In this review, we will be comparing A3t and Epicon 8, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Perlisten and DALI.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Perlisten A3t and DALI Epicon 8 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Perlisten A3t | DALI Epicon 8 |
|---|
| Brand | Perlisten
United States · founded 2016 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1.14" Hybrid dome + planar |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 2 x 8" Wood fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 31-27k Hz | 35-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87.7 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 5 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50 – 300W watts | 50-500 watts |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 50.59" x 11.02" x 15.35"
1285.0 x 279.9 x 389.9mm | 48.23" x 10.39" x 19.09"
1225 x 264 x 485 mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both A3t and Epicon 8 are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
Perlisten A3t |
DALI Epicon 8 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.14-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
x -inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
A3t features a " Tweeter and x " Woofer. On the other hand, the Epicon 8 features a 1.14" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 550 / 3100 / 15000Hz.
Frequency Response
A3t has a frequency range of 31-27k Hz whereas Epicon 8 has a frequency range of 35-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 31Hz, the A3t can go slightly deeper then the Epicon 8's min frequency of 35Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
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
A3t is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Epicon 8 which has a nominal impedance of 5 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 A3t can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. A3t sensitivity is rated at 87.7 dB and the Epicon 8's is rated at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the DALI Epicon 8 a more sensitive speaker compared to Perlisten A3t, 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. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Epicon 8 can handle a max power of 500 watts RMS, whereas A3t has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Epicon 8.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Epicon 8 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. A3t has a Binding post which doesn't 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 Perlisten A3t's and DALI Epicon 8's external dimensions. Perlisten A3t has external dimensions of 1285.0 x 279.9 x 389.9mm (50.59 x 11.02 x 15.35inch) whereas DALI Epicon 8 has external dimensions of 1225 x 264 x 485 mm ().
DALI Epicon 8 is 15.9mm narrower and 60mm shorter than Perlisten A3t but it is also 95.1mm deeper.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
DALI Epicon 8 needs about 17% more floor or shelf area. DALI Epicon 8 is 95mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Perlisten A3t is 60mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Perlisten A3t is approximately 1091.3cm2 / 169.2inch2 and base area of the DALI Epicon 8 is approximately 1280.4cm2 / 198.5inch2. The A3t requires 15% less surface area than the Epicon 8 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.