There are no longer many really important pan-European loudspeaker brands, but of the handful that there are left, Danish specialist DALI is one of the most significant, with an enormous range of models covering a wide range of prices.

This model is from is the second generation Helicon range, one of the more upmarket DALI ranges, which has been re-engineered and subtly re-voiced from its immediate predecessor, the Mk1 Helicon, and leavened with technology from the go-for-broke Euphonia series.

There have been further developments to some of the drive units, the crossover and enclosures have been changed, and the impressive-looking terminals on the rear panel are all-new.

The Helicon 300 Mk2 is a two-way design, similar in size and intent to the original Mk1. Of the various models in the new Helicon Mk2 range the 300 is, according to DALI, the most versatile, being voiced to suit small and largish rooms alike, more so than its direct counterpart in the Mk1 Helicon range.

Changes specified for the Mk2 300 did not need to be too extensive as the design had already achieved considerable success, but there has been a carefully considered range of improvements with some functional, the others cosmetic.

The enclosure is made from a dual-layer sandwich construction of wood-veneered MDF, with resonance-damping glue between the layers, and the baffle has been changed to black, with a deep piano gloss finish. Another key visible change is the new bi-wire terminal, which is a proprietary design that holds the cable more tightly than before.

The two-way hybrid tweeter design features a time-aligned combination of a 25mm coated silk dome tweeter with a 10x50mm ribbon. The unit gives an unusually extended response and a broader than usual dispersion.

The bass driver remains a small-ish unit, with a stiff, lightweight paper pulp cone with a coated surface treatment. A second magnet has been added, which provides a degree of - but not complete - magnetic shielding.

Other changes include a new softer rubber surround, and a new impregnated linen spider, in both cases optimised for longer excursions and therefore higher maximum SPLs. The changes result in a somewhat better, more precisely controlled bass, though still with a touch of the bloom that characterised the original model.