Description: Dali Rubicon 5 Tower Speakers See Reviews below Suggested Retail: $5,000.00/pair Buy It NOW: $2,999.00/pair RUBICON 5 Combining large cabinet volume and our unique hybrid tweeter module, the RUBICON 5 extends and widens higher frequencies to deliver a flawless soundstage of impeccably crisp detail and perfectly precise bass response to bring music to life. Wood Fiber Cones The wood fiber cone gives a light, rigid and uneven surface for even, piston-like motion and greatly reduced surface resonance. Patented SMC With an SMC magnet pole-piece surrounded by a slitted copper cap, the effect of the SMC is focused and maximised to reduce distortion. Cabinet Construction Creating separate chambers for each driver enables us to individually tune them for optimal output. Hybrid Tweeter Our signature DALI hybrid tweeter combines a dome tweeter and ribbon element for exceptional high frequency rendering. AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMER Perfect for stereo listening or in a medium-sized surround setup Producing superior sound at a size that's just right for the average living space, the RUBICON 5 is the first of the floorstanding loudspeakers in the series. It expands the sonic performance of the RUBICON 2 by adding a hybrid tweeter and a larger cabinet, which extends and widens the high frequencies for improved detail and adds more well-timed, deep bass for more presence. The RUBICON 5 is perfect for stereo listening or as the front speakers in a medium-sized surround setup. PATENTED SMC Reducing distortion with Soft Magnetic Compound The RUBICON 5 draws on the heritage from the SMC-based 'Linear Drive System', introduced with the EPICON series. With SMC, we achieve extremely low distortion and maximise detail, even at low volume. The drivers are manufactured in-house at our production facilities in central Denmark and feature the latest in magnet motor technology. The RUBICON 5 sets new audio quality standards for Hi-Fi lovers around the world. 6½" WOOFER Drawing on technologies from our EPICON series The woofer cone has a light, rigid and randomly uneven structure, which lowers the complexity of the central part of the motor, ensures piston-like movement, significantly reduces the possibility of surface resonance and minimises distortion. Designed specifically for the RUBICON 5, the soft, low-loss rubber surround includes a cast-aluminium chassis designed for maximum airflow around the cone and magnet system. DALI HYBRID TWEETER The master of wide dispersion The DALI hybrid tweeter module features a soft dome tweeter and a ribbon element that combine to create an amazing rendition of high-frequency details. The voice-coil used in the RUBICON 5 soft dome is extremely light and agile, which helps it deliver a broader bandwidth. The ribbon tweeter is the master of wide dispersion and, in combination with the soft dome, reaches as low as 2.5 kHz, providing continuous wide dispersion as the soft dome becomes more directional at higher frequencies. This extreme bandwidth and ultra-wide dispersion is an important part of DALI's sound philosophy. CABINET DESIGN Blending elegant design and functionality The gracefully elegant RUBICON 5 cabinet provides a rigid foundation for the low-loss drivers mounted directly onto the 25 mm thick front baffle. On this inside, the bass reflex port is positioned directly behind the woofer to minimise turbulence and deliver exceptional timing. Dali Rubicon 5 review These Rubicon floorstanders are fine speakers, but they’re up against some mighty competition. By What Hi-Fi published March 11, 2015 What Hi-Fi Verdict These Rubicon floorstanders are fine speakers, but they’re up against some mighty competition Pros +A fast, agile sound +Enthusiastic delivery +Good bass weight and authority +Seamless integration between drivers +Fine build and finish Cons -Tonal balance isn’t particularly even -No shortage of top-class competition Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. Dali has long had a knack of making likeable speakers. All it takes is a short listen to confirm that the Rubicon 5 speakers are another example. These floorstanders might not be flawless, but they have a sparkle about their performance we can’t help but enjoy. Design and build Dali tends to do things a little differently. While the 5s are a two-and-a-half-way design, there’s a twist: that extra half-way refers to an additional tweeter rather than the more usual dedicated bass driver. The extra tweeter is a 17 x 45mm ribbon design – it takes over from the conventional soft-dome unit at around 14kHz, with the dual aims of maintaining dispersion at the highest frequencies and improving resolution. Moving down the frequencies, the midrange and bass are delivered by a 16.5cm-unit tuned by a rear-firing port. The driver uses Dali’s trademark wood-fibre cone material, which is claimed to give a good balance of low weight, rigidity and damping. The Rubicon 5s are well built, though they feel a little lighter than expected. The white-gloss finish on our review samples is nicely applied and looks classy. Other finish options include gloss-black, rosso-veneer and walnut. We’re happy with the level of fit and finish – it’s clear that the company has put in a great deal of effort to ensure the speakers’ quality is right. Positioning is easy: just give the Rubicon 5s space to breathe and fire them straight ahead, rather than angling towards the listening position. The speaker’s wide dispersion makes this positioning preferable. Performance Once set up these towers certainly deliver. These are lively performers that have a fluid way with dynamics, and their energetic presentation makes them happy to belt out Bruce Springsteen’s Radio Nowhere – even at high volumes. There’s an infectious sense of drive here, combined with