Since 2006, the well-known Danish loudspeaker manufacturer DALI has produced CD compilations in addition to their speakers.
DALI has released four albums under the name The DALI CD and some of them have already become collector’s items. And now DALI’s desire to make a compilation on vinyl is finally a reality with the release of the DALI LP.
First of all, the Danes’ love of music is well-known. What makes the DALI music compilations fun and successful is that they are created with a love for good music and to a lesser extent with the purpose of extreme audiophile playback. That does not mean that the previously released DALI CD compilations does not sound good, because each of the CDs released so far is the epitome of good sound. This is displayed in the service of music and not vice versa as it seems to be the case for many audiophile titles.
With that in mind, the desire to release an LP with the company motto, In Admiration of Music, was born. The fourth DALI CD has served as basis to find tracks suitable for the first DALI LP. That, however, offered a challenge because some of the tracks on the fourth DALI CD are so dynamic that the average record would skip. So there were knots to untie before the album could come out.
The LP is pressed in Germany. If you look closely at the grooves, the great momentum that may be expected from an audiophile LP immediately becomes apparent. That is promising. The eight tracks on the (first?) DALI LP are, as already mentioned, based on the DALI CD Vol. 4. DALI always endeavors to put music for every taste on their collections and even though the LP lacks seven tracks the versatility is preserved.
The music on the DALI LP alternates between today’s popular music (Lukas Graham) to instrumental Blues with a Jazzy character (Vestbo Trio). The Jazz influence is also heard in the “Siciliano in G Minor” (Bach) by Jacques Loussier, which is presented extremely attractive and dynamic on the LP. The huge amount of coarse and fine dynamics on this track immediately makes it possible to hear whether the arm and cartridge need adjustment. For the seasoned audiophile and the lover of beautiful female vocals, even Eva Cassidy is found on this press. “Ain’t no sunshine” originally belongs to Bill Winthers but is played in gusto by the deceased singer.
Side two of the DALI LP starts with Tom Jones. The song “Did trouble me” mixes Country, Folk and Gospel. It leaves room for Tom’s voice without any form of operating sounds and offers fine drumming. Musica Temprana’s “Missa Criola” played on a good setup demonstrates the sound of not only the instruments and voices individually and together, but also the acoustics of the room in which the track was played. Gorgeous! “Coal” by Michael Penn seems like a pretty simple pop track but it offers a lot of rhythm, dynamics and space to detail a well layered sound. The compilation finishes with Laurie Anderson, which is not only tasty with her clear and well-edited voice and the deep bass, but it also provides a good test for your hi-fi setup.
Despite (but maybe logical) losing more than half of the tracks from the CD, which was the blueprint, the DALI LP has achieved its goal – music for the sake of music with audiophile qualities. Personally, I would have been happy if Hans Zimmer, Eivør and James Blood Ulmer Live Experience had been on the LP as well, but it does not matter. Taste varies, which is easy to see on the DALI music compilations.
The DALI founder, Peter Lyngdorf’s love of well recorded music has not only left its mark on the speakers but also on the music, which DALI puts on the market. Peter is currently working on a new project, which goes even further than that. This you will undoubtedly read more about on this media.
DALI has launched a separate shop dedicated to their own music compilations. And that’s a good thing because every country only has a limited quantity of the DALI LP for sale and distribution.
Sound wise this vinyl offers exactly what DALI promises. I find the price tag of 45€ to be in the high end, but it is probably (in part) due to a more expensive production and the very limited quantities. Those who have the money for it can at least enjoy audiophile quality music on vinyl. Free of loudness or compression. A vinyl wash of my review copy was actually necessary to see the groove noise disappear. The DALI LP is already a collector’s item and those who take it home should cherish it.
| Music | 8 ½ |
| Sound | 9 ½ |
| Press quality | 9 ½ |
| Label | DALI |
| Running time | 31:35 minutes |
Freely translated from Hifi.nl. Find the original review in Dutch here.
