In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by DALI. DALI Epikore 11 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Epikore 3 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Epikore 11 and DALI Epikore 3 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
DALI Epikore 11 Key Specs
- 4-way Design
- 1.38" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 4 x 8" Wood fibre Woofer
- 29-34k Hz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:40-1000watts
DALI Epikore 3 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.38" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter
- 7" Wood fibre Woofer
- 42-34k Hz Frequency Response
- 85 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:40-250watts
Epikore 11 and Epikore 3 are members of DALI's Epikore series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
DALI Epikore Series
History
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the DALI Epikore 11 and DALI Epikore 3 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Epikore 11 is a 4-way design whereas the Epikore 3 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
DALI Epikore 11 |
DALI Epikore 3 |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.38-inch
|
1.38-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
4 x 8-inch
|
1 x 7-inch
|
Epikore 11 features a 1.38" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter , a 6.5" Midrange and 4 x 8" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 170 / 370 / 3100 / 12500Hz. On the other hand, the Epikore 3 features a 1.38" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter and 1 x 7" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800 / 12500Hz.
Frequency Response
Epikore 11 has a frequency range of 29-34k Hz whereas Epikore 3 has a frequency range of 42-34k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Epikore 11 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Epikore 3's min frequency of 42Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Epikore 11 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Epikore 3 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Epikore 11 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Epikore 11 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Epikore 3's is rated at 85 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the DALI Epikore 11 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Epikore 3, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Epikore 11 features Binding post type posts and Epikore 3 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare DALI Epikore 11's and DALI Epikore 3's external dimensions. DALI Epikore 11 has external dimensions of ( ) whereas DALI Epikore 3 has external dimensions of ( ) .
In this case, we can see that DALI Epikore 11 and DALI Epikore 3 have the exact same height, width and thickness.