MANUAL

Royal

Magic Moments

www.dali.dk
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anish udiophile oudspeaker ndustries

DALI is renowned among music lovers throughout the world for its
unique speakers and cables, all constructed and build for uncompro-
mising design and sound requirements. Our ultra-modern factory in
Denmark is fully equipped with facilities for development and pro-
duction of quality speakers.

Dali's principal competence is development and optimisation of

known and new technology in the field of audio and acoustics.
The result is continuous development and optimisation of new and
existing models.

We always keep our goal firmly in view for each and every DALI
speaker: To recreate sound experiences in your home that will carry
you away, making you forget time and place...

It is important to us that your new DALI speakers be set up and con-

nected optimally. This manual contains our recommendations for
setup, connection and maintenance.

Enjoy!

DALI A/S
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Manual

Congratulations on the purchase of your new DALI Piano speakers. This

manual contains information on setup and maintenance of DALI Royal
Series.

Running-in

Like any other mechanical system, a speaker needs to be "run in", so you
can look forward to a gradual improvement in sound quality over the ini-
tial period. Unlike other mechanical systems, a DALI speaker does not wear
out - in fact, regular use will extend its lifetime.

Connection

The connection to your amplifier is extremely important for your sound

experience.

Always turn off your amplifier before connecting any cables or altering
any connections.

Always use cables of the same type and length for left and right speak-
ers. We recommend using speaker cables from DALI, available from your
dealer.

A detail that is often overlooked is con-

nection in the correct phase, i.e. the red
terminal (+) on the amplifier should be
connected to the red terminal (+) on the
speaker, and the black terminal (-) on the
amplifier should be connected to the black
terminal (-) on the speaker. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 1. Stereo connection

Use a mild universal cleaner and a soft cloth to clean your Royal speakers.
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For the perfect sound experience, the right speaker must be connected to
the output terminal marked "R" or "Right" on your amplifier and the left
speaker to the terminal marked "L" or "Left". If just one speaker in a stereo
or surround sound system is not connected in phase, the bass will be weak
and the overall sound will be diffuse.

The same guidelines apply irrespective of the number of speakers in your

sound system: speakers positioned to the right must be connected to the
amplifier output terminal marked "R" or "Right", and any to the left must
be connected to "L" or "Left". Surround sound amplifiers have similar
output terminals to stereo speakers, usually labelled "Front", "Centre" and
"Rear". (Fig. 3) For further information, please refer to the manual.

You must ensure that the cable ends are firmly pushed into the terminals,
and that there are no loose wires, which could cause a short circuit and
damage the amplifier. (Fig. 2)

When Bi-amping or Bi-wiring is not in

use, the two metal connectors between
the double terminals must be in place
and securely tightened. Find more infor-
Fig. 2. Terminal connection mation about Bi-amping and Bi-wiring at
page 5.

Using inferior cables for your new DALI speakers is just the same
as putting cheap tyres on a thoroughbred racing car. Using cables
from DALI, which have been specially designed, will ensure a per-
fect sound experience every time.

WAVE

Always switch off your amplifier before adjusting any of the cables!
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Bi-wiring and Bi-amping

Bi-wiring or bi-amping improves the sound quality significantly and is

highly recommended. Bi-wiring provides greater openness in the sound
image and reduces distortion. Bi-amping provides even greater openness
in the sound image and adds to increased dynamism.

Bi-wiring

The top terminal pair are connected to the high

frequency section of the crossover network, and
the bottom terminal pair are connected to the
bass section of the crossover network. When
employing bi-wiring or bi-amping, the metal
links between the terminals should be removed.

In the case of bi-wiring, the speaker cable is con-

nected via a terminal pair on each speaker to the
respective output terminals on the amplifier - Fig. 3. Bi-wiring
and then the cable from the speaker's other ter-
minal pair is connected to the same output ter-
minals on the amplifier (Fig. 3).

Bi-amping

We recommend using identical stereo amplifi-

ers. One amplifier supplies the speakers with
the signal for the high frequency section of the
crossover network, and the other amplifier sup-
plies the bass section. The left speaker's bass ter-
minals (the bottom ones) should be connected
to the left channel on one of the amplifiers, and
the right speaker's bass terminals to the right
channel on the same amplifier. The same princi-
ple should be followed for connecting the high
frequency terminals of the speakers.
Fig. 4. Bi-amping

Talk to your authorised DALI dealer about cables - or visit www.dali.dk

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Positioning

Once you have connected up your new Royal speakers, you need to begin
the process of finding the optimum position for your speakers in relation
to your listening position - and adjusting the surround sound amplifier, if
applicable. It is worth spending a little time experimenting, as the correct
setup and tuning will provide a significantly better sound experience. Here
are some useful pieces of advice:

Avoid placing objects between the speakers and your listening position, as
obstructions can cause incorrect tonal balance.

Try to ensure that the distance between the left and right speakers is equal
to the distance from your listening position to the speakers (Fig. 5). If you
have surround sound, the distance between all the speakers should be sym-
metrically identical (Fig. 8)

Fig. 5. Stereo positioning Fig. 6. Surround positioning

DALI Royal has been designed using the Linear Directivity principle, which
means that the tonal balance will be perfect, even if your listening pos-
ition is not quite central. So, it is not necessary to angle the front speak-
ers towards your listening position, unless the front speakers are very far
apart.

The Royal Vocal central speaker has been specially designed for position-
ing close to the TV screen. Should the screen display colour irregularities,
move the speaker a few centimetres away.