plenty of punch. Despite a bit of excess richness in the bass, it’s agile enough not to slow things down. Overall resolution is good, making it easy to follow instrumental strands, even though the production is pretty dense. We like the Rubicon’s way with voices too. Springsteen’s voice is rendered with convincing texture and nuance. Moving on to Prokofiev’s Romeo And Juliet shows off the Dalis’ fine stereo imaging – it’s wide, nicely layered and well focused. Provided the rest of your kit is talented enough the 5s won’t disappoint in this respect. What flaws do we find during our test? There are better options if tonal purity is a priority, and the very best rivals have a transparency the Dalis can’t quite match. Neither of these things is enough to upset us too much, however. Verdict There’s no shortage of competition at this level, with models from Spendor, ProAc and PMC setting very high standards. Yet the Rubicons have enough appeal to be worth a serious listen. We doubt you’ll be disappointed if you pick up a pair. Dali Rubicon 5 Review ByGordon Lyn Are there any speakers that are safe choices, which can deal with various types of music, easy to match with an amplifier? Yes, the first thing I thought of was Dali. So, if I choose the most recommended series among Dali speakers, I would recommend Dali Rubicon 5. From the perspective of a global enterprise, Dali is certainly not a big audio company. However, with 150 employees and an annual output of 250,000 pairs of speakers, Dali is definitely not small in the current audio industry. That’s why I said that their products have consistency, which is quite rare. Obviously, this company’s management is done very well, and it has a highly coordinated culture. That is why I said that Dali is a brand that reassures consumers. Not only the sound performance, but the brand itself is also trustworthy. Design There are a total of 3 floor-standing speakers in the Rubicon series. The largest Rubicon 8 has three bass woofers, Rubicon 6 has two bass woofers, and Rubicon 5 only has one bass woofer. However, these three Rubicons all inherit the classic design of the flagship Epicon series, which is its dual tweeter module. Dual Tweeter Dali Rubicon5 speaker’s dual tweeter module is composed of a 17×45 mm aluminum ribbon tweeter with a 29mm silk soft dome tweeter. In fact, a silky soft dome tweeter is enough. The soft silk dome tweeter used in Rubicon 5 is ultra-lightweight. Not only does the diaphragm have a lightweight, but the voice coil is also changed to CCAW copper-clad aluminum wire, making the weight lighter and the reaction speed is faster. The bookshelf speaker Rubicon 2 in the series only uses this silky soft hemispherical tweeter, with a frequency response of up to 26kHz. But in order to make the treble extension of Oberon 5 more beautiful, Dali added a ribbon tweeter so that the high-frequency extension can be as high as 34kHz. In addition, the aluminum ribbon treble responds faster, so it performs better. And the aluminum ribbon treble has excellent horizontal diffusion performance, allowing a more comprehensive listening range and is not limited to the sweet spot. Dali allows the two treble units to be divided into each other, and the ribbon treble above 14kHz is given to play the role of a higher treble. In contrast, the frequency band below 14kHz to the mid-bass unit is responsible for the soft hemispheric treble. This kind of design is not only seen in Dali, but Dali has been doing it for many years, and the company has full skill with it. They know how to do their best. Wood Fiber Bass With SMC Technology Dali Rubicon 5 floor-standing speaker uses only one mid-bass unit, which is responsible for all frequency bands below 2.9kHz. This mid-bass unit is also developed and manufactured by Dali. This wood fiber diaphragm is widely used in Dali speakers at all series, which has a lot to do with the consistency of their speakers. Dali’s wood fiber diaphragm surface is uneven and very irregular if you look at it up close. So why not make it flat? In fact, this is exactly what Dali wants. They believe that the diaphragm should not only be light and hard but also avoid resonance. So they used wood fibers of different lengths to make the diaphragm and made the surface uneven, thereby eliminating the resonance of the diaphragm itself and making the sound more pure. But the real power of this mid-bass unit is not just the diaphragm. Instead, Rubicon’s mid-bass unit uses a technology called SMC. In short, the full name of SMC is Soft Magnetic Compound, a magnetic powder formula specially developed by Dali to solve the hysteresis of a single magnet. Such SMC magnets have the characteristics of excellent magnetic permeability and extremely low conductivity. That feature can reduce the distortion of the unit during movement. In addition, they also installed a copper cap in the center of the magnet, which is equivalent to a Faraday ring, helping to improve the inductance change of the voice coil, stabilizing its impedance characteristics, and make the amplifier easier to drive. Other Feature Dali Rubicon 5’s cabinet is also very solid. The box is made of an MDF board. The front baffle is as much as 25mm thick, and the single body is locked on such a thick baffle, so there is less vibration. There are chambers inside the cabinet to avoid interference between mid-high and low frequencies. Rubicon 5 has only one mid-bass, so there is not much separation. If there are three basses like Rubicon 8, each internal bass is separated into a separate chamber. That is the reason why Rubicon 8 has three bass reflex holes behind it. Although Dali Rubicon is simple, many design details still make people happy. For example, the front baffle is not flat, but curved. There is no acoustic reason for this. However, this