Review: Dali Euphonia MS4 Speaker


Category: Speakers


[Abstract Summary]:
I’ve heard and owned a lot of speakers over the past 20-years, and this one ranks as one of the Top-2 under $20k.

[Leap of Faith]:
I had ordered the Dali’s without ever haven seen or heard them in person. The risk as it turns out was well worth it. I made the leap based on in-depth discussions with my long-time audio dealer. At the time, I wasn’t even looking for another pair of speakers. But, something in his voice conveyed an enthusiasm and insight that I have long trusted.

[Arrival & Set Up]:
The Dali MS4's arrived together on two separate wooden palettes and were completely sealed and wrapped in black protective plastic. Having been shipped to my home in New Hampshire, my introduction to the Dali's had begun.

Each of the speakers black plastic housings were secured with thick plastic strapping around the thick cardboard boxes. Inside the boxes were 3-levels of thick styrofoam bumpers that hugged an inner plastic layer that held the wooden speakers snug in position.

The MS4's required a two-person effort to move them to our medium sized family room; one level up. Having now taken root in the footprint of my Dynaudio Contour S3.4's [now re-located to a nearby room for future A/B comparisons]; I hooked the Dali's up to the Plinius 9200 integrated amp, and utilized Transparent Audio Ultra's for cabling [Note: the Ultra's are the recently introduced models that utilize the MM/Opus technology, as well as the newly curved network boxed housings and revised innards]. The Richard Gray 400s fed the SignalCable Power cords to the Plinius 9200 as well as the digital source, all of it fed to the wall outlet.

[Insights on the Plinius 9200]:
Plinius is based out of New Zealand and has a strong following. Having been an owner of many Plinius products over the last 5 years I feel the need to highlight the [just released] newest product: the Plinius 9200. It's performance thus far is beyond stellar. I've owned the following Plinius models: 8150, 8100, 8200MKI, 8200MKII, and now the 9200. I've also owned and auditioned many other Brands of amps and pre-amps and various integrateds. However, the Plinius line of products is the only one I could live with on a long-term basis. What stands out about the newest 9200 ? Basically, the Plinius has never sounded better to my ears. The 9200 can drive loudspeakers at a performance level - equal to; and better than much more expensive separates [power and preamp]. The 9200 has significant sonic improvements over the 8200MKII. Though the 8200MKII was a pleasure to live with, I had no complaints or mis-givings during my time with it. However, some key differences between that and the 9200 ought to be mentioned here.

Without a doubt the Plinius 9200 is able to manage and manipulate most any loudspeakers that are leashed up to it. It's 'drive' and current-management is well beyond the 8200MKII model. The Plinius 9200 has been enhanced and the effort is readily heard. Many of you will appreciate the clean design and well executed 'minimal look', as well as the new thick one-piece wrap around faceplate of thick aluminum. The 9200 has also improved it’s performance while playing/listening at lower volume levels. Overall dynamics and bass response still have the desired impact -without having to play at medium & louder average volumes. The mid-range and highs are excellently reproduced without any indications of grain or lean-ness, or compression. My basic understanding of why the 9200 can perform this way is that it's power supply has a very high reserve current that allows the mid-range and treble to stay very clean. The 9200 in my opinion outperforms the Plinius SA100 & CDLad combo which I have heard many times.

My approach to building an enjoyable music system has always been, to keep it simple. ‘less IS more’. The Plinius 9200 is part of this formula.

[MS4 Break-in]:
A rotation of 2-channel audio cds, dvd films, and occasional HBO digital-cable broadcasting was played for approximately 80+ hours on medium to fuller volumes, prior to this write-up. [Note: the sound prior to break-in was less than ideal and 80+ hours is recommended]. During that time I re-read various articles about the Dali company and their design philosophy, as well as Audio Show reports and any Dali related discussion threads on the web. As a successful loudspeaker company headquartered in Denmark for the last 20 years, Dali's reputation from the international audio communities seemed promising. And, with the recently introduced Euphonia Series [the MS4 is part of this Series; 2cd in line from the largest Euphonia model; the MS5], the MS4's seemed to have the most publicity and good word of mouth. This model in particular will certainly capture the attention for those of you with an eye for strong design-lines, and appreciation for top of the line craftsmanship. Fans of Wilson Audio, B&W, Revel, Dynaudio, and other bold designs take note. [and yes, a desire for top-notch sonics was assumed].