DALI Royal Tower is designed as a floor-standing speaker,

and comes with its own base.

Royal Tower must be mounted on the accompanying base.

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DALI Royal Scepter and Menuet are designed for positioning on a stand or
shelf. If you position the speakers on a shelf or against a wall, it is impor-
tant to ensure that sufficient room is allowed for air expelled from the bass
port at the back of the casing. Please avoid positioning the speakers on a
tightly-packed shelf or right up close against a wall (Fig. 7).

Both Royal Scepter and Menuet provide the best sound

experience when positioned at eye level - so that you can
just see over the speaker from your listening position. Should
that not be possible, however, it is a good idea to tilt the
speakers slightly, either upwards or downwards, depending
on whether their position is too high or too low. If the speak-
ers are positioned very high - e.g. on top of a high shelf -
they should be turned upside down so that the treble is at
the bottom. Alternatively, the speakers can be laid on their
side with the treble closest to the listening position.
Fig. 7. Positioning against wall

No matter how or where they are positioned, your DALI speakers will
give you an extraordinary listening experience, but for critical listening we
recommend following the guidelines set out above.

The listening room

Every room has its own distinctive acoustics, which influence the way we
experience the sound from a speaker. In actual fact, it's a matter of how
the room accommodates the sound and then dampens it. You can influ-
ence the acoustics of your listening room in various ways.

Some of the sound you hear comes not from the actual speakers but from
reflections from floor, ceiling and walls. These reflections are dampened
by objects such as furniture, plants and carpets. If the sound is bright, soft
items such as curtains and carpets can help. If the room has large window
panes, drawing the curtains will prevent reflections from the glass sur-
faces.

Remember to allow room for the bass port at the back of the speakers.
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Both the amount and quality of the deep bass depend on the size and
shape of the room, and the position of the speakers. If positioned near a
side or back wall, this will accentuate the bass. A corner location will accen-
tuate it even more, but will also increase the reflections. The decision is
yours, so experiment with different positions to find which provides the
ideal sound for you.

As a general guide, avoid large, hard reflective surfaces immediately

around the speakers, as these will act like an eccho effect and weaken the
spatial perspective of the sound image. Try placing a tapestry behind the
speakers, laying a rug in front or placing a large plant at the side - it's sur-
prising how much this can affect the precision of the sound image.

Once you are happy with the positioning of your speakers, it is important
to ensure that they are completely stable. For floor models it is essential
that you use the accompanying base.

Power and acoustic pressure

How loud a speaker is able to play and still sound good is completely
dependent on the signal it has to reproduce. So, in practice, you cannot
define an unequivocal level for use in comparing different speakers.

Obviously, lots of pure, undistorted output from a large amplifier is better

than a distorted signal from a small amplifier stretched beyond its capac-
ity. The signal from a distorting (clipping) amplifier contains much more
high-frequency information than an undistorted signal, and therefore puts
a heavy strain on the treble unit. Consequently, speak-ers are most often
damaged by small amplifiers having to work too hard - and very rarely by
large amplifiers, which are practically running idle.

Even small changes in the listening room can affect the sound.
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It is worth noting that when the tone controls

are turned above the neutral setting this sig-
nificantly burdens both speakers and ampli-
fier. On a good sound system tone controls
should only be used to compensate for poor
recordings and not to permanently compen-
sate for weaknesses elsewhere in the system.
So, DALI recommends that the tone controls
generally be set to the neutral position, and
you achieve your desired sound image through
correct positioning of the speakers.

Ensuring that you keep the volume low enough

so the sound remains clear and undistorted
will minimise the strain on both speakers and
amplifier.

The DALI Royal family

DALI's Royal family consists of Menuet, Scepter,

the floor-standing Tower and the Vocal central
speaker. As well as the classic colours, the speak-
ers are also available in glossy white, black or
blue.

Ask your dealer about DALI's wide selection of

speakers and accessories, including cables.

Remember that the tone controller is only intended for minor adjustments.
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Specifications

There are countless methods for evaluating speakers. However, none of

them actually represent how a speaker really sounds. It is up to the indi-
vidual to decide whether one speaker sounds better than another. So we
only give you the specifications that are of real value to you. The DALI
Royal range has been designed to reproduce music as honestly as possible
- and we know we have succeeded. Enjoy your new speakers!

Model: Menuet II Scepter Tower Vocal

Frequency response +/-3dB (Hz) 70 - 25000 60 - 25000 43 - 25000 74 - 25000
Impedance (ohm) 4 4 4 4
Bass Reflex System Resonance (Hz) 63 42,5 39 90
Crossover frequency (Hz) 4200 3600 3000 3200
Rec. amp. power (8 ohm)(W) 25 -100 25 -150 25 - 200 30 - 120
Sensivity (@2.83V/1m) (dB) 86 88 89,5 89
Max. SPL (dB) 102 105 109 107
Placement Stand Stand Floor TV/Stand
Rec. distance from rear wall (cm) 30-80 10-80 10 - 80 -
Height (cm) 25,7 30,7 84,5 11,8
Width (cm) 15,6 18,6 17,0 36,6
Depth (cm) 18,5 22,0 22,0 19,8
Weight (kg/lb) 4/8.8 4.9/10,8 11.7/25.7 4.5/9.9

The important accessories

Original Dali interconnect and Dali speaker

cables are available in your local Hi-Fi
shop.

If you wish to go for the ultimate connec-

tion, ask for the exceptional WASATCH
cables - totally uncompromising in all
respects. The very best for your system
and your ears!

Enjoy the DALI Royal range!