test report
ACTIVE SPEAKERS that deliver
sound via wireless connections
have become a hot category in
the hi-fi world. Sound & Vision has
reviewed a wide range of them—
everything from cheap, compact
cylinders that sit on your kitchen
counter and respond to voice
commands, to more advanced
systems designed to deliver stereo
or 5.1 sound in a living room or
home theater environment. The
new Callisto line from Denmark’s
DALI (Danish Audiophile Loud-
speaker Industries) belongs to the
laer category. You’ll find no tiny
drivers or molded plastic cabinets
here, let alone a built-in intelligent
assistant of the Google, Alexa, or
Siri stripe. Instead, the Callistos
merge the convenience of wireless
audio with a traditional approach to
high-end speaker design.
The Callisto lineup consists of
the 2 C bookshelf model and the 6 C
tower that DALI sent me for review.
Both speakers are designed to work
with the Sound Hub, a compo-
nent that serves as a preamp and
wireless controller for the system.
Total price for a pair of 6 C towers
plus Sound Hub is $5,298. While
you could simply connect analog
and digital sources to the Sound
Hub and get a full-functioning
wireless audio system, the optional
BluOS NPM-1 module ($449) takes
things to the next level by adding
high-res multiroom audio streaming
(including support for Tidal, Qobuz,
Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn
internet radio, and more), MQA
decoding, and Roon Readiness.
The Callisto 6 C’s driver comple-
ment consists of two DALI-made
6.5-inch wood fibre cone woofers
paired with a high-frequency
module containing a 1-inch so
dome tweeter and a 0.7 x 1.75-
inch ribbon tweeter, a design the
company says results in extended
bandwidth and wide dispersion.
In each speaker, separate 30-wa
class-D amplifiers are used to
drive the tweeter module and the
woofer pair, though both are rated
for 10-times peak to average power
in normal use and, according to
DALI, can deliver 250 was for up
to 5 seconds. Crossover filtering
is carried out using 24-bit DSP,
with volume control taking place
just prior to the speaker’s digital-
to-analog conversion stage to
maintain full 24-bit resolution.The speaker’s vinyl-wrapped
1-inch MDF cabinet comes in either
a mae black or white finish. While
grilles with plug-in aachments are
provided, I found that these gave
the system a somewhat utiilitarian
look and preferred to leave them off.
Along with an IEC jack for plugging
into power, an analog RCA input is
included on the back of each tower
for hardwired setups using a regular
preamplifier.
The look and build quality of
DALI’s Sound Hub make it a bit
of a mismatch with the Callisto
speakers, but it readily gets its
job done by providing switching
for Apt-X HD Bluetooth, stereo
analog, and optical/coaxial digital
sources (plus network streaming
when paired with the BluOS
NPM-1 module) and conveying
24-bit/96kHz audio to the speakers
over a wireless 5.8GHz connection.
It also features both analog RCA
preamp and subwoofer outputs
plus a USB Type-A port that can be
used to power an external device.
The Hub’s front panel features a
large central volume knob with
an LED display to indicate master
volume level and selected input.
Front panel buons are also
provided to power the unit on/off,
switch inputs, and mute volume.
The remote control that DALI
includes with the system offers the
same functions and controls the
Sound Hub via a Bluetooth link.SETUP AND USEI set up the 6 C towers in my living/
listening room by first aaching
the included rubber feet on each
speaker and placing them about
24 inches in from the back wall.By Al GriffinRATINGDALI Callisto
6 C Wireless
Loudspeakers
PERFORMANCEFEATURESERGONOMICSVALUEHello DALI
DALI CALLISTO 6 C WIRELESS LOUDSPEAKERS
(^64) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com
Callisto 6 C
6.5 in woofer (2), 1 in so
dome tweeter; 7.9 x 39.6 x 13.6
in (WxHxD), 49.8 lb; 250-wa
class-D amplifier; Wi-Fi,
analog line-level (RCA), USB type-A (firmware
update) inputs
Sound Hub
DIMENSIONS: (WxHxD): 11.8 x 3 x 8.4 in
WEIGHT: 3.2 lb
INPUTS: Apt-X HD Bluetooth, optical digital (2),
coaxial digital, analog line-level (2, RCA and
stereo mini-jack)
OUTPUTS: 5.8GHz wireless (24-bit/96kHZ);
Analog line-level (RCA), subwoofer (RCA)
OTHER CONNECTIONS: USB type-A (power
and firmware updates)
Specs