[impressions of the Dali Aesthetics]:
A strong Danish design of converging edges married to tapered curves, all of which draw upwards towards a sloping top plane, which slants downward towards the listener. Each MS4 body is settled on top of a thickly tapered and massive polished black granite base plate which is also angled and not a typical ‘flat-slab’. The MS4’s ¾ profile view is certainly unique among loudspeaker designs, and pictures cannot do it justice. Beyond the design lines of the cabinet, the wood finish: 'Alpi' [in this case] is among the most beautiful and interesting wood grains I've encountered [including furniture]. It has a rich-holographic layered effect; very much like a tigers-eye gem stone, and it's wood grain layers seem to change as you move around them whether you are near or far from the physical speaker. The color shading reminds me of a dark burnt chestnut hue. The drivers [see specs below and note: I believe the frequency response from the Dali website to be extremely conservative as compared to experiences in my living room] are protected by a stiff and tapered grill and cloth which meets the housing plate of the drivers with considerably secure ness. The [4] rear cable binding posts are thickly machined and offer a lot of surface area contact for spades in my case, and can be bi-wired if needed. Copper wire jumpers are provided but can prove less than easy to configure on first attempts. Spikes are provided as well. The overall presence of this Dali is one of a slightly aggressive yet graceful stance.

[Dali MS4 Drivers]:
High frequency drivers : 1 x 29 mm soft dome + 1 x 10 x 55 mm Super ribbon tweeter
Low frequency drivers : 2 x 6.5”
Bas reflex system resonance : 31.5 Hz
Dimensions (HxWxD) : 40.75 x 8.75 x 17.0 inch.
Weight : 38 Kg / 84 lb

[Comparisons]:
Comparisons are inevitable, so here you go. [note: for those interested I’ve owned most of the B&W Matrix, a couple B&W Nautilus, Wilson Audio Witts, Dynaudio 1.3SpecialEdition, Dynaudio Special25, and currently own the Dynaudio Contour S3.4, and now own the Dali MS4, and have extensively auditioned A LOT of other fine brands and models in audio shops over the years] . Back to my A/B: In a direct comparison to my other speakers the Dynaudio S3.4 in my home, the results were obvious and instant. The Dyn’s S3.4 certainly retain their pre-exiting merits, it is quite musical, and can be slightly forgiving on lesser than ideal source material. So after playing various tracks [between both models] one thing was apparent – the sound of the Dyn’s seemed flatter and rounder. Additionally, the bass of the Dyns now sounded thicker and tired. [Note here: I did not say flat/round/thick in absolute terms; I said: flatER/roundER/thickER ; like going in a direction not a final destination]. The sound of the Dyn S3.4s was still quite good but smaller in sound and overall clarity. The biggest distinction I observed was the emotional content. The Dyn’s seemed mellow, and the Dalis were fully engaged and expressive. If you take the emotional factor out of the A/B comparison and go on sound alone: the Dali MS4’s provided at least 20% more information during playback [including clarity, micro-dynamics, macro-dynamics, focus and layering]. Lastly, the A/B session highlighted a newly discovered trait of the Dyns, in that the resonance of the S3.4’s cabinet was now audibly-contributing to the Dynaudio sound at fuller volumes; whereas the MS4’s had no cabinet sound contribution at all – it was audibly invisible. I was personally surprised with the results. I had mentally prepared myself for a ‘close-race’ or very subtle refinements and/or minor differences. What I got [quickly and without a doubt] was a very ear-opening experience to say the least. In summary, if you love the Dynaudio’s sound as I do, that does not necessarily have to change. I still find the Dynaudio S3.4s to be a musical and well balanced loudspeaker. But, the Dyn’s did not compete in the same league as the Dali on the bass reproduction or the imaging, and definitely lacked the detail and extension of the Dali. I’ve got little doubt that the bigger brother of the Dyn S3.4, the S5.4 could keep up with the Dali. The biggest gap between the Dali and Dyn was the amount of missing audible information on the Dyn’s.

