Dali E-9 F Subwoofer Black

Product Information

Some subwoofers come with remote controls, which can be useful for adjusting the volume level while sitting in your primary listening position. A remote may also allow the settings to be tweaked without needing to go over to the subwoofer and fiddle with the controls at the rear. As mentioned in the introduction, the more air a driver can displace, the lower the frequencies it can generate. This means that when it comes to subwoofers, size does matter. How the driver is mounted will be a factor, with a choice of forward, downward or sideways. Since bass is non-directional, the design doesn’t actually make a massive difference to performance, but which is best for you will depend on where you want to position the subwoofer. If it’s at the front of the room and near your main speakers, then a forward-firing sub can be a good choice. This brings us to one of the most intimidating aspects of installing a subwoofer – the best place to position it. We touched on this when discussing the orientation of a subwoofer’s driver, but it’s also important to consider how the shape and dimensions of a particular space affect a sub’s overall bass response. The inclusion of a remote app and ARC room correction make for useful features you won’t find on competing subwoofers with more power and deeper frequency response. Setup and control are both easy thanks to this app, and ARC ensures that the bass is smooth and perfectly integrated with the rest of the system.

This may sound crazy, but you can use more than one subwoofer. This doesn’t mean that the bass will be louder or overwhelming, it actually results in a more balanced and smoother performance. In fact, a number of AV receivers and amplifiers offer multiple sub outputs.

The best subwoofers you can buy in 2023

A high-level connection is primarily used for two-channel amplifiers that don’t have a dedicated subwoofer output. However, a multichannel AV amplifier or receiver will have a dedicated subwoofer output, so all you need is a single cable to connect to the LFE input on the sub. A top quality sub of infra-bass ability I was already using a pair of Cambridge Audio X500 subs (not the later paper coned ones) but I felt they were not quite exploring the infra-sonic range, so I started to look for a sub that would do that task which could accompany the X500’s. If you don’t like the idea of running subwoofer cables all over your living room, some brands offer optional wireless modules that pass the full-range audio signal with no latency, thus eliminating clutter. Other subs are designed to be used only as part of a wireless system.

Partnered with the DALI Oberon 5 5.1 system, the E-9F subwoofer helped secure the success in the 2020 What Hi-Fi Awards and a 5-star review. Considered one of the finest budget subwoofers from DALI in some time, the E-9F certainly doesn't want for critical praise. The Sub (Gen 3) is fairly large, and although Sonos doesn’t mention the size of the drivers, they use a force-cancelling configuration to produce deeper bass. There are also dual acoustic ports for increased low-end extension, and a pair of Class D amplifiers (although once again the actual power rating isn’t given). However, Sonos does claim the Sub (Gen 3) goes down to 25Hz. But don't let this detract from what is a stunning performance by the Spektor 2 5.1. It's evidently deserving of all five stars within moments of plugging it in.Dali Sub C-8 D renders a performance, which is true to the input signal. It's a Subwoofer with its heart set on high fidelity. It feels equally at home in a surround setup destined for movies, as it does in a compact stereo setup meant primarily for musical enjoyment. This versatile subwoofer is everything but a ‘boombox’.

This smaller footprint makes installation easier and more discreet, plus it’s relatively flexible in terms of positioning. The inclusion of a smartphone app is also a major benefit, allowing you to set up, adjust, optimise and control the sub without ever leaving the sofa. The SB-1000 Pro offers great value, and you won’t find a better sub for movies, music and gaming at this price. All the amplifiers in the Dali Subwoofers have the stamina to keep a high-yield performance and the headroom to draw out that little extra when needed. The integrated 170 Watt RMS Class D amplifier is a highly linear construction. The Dali Sub C-8 D will follow and render the required signal with an absolute minimum of bias. Designed not only for continuous power but also for peak performances, the Sub C-8 D is able to deliver 220 Watt Peak Power. This is very relevant when it comes to both movie and music signals. Electrical power is measured in watts (W) and the more wattage available, the louder the sub and the harder you can drive it without distorting, but the higher the price tag. A continuous output of 500W should be more than enough for most people, but if you have the budget you can go higher. Our immediate impression of this 5.1 suite is comparable with the first moments spent with the Spektor 2s a few years ago; it is a fast, detailed and gratifyingly entertaining listen from the off.Probably the biggest decision you need to make is whether to choose a sealed or ported subwoofer design. As its name suggests, a sealed sub has no openings into its interior, while a ported sub has at least one opening (or port), allowing air to flow freely inside the enclosure. The 1.1-inch soft dome tweeter is bigger than the standard 1-inch tweeter found on most speakers and is designed to provide a larger sweet spot for listening and blend better with the mid-range driver. In fact, these are the first speakers I have auditioned that sound better when not toed in or out. The recommended placement should be with the speakers pointing straight out into the listening room. I’ll speak more about this in my listening section of this review. I placed the Oberon 3s on speaker stands with the tweeters at ear height from my couch and roughly two feet from the front wall. The voice coil is 26.5 mm long and built for long excursions. It is vented to ensure air-cooling to the system and the benefit is a stable impedance response. The pole piece is likewise vented for maximum cooling, and here the venting also reduces internal compression in the motor system. This ensures free movement of the cone without any over/under pressure affecting the performance. Adhering to the low-loss sound design principle, the surround of the woofer is built to allow long and linear excursion. The over-sized suspension is designed to allow both weak and strong transients to turn into undistorted acoustic signals. Although the C-8 D is quite capable of going (very) loud, it’s musical, too. You get the impact you crave from action movies but, when listening to music, the C8D is subtle enough to let you hear the different textures from a bass guitar – rather than a single one-note bass boom. DALI’s famous paper fibre cone provides the flexibility here – making bass sound part of the music rather than apart from it. With its built-in Class D digital amplifier, the E12F produces an immense 170W. This provides the bass cone with a powerful, well-balanced sound that works well even in the largest of rooms. On the rear panel of the E-12F you'll find controls for volume, phase and frequency cut-off. There's also the option of auto power on/off, while for a clean, purposeful look, the E-12F uses magnetic grille fixing for smooth lines when removed.