DALI Alteco C-1 Loudspeaker Black (Pair)

Update 2021 - I have been meaning to update my original review below for the past year - needless to say as I originally intended, I upgraded by AV Amp in anticipation for the next-gen consoles to make room for needing far more HDMI ports than I thought I would have needed. As part of this upgrade, I decided to fork out for another set of these Dali’s as my new amp could support 4 height speakers and I everything I originally stated stands and more, with a more complete overhead audio experience. Note, my second pair I purchased where in white, and I swapped over my front grills after getting some inspiration from the PS5.I also did find another simpler way to install these (randomly whilst watching a DIY YT vid for something else) – place a length of masking tape on the back of these and rub the screw holes with a pencil mark – then stick that tape on the wall where you wish to drill (duh why did I not think of that!).Original 2018 reviewIf like me, you have had a pair of Onkyo SKH410's and been totally underwhelmed after a substantial upgrade of all your AV equipment then read on. I spent a small fortune after getting the green light from the wife to move the living room around to accommodate a large 4K TV. Of course, a new AV receiver and speakers were required so I purchased a Dali 5.1 Pico set in 2016. Wanting to add the newest craze of Atmos/DTSX I went and purchased a pair of Onkyo's (about £140 at the time). After god knows how many different positions and calibrations, I concluded that unless I rip out the ceiling and go for overhead speakers that the whole ceiling bounce effect was total nonsense and real Atmos was a pipe dream.I stumbled across an online preview of the Alteco's from Dali I was intrigued as the 5.1 speakers I already had were really super quality and very affordable. I sold my Onkyo's and purchased these via Amazon, via the same retailer I had purchased my Yamaha amp and Pico's some 2 years earlier. Immediately on opening the package I knew I had made the right decision, with a nice finish and weight to match my existing speakers, and at a RRP a substantial saving over the SVS elevations, which I'm sure were the inspiration for Dali for the Alteco's.After placing the C1's on the Pico speakers I ran a calibration and then fired up the Atmos demo on the Xbox, and I instantly could hear a small but noticeable improvement. However, as the Pico footprint is quite small so these looked a bit odd with overhang (I gather they should be a perfect match for the regular Zensors and other speakers in the Dali range). With the family out for the day, I then decided to try and place the speakers on a small ledge I have above the TV with just enough existing speaker wire to do the job and change my AV amp to the front height setting vs the Dolby SP configuration.Wow is the only word to describe the Atmos demo, for the first time in 2-years I could truly hear what 3D surround sound was all about. The living room was alive with rain, bullets and aircraft flying in the "bubble of sound" I had read about. In fact, I toned down the dB on my amp to reduce the effect as it was so prominent.I have since, purchased some more speaker cable and trunking to fix the speakers to the wall just above the ceiling. If I were to make a very small criticism, was that Dali did not include a wall template for drilling (I had to make my own with some A4 paper and some light rubbing of the screw holes with a pencil). If my amp allowed me to have a 5.1.4 configuration, I sure as hell would be purchasing another pair of these bad boys to add as surround rear speakers, and if I didn't already love my Zensor Pico bookshelves I would seriously consider changing all my speakers and mounting the Alteco's sideways as my main front and back speakers.Ps. Also to add, that you do not need to purchase any banana plugs for these, as the top of the speaker has a spring-loaded wire clamp.**update** After about having these for the last 6 weeks I have to say the sound quality has got even better (presumably after a run-in period).

Ive got a pair of dali opticon 6, expensive, but good speakers, I was going to get a pair of opticon 1,for my surround but I liked the size of these and my room isn't very big and these can be mounted on my walls, , so I got a pair delivered today, and honestly I didn't think I'd keep them I was just curious on how they sounded because of the good reviews, for £250 these speakers are a absolute Steal, I unplugged my opticons 6 and replaced them with these, I was shocked how good these sound, obviously there not as good as my opticons 6 £1200,but it wasn't a night and day difference, they sound very very clean, clear, descent detail very musicall and surprisingly good bass for the size of them, , I would honestly have no problem using these as stereo pair in a second system, I haven't tryed how they sound as atmos speakers yet but I've absolutely no doubt theyl sound amazing, in fact I'm going to order another 4 of them to finish of my atmos setup, well done dali you killed it, highly recommended

Absolutely brilliant surround speakers. So good in fact I bought 6 of them. 4 for heights and 2 for surrounds. Being able to direct the sound at a more acute angle is an essential selling point of these due to my room layout. When used for Atmos based movies, and even normal TV upmixed, these just fill the room with extremely clear sound beautifully. If you want some (relatively) affordable, great looking, fairly discreet speakers then just go for them, you won't be disappointed. They are also extremely easy to walk mount on to a couple of screws with the dedicated fixing holes on the back.Hope this helps someone!

These are high quality speakers from Dali, they’re solidly built and bigger than expected, and the usual high quality components you get from Dali.Not quite 5 stars though - firstly they’re sitting on top of Oberon 5’s, and they don’t match exactly either in terms of the black grill, or the black wooden finish. For the price I’d expect better.Secondly, while music sounds great out of them, I’m struggling to find the best position for them to truly get atmos effects. Have tried updating and heights, and a variety of content. I’m still working on it.What I can say is that vs standard 5.1 they certainly do bring a richness of sound, just not necessarily a height dimension.I get that this could be the quality of input source and my positioning, plus the need to run them in, but all in all adding up to 4 stars - not the usual Dali 5.

Chose these speakers as part of a 5.2.2 dolby atmos set up,connected to a sony str-dn1080 av reciever and they sound fantastic,i have used them as height speakers and now trying them as side surrounds in the down firing position,both speaker locations work flawlessly and add great depth and clarity to movies and music,they are solid and well made and i couldn't be happier with my purchase.

I bought the speakers just over two years ago, one of the channels has blown, not able to contact the seller to ask any questions. I have read that these come with a five year warranty. However, this is useless if you cannot contact the company that sold you the item in this case. Right here!

Don’t hesitate, these are the ones to add to give you Dolby Atmos surround sound. Excellent build quality, good design with good quality materials results in an excellent sound reproduction. With these additions to my system I have successfully created a perfect surround sound stage for my cinema experience.

I chose these speakers carefully and I can vouch that they produce incredible quality sound. Versatile and easy to break-in. I intend to but floor standing speakers from Dali