Dali elegance User manual

MANUAL
www.dali.dk
Magic Moments

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 eld of audio and acoustics.
The result is continuous development and optimisation of new and
existing models.
We always keep our goal rmly 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!
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English
DALI A/S

Congratulations on the purchase of your new DALI Elegance speakers. This
manual contains information on setup and maintenance of DALI
Elegance.
Manual
Congratulations on the purchase of your new DALI Elegance speakers.
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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, regular use will in fact extend
your loudspeakers lifetime.
Your DALI Elegance speakers have been designed with a view to offering a
wide range of positioning and application options. The compact design,
magnetic shielding and multi-adjustable wall bracket afford countless
possibilities, such as:
• Discreet stereo speakers
• Surround sound speakers for 5 or more channels
• Speakers for computers with Hi-Fi sound
• Stereo speakers in another room
Numerous possibilities

Be very careful when wall mounting - DALI Elegance weighs 1.4 kilos!
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Wall mounting
DALI Elegance comes complete with ttings for wall mounting. We recom-
mend that mounting be entrusted to professionals, as the type of plugs
and screws required varies greatly depending on the material of the wall.
Mount the "A" tting is on the wall using screws, and possibly plugs, suit-
able for the material the wall is made of. The threaded hole in the bracket
should face downwards. Fit the accompanying nylon bushing ("B") in the
top. Mount the rail ("C") in the slot on the back of the speaker and then
over tting "A". Mount the accompanying nylon disc should be mounted
at the base of tting "A" between the tting and rail "C", and then install
thumbscrew "D" from the bottom through the rail and nylon disc into the
screw thread in tting "A".
Screws "D" and "E" should be loosely tightened. The speaker's position
can now be adjusted both horizontally and vertically. Once you are happy
with the positioning of the speaker, screws "D" and "E" should be fully
tightened by hand. It is advisable to retighten the screws from time to
time.

Always switch off your amplier before adjusting any of the cables!
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The connection to your amplier is
extremely important for your sound
experience.
Always turn off your amplier 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 connection in the correct phase, i.e. the
red terminal (+) on the amplier should be connected to the red terminal
(+) on the speaker, and the black terminal (-) on the amplier should be
connected to the black terminal (-) on the speaker. (Fig. 1)
For the perfect sound experience, the right speaker must be connected to
the output terminal marked "R" or "Right" on your amplier 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.
Surround sound ampliers have similar output terminals to stereo speak-
ers, usually labelled "Front", "Centre" and "Rear". (Fig. 3) For further infor-
mation, please refer to the manual.
You must ensure that the cable ends
are rmly pushed into the terminals,
and that there are no loose wires,
which could cause a short circuit and
damage the amplier. (Fig. 2)
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 perfect sound experience.
Fig. 2. Terminal connection
Fig. 1. Stereo connection
Connection

Use the accompanying rubber feet when standing Elegance on another unit.
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Important cables
There is one area where you can signicantly inuence the sound quality
- the cables between amplier and speaker. This is a case where the rule
'any chain is only as strong as its weakest link' denitely applies. The ne
and detailed signal from the amplier must be conveyed to the speakers
with minimum loss. The table below shows the maximum length your
cables should be.
DALI recommends using cables of at least 1.0 mm2 in cross section. How-
ever, it is not just the cross section that is crucial to the sound. The actual
structure of the cable and the materials employed can have a great inu-
ence on the sound image. We therefore recommend that you only use
cables manufactured for this purpose. You can purchase DALI Wave cables
from your authorised dealer, who will also be able to advise you on the
best type for your requirements. Here is a cross section of the DALI Wave
cables:
DALI White Wave: 1,5 mm2
DALI Red Wave: 3,0 mm2
DALI Silver Wave: 3,0 mm2
Cable cross section AWG Maximum length
1,0 mm2
1,5 mm2
2,0 mm2
3,0 mm212
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16
18 (17) 15 meter
22 meter
30 meter
45 meter
50 feet
75 feet
100 feet
150 feet
AWG: American Wire Gauge
WAVE

Large solid surfaces close to the speaker may cause intrusive echoes.
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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. 3). If you have
surround sound, the distance between all the speakers should be symmetrically
identical (Fig. 4)
DALI Elegance has been designed using the Linear Directivity principle, which
means that the tonal balance will be perfect, even if your listening position is
not quite central. So, it is not necessary to angle the front speakers towards
your listening position, unless the front speakers are very far apart. This is
easily acheived with the adjustable wall mount.
DALI Elegance is specially designed for positioning close to your TV screen. If
discolouration should occur on the screen, this can be corrected by moving the
speaker a few centimetres forward or back.
Positioning
Before connecting your new Elegance speakers, you need to begin the
process of nding the optimum position for your speakers in relation to
your listening position - and adjusting the surround sound amplier, if
applicable. It is worth spending a little time experimenting, as the correct
setup and tuning will provide a signicantly 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.
Fig. 3. Stereo positioning Fig. 4. Surround positioning

Even small changes in the listening room can affect the sound.
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The listening room
Every room has its own distinctive acoustics, which inuence 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 inu-
ence the acoustics of your listening room in various ways.
Some of the sound you hear does not come directly from the actual speak-
ers but are reections from oor, ceiling and walls. These reections can
be dampened by objects such as furniture, plants and carpets. If the sound
is bright, adding soft items such as curtains and carpets can help. If the
room has large window panes, drawing the curtains will prevent reec-
tions from the glass surfaces.
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 reections. The decision is
yours, so experiment with different positions to nd which provides the
ideal sound for you.
DALI Elegance provide the best sound experience when positioned at eye
level - so that you can just see over the speaker from your listening posi-
tion. 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 speakers are positioned very
high they should be turned upside down so that the treble is at the
bottom
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.

Remember that the tone controller is only intended for minor adjustments.
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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
dene an unequivocal level for use in comparing different speakers.
Obviously, lots of pure, undistorted output from a large amplier is better
than a distorted signal from a small amplier stretched beyond its capac-
ity. The signal from a distorting (clipping) amplier contains much more
high-frequency information than an undistorted signal, and therefore puts
a heavy strain on the treble unit. Consequently, speakers are most often
damaged by small ampliers having to work too hard - and very rarely by
large ampliers, which are practically running idle.
It is worth noting that when the tone controls are turned above the neu-
tral setting this signicantly burdens both speakers and amplier. On a
good sound system tone controls should only be used to compensate for
poor recordings and not to permanently compensate for weaknesses else-
where 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.
As a general guide, avoid large, hard reective 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. Use the accompanying rubber
feet when standing Elegance on another unit, shelf etc.

Ensuring that you keep the volume low enough so the sound remains clear
and undistorted will minimise the strain on both speakers and amplier.
DALI Elegance is equipped with an electric safety fuse, which will shut off
the speaker in the event of prolonged periods of overloading. This safety
fuse is not a guarantee against overloading, but is simply an extra safe-
guard. If the safety fuse switches off the sound, you should turn down
the amplier immediately. Once the speaker has cooled down again, the
safety fuse will switch "on" automatically.
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Turn down the sound if the safety fuse shuts off the speaker.
DALI Elegance and family
DALI Elegance has been designed for use with a DALI Piano Forte sub-
woofer, which, with its good-sized cabinet, integral amplier and large
bass unit, delivers the desirable kind of deep bass that can really be felt.
In a surround sound system DALI Piano Forte is an essential element of
the spatial perspective, providing cinema-type sound. In terms of design
Elegance and Forte are a perfect match, due in part to the fact that Forte
can also be mounted on the wall - totally unique for a subwoofer.