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Dali Helicon 800. What components match with it?

An audiophile I met invited me over to hear his system. He recently bought Helicon 800 speakers. He had considered the Helicon 400 that Absolute Sound raved about, but in comparing the two, he said the 800 won, hands down.

I thought they sounded great in every way. Great bass, clarity, imaging, with a natural sound. The combination of a soft dome tweeter crossed high to a ribbon gives an open, airy quality. Plus the woodworking and finish are stunning. If you get a chance to see one in person, do so, as photos don't do them total justice.

He did find though that the Dali's made him hear that his amp was too bright, so he changed amps from an older Parasound to an Audio Research transistor. He also made cabling changes that he said made a tremendous difference.

Anyone had experience with this speaker? Does it require careful matching of associated equipment? How does it compare to the Helicon 400?
audiosoul

Showing 1 response by zilla

zilla
46 posts
 
I have MS5's that I run with the Nuforce 9V2SE's and could not be anymore delighted. Nothing hot or bright here. One incredible soundstage and very 3D. Nuforce V29SE's are the end of the road for me. I run a tubed CD player the Sony 999ES with these from Modwright.

Break in is 200 hours no if ands or buts. I listened to broken in and not broken in Dali's and I could easily tell the difference double blind. Broken in is waaayyy better.
Run them fairly hard "highish" volume 24/7 for 8-9 days.

Double blind I could not tell the difference between the MS4's and the MS5's. Let your room size decide your choice.

I would get the latest Modwright Player as an upgrade (just because) if my 999ES had sold here when advertised. It is just fine and I have no complaints or quibbles with my system.

I do not find cables in my current setup make as much difference as in standard solid state amps. I credit this to the Nuforce amps. I find no need to clean the power supply with these amps like I did with other amps of conventional design.

Dali and Nuforce amps to me are a match made in heaven.
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