An audio friend of mine is getting a pair of Wilson Audio WP7 this week, and I hope to also do an ‘A/B’ comparison shortly; which should prove interesting. The Dali MS4 had taken everything I appreciated in audio gear and the listening experience, and re-presented it to me on an entirely new and deeply satisfying level.

[The MS4 Sound]:
Oh, sweet liberty ! The silence had been replaced by a room full of crystal clear and wonderfully enveloping music. Instruments were concisely outlined and hanging throughout the room. Then it appeared, out of no-where: a rapid-fire of gripping bass that was alarmingly real and articulate. The best way to describe the mid and lower bass presentation is, absolutely RIVETING. This is not your ill-defined, soft, rounded, slow and sloppy, flowery bass response. I am talking about rich and tightly woven bass notes. Would I ever mate these with a subwoofer ? I honestly don’t see the need. The MS4 cabinet design and internal bracing and magical drivers must take most of the credit here, as it didn’t add any resonance during the listening sessions [a compare to the Dynaudio A/B will show surprisingly different behavior later in this text]. The overall tonal balance was captivating, without drawing negative attention, or over-emphasis. Compression and edginess were non-issues. The tonal balance was without fault. [note: for those of you with bright/edgy/or thin sounding gear or cabling, you may want to consider fixing that first; as the Dali’s are going to show you any ‘nasties’ in your electronics chain]. The MS4’s were never hyper-analytical or over blown; the presentation was consistently beautiful with a powerful grace, and easily drew me in.

[Do they image well ?]
Without reservation, Yes they produce first-class imaging. I used only a hint of toe-in and sat (9.5’) feet back from the MS4’s, with the tweeter to tweeter distance apart being almost 7.5’. Music from Alison Krauss to Pat Methany, various instrumentals, vocals, dvd-films, all offered up a soundstage that was easily portrayed and obvious to discern. Ambiance and space around the instruments was consistently rendered and varied in size depending on the source material. Overall, no complaints in the imaging dept. Sound staging was strongly defined overall, with the minor exception of depth [on my initial setup & placement]. My original placement of the Dali MS4s’ seemed to limit a deep soundstage into the front listening wall. So with some minor adjustments [pulling the MS4’s further out into the room] I was able to correct this. You should note that this is not a dedicated listening room, it’s a real world living room. There is furniture and lamps, windows, doorways, and room for my 2-year old to watch ‘Bob the Builder’ on a regular basis. Since I am able to re-position the Dalis’ when active listening is the priority, I don’t see this as any weakness of any system/loudspeakers. As in most loudspeaker cases, the additional breathing space around the Dali’s – now contributed to the heightened airiness and deeper depth of the front soundstage.

[Conclusions]:
Without hesitation I can easily say, the Dali MS4’s are the finest loudspeaker I’ve ever heard in my home, and one of the most accurate and pleasing loudspeakers [a Top-2 ranking for speakers under $20k] that I’ve heard anywhere over the past 20+ years.

The Dali Euphonia MS4 is a gift, a balanced combination of clarity and grace while being emotionally powerful.

Somehow Dali has managed to design a small foot-print, narrow front baffle, small-ish size, compelling curves, bonded to a non-vibrating core, all dressed up in a gorgeous exterior, at an asking price that is more than reasonable given it’s performance. I predict that the Dali MS4 will be going “toe-to-toe” with many other loudspeaker competitors, and will most likely - not even break a sweat. Of course you will need to be the final judge in those matters, and I certainly encourage you to do so.

Welcome to the USA Dali !

