Наушники — DALI IO-12

DALI's IO-12 is a Bluetooth headphone of closed circumaural design and the top model of the IO headphone range, which also includes the IO-8 and IO-6. DALI unveiled it in spring 2023 at the Munich High End exhibition and released it on 24 October 2023 at GBP 999, EUR 999 or USD 1,299. DALI describes it as the first headphone anywhere to use its patented SMC magnet technology, a material the company had previously applied only in loudspeaker drivers. The launch colour was Dark Chocolate, and a Mocha Grey version was later introduced in North America.

Key specs that matter

A single 50 mm dynamic driver with a paper fibre cone sits in each circumaural cup. DALI specifies a range of 10 Hz to 48,000 Hz within 3 dB and a passive impedance of 25 ohms. Wireless reception uses Bluetooth 5.2 supporting AAC as well as aptX in its standard, HD and Adaptive forms, and the battery provides up to 35 hours of playback with noise cancelling active. Input formats run from 16 to 24 bit at sample rates of 32, 44.1, 48 and 96 kHz. Three noise cancelling modes are available, together with two voicing presets called Hi-Fi and Bass. Weight without cable is 370 g. The box contains a USB-C charging cable, a 3.5 mm mini-jack lead and a flight adaptor.

Engineering and use context

The design team treated the headphone driver much like a loudspeaker unit. In the motor, Soft Magnetic Composite replaces conventional iron in the magnet system, and DALI says this reduces eddy currents and hysteresis and with them the odd-order harmonic distortion those effects cause. The rigid paper fibre diaphragm is held by a low-loss rubber surround, and the cup is built as a low-resonance enclosure. Headband and oversized square ear pads are covered in real leather. The active noise cancelling circuit is aimed mainly at low-frequency noise. Buttons on the cups handle track skipping and volume, and no smartphone app is needed for any function.

Pairing

Besides Bluetooth, the IO-12 offers two wired paths. Over USB-C it acts as a high-resolution USB audio device for a computer or phone. The analogue socket accepts an analogue signal from a portable player, a headphone amplifier or an in-flight entertainment socket through the supplied adaptor.

Alternatives

The DALI IO-8 is the next over-ear model down, launched on 8 October 2024 by the team behind the KORE loudspeaker and sharing much of the IO-12 electronics at USD 899.