Dali Katch bluetooth audiophile speaker review
Dali Katch
£330Pros
- Quality construction
- Impressive sound
- Great battery life
- Looks good
- Option for portable charging and networking
Cons
- Price might be high for some
DALI Katch. Now, this could either be one of the Spanish surrealist’s lesser-known works or something new from Denmark.
Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries’ latest is a break from the norm for them.
The Dali Katch is a Bluetooth speaker that promises to deliver audio quality not usually found in portable sound slingers.
Now, we’ve had all manner of Bluetooth speakers through GadgetyNews but, for £330, is its cover price the only Katch?
Dali Katch design
As you probably saw in my unboxing of the Katch, the premium experience starts right from the outer box.
The speaker is made up of a solid aluminium body and a mixture of polycarbonate and ABS (a thermoplastic polymer). The later is the plastic-y looking stuff used for the grilles and such.
The aluminium edges are not only exposed, but nicely chamfered. The grilles might not be to everyone’s taste but, on the Green Moss version I have here, I think the two-toned grille and mesh looks cool. Dare I say a little military, too? Not the utilitarian thing, but the kind of camouflage that appears on high fashion.
Another nice touch is the brown leather edging. This is an integrated carry strap. This easily slides out of its stowed position to form a handle.
The buttons on top of the Katch take care of the on/off, Bluetooth pairing, volume up and down, and EQ preset jobs.
I like the design. The way the indication lights around the power button either shows volume level or charge left is pretty neat. Does it scream high-end? The fit and finish certainly does in my my opinion, but I can see how some would expect more flash and bling.
Dali Katch performance
Where the design might be to everyone’s taste or not, the sound definitely will be.
Sound quality
A Perfect Circle’s ‘The Package’ comes through with a purpose. The bass is delivered with authority. The mids and treble, after about 20 hours of playing, are nicely balanced.
‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac sparkles in all the right places too.
The sound quality is no doubt down to the twin aluminium woofers and 21mm tweeters aboard. Dali certainly knows a thing or two about speaker design.
The EQ button I mentioned earlier toggles between two pre-sets. This is so you can adjust the output depending on how close the Katch is to a wall.
Unusually, for these days, there’s no app for the speaker. I was expecting some EQ tweaking or something similar. To be honest, I guess that’s the confidence that Dali has with their product.
Strength, stamina and flexibilty
Looking for a loud speaker? Well, the Katch is certainly that. I had it in the corner of my living room and it was plenty loud enough for that. Sat on the kitchen worktop it had no problem with being heard over my culinary skills, swearing and extractor fan.
It’s also no trouble carrying around. If it was a little warmer, I would have tested it at a picnic but… brrrrr…
Bluetooth has been faultless, even with aptX high-quality FLAC and Tidal streams.
Dali says that the Katch can last for 24-hours of non-stop use. I’ve had it running for a few hours every day for a week now and have only just plugged it back in.
Recharging is via the mains port using the bundled plug. Alternatively, you can actually use the full-size USB port. This is an excellent addition as it means you can charge on the move from a battery pack. The USB port can also be used to drive a Chromecast Audio dongle for connection to a home network.
Dali Katch review conclusion
The Dali Katch really does perform. Even though I shouldn’t really have doubted Dali’s audio expertise, putting that in to such a compact device can’t have been easy.
Add that sound quality to decent battery life and portability, Dali has a hit.
The price tag might give some people second thoughts but you can’t argue about the Katch’s performance.
Dali Katch price and availability
The Katch is available now from all good retailers for £330. It comes in Cloud Grey, Moss Green and Dark Shadow.
For more information, head on over to the Dali website.