[Software Used]:
charlie haden & pat metheny . cd . beyond the missouri sky
tori amos . cd . scarlets walk
james taylor . cd . october road
john coltrane . cd . coltrane
mark knopfler . cd . the ragpicker's dream
bebel gilberto . cd . tanto tempo
james taylor . dvd . live at the beacon theatre
minority report . dvd
and others.

Associated gear
Plinius 9200
Amplifier: Plinius 9200
Sources (CDP): cd 2-channel, dvd 2-channel
Speakers: Dali MS4
Cables/Interconnects: Transparent Audio: MusicWave Ultra, MusicLink Ultra (new product/model with OpusMM technology) speaker & interconnect cabling
Room Size (LxWxH): 16 x 22 x 9
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Richard Gray 400S
mfish

I own theses speakers and don’t really understand how they could be labeled

as “bright”. They are very revealing and need good components as you will hear every parts of the chain.

I used them with Luna Mauve cables, prior to those I had Chord Epic that sounded very bright. My lampizator DAC once fed by a Plixir Conditioner found perfect tonal balance. It is being driven without efforts by an Analog Ausio Maestro Anniversary integrated. Also Gaia feet made a huge difference in the tonal balance and clarity.

In conclusion, you definitely need a good source for these speakers. Clean power, good cables, decent streamer and DAC if you go digital.

 

 

I find this thread somewhat amusing now. The first gap was 7 years and now only two. It's narrowing a bit!
"Wow, great review. And guess what? There's a pair for sale on Audiogon right now, but wait...they're yours. Kinda sleazy, don't you think?"

Dude. He reviewed the speakers in 2003 and your comment was from 2011.

Looks like he owned them 8-9 years. Sounds like a man of his word to me.
Drubin,
Thanks for the detective work! It's funny, but before I read your post, I looked up King of Music to see how long he had been a member, etc., since his praise of the speaker was so effusive, and saw that he had only made 1 post (the one above) since 2003.
That is indeed sleazy and dishonest. Good luck selling them now "Your Majesty".
Wow, great review. And guess what? There's a pair for sale on Audiogon right now, but wait...they're yours. Kinda sleazy, don't you think?
These giant killers are the best speakers I have ever owned, heard, and compared with so called Giants. B&W 800D's, JM Labs Utopia's, and Watt puppy 7's. The Dali did just as good of a job presenting the music and a better of not breaking a sweat. To describe the of the Dali MS4's is easiest put as unbelievably breaktaking. They're just the perfect speaker for ONLY $11,000.00 and will better anything at $30,000.00 and below. I'll put my savings on it.
Zilla, I think you would like both Cardas Golden Reference and Purist Venustas. Both are higher resolution than the Van Den Huls but still have a warm character. In my system the Venustas produced some of the most realistic piano I've ever heard - overtones that seem to go on forever, but it was a little dark overall. With your speakers I bet it would be just about perfect.
The wrong interconnects or speaker cables would cause the bright edgy sound, as well as not being broken in. They must have 200 hours break in. I have a pair and they are so clean, detailed, and clear that every interconnect I try gives them a different perspective in sound. Silver interconnects with them in my system are simply tizzy. They love my Van Den Hul the seconds. With these they are full and a touch warm. Au 24's work well with them (clear and naturally detailed) but are less full sounding.
I heard the MS4s with all Musical Fidelity gear this week at a local dealer. They are definitely on the analytical side of the spectrum, giving a consistently bright and edgy presentation to a wide variety of music. That said, they do have high resolution and can probably be worked with. This is one of those cases where Cardas Golden Reference cabling and possibly some warmish tube gear would be helpful. They do have one anomaly in the bass department, though, that I think will be hard to deal with. I played some pipe organ music and when the port's output was greater than the driver's output, on the lower notes, it was though the speaker had been put in "turbo" mode. It was very discontinuous and boomy. I think they will have to be placed well out from the walls to ameliorate this effect.
Dali MS4's
Bat 300XSE
Audioquest CV6 DBS double biwires
Audience Au24 interconnects
Sony 333ES Sacd player

