DALI Rubikore 2 Review: Premium Bookshelf Performance, Elevated

As the name suggests, DALI's new Rubikore series positions itself between the decade-old Rubicon line and the flagship DALI Kore. The Rubicon models have now been discontinued, with Rubikore taking their place in the company's lineup.

The RUBIKORE series represents DALI's latest achievement in acoustic technology and design. This new lineup incorporates core technologies from DALI's flagship KORE speakers, delivering exceptional sound reproduction and outstanding audio quality. The series was conceived with a commitment to high-fidelity sound reproduction while ensuring each model can adapt to diverse listening environments and satisfy the requirements of different users.

Speakers in this new series not only exhibit DALI's consistent high quality and innovative technology but also place special emphasis on material selection and cabinet construction. The RUBIKORE incorporates low-resonance cabinet structures, low-distortion acoustic design, and phase-coherent technology. The integration of these advanced features elevates the RUBIKORE series to new heights in terms of accuracy, clarity, and dynamic performance.

Furthermore, the RUBIKORE series is available in multiple elegant finishes, offering a clean, sophisticated aesthetic that complements various interior design styles.

• Key Features and Technical Specifications

  Key Features:

  • All-new ferrofluid-free, low-loss soft dome tweeter
  • Multi-layered paper cone with wood fiber structure and SMC magnet system

  Technical Specifications:

  • Frequency Range: 50–26,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB)
  • Crossover Frequency: 2,800 Hz
  • Sensitivity: 87 dB
  • Impedance: 4 Ohms
  • Recommended Amplifier Power: 40-150 Watts
  • Dimensions: 19.5 x 35 x 33.5 cm (W x H x D)
  • Weight: 9.5 kg
  
  

  

Within the RUBIKORE series, the RUBIKORE 2 stands as a bookshelf speaker that not only inherits the technological advantages of the lineup but also delivers exceptional sound quality from its compact form factor. This model is the focus of our current evaluation.

Why might one select bookshelf speakers? This speaker category offers several advantages, primarily their compact size, which facilitates placement and repositioning, allowing for flexible adaptation to various room configurations. Additionally, bookshelf speakers typically provide excellent sound directionality, delivering high-quality audio experiences even in smaller spaces.

The RUBIKORE 2 is particularly well-suited for use in more confined environments, such as studies, bedrooms, or modest living rooms. In these settings, it delivers clear and precise audio reproduction, appropriate for both intimate Hi-Fi music appreciation and television or film sound reproduction. Furthermore, due to its compact dimensions, the RUBIKORE 2 offers considerable placement flexibility—it can rest directly on a bookshelf or be paired with dedicated stands to achieve optimal acoustic performance.

You may have already noticed that the RUBIKORE 2 is an exceptionally versatile bookshelf speaker, suitable for diverse environments. It not only delivers outstanding sound quality but also offers remarkable flexibility and adaptability, making it an ideal choice for space-conscious users and audiophiles seeking premium sound reproduction.

While the DALI Rubikore 2 bears a strong visual resemblance to its predecessor, this continuity represents a deliberate design decision. DALI has maintained the classic form factor to preserve the brand's signature elegance and ensure the speakers integrate seamlessly into various home settings. This design philosophy extends to the selection of finishes and materials as well.

The previous generation's walnut version featured a matte finish, conveying understated sophistication. In contrast, the current model employs a high-gloss finish that not only enhances the visual appeal but also introduces a contemporary element to the design. This glossy treatment elevates the perceived quality of the speakers, allowing them to serve as striking focal points in living rooms or studies.

On the rear panel of the cabinet, you'll find the bass reflex port alongside four robust binding posts. These terminals not only exhibit durability but also support bi-wiring capabilities—a particularly practical feature for audio enthusiasts. Bi-wiring allows for separate connections to the tweeter and woofer sections, enabling independent amplifier channels to drive the high and low-frequency drivers separately, thereby further optimizing sound quality.

This design is especially beneficial for users pursuing exceptional audio performance, as it provides enhanced control over sound reproduction and tonal balance. It's worth noting that implementing this feature requires an amplifier that supports such connectivity options.

The Rubikore 2's binding posts offer remarkable flexibility for various application scenarios. Whether integrated into a comprehensive audio system or deployed as components in a home theater setup, the Rubikore 2 adapts effortlessly to the task. These speakers demonstrate exceptional versatility, delivering impressive performance not only for music reproduction but also for film soundtracks and television audio.

These thoughtful design elements ensure that the Rubikore 2 excels not just in sound quality but also in overall user experience. The attention to connectivity options allows audiophiles to optimize their listening experience while maintaining straightforward integration with existing equipment, making these speakers as practical as they are sonically impressive.

Dating back to the 1970s, the use of magnetic fluid in the voice coil gap of tweeter assemblies has been a standard practice in high-end speaker design. This approach represents one of the foundational technologies that continue to distinguish premium loudspeakers in today's market.

The implementation of ferrofluid in tweeters serves multiple critical functions. It enhances heat dissipation from the voice coil, improves mechanical damping characteristics, and contributes to more precise driver movement. These benefits collectively result in reduced distortion, enhanced power handling capabilities, and more accurate high-frequency reproduction – all essential qualities for discerning listeners seeking authentic sound reproduction.

The ferrofluid serves multiple critical functions