- Dali V-16 F is its most powerful and precise subwoofer to date
- 1,500W (2,500W peak) with 18Hz bass reflex ports
- £4,499 / €4,999 (about $5,970 / AU$9,300.
Dali has unveiled the most powerful subwoofer it has ever built, with up to 2,500W of peak power thanks to its Class D amp. It features the strongest magnet ever connected to a Dali speaker, according to the company, and it's made specifically for the home entertainment systems of audiophiles.
While this particular model is a flagship sub with a price tag to match, Dali hinted during its launch that the tech and design featured here may make their way into smaller and less expensive (relatively speaking) options in the future.
Power and precision
According to Dali, while the new V-16 F is capable of filling the largest rooms with staggering levels of bass, it has "all the precision and control needed to work in any audio system context and even in small rooms… Put simply, the V-16 F is the most powerful and least compromised subwoofer we have ever built."
The V-16 F driver has been created to defeat what Dali calls "the main enemies of accurate bass reproduction": distortion and compression. The V-16 F is engineered to minimize the losses from both of those things, and Dali says that its ability "to accelerate huge volumes of air to turn electrical signals into tangible, palpable, room-filling bass is absolutely unprecedented."
The driver is a 16-inch (406mm) unit with the largest ever Constant Surface Surround diaphragm design to date, powered by a 1500W (2500W peak) Class D amplifier. Constant Surface Surround, CSS for short, is different from the usual driver surrounds: it uses alternating positive and negative regions of stepped and curved sections to keep the surface area the same, to reduce distortion and suppress resonance. Dali said this is the only use of this technology in a subwoofer to date, though it's been used in other speaker types.
There are four Continuous Flare reflex ports tuned to a very low 18Hz, and their job is to reduce the need for bass driver excursion at low frequencies, again to reduce distortion. They also mean that the driver spends more time near the rest position, where its damping and motor force are more linear; Dali explains that that means more consistent and accurate low frequency performance across volume levels.
They're open by default, but the V-16F is supplied with optional port plugs if that better suits your listening space or preferences.
The Dali V-16 F will be available in July for £4,499 / €4,999 (about $5,970 / AU$9,300.
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