Synergy. Holographic. Dynamic. Magical. I can hardly stop listening. I don't want to stop listening.
Plays every type of music. I am addicted!!!
Could I do better, well I am sure I probably could but why.
Alright I was going to do the Modwright 999ES Platinum but put that on hold because a mint vintage pair of speakers are available to me and well I want them.
Have no fear buying the Dali speakers or the Bat integrated, and do try the the Au 24's as they are very interesting in terms of what they do or don't do to the sound. I like them a lot. They replace Van Den Hul the seconds a very fine cable also.

For an ear candy treat buy Jean Michel Jarre in Concert in Houston.

This set up lets me listen to digital with no fatigue!!
There is no, yes no, brightness or digital glare here unless it is on the CD.
Just this weekend, John Beavers and I had the opportunity to hear the Dali Helicon 800 at Speaker Lab in Seattle Washington. The speakers were set up in a room approximately 20 x 20. Parasound monos driving the Dali's.

Our first impressions of the speaker was the highly glossy finish on top of the repeatable veneer finish. Very impressive at first, but perhaps a little blinding after a while.
We asked the salesman why they were not demonstrating the MS4 and he told us the room was too small to develop good bass with the MS4. So we listened to several cuts of music from what he had present. Fifteen minutes into the listening John and I looked at each other and decided we had heard enough. The upper end was searing, the midrange and bass were bloated and just about the worst soundstaging we had ever heard.
I know this is not a glowing report. But, it is what we heard.

Best Regards,
Michael Wolff
Based on my experience, it's probably best that you audition in person and preferrably with your gear, what you intend to own. I would have small reservations about pairing Dali with Krell (in my honest opinion).
I am thinking of getting the dali ms4. Do you guys think it will work well the krell 400xi integrated?
I've had the MS4 for about 6 months now and they are anything but bright. I KNOW bright.
I guess like everything, system matching is important. They are actually a tad on the warm side which I really like.
well written review, but i found these speakers to be very bright..almost brittle on lots of digital source material. for the price, they are an aquired taste.

Hello DBK,
yes I did hear the $150k home audio system with the Wilson Audio WP7s. The biggest strength of the WP7's was the height of the soundstage; about 9' up vertically. The resolution was very impressive. The biggest weakness for me, was the lack of deep and articulate bass. I basically didn't hear much at all. The Dali MS4 and Dyn S3.4s seem to perform deeper and have more punch. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the WP7s were being driven by tubes and not solid-state amplification.

Hello Jayctoy,
yes I agree with you. After much time with the Dali MS4s I found them to be on the 'too much resolution' particularly with the super-tweeter; and not enough on the 'warmth side' of the fence. I just didn't feel like the ever sounded fully broken in; even after monthes of break-in. What's important to note is that it was 'MY' expectation that the Dali MS4s should sound more 'relaxed'. And I found that they were as relaxed as they were going to get, and it was my personal preference/taste's that made me think that they fell short. I gave them many monthes of play and different gear, but no luck. The Dynaudio S3.4 although a wonderful performer ended up being 'too laid back' and sometimes too soft sounding. I would still choose the Dynaudio over the Dali - strictly based on my experience and personal tastes. Also, the Dynaudio S3.4s did sound more pleasant with more poorly produced material, and had a richer sound than the Dali's did.

Hello Kkursula,
I have ended up with the Dynaudio Confidence C1 and a write up will be coming shortly. However, I can say at this point: the C1's are clearly doing something that the Dali MS4 and Dyn (S3.4 and Special25s) are not capable of....

