Dali Sonik 1 review

We recently tested Dali’s Sonik 5 floorstanding speakers, which so impressed us that we awarded them a five-star review. So, when the opportunity arose to test the entry-level standmounter speakers from the same range, the Dali Sonik 1, we jumped at the chance.

Sonik is Dali’s newest entry-level speaker range. The series also includes a larger standmounter, the Sonik 3 (£599 / $1200 / AU$1199) as well as wall-mounted, home-cinema and floorstander options, which top out at the Sonik 9 floorstanders, costing £2199 / $4500 / AU$4099.

Dali says the Sonik series has been designed to replace the discontinued Oberon range. In practice, this makes the Sonik 1 the successor to the five-star Oberon 1. Not insignificant shoes to fill. Notably, although they are currently in the process of being replaced, the Oberon 1 are still available for a price of around £400 / $550 from certain retailers.

But, returning to the present, the crucial question is, will the baby of the bunch uphold the Sonik family name, or see to their fall from grace?

Price

The Dali Sonik 1 are currently priced at £449 / $900 / AU$849, which places them among the cheaper speakers that Dali makes.

At this price, their main rival is the former Award-winning B&W 607 S3, which cost £599 / $1000 / AU$1149, although we have seen these available for as low as £449 in the UK during sales events. We also have the older Oberon 1 and the smaller, even more affordable Dali Kupid (£299 / $599/ AU$599) in our test rooms, so we used all three speakers for sound comparisons during testing.

Build

The Dali Sonik 1 are the smallest standmounters in the Sonik range, measuring just 27.4 x 16.2 x 23.1cm (hwd), meaning they will have no trouble looking at home, even in smaller rooms.

While the Sonik 1 are small and will fit on a bookshelf, we suggest placing them on dedicated speaker stands to make the most of their sonic capabilities. Dali has tried to make these speakers as flexible as possible by also including rear brackets for wall mounting, which will be a welcome addition for anyone running low on floor space.

The MDF cabinets are clad in a smooth laminate and are available in four finishes: natural oak, white, walnut and black ash. Our test pair’s walnut finish looks classy for laminate, lending an air of aesthetic finesse when paired with the tweeter’s aluminium surround and clean front panel.

The speakers feature a 13cm mid/bass driver, tuned with a rear port, and the same 29mm lightweight woven fabric soft dome tweeter as featured on the Sonik 5 floorstanders. The mid/bass diaphragms use Dali’s proprietary mix of fine-grain paper pulp reinforced with wood fibres, which the company says provides rigidity, improved damping and light weight.

The mid/bass drivers across the Sonik range use Dali’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Composite) technology in the motor system to reduce distortion, optimising detail and dynamic performance. Both drivers are connected through a single-wired crossover.

The Sonik 1 have a sensitivity of 86dB/w/m and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. These figures are fairly conventional for a pair of standmounters at this level, so these speakers are unlikely to present any system-matching problems when paired with price-compatible amplifiers.

Compatibility

Ideally, speakers of this price should be fairly unfussy, and could see themselves partnered with a budget streaming amplifier such as the WiiM Amp Ultra (£499/ $529/ AU$899). They can also be used in an affordable separates system, featuring the Rotel A8 amplifier (£399 / $449 / AU$649) paired with a Cambridge Audio MXN10 network player (£399 / $499 / AU$799), Marantz CD 70 CD player (£499 / $750 / AU$1000), or a Rega Planar 2 turntable (£525 / $895 / AU$1149).

During our testing, we tried the speakers with both the Rotel A8 and the step-up Arcam A5+ amplifiers (£749 / $1200 / AU$1595), and we are pleased to confirm that they work well in both cases, providing more than enough punch and expression. Notably, however, the Soniks are talented enough to really come to life when paired with even more expensive amplifiers, such as the Arcam A15+ (£1199 / $1099 / AU$2295), which provides an extra portion of textural detail and dynamic nuance.

For our music sources, we stream hi-res music from our reference Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer and play CDs from our Cyrus CDi player. Both of these are more capable than the sources that would typically be used with these entry-level speakers, but we have chosen them in order to really put a spotlight on the Dali speakers’ performance.

