DALI Phantom H-50 vs Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC Comparison

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DALI Phantom H-50

Passive In-wall | 52-25kHz

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Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC

Passive In-wall | 50-30kHz

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DALI Phantom H-50

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Monitor Audio CP-WT3...

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DALI Phantom H-50

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DALI Phantom H-50 vs Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Phantom H-50 and CP-WT380IDC, two Passive In-wall speakers from DALI and Monitor Audio.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of DALI Phantom H-50 and Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	DALI Phantom H-50	Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC
Brand	DALI Denmark · founded 1983	Monitor Audio United Kingdom · founded 1972
Design	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.1" Soft-Dome	1" Hard-Dome
Midrange	—	4"
Woofer	5.25" Wood Fiber	8" C-CAM
Frequency response	52-25kHz	50-30kHz
Sensitivity	88 dB	89 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	6 ohms
Power range	30-120 watts	30-120 watts
Weight	—	5.67kg / 12.5lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	9.4375" x 9.4375" x 3.6875" 240.0 x 240.0 x 94.0mm	17.1875" x 10.5625" x 3.8750" 437.0 x 269.0 x 99.0mm

What size room are the DALI Phantom H-50 and Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC 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	Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC
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 CP-WT380IDC 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

Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC

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	Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC
Driver Setup	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	1 x 4-inch
Woofer	1 x 5.25-inch	1 x 8-inch

Phantom H-50 features a 1.1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer. On the other hand, the CP-WT380IDC features a 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 1 x 8" C-CAM Woofer.

Frequency Response

Phantom H-50 has a frequency range of 52-25kHz whereas CP-WT380IDC has a frequency range of 50-30kHz. With a minimum frequency of 50Hz, the CP-WT380IDC can go slightly deeper then 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

CP-WT380IDC

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 and CP-WT380IDC have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Phantom H-50 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the CP-WT380IDC's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC 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

CP-WT380IDC

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.

Phantom H-50 and CP-WT380IDC have the same power range of 30-120 watts.

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

Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Phantom H-50 features Spring post type posts and CP-WT380IDC 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 Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC'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 Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC has external dimensions of 437.0 x 269.0 x 99.0mm (17.1875-inch x 10.5625-inch x 3.8750-inch).

Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 29mm wider, 197mm taller and 5mm deeper than DALI Phantom H-50.

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 Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC?

Here are the items that come with the CP-WT380IDC:

In-Wall speaker
Magnetic grille
Paint skim
Installation Guide
Important Safety Instructions
Limited Warranty/Registration Card
MountingTemplate

Reasons to choose DALI Phantom H-50 over Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC

Height	240mm vs 437mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	225cm² vs 266cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	798USD vs 2350USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC over DALI Phantom H-50

Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	89 dB vs 88 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	8 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	50 Hz vs 52 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	30k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency

DALI Phantom H-50 vs Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	DALI Phantom H-50	Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC
Brand	DALI	Monitor Audio
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	30-120 watts	30-120 watts
Sensitivity	88 dB	89 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	6 ohms
Frequency Response	52-25kHz	50-30kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	5.25"	8"
Woofer Composition	Wood Fiber	C-CAM
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1.1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Hard-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	4"
Firing Direction	rear	n/a
Physical Specs
Height	240.0mm (9.4")	437.0mm (17.2")
Width	240.0mm (9.4")	269.0mm (10.6")
Depth	94.0mm (3.7")	99.0mm (3.9")
Weight	n/a	5.67kg (12.5lbs)
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	Lifetime
Labor Warranty	5 Years	Lifetime

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC costs roughly 2.9x 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	evenly matched	Much the same reach (52Hz vs 50Hz).
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (120W vs 120W).
Size	depends	DALI Phantom H-50 is easier to place; Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	A	DALI Phantom H-50 is cheaper - $798 against $2,350, about 66% less; arguably a different class.

A DALI Phantom H-50 B Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC
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?

Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. In a large or open-plan room, Monitor Audio CP-WT380IDC 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. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $1,552 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.

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.