Best Regards
I presume that your PREFERANCE for Dali's - what appears as - detailed presentation is more associated with your preferance of ribbon tweeters sound over Dynaudios soft dome. How about inclusion of acoustic instruments in your listening sessions? Harpsicord, solo violin, classical guitar etc...! We will have one more thing to mention here in your review: fatigue, fatigue...and more fatigue!
Simple, thats why when I audition speakers, I will first
try to forget the change, of the sound, transparency
ussually will blow you away,your ears will trick you
thinking how good is the sound,probably because of the
effortless listening that our ears are receiving.Eighty
percent of the time,when we A/B gear, speakers, cables,
etc.Ussually we will pick the most tansparent, even
though they are not natural or balance,I made this mistakes
over and over again,not anymore.Because I spend time
before I will make my conclusions,MOST OF THE TIME ITS
ONLY A CHANGE, NOT IMPROVEMENT, I HEAR THIS OVER AND
OVER AGAIN.MY 2 cents.
"An audio friend of mine is getting a pair of Wilson Audio WP7 this week, and I hope to also do an ‘A/B’ comparison shortly; which should prove interesting. The Dali MS4 had taken everything I appreciated in audio gear and the listening experience, and re-presented it to me on an entirely new and deeply satisfying level."

Have you or anyone compared these two speakers yet? Any comments?
Simple- thanks for the answer, much appreciated. I've been happy with the 2100i and the 1.8's for quite a while now myself, really only thinking that a few steps up the evolution of the Plinius integrated line could be a good thing. It's just a matter of the 8200/8100 mkII showing up used. There are still relatively recent so not alot of them come up. Also, not running vinyl, and in a 13'x 20' room where the 2100i is more than adequite power, I'm not sure if the 8200 might be overkill.

I agree with you also on the Dynaudios. I've listened to alot of speakers since I got the Dyns maybe 5 years back. Sure, some do things better than the dyns, many worse. But, the dyns have the most overall musical, balanced and "real" sound to my ear. Perhaps this is why they mate so well with Plinius. That seems to be a pretty common pairing.

Hello,
NOTE: I changed my username from MFish to Simple. Just for a change, as I grew tired of the old moniker. I have a friend who uses the Dyn 1.8mkIIs powered with the Plinius 8200mkII with wonderful results, and he is very content and happy long-term with the pairing. I've not heard the 9100 so I cannot speak of it. If 'used' is the route: definately go with the 8200mkII as it is a stunning performer and a no-brainer. It shares a great deal with the current 9200 with respect to overall sonic strengths.
NOTE: after long hours with the Dali; I returned to the sound of the Dynaudio [sold the Dali, and again now own the S3.4s and the Special25]. It seems that the Dali; though certainly more resolute was almost 'too-much-of-a-good-thing' i.e. pure resolution vs. naturalness. And, over many monthes I found that I missed the natural voicing and boogie factor of the Dynaudio. Many can argue that the Dali is a more revealing/technically resolute/accurate performer. I would mostly agree. However, depending upon your personal preference either the Dyn or Dali would easiliy fit the bill. It turns out, that I favor Dyn sound long-term.
Mfish- I have a Plinius question for you if you don't mind. Your email is not available.

I currently have a 2100i, about 5 years old. I have the opportunity to upgrade. I can either go with a 8100mkII, a 8200mkI, both used and at very good prices, or hold off and wait on a 9100. What would you suggest? Are the improvements over the different models significant? BTW - I'm running Dynaudio Countour 1.8's with great success on the Plinius. thanks
Fantastic review! Thanks! Nice to learn about these speakers and to have some other options for pairing with my Plinius (8200 mkII).
Excellent review Mfish. I was talking to Steve(Sound/Video of MN.)about these a few days ago. He obviously loves them as much as you do. MMMMMMMM..........
Nice review, I had a chance to hear these when I was States side a few months ago. Very nice and competative for the US retail asked.
I did some digging and these retail for 12,500 CDN up here in Canada. Add you PST and GST and we are up to 14,375 Cdn. Doubt too many Canadians are going to be going this route considering you can get Verity Parsifals up here for a bit more.