Falling in line with Dali’s suggestion, we find that the Sonik 1 sound most well-balanced when facing straight ahead with a gap of around 20cm between the back of the speakers and our testing room’s rear wall. When angling the speakers in towards the listening position, as might conventionally be expected, we found that the stereo image narrowed and high frequencies became too prominent.

Bring the Sonik 1 further into the room, and we find they begin to lose out in terms of bass authority, which is what we would expect for such a small speaker. Up against our test room’s wall, bass increases and the speakers stay nicely controlled, but we prefer the more articulate balance that leaving a little space provides.

Sound

We had every hope that these standmounters would echo the performance of the five-star Sonik 5 floorstanders, and that certainly appears to be the case. Much like the Sonik 5, these standmounters impress us immediately with their intricate and expressive sound.

Their capacity for scale, both sonic and emotional, comes as a welcome surprise given their dainty stature.

Beginning with Norah Jones’ Don’t Know Why, acoustic guitar and piano are delivered with a shimmer that complements the speakers' full-bodied presentation.

The same is true of Jones’ vocals, and we can’t help but appreciate how well-integrated the speakers’ drivers sound, boasting eloquent expression across the frequency range.

Thanks to their lush midrange, Jones’ voice has real body, evoking a palpable sense of presence in our test room.

In treble-heavy recordings such as This Charming Man by The Smiths, the Sonik 1 keep a firm handle on the high-frequencies, delivering guitars with an appropriately jangling sheen without becoming fatiguing.

For a more rhythmically driven track, we play A Tribe Called Quest’s Show Business, and the Dalis have no trouble providing the kind of low-end kick that hip-hop thrives on – for their size, at least. Kick drums and basslines hit hard, but never obscure the vocals or percussion, even when we crank the music up to almost uncomfortably loud volumes.

At low volume, too, these speakers hang on to a sense of musical momentum and clarity, so it doesn’t all have to be windowsill-rattling beats. Most alternatives sound a little lifeless when listened to at such levels, but the Sonik 1 retain an impressive amount of character.

In terms of textural detail, there’s no doubt that the Sonik 1 outperform their predecessor, the Oberon 1. Whether it’s the subtle passing of fingers across guitar strings, or an inward breath before a vocal line, we notice details through these speakers that we miss on the outgoing Oberons.

The Sonik 1 have a strong sense of rhythmic drive and are highly responsive to transients. While rivals like the B&W 607 S3 sound snappier overall, they are somewhat more tonally uneven and, in relative terms, coarser in the treble region.

Dynamically, the Sonik 1 handle intricate shifts, such as the decay of vocal reverb in You Sun Nah’s Kangwondo Arirang, with sensitivity and grace, bringing the track’s most delicate minutiae to the surface with an immersive, intricate sound.

On classical recordings, such as Minnesota Orchestra’s rendition of Infernal Dance Of King Kashchey from Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite, orchestral stabs and sweeping ebbs in the dense arrangement are conveyed with equal amounts of refinement and gusto.

Classical music provides a great test of the speakers’ stereo image, too, which retains focus and clarity throughout testing. Notably, the Sonik 1 have a satisfying sense of depth, and during Infernal Dance Of King Kashchey, the relative positioning of the orchestra’s sections is blatantly apparent, with the woodwind section sitting comfortably behind the grand, dramatic strings.

Verdict

We are pleased to say that the smallest speakers from Dali’s new Sonik range walk firmly in the footsteps of their floorstanding sibling, the Sonik 5.

With an expressive, well-balanced sound, these standmount speakers are an excellent pick for anyone seeking serious sonic performance in a compact package at this price.

The Sonik 1 will also forgive less than ideal placement, making them a strong choice for music lovers without a dedicated listening space. All things considered, we highly recommend these talented and adaptable speakers.

Review published: 17th August 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Compatibility 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the B&W 607 S3

Also consider the Dali Kupid

Read our Dali Oberon 1 review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested