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In the last year or so, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to headphones, particularly wireless ones that let me roam around my basement as the work day unfolds. My ears are nowhere near audiophile grade, but I still can appreciate when something is reproducing sound – and doing it well. That’s what the newest hues of the DALI IO lineup have to offer.
Rather than being named for the surreal artist, DALI instead stands for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries. In fact, if you check out their site, they’ve got a LOT of audio gear. And they’ve been around since 1983, so they’re definitely no fly-by-night operation trying to get you to part with your hard-earned funds.
In terms of the specs, you can see those listed down below for both the DALI IO-4 and the DALI IO-6. Between the two, the IO-4 gives you better battery life, but the IO-6 brings active noise cancellation to the party, which is something I find very helpful in a WFH environment. Both sets of on-ear headphones use a 50mm paper fiber cone to drive things, which remind me of the old speaker cabinets I’d see my dad tooling around in.
The DALI IO headphones are true wireless, but if you want to skip any audio weirdness that bluetooth can sometimes introduces, you’ve got the option for a 3.5mm mini jack, or USB-C, to go wired. In my book, having the wired connection there is a very nice thing to have. And frankly, when you’re paying $399 (DALI IO-4) or $499 (DALI IO-6), you want to have all of the features in there that you might consider needing over the long haul. Also worth noting – while we’ve featured their new olive green and chalk white colors, there are other options available as well. dali-speakers.com
DALI IO-4 SPECS
| Product series | Headphones |
|---|---|
| Headphone Principle | Closed back circumaural (over ear) |
| Full Range Driver | 50 mm free edge paper fibre cone |
| Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz] | 10 – 20,000 |
| Nominal Impedance [ohms] | 25 |
| Maximum SPL [dB] | 100 |
| Connection Input | Bluetooth™ 5.0 3.5 mm Mini Jack USB-C |
| Wireless Input(s) | Bluetooth 5.0, AAC, aptX, aptX HD |
| Magnetic Shielding | No |
| Functions | Power ON/OFF Bluetooth™ Pair/Release Volume up/down Play/Pause/Skip track Take call |
| Noise Reduction | N/A |
| Hands-free Calls & Voice Assist | Clear Voice Communication (CVC) |
| Battery Playback Time | Up to 60 hours |
| Battery Charge Time | 2.5 hours |
| Accessories Included | USB-C cable 3.5 mm stereo cable String bag |
| Replaceable Earpads | Yes |
| Weight [kg] | 320 g |
| Compact Storage | One-way foldable |
| IP Rating | IP53 |
| Analogue Input Sensitivity [mV] | 200 mV rms / 175 mV rms |
| Input Impedance 3.5mm Mini-jack [Ω] | 25 |
DALI IO-6 SPECS
| Product series | Headphones |
|---|---|
| Headphone Principle | Closed back circumaural (over ear) |
| Full Range Driver | 50 mm free edge paper fibre cone |
| Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz] | 10 – 20,000 |
| Nominal Impedance [ohms] | 25 |
| Maximum SPL [dB] | 100 |
| Connection Input | Bluetooth™ 5.0 3.5 mm Mini Jack USB-C |
| Wireless Input(s) | Bluetooth 5.0, AAC, aptX, aptX HD |
| Magnetic Shielding | No |
| Functions | Power ON/OFF Bluetooth™ Pair/Release Volume up/down Play/Pause/Skip track Take call ANC mode (ON/Transparancy/OFF) |
| Noise Reduction | Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) |
| Hands-free Calls & Voice Assist | Clear Voice Communication (CVC) |
| Battery Playback Time | Up to 30 hours |
| Battery Charge Time | 2.5 hours |
| Accessories Included | USB-C cable 3.5 mm stereo cable Flight adaptor Travel case |
| Replaceable Earpads | Yes |
| Weight [kg] | 325 g |
| Compact Storage | One-way foldable |
| IP Rating | IP53 |
| Analogue Input Sensitivity [mV] | 200 mV rms / 175 mV rms |
| Input Impedance 3.5mm Mini-jack [Ω] | 25 |
