DALI Phantom H-50 vs Focal 300 IW6 LCR Comparison

Speaker to replace

Change

DALI Phantom H-50

Passive In-wall | 52-25kHz

Check price atAmazon›

Change

Focal 300 IW6 LCR

Passive In-wall | 40-28kHz

Check price atAmazon›

DALI Phantom H-50

Check price atAmazon›

Focal 300 IW6 LCR

Check price atAmazon›

DALI Phantom H-50

See at AMAZON

Focal 300 IW6 LCR

See at AMAZON

DALI Phantom H-50 vs Focal 300 IW6 LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Phantom H-50 and 300 IW6 LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from DALI and Focal.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of DALI Phantom H-50 and Focal 300 IW6 LCR first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	DALI Phantom H-50	Focal 300 IW6 LCR
Brand	DALI Denmark · founded 1983	Focal France · founded 1979
Design	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.1" Soft-Dome	1" Inverted Hard-Dome
Midrange	—	4"
Woofer	5.25" Wood Fiber	2 x 6.5" Flax
Frequency response	52-25kHz	40-28kHz
Sensitivity	88 dB	92 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	30-120 watts	50-150 watts
Weight	—	5.62kg / 12.4lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	9.4375" x 9.4375" x 3.6875" 240.0 x 240.0 x 94.0mm	22.5000" x 7.5000" x 4.0000" 572.0 x 191.0 x 102.0mm

What size room are the DALI Phantom H-50 and Focal 300 IW6 LCR speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	DALI Phantom H-50	Focal 300 IW6 LCR
Near-field	Poor	Poor
Small Room	Average	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Average	Average
Very Large Room	Poor	Poor

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Phantom H-50 is a 2-way design whereas the 300 IW6 LCR 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.

DALI Phantom H-50

Focal 300 IW6 LCR

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	DALI Phantom H-50	Focal 300 IW6 LCR
Driver Setup	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	1 x 4-inch
Woofer	1 x 5.25-inch	2 x 6.5-inch

Phantom H-50 features a 1.1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer. On the other hand, the 300 IW6 LCR features a 1" Inverted Hard-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Flax Woofer.

Frequency Response

Phantom H-50 has a frequency range of 52-25kHz whereas 300 IW6 LCR has a frequency range of 40-28kHz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the 300 IW6 LCR can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Phantom H-50's min frequency of 52Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

Phantom H-50

300 IW6 LCR

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Phantom H-50 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the 300 IW6 LCR which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Phantom H-50 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the 300 IW6 LCR's is rated at 92 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Focal 300 IW6 LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Phantom H-50, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Phantom H-50

300 IW6 LCR

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

300 IW6 LCR can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Phantom H-50 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the 300 IW6 LCR.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

DALI Phantom H-50

Focal 300 IW6 LCR

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Phantom H-50 features Spring post type posts and 300 IW6 LCR has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be 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 Phantom H-50's and Focal 300 IW6 LCR's external dimensions. DALI Phantom H-50 has external dimensions of 240.0 x 240.0 x 94.0mm (9.4375-inch x 9.4375-inch x 3.6875-inch) whereas Focal 300 IW6 LCR has external dimensions of 572.0 x 191.0 x 102.0mm (22.5000-inch x 7.5000-inch x 4.0000-inch).

DALI Phantom H-50 is 332mm shorter and 8mm less deeper than Focal 300 IW6 LCR but it is also 49mm wider.

What's in the Box of DALI Phantom H-50?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Phantom H-50:

2 loudspeakers
2 Grilles
2 Logo badges
2 Foam blocks (pre-installed)
Allen-key
Manual
Cutout Template

What's in the Box of Focal 300 IW6 LCR?

Here are the items that come with the 300 IW6 LCR:

One in-wall speaker
1 metal-mesh grill (white)
23.5

Reasons to choose DALI Phantom H-50 over Focal 300 IW6 LCR

Height	240mm vs 572mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	798USD vs 2398USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Focal 300 IW6 LCR over DALI Phantom H-50

Max Input Power	150 watts vs 120 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	92 dB vs 88 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 6 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	40 Hz vs 52 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	28k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Base Surface Area	194cm² vs 225cm²	Takes less floor space

DALI Phantom H-50 vs Focal 300 IW6 LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	DALI Phantom H-50	Focal 300 IW6 LCR
Brand	DALI	Focal
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	30-120 watts	50-150 watts
Sensitivity	88 dB	92 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	52-25kHz	40-28kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	5.25"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Wood Fiber	Flax
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1.1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Inverted Hard-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	4"
Firing Direction	rear	n/a
Physical Specs
Height	240.0mm (9.4")	572.0mm (22.5")
Width	240.0mm (9.4")	191.0mm (7.5")
Depth	94.0mm (3.7")	102.0mm (4")
Weight	n/a	5.62kg (12.4lbs)
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - Focal 300 IW6 LCR costs roughly 3x what DALI Phantom H-50 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	Focal 300 IW6 LCR digs deeper - 40Hz against 52Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	Focal 300 IW6 LCR is more sensitive (92dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Amplifier match	B	Focal 300 IW6 LCR is the easier load at 8 ohms.
Headroom	B	Focal 300 IW6 LCR takes more power (150W vs 120W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	DALI Phantom H-50 is easier to place; Focal 300 IW6 LCR is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	A	DALI Phantom H-50 is cheaper - $798 against $2,398, about 67% less; arguably a different class.

A DALI Phantom H-50 B Focal 300 IW6 LCR
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: Focal 300 IW6 LCR measures better, DALI Phantom H-50 costs about about 3x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 52Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper DALI Phantom H-50 much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Focal 300 IW6 LCR has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, DALI Phantom H-50 is the easier speaker to get right.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.