good listening.
I first heard these speakers at the Heathrow London show last year and to my ears produced one of the best sounds in this cluttered environment.
By some good fortune I was able to listen to them at home a month later- being the only pair in the UK at the time.
Despite a smallish room by US standards, they produced a wide and detailed soudstage with tonality on the warm side of neutral and an amazing ability to extract detail in the treble but without any sense of hardness or glare.
I bought a pair in maple finish and have been running them for about a year now with no regrets.
There was a review in Hi Fi Choice some 6 months ago where the reviewer suggested a lean tonal balance in the midrange.
Strange because I bought them for their warmth compared to my Audiophysics.
Despite few being sold in the UK I feel people are missing out on something special her. Don't be put off by these speakers beng part of a possible surround sound range.
They aquit themselves admirably and should be auditioned.
Mfish, based on what you heard with the MS4, can you make a wild guess on how the Dali flagship Grand Couple bookshelf will stack up against the Dyn Special 25. I've got the 1.3SE and although no plan to upgrade at the moment, would be interested on which possible direction to go in the future. Unfortunately, Dali dealers are not as available as Dyn's, especially from where I am.

Nice take on the 9200. I'm enjoying mine immensely. Big step up from my 8200Mk1. Thanks.
"What's important to note is that I hear everything that I enjoy and respect about the Dyns, but executed on a new level in the Dali's."

I was so afraid you'd say something like that. But I've promised myself to stick with the Dyn's for at least a year. I've gotten into a bad upgrade habit in the past two years, where I don't even get to the peak break-in period with my gear before trading it for a "next level" piece. I do ok with not losing much on the sell, but there's always the MFish type character :) that comes along and tells you where the next step up is, and there you go, selling away the great new gear for the promise of greener pastures on the other side of the upgrade fence ;) Which in this case are probably there in abundence. My dealer who had Dynaudio Temptations in his home system replaced those dream drooling speakers for these MS4's. That still blows me away to think about.

Enjoy your new speakers and amp, I'm sure they'll bring you years...months...enough enjoyment before the next gotta have speaker and amp come out :)

Hi, a small clarification, I've been using the DynS34s in my house for about 5 monthes strait [hundreds and hundreds of hours]. The Dali MS4s are now more around 150+ hours of playing. I'm with you on the Dyn sound and specifically the S34 merits. Unless I had done a side by side A/B between the two; I would not have realized the strengths and weakness of the Dyn at all. My admiration for the Dyn has not changed, but I certainly view it from a different perspective now that I have heard the Dali right next to it. The Dali in summary provides more details and impact than the Dyn. I honestly did not think that it would be sooo different between the models.

What's important to note is that I hear everything that I enjoy and respect about the Dyns, but executed on a new level in the Dali's.
My dealer has also fallen head over heels in love with the Dali line of speakers, and he has been a diehard Dynaudio fan for many years. The MS4's sound impressive, but as you noted, they are more in line with the 5.4's as a peer product. The other caveat I would introduce to your comparison with the 3.4's is your 114 hours of use. You described some characteristics in the 3.4 sound I'm well familar with. Those characteristics change dramatically at around 200 hours of use, and become more in line with how your are describing the MS4. The 3.4 has a helluva long break in period, way more so than any Dynaudio speaker I've owned. It would have been interesting to have your comparison a little later in the 3.4 break-in cycle. What's impressive though is that you are hearing qualities in the MS4 that are fresh out of the box. I wonder what improvements will come as they fully break in.
I agree that the Dali's are great speakers.

I recently auditioned their biggest speakers and they are one of the two speakers (big Pipedreams, being the other), that could give my actively biamped B&W800's a run for the money.

IMHO,
Richard

per your request:

Dynaudio S3.4's are $5000 USD
Dali MS4's are $7385 USD

If budget is a constraint, you will find my pair of Dyn's 3.4s for sale here on AgoN,

If funds are not an issue, certainly audition both Dyn and Dali, and I believe your choice on whom to take home - will be easy.
Nice job! I was going to seek out the S3.4' based on your earlier review, but now...

If you mentioned it, I missed it--what's the price?