Luisteren
Contents
We start with “Folklore”, Taylor Swift’s new album. The song “August” is reproduced very nicely. Vocals are the absolute forté of the Menuet SE and Tay Tay’s voice sounds heavenly. The DALI presents effortlessly. So it’s easy to follow and the audibility and detailing is bizarrely high. Also the soundstage is very wide. All elements are nicely separated from each other with a spacious sweet spot.
On the next song ‘This is me trying’ we notice a lot of air between the instruments. The interaction between tweeter and woofer is seamless. Impressive.
Jessy Lanza makes unpretentious pop music and her latest pitch “All the time” is full of catchy electronic gems. The song ‘Over and over’ pumps out of these small drivers like nothing else. All small details also come through nicely. We would describe the reproduction as neutral and insightful. Lovely light and airy, but of course we miss a bit of bass, also when we put them close to the wall. But in combination with a subwoofer this should sound very complete.
The DALI Menuet SE’s love jazz music. Kokoroko have four beautiful songs on their eponymous EP. The last track “Abusey Junction” is full of African rhythms that form a beautiful whole in a quirky way. The horns and guitars sound natural and even the bass comes through well. Here we miss little to nothing and enjoy the sultry music while it’s tropically warm outside.
Compare
Let’s be clear: for this kind of money you can buy (much) larger speakers. But that is not the intention with the Menuet SE. We use the Cabasse Surf mini-monitors a lot for watching television because the sound of the television is substandard and a soundbar is not something we like to use. The Surf also plays larger than its appearance suggests and projects the sound more forward than the Menuet SE. That is purely a matter of taste.
The Surf’s bass is more forced and ‘amplified’ than that of the Menuet SE which remains stable in any situation. This allows you to play the Menuet SE louder without distortion. The soundstage is similar but imaging is slightly better with the Menuet SE which also has a wider sweet spot. Of course, the finish is considerably better on the Menuet SE and you can play a little more with the placement. Finally, the Menuet SE is an absolute eye-catcher in the interior.
For whom
Who are these Menuet SE monitors intended for? Probably for someone with a small space who needs to place his speakers close or even completely against the wall. On a piece of furniture perhaps or possibly on the desk. They will sound great, even in those conditions.
But for near-field there are cheaper and better alternatives, we think. Next to the television they work very well but do yourself a favor and decouple them with a set of Aperta’s or something similar. The difference is easily audible
A second reason to buy this DALI Menuet SE is the exclusive aspect many of us are looking for. Something special, unique to unbox, or just to enjoy. A lot of special editions with a limited edition keep their value for a long time and sometimes become real classics. Whether this also applies to the Dali Menuet, will determine the future.