is an extra layer of the construction, which means an extra layer of manufacturing cost. The foot spike at the bottom is easy to install. The feet can be adjusted in height to fit the ground. The speaker’s binding post looks high-end, with the words Dali engraved on it. The large knobs feel good when turned, and even the metal jumper has a plastic insulating coating. These are all details, which show the company’s excellent design techniques. Speaker Placement Dali Rubicon 5 is very small. It is 89 cm high and weighs about 15 kg. Therefore, it is easy to move the speaker around. You can handle everything all by yourself. But how should the speakers be placed? After several adjustments of the speaker, the distance between the two speakers was set at about 185 cm, without toed-in placement. According to DALI’s recommendations, Rubicon 5’s tweeter module is very diffuse and does not need to face the listener with toed-in. When I first set up the placement, I pulled the speaker relatively open, about 2 meters, and left an inward angle of about 7 degrees. But I always felt that the sound thickness was not enough, and the mid-frequency was too thin. That is not the Dali I know. Then I tried to narrow the spacing slowly and adjust the speakers to face forward without a toe-in. Sure enough, after several comparisons, it’s best to face forward. Not only is the treble more convergent, and the mid-frequency is emerging, the sound field is the deepest, and the stage feel is the most natural. Sound Performance The sound of Dali Rubicon 5 speaker is just as I thought. Compared with Rubicon 8 or Rubicon 6, the sound quality is closer to the bookshelf speakers. That is because it has enough low-frequency power so that music can show a considerable scale. But it does not obscure the beauty of the mid and high frequencies due to the low-frequency volume. Relatively speaking, the sense of positioning and stage of Rubicon 5 has the features of the bookshelf speakers, and its bright high-frequency performance allows details to emerge. The music is glamorous and charming, and the overall tone is natural and neutral but with luster. On the other hand, its low frequency is also sufficient. So whether you listen to pop, jazz, blues, rock, and roll, you will not feel regretful. And if you compare it with bookshelf speakers, Rubicon 5’s stability and overall sound looseness are better than bookshelf speakers. So it has the advantages of bookshelf speakers but does not have the disadvantages of bookshelf speakers. The sound field is opened, and the vocals come lively. Listening to the live performance recording is wonderful. Take Marcus Miller’s tribute to Miles Davis’s “Tutu Revisited” album as an example. That is a live performance recording with excellent results and outstanding performance. At the beginning of “Tomaas” the drums showed a sense of openness. The electronic synthesizer created a sound that looked like an aurora and was surrounded by air. Listening to that drum sound is strong and agile, and Rubicon 5 is fast enough to make the drum sound more decisive and sharp. The trumpet has a bright metallic texture, while the bass is full of grains. Listen to Holly Cole’s album “Don’t Smoke in Bed”. A powerful bass appeared at the beginning of the first track, “I Can See Clearly Now”. If you switch to Rubicon 8, it will definitely sound better, but Rubicon 5 is enough. If you put Rubicon 5 on the TV cabinet in an ordinary living room and put it against the wall, the low frequency will be strengthened. This record sounds relaxed and comfortable. The sound image with a loose feeling is without the oppressive feeling brought by high density. However, those details do not seem to be given less, and Holly Cole’s expression when singing also appears to be visible. “Get Out of Town” is the creation of Cole Porter. Rubicon 5 gives clean low frequencies without a muddy sound. Conclusion Dali Rubicon 5 floor-standing speaker is not big, but it has plenty of energy. The seemingly simple appearance, but hiding the technology decentralized from the flagship series. It can whisper softly and sing wildly. It can give you a lazy jazz night, and it can also play a passionate carnival. Such speakers, placed in the living room, on both sides of the TV, are not obtrusive at all, suitable for IKEA. As I said at the beginning of the article, Dali is a reassuring brand, and Rubicon 5 is also reassuring. Dali Rubicon 5 Specs Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]: 45 – 34.000 Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB]: 86.0 Nominal Impedance [ohms]: 4 Maximum SPL [dB]: 107 Recommended Amplifier Power [W]: 60 – 150 Crossover Frequency [Hz]: 2,900 / 14,000 Crossover Principle: 2½ + ½-way Hybrid tweeter module, Super high freq. driver, Quantity: 1 x 17 x 45 mm Hybrid tweeter module, Super high freq. driver, Diaphragm type: Ribbon Hybrid tweeter module, High frequency driver, Quantity: 1 x 29 mm Hybrid tweeter module, High frequency driver Diaphragm type: Soft Textile Dome Low frequency driver, Quantity: 1 x 6½” Low frequency driver, Diaphragm type: Wood Fibre Cone Enclosure type: Bass Reflex Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz]: 39.0 Connection Input: Bi-Wiring Magnetic Shielding: No Recommended Placement: Floor Recommended Distance From Wall [cm]: 20 – 150 Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm]: 890 x 195 x 339 Weight [kg]: 15.7
Price: 2999 USD
Location: Marinette, Wisconsin
End Time: 2023-12-01T17:41:11.000Z
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Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)
Brand: Speakers
Type: Front Right and Left Speakers
System Configuration: 2.0 Channel
Model: DALI RUBICON 5
Connectivity: Wired
RMS Power: 60 W - 150 W
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