Mis à jour le 1 June 2022.
The Dali Katch 2 portable Bluetooth speaker is the second version from the Danish manufacturer Dali, a hi-fi specialist since 1983. This nomad speaker has a higher battery life and now supports aptX HD Bluetooth. It has a power output of 50 watts, 30 hours of battery life, a USB connector to charge your smartphone and 6 drivers. At €399, will the Dali Katch 2 be able to compete with market leaders Bose, Marshall, Sonos and JBL?
Dali Katch 2: packaging & accessories
The Dali Katch 2 Bluetooth speaker comes in an attractive thick cardboard box inside of which it is placed inside an elegant fabric pouch that is ideal for protecting the speaker when traveling. The box also contains the power cable, the quick start guide with diagrams and the registration card with QR Code.
Dali Katch 2: presentation
The Dali Katch 2 speaker is instantly appealing and makes a big first impression. When you hold it in your hand, its weight of just over a kilo immediately conveys the quality of the materials used. Its size is slightly surprising, as it is rare to find Bluetooth speakers with this rather unique design. On the market, cylinders and parallelepipeds are dominant, alongside some small, circular speakers. This portable speaker’s oval shape allows it to stand out from the competition. Its large leather strap makes it easy to carry and it can be hung on a branch during a Sunday picnic, for example. The Dali Katch 2 also has a thick polymer chassis with two grilles on each side, behind which are the drivers. Small rubber feet ensure excellent stability.
Weighing approximately 1.1kg, the Dali Katch 2 can be easily carried from one room to another in the house, onto the patio or into the garden. Its compact size (14 x 27cm and less than 5cm thick) allows it to be slipped into a case to accompany you on your adventures around the world.
Dali Katch 2: 30h battery life
Due to its portable nature, the Dali Katch 2 Bluetooth speaker features a 3,300 mAh rechargeable battery that provides an exceptional autonomy of 30 hours. The Dali Katch 2 also features a convenient USB type B input to charge a smartphone. Dali announces a charging time of around 2 hours. We should specify that the speaker also works when connected to the mains. Power supply: 15 volts at 2.8 amps and 42 watts.
Dali Katch 2: Bluetooth
The Dali Katch 2 speaker is compatible with the aptX HD protocol. The Onkyo DAP that we associated with it immediately announced this when we first paired it by displaying the famous “Qualcomm aptX” logo. This makes it possible to stream music from a smartphone, tablet, computer or DAP (in CD quality with compatible devices). The pairing took only a few seconds by pressing a clearly identifiable button with the Bluetooth logo.
Dali Katch 2: hi-fi design
Inside its elegant chassis, the Dali Katch 2 speaker incorporates two class D, 25-watt digital amplifiers, responsible for powering two 3.5” long-excursion midbass drivers and two 0.9” tweeters. Both sides of the speaker deliver all frequency ranges, from the lows to the highs. The music then radiates 360° around the speaker. Everyone is able to hear the music, regardless of the position of the speaker or the listeners. This is one of the advantages of the Dali Katch 2, because many Bluetooth speakers are directional and must be placed facing the listeners for the sound to be perceived evenly. The Dali Katch 2 does away with this and can be placed at the center of a garden table. The 4 active drivers are assisted by 2 passive models to ensure a good bass level. For a finer adjustment, it is possible to manually modify the equalization (2 positions) according to the placement of the speaker: against a wall or in an open space (inside or outside).
Dali Katch 2: configuration
The Dali Katch 2 is incredibly easy to set up. When it is turned on, the Power light flashes for 3 seconds and emits a tone. Note that it is first necessary to put the Dali Katch 2 in pairing mode by pressing the dedicated Bluetooth button located on the top of the speaker. The NFC function present on most phones allows pairing by simply moving the transmitter (smartphone, DAP or tablet) towards the receiver (the Dali speaker). The speaker will confirm the pairing with a tone.
Once the Dali Katch 2 speaker is paired, all you have to do is play the song or video content for it to start producing sound. The buttons on the top let you turn the volume up or down. Four LEDs positioned around the power button indicate the volume level. The latter can be adjusted over 40 levels without ever generating a saturated sound. During our review, we stood 30 meters away from the speaker (no obstacles) and the controls always responded without any delay.
Dali Katch 2: listening impressions
We first tested the Dali Katch 2 speaker in Bluetooth aptX with our trusty Onkyo HD DAP. With Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, the Dali Katch 2 impressed us with the clarity of its reproduction. The bass wasn’t overpowering, and Dali’s engineers have chosen to make sure that the speaker doesn’t go too low. The music was therefore reproduced very naturally. The bass never bled into the other frequency ranges. The Dali Katch 2 speaker was very pleasant to listen to. Even at high volume, it never sounded saturated and we enjoyed pushing it to its limits. We can only applaud its design, which effectively controls the performance of the midbass drivers, reducing the risk of overwhelming bass, while remaining exceptionally elegant. Incredible!
We then paired the Dali Katch 2 Bluetooth speaker with an iPhone 8 (AAC). With the track Lose Yourself by Eminiem, the Dali Katch 2 showed that it can play any style of music with ease. The reproduction was perfect and we could feel every rhythmic impact. We nodded our head and tapped our foot to the music, the Dali Katch seemed to disappear and we turned the volume up a few notches… A complete success.
Dali Katch 2: compared to…
Sonos Move: sold for €399, the Move is a reference in this price range. It features multi-room connectivity, WiFi compatibility and voice control, as well as several features absent in the Dali speaker. The Sonos Move is larger and, therefore, less portable, so it is more suited to being used at home. Its weight of 3kg makes it difficult to carry. The Move offers a better bass level, which can sometimes become overpowering. Its design is unremarkable, whereas the Dali relies on charm, from both an aesthetic and musical standpoint.
Dali Katch 2: conclusion
With the Dali Katch 2, the Danish manufacturer provides an attractive and simple solution for listening to music with great sound quality, while traveling or at home.
We liked:
- Its musical qualities
- The design
- The 360° drivers
We would have liked:
- We can’t think of anything…
