At the start of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) event in Barcelona, one of the largest AV fairs in the sector, Danish high-end audio brand Dali announced a new speaker series called the Phantom E-WR, which looks like it will be the envy of any custom home theater installer.
From what we can glean from the spec sheet, the main difference between the two speakers in the series is that you can pay a little extra for the more expensive of the two, to get a more powerful and wider soundstage that will fill any large outdoor space without the concern for distortion due to background noise.
How can Dali fulfill such a promise? It is said to use a hybrid tweeter module and 5° tilt in the drivers, which ensures uniform dispersion of sound “over a wide range of listening angles” to create “smooth, uniform energy distribution within the listening space.”
The Phantom E-WR speaker series is not only designed to sound great outdoors, but they are also built to withstand the harsh elements, including temperatures from -20°C to over 60°C and humidity up to 100%. They also have an IP65 rating, which means they are safe against light water, dust and sand. But you don’t have to install it outside, because the Phantom E-WR series also works indoors.
Dali Phantom E-60 WR and E-80 WR: key specifications
Dali has gone to great lengths to ensure that the Phantom E-WR speakers can withstand whatever comes their way. The company has designed its own driver with a waterproof polypropylene cone and natural rubber surround for each speaker, with a 25mm textile dome tweeter.
The biggest difference between the two speakers is the size of these drivers. The Phantom E-60 WR is the slightly less powerful of the two and has a smaller soundstage thanks to its 6.5-inch driver. This makes it cost slightly less than the E-80 WR – it retails for $450 in the US and £299 in the UK (about AU$558 in Australia).
The E-80 WR, on the other hand, has an 8-inch driver and will have a larger soundstage thanks to the wide dispersion. But you’ll have to pay a little extra for it, with Dali pricing it at $550 in the US and £399 in the UK (about AU$768 in Australia).
Dali isn’t currently in our roundup of the best stereo speakers, but if we were considering an outdoor speaker system, the Phantom E-WR speaker series would immediately be at the top of our testing wish list. Can’t wait for our review? From March you can order the Phantom E-60 WR and Phantom E-80 WR.