Setup
Contents
We place the Dali Rubicon 2C in the large studio on Atacama stands. The first position is at the custom install wall, about 1.5 meters in front of the Dali Phantom built-in speakers. The Sound Hub with Bluesound module is in between and we connect it to the Alpha streaming network with an Ethernet cable.
When playing music we find the bass sounds very heavy and we suspect this is because the woofers of the Phantoms resonating as passive drivers to. The bass reflex port of the Rubicon speaker is at the back, firing energy towards the Phantoms. We then put the Rubicon system on a low cabinet against a side wall. This sidewall is acoustically treated with heavy backdrop cloths. It immediately sounds more coherent and faster. It shows again that the positioning of speakers is an essential part of the setup process of your audio system.
Wham
Auditioning the Rubicon 2, we hear what an active system can do with a speaker. Our (Jaap and undersigned) first reaction was that we haven’t heard the Rubicons play so well before. This assertion makes sense because not only are all parts tuned to each other; the signal path is also shorter, more direct and with a minimum of loss. This is the case with almost all active systems. The result is a sound that is more dynamic and faster than a conventional system with separate components.
We play a broad arsenal of music styles: electronic, jazz, rock, classical symphonic and classical chamber music, vocal work.
Sound
What we hear is a good compromise between dynamics, a forgiving sound and acoustic signature and ease of use. The ‘sound’ is definitely a bit on the warm side, we are curious if the measurements confirm this feeling. Also striking is the spatial imaging. The Dali Rubicon 2C have an up front sound; the speakers disappear there’s just music. In combination with the somewhat warmish sound, this creates a pleasant and room-filling musical landscape. We write ‘nicely’ but the Rubicon can also be a tremendous dynamic loudspeaker with lots of power.
We’re playing Make Us Stronger by Ghost Rider, a track that was also played in the Dali demo room during iEar. Electronic music with lots of dynamic differences and a pumping drum ‘n bass with a very dry and short attack. Even at high volume the woofers remain in control and keep it tight. Another ‘speaker-killer’ is the Little Fugue in G, a Bach interpretation by the French pianist Jacques Loussier and his trio. The track starts with drum and bass where the drums are recorded so close that speakers are barely able to reproduce this at high volume. This is also fine, but not to the highest volume level. That doesn’t matter, because we’re already past the pain threshold when we start hearing distortion. We’ve heard other, much more pricey, systems drop out much sooner.
To be helpful…..I’m not a fan of unexplained acronyms. I know this is an older review, yet as the Rubicon 2C is still available, others may also return here. The acronym ‘SCM’ used here is for the underlying technology that Dali believes makes their lineup special. From the Dali website: “SMC (Soft Magnetic Composite) is a coated, magnetic, granular material that offers a highly unusual combination of very high magnetic permeability and very low electrical conductivity.” They suggest that this material lowers distortion and excessive or undesirable coloration. You can find more including a video explanation on their website.