DALI Mentor 5.1

I registered on this site solely to counter the misguided review appearing here. I have Mentor 5 and Mentor Vokal for my front speakers in a home theater system driven by a Marantz SR7002 receiver. All were purchased in 2008. The rear speakers are B&W Leisures, with a pair of DIY 10" subs.

The Dalis are NOT bright, forward, or nasty. The review says "The top end is never less than crisp and forthright, and requires only the slightest provocation to spit nastily. Matched with an unsympathetic amplifier... it can be an uncomfortable listen." This is precisely what the reviewer must have had connected to the Dalis, because I NEVER hear any problems with the upper frequencies.

On the contrary, they are extremely detailed and articulate WITHOUT any harshness or any unmusical balance towards the treble. I have used the Mentor 5s in several reviews with the Marantz receiver, a pair of Marants MA-9S2 mono amplifiers ($15,000 per pair), a pair of Manley Neo-Classic 250 amplifiers ($9,000 per pair), and several other amplifiers in the $1,500-8,000 range.

The Mentors, and even better the Euphonia RS3, are always very well balanced bass-to-treble, clear, open, and NOT "nasty". Where the Spendor S5e can sound laid back and too-sweet, the Dalis seem to have a perfect balance with wonderful clarity. But never too much! Just right, in fact. Please see my reviews on 10Audio, and check out these great speakers for yourself. They look good (I prefer the cherry finish) and sound even better. Thanks for reading.

Happy listening.

Regards,

JerryS

Harsh?  Is the reviewer sure he had the right speakers?

The only explanation can be that they were not run in (most reviewers run speakers in before a proper listen).  I own a hifi shop in Australia, and have tried the Mentors with various amplification, and can say that they have never ever been called harsh in the upper treble by any of my customers, or when I have been listening.

These speakers are just beautifully articulate, with a sound that will leave you in awe after each and every listen. Detailed, smooth, pure sound.  No harshness, just hours of pleasure.

Just awesome speakers, and I like many others it seems, feel this review does not do them justice.

"Positioning the Mentor 6s facing dead-ahead, rather than toed-in, calms the treble a little. But not enough."

And why in gods name would you position the speakers toed in the first place when the manual clearly states:

"To take full advantage of DALI MENTOR�s Wide

Dispersion, the loudspeakers should face straight

ahead and not be angled in towards the listening

position unless the two loudspeakers are placed

very far apart." and "DALI loudspeakers should never be angled in towards the listening position, unless the speakers are very far apart."

Ok, it's possible that they were spaced very far apart, but there's no mention of set-up in the review.

I'd also be interested in knowing if the speakers were broken in or not because I've read that they can be a little harsh out of the box but change character dramatically after break in (100-200 hours).

I was at a "Mentor evening" at a local HiFi store and was completely blown away by how good the speakers sounded (with a NAD M3 and a lyngdorf CD player)...especially the high end! There was absolutly nothing harsh about it. I was literally moved to the point of tears (the good kind) a couple of times!

I was so impressed that I am vigorously saving my money to purchase a set of 4 star Mentor 6 and a Mentor Vokal...along with a 4 star Pioneer SC-LX81 . It will without a doubt be a 5 star set-up IMHO.

Regards

Robert