MORE FROM THIS BRAND RESUME Looking for very small speakers that still have a higher playing level? Then DALI’s Menuet is the right place for you. These little DALIs are not loudspeakers that fill a large room or excel at pounding beats, but they bring sophistication and easy listening to small spaces in a masterful way.

PLUS POINTS Beautifully finished Wall mounting and near-field possible Wide, encompassing appearance Refined, high -end sound MINUSES More expensive monitors Good amp match is recommended Not suitable for gr ote spaces

The more high-end, the bigger a speaker becomes. It seems a natural law of hi-fi, but fortunately there are plenty of examples of smaller speakers that disprove this rule. The Menuet SE or Special Edition from DALI is one of them. With a beautiful finish and a few unusual features, this is a very compact speaker that shouldn’t be ashamed of anything.

DALI Menuet Special Edition The Menuet is the one DALI speaker that everyone always forgets, so it seems. Many people seem to have never even heard of it. Maybe that’s because the Danes are constantly launching other attention-grabbers, such as the active I-do-everything Rubicon 6C and 2C or the subtle IO-6 headphones with noise canceling. Or is it rather due to the fact that the Menuet is effectively something very special in the entire line-up of the Danish manufacturer?

This is a small speaker, really very compact (25 x 15 x 23 cm), but not one intended for the budget buyer. No doubt, this is a luxury product. You notice this in how DALI itself nestles the Menuet SE just below the high-end Rubicons in its marketing. No, it may not be the first speaker that the man in full midlife crisis who craves two large towers for his living room will dream of. However, they are speakers that promise audiophile quality, even if you have a smaller flat or if you have to be very close to the reproducers.

The DALI Menuet together with the larger JBL Synthesis HDI – 1957

Whatever the Menuet is not is new. This 2-way DALI speaker has been around for a while. But the SE edition that we are examining in this test has only recently been released. SE in this case stands for Special Edition, a label that refers to a number of things that DALI has changed in the internal and external design. What immediately stands out, of course, is that new opulent exterior, finished in a high-gloss Wild Walnut veneer that you don’t often see these days. Is it retro hi-fi or just a harbinger of a new design trend? We don’t know, but it is something very special.

Organic and Exclusive The regular edition of the Menuet (which 549 costs euro each) you can get in four finishes that are very similar to the four color options out there for the Rubicon line. We have the Rubicon 2 in walnut in the test room and used a set of white Rubicon 6 speakers until a few years ago. There is nothing wrong with their finish, because it is also allowed with a device from the premium class. The Menuet SE knows the normal version in terms of appearance â ???? and actually also called the Rubicons â ???? far beyond anything, thanks to a Wild Walnut finish that comes across as unbelievably opulent. It is relatively dark, which will appeal to lovers of light shades. However, the dark brown veneer has a very unusual organic-feel, irregular pattern, making these Menuet SE’s fascinating to look at. And especially if you take a seat close by. Or so we thought. The feeling of luxury comes not only from the pattern, but also because the veneer is covered with a thicker layer of high-gloss lacquer that provides a little depth. Both the lacquer and veneer run seamlessly over the different surfaces of the speaker.

Even at this higher price point is this something exclusive and unusual. In terms of quality, it can certainly match the handsome Bowers & Wilkins Signature S 851 or Monitor Audio’s beautiful Ebony finish on its Gold speakers. But it is not quite the same. Those two British speakers come out with a vertical grain pattern, the Wild Walnut finish is a lot less regular. And this makes it totally exclusive: each set of Minuet SEs is matched together to visually match, and are completely unique.

The additional price you pay for the Menuet SE is undoubtedly in the premium finish. What else do you get on the outside? Better loudspeaker terminals from the top Epicon models and a numbered Special Edition brass label. With the name of the one person who assembled the speaker from start to finish.

Inside, the two main improvements are a new crossover (with Mundorf transistors and a more insulating PCB material, according to DALI) and a voice coil former (the collar on which the wires of the voice coil are wound) made of a heat-resistant glass fiber at the 4.5-inch woofer. Furthermore, there is a 86 – mm dome tweeter, as before.

Flat against the wall In our test room, speakers are usually about three meters away from the listening seat. That seems to us to be a typical distance as you find in many living rooms. We should not listen for long before we notice that this is actually too far for the Menuets. Still, if you want to enjoy a comprehensive and balanced sound image with enough bass to really touch you. Admittedly, it all depends on what you are looking for. If you only want music in the background, you can place a set of Menuet SEs like any other speaker. If you want a little more experience with what you hear, then you have the option to additionally switch on a subwoofer. Not every hi-fi enthusiast is a fan of 2.1 â ???? but if your amplifier is equipped for 2.1 and you place the sub strategically, then you get a fairly mature reproduction with these small speakers. We tried out the 2.1 scenario in the test room, with a Monitor Audio Silver W 12 – subwoofer. That is a burly device that we usually use for surround tests (but it does have a music mode), in an ordinary living room you can probably get an equally nice result with a more compact one. It has something, such a set of small speakers that still sound very powerful.

But actually, the Menuets are designed to be very close to a wall, so that the basses they produce are heavier. We notice that immediately when we try a different setup than normal for these tests. Why we did that? When we first set up the little DALIs at a few stands far from the wall, the Menuets sounded almost dull and lifeless. Time to move: we placed the two speakers on either side of an iMac 27 – inch, albeit on a desk that is a little deeper than usual.

What a difference: on our work table, the Danes suddenly came to life. Ghostpoet’s new album â ???? sarcasm alert: uplifting as always â ???? immediately gained momentum. The vocals on the track “Nowhere to hide Now” got more depth and the percussion dynamics, which we expected, but the enveloping bubble of sound was a bit more unexpected.

On the wall Most speakers do better at a certain distance from a wall, so you can even place these small DALI’s completely against the wall. This is not only relevant for desktop listening. The Menuet SEs also lend themselves well to subtle placement higher on a wall, which can be an interesting option if you want to provide speakers in a dining room, for example. To make this possible DALI provides an optional hanging system; In the picture of the back of the speaker you can see the two black plugs where you attach this system.

Toe-in is not possible when hanging on a wall, but that is not so bad. It is typical for the Danish brand that you do not have to turn their speakers in, because they radiate wide horizontally.

The sensitivity of 86 dB is in line with expectations for a small speaker. But still, making a good choice in terms of amplification certainly does not hurt. In our test room we first hung the DALIs on a Cambridge Audio 851A. A fine integrated amplifier with sufficient power to drive the Menuets, but we found the match in this case a little less successful, just a bit too analytical and cool. The Cyrus One Cast that we recently tested was fortunately not yet back to the importer, so we brought this device up again. And that marriage was much more successful. The warmer, British glow v an de Cyrus complemented the Menuet SE’s very nicely. NAD also seems like an excellent choice (and it is no coincidence that DALI handles the distribution of the Canadian brand in the Benelux).

When you set up the Minuet SE pair correctly, you will really be rewarded. For what are all in all small things, they can fill a small room in an intimate way with a massive soundstage. Do you like jazz? It doesn’t get much more fun than the album ‘Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster’. from 1957 (but here in FLAC, via Qobuz 398 KHz / 24 – bit), where both master saxophonists delightfully complement and challenge. The smallest subtleties of the wind work at the intro of â ???? La Rositaâ ???? know how to convey the Menuets very delicately; a moment when these precious DALIs seem to justify their price. Do you like the walking upright bass on “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” does not come into its own? Then you may indeed have to consider a subwoofer. For those who dread placing a large cube in their room: subwoofers also come in smaller sizes, such as the E-9F with DALI. With other brands there is also a lot of choice.

Conclusion Looking for very small speakers that still play at a higher level? Then DALI’s Menuet is the right place for you. The SE edition adds something elegant to the proven recipe: a unique finish. Like all high-profile design it is love it or hate it , but it is undeniably luxurious and opulent. These small DALIs are not loudspeakers that fill a large room or excel at pounding beats, but they bring sophistication and easy listening to small spaces in a masterly way. Interesting for small flats, but also for rooms that usually don’t have hi-fi solutions, such as the dining room. With these speakers it becomes feasible. They are also great for near-field listening pleasure at close range.

DALI Menuet SE

1. 549 euros / pair | www.dalibenelux.eu

Rating 4.5 out of 5

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