DALI Katch One soundbar, Iron Black

Product Information

There are a few options to improve your TV sound that range from the budget to the expensive, but a soundbar is one of the simplest ways as they are typically compact and require minimal cabling. They often also have added benefits, such as wireless streaming over Bluetooth or WiFi. Despite its compact proportions, the Beam (Gen 2) benefits from many sonic smarts. While just a single HDMI port resides in the rear input array, it’s an eARC number – which means it has the bandwidth for Dolby Atmos. It’s worth noting that there’s no surround sound processing, which is a blessing. The Kubik One’s direct and focused stereo presentation allows you to enjoy the movie without distractions, but the unit’s power and wide-dispersing drivers make you feel reasonably enveloped anyway. Aside from being a TV audio booster, the Streambar is also a video streamer that offers built-in access to streaming apps within Roku's vast library. The Streambar will work with any television with an HDMI input, outputting 4K HDR at up to 60fps for compatible sets. Everyone else will get 1080p Full HD, with lower resolution signals upscaled.

The front fabric of Katch One enhances sound quality and complements room decor. Katch One offers three mounting options, including a wall-mounted leather strap for a tidy look, a keyhole mount for tight spaces, and real wood feet to decouple vibrations when placed on furniture. Cabinet The 21 mm ultra-light weight soft dome tweeter is extremely compact, but retains a large membrane area, which ensures that it will reach deep down into the mid-range frequency areas without any break up or drop off’s. The strong neodymium magnet delivers high power handling and a high sensitivity to the soft dome tweeter, thereby bringing detail, accuracy and speed to the high frequencies. Although soundbars are typically designed with film and TV in mind, we also put them through their paces with music too, testing out a range of streaming options with a variety of genres, both classic and modern, enduring that we listen in the highest quality that the soundbar is capable of. IV1, IV2, IV3, IV4, IV5, IV6, IV7, IV8, IV9, IV10, IV11, IV12, IV13, IV14, IV15, IV16, IV17, IV18, IV19, IV20, IV21, IV22, IV23, IV24, IV25, IV26, IV27, IV28, IV29, IV30, IV31, IV32, IV33, IV34, IV35, IV36, IV37, IV38, IV39, IV40, IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV50, IV51, IV52, IV53, IV54, IV55, IV56, IV57, IV58, IV59, IV60, IV61, IV62, IV63, IV64, IV65, IV66, IV67, IV68, IV69, IV70, IV71, IV72, IV73, IV74, IV75, IV76, IV77, IV78, IV79, IV80, IV81, IV82, IV83, IV84, IV85, IV86, IV87, IV88, IV89, IV90, IV91, IV92, IV93, IV94, IV95, IV96, IV97, IV98, IV99And if you want to place the Dali KATCH one directly on a lowboard or sideboard under the TV, you can of course do the same, and here too the Danes have come up with a special feature, namely discreet but extremely elegant wooden feet which are plugged in at the bottom. A rubberised underside ensures that the surface of the furniture is protected. In addition, this also ensures optimal decoupling. The really important thing… The other setting offers a wide, impressive and very dynamic audio rendering. This sound mode puts the emphasis on bringing a room filling, surprisingly powerful experience. Both sound modes deliver perfectly on the main goals of a high-quality soundbar - improving the TV experience through great sound. The Katch One proved very capable with music as well. When I listened to "Eastside" by Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid on Spotify Premium, the bass response was solid and natural, as opposed to exaggerated. Halsey's voice sounded pleasantly gruff without being harsh, though a hint of mid-range emphasis was noticeable on both Khalid and Halsey's vocals that was also apparent on percussion. The Katch One may not have processing for virtual surround, but its enhanced stereo is very tastefully executed. With the system in Wide mode, the soundstage was luxurious, with imaging extending well beyond the physical edges of the soundbar on the doubled lead vocals during the chorus in "Eastside." Three of the seven 65mm drivers across the front feature have tweeters mounted in the middle. These ‘coaxial’ combos ensure precise alignment of frequencies for an even sweeter sound, while two top-mounted drivers fire upwards to give you the sense of height that sets Dolby Atmos and DTS:X apart.

There are several important factors you’ll need to consider to ensure you get the best possible audio experience for your budget. Below we’ve included some key points to keep in mind when shopping.It’s safe to say Katch One isn’t one of those ‘grab you by the lapels’ speakers. Some soundbars like to pummel you with bass to try and impress, some manage to sound loud even when they’re playing quietly. Compared to one of these blustering devices, the DALI is – initially, at least – quite understated. Undemonstrative, even. Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, LPCM, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS 96/24, DSD, MPEG-H, Sony 360 Audio For the amplifier, Class D is used, with four times 50 Watts available here. The amplifier has a large switched-mode power supply as a “power reserve”.

If your soundbar comes with its own automatic calibration software, then make sure you run it, so the soundbar’s audio output is matched to your room’s layout and characteristics. The Sonos Arc, for example, uses Sonos's Trueplaysoftware in conjunction with your smartphone's microphone to tailor its sound. Featuring a chic, compact design, the wall-mounted leather strap truly completes the look and feel of the KATCH ONE. This solution elegantly hides the cables running from the TV to the KATCH ONE, keeping everything tidy, while the fabric front’s excellent acoustic properties ensure no audio detail is lost. You’ll want to think about how you plan to use your soundbar and make sure the model you get has the connectivity options to support the devices you plan to use with it. For example, do you want to use HDMI or optical audio, and Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? If your TV has HDMI ARC or eARC, consider getting a soundbar that supports this feature, as it allows for better audio and control over a single HDMI cable. In our initial review of the Ray, we felt that its bass handling, which resulted in an unusual low-frequency resonant buzz across various movies and music, hampered its overall performance. However, since an update in July 2022, that problem has now been widely alleviated, and as such, we have upped our initial verdict from three to four stars. Delivering Dolby Atmos from a small chassis is no mean feat but the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 achieves a convincing, immersive performance without so much as a vertical speaker in sight.With TVs getting thinner, especially OLED models with razor-sharp chassis, there is considerably less room for proper sound systems. While this is an inevitability, it doesn't excuse poor sound quality, which is why we always recommend budgeting for some sort of sound system when you buy a new TV. Dali Speaker A/S had no other soundbar in the conventional sense, but they focused on solutions that could also provide good TV sound, in the form of extremely compact, often very design-oriented solutions, such as the Dali KUBIK FREE and Dali KUBIK XTRA, and speaker series such as the Dali FAZON Series were actually perfect for providing a sonorous, compact audio system around the TV in combination with a compact amplifier. The DALI KATCH ONE soundbar combines superior audio reproduction with a fresh appealing look. Experience movies, music and gaming like you’ve never heard them before. Take your home entertainment to a new level with DALI KATCH ONE, our first dedicated TV soundbar. GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TV

The Katch One’s dearth of features is where it falls short. Despite not being the best bargain, this soundbar doesn’t appear to be aiming to be. It’s a lovely soundbar for those looking for something lovely to place underneath their TV. The unit is controlled using a horrible blister-button remote, which is too small and awkward to use. Most of the buttons are unhelpfully huddled together in the middle and are labelled with icons rather than words. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.)The A7000 excels with its extensive audio formats support, which includes Dolby Atmos(in both the Digital+ and TrueHD formats), DTS:X, LPCM, hi-res wireless audio and Sony 360 Reality Audio. Elegant and easy to install, the DALI KATCH ONE comes with all the inputs you could ever need, including HDMI, 2x Optical, Analogue, not to mention Bluetooth (AAC and aptX). GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TV