Have you ever been so smitten by a component that you can’t stop listening to it? I’m currently dealing with that in regard to the DALI Katch G2 and it’s becoming slightly awkward. You can read my initial thoughts here.
When I sit in my car in the circle waiting for my children to be dismissed from school during the week, I almost always have the radio in my vehicle set to the NHL Network so I can catch up with the league news.
Because it is an Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva, I try not to play music that would be considered inappropriate for the setting.
I needed a break last week after being under the weather and overworked, so I took the DALI Katch G2 with me to the boardwalk and in the car.
Pairing the Katch G2 with both my iPhone and Bluetooth system in the car was seamless and I decided to leave the Katch 2 on the passenger seat and listen to Qobuz.
I’m sure the engineers at DALI didn’t think about the Katch 2 being used this way — but my car stereo system was decidedly inferior to the wireless speaker which sat on my passenger seat and filled the cabin with a much more engaging sound that had more midrange warmth, detail, and overall impact.
I think that’s the most intriguing thing about the DALI overall; it’s really good almost anywhere.
The design delivers a more spacious sound than I’m accustomed to with other loudspeakers in the category and I think it might be the the best looking piece of industrial design that I’ve had the chance to play with in many years.
It can sound slightly compressed if you drive it too hard; something that was definitely the case with Black Sabbath, Tool, and the 2021 remaster of Peter Gabriel’s So (Qobuz, 24-bit/96kHz) when I placed it on my desk and turned the volume well past normal conversation levels.
It can certainly fill a room with a sound; my office is 35 x 13 x 9, and the den where I do most of my large loudspeaker reviews is 16 x 13 x 9 with openings into a kitchen and front foyer.
But where the DALI Katch G2 really hits its stride and makes me want to listen for hours is when you turn the volume up only a few notches and the midrange comes alive.
If a single Katch G2 delivers this much resolution, immediacy, and top end detail — I might strongly consider a second for a bedroom, office, or smaller room to broaden the width of the stereo image and for additional impact.
The Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i will deliver more impact than the Katch G2 and it can certainly play a lot louder with a lot of music — but it doesn’t move me in the same way. I close my eyes when I listen to the DALI and feel every note and the sense of space is very different.
DALI has created a first rate Bluetooth loudspeaker that needs to be very high on your audition list. I’m buying it.
For more information: dali-speakers.com
Where to buy: £329 at Amazon.co.uk
