed, developed and hand-assembled at its own factory in Denmark.

Key specs that matter

Two 6.5 inch wood fibre cones handle bass and midrange, and a hybrid module pairs a 29 mm soft dome with a 17 x 45 mm planar element. The design follows a 2½ + ½-way principle with crossover points at 800 Hz, 2,200 Hz and 14,000 Hz. Rated range is 49 Hz to 30,000 Hz within 3 dB, sensitivity is 88 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, and nominal impedance is 4 ohms. Peak output reaches 110 dB at 1 m, and DALI lists a suitable amplifier window of 25 to 200 W. The cabinet stands 1001 mm tall, 195 mm wide and 330 mm deep, and one unit weighs 19.3 kg. Buyers can order it in tobacco oak or in a black or white satin finish.

Engineering and use context

Relative to its predecessor, the MK2 edition adopts a lighter dome derived from the CALLISTO C wireless range, new bass and midrange units with full SMC pole pieces, and reworked crossovers built with upgraded low-loss parts. Soft Magnetic Composite in the pole piece cuts the mechanical distortion that eddy currents and hysteresis produce, which DALI links to lower third-order distortion. The planar element takes over only in the top octave, adding wide dispersion above the dome. The front baffle is 25 mm thick and the enclosure carries extra internal bracing for stiffness. At the back, a Dual Flare reflex port tuned to 43.5 Hz is shaped at both ends to limit air turbulence, which DALI says extends bass bandwidth and raises power handling.

Pairing

Given the low nominal load, a solid-state amplifier that remains stable into such a load is the safer match, while most integrated designs fall inside the suggested power window. Two linked pairs of gold-plated terminals per cabinet allow bi-wiring or bi-amping. The supplied cast aluminium feet take black chrome spikes for carpet or damping pads for hard floors. Placement between roughly 20 cm and 100 cm from the rear wall is suggested, since the port fires backwards.

Alternatives

The DALI OPTICON 8 MK2 is the larger 3½-way tower of the same range, combining two 8 inch bass drivers with a separate midrange unit for bigger rooms.