Review DaSL monitor speaker – bedazzled?

The DASL sound

Who thinks that this small speaker, sounds small is wrong! This speaker is capable of much more than we initially thought. That’s what makes testing two-way monitors so much fun. And that’s what makes it that we still remain fans of compact two-way monitors: they sound so wonderfully pure, loose and … just great! The imaging is so fine from good two-way monitors. That is and always will be hard to beat for a floorstander in the same price range.

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So it is noticeable that the DaSL plays nice and big. That’s nice with live music or recordings like Esja by Hania Rani. There the piano fills the room without any problems and we hear all the micro-details filling the space in front of us.

We also notice that this genre is made for the DaSL. The piano comes across as very natural. The touch is easily audible and the harmonics are also nicely mixed with the piano notes.

Now this is not a speaker for roaring, earth-shaking bass. At 60 Hz it starts and at 70 Hz it is at level. The deep undertones that are occasionally mixed through on this album do not have the power or depth that a large monitor can reproduce. Or a floorstander. But frankly that is not a problem, because what the DaSL reproduces is compelling. And just very good. By the way, the midrange has enough ‘glow’ to take you into the story.

If you want more bass, you can always add a subwoofer. Look for a fast sub that is easy to adjust…

Vocals

The reason we waited a long time to buy a new reference speaker is that many floorstanders do not manage to reproduce vocals as cleanly and pure as a good two-way monitor. The Focal Sopra managed to project that razor-sharp. And the DaSL again demonstrates where the power of a good monitor lies: crystal clear voices.

This is not only pleasant when listening to music, but also when watching movies or watching TV in general. As mentioned, we tested the DaSL in the second system, where we can also watch movies. That turned out surprisingly well. Of course it does not have the impact of large floorstanders, but dialogue really stands out.

All-round?

Is the DaSL a true all-rounder? Basically yes, but heavy electronic music does need a subwoofer in our opinion. With a band like Massive Attack, that round, heavy bass is kind of important anyway, since they use it as a foundation. So a good, fast, musical subwoofer is nice then to paint a complete picture. Let it supplement from 80 Hz and you’re all set.

Classical or, say, Jazz and singer songwriter should be fine, since that leans much more on the midrange. And that’s fine with the DaSL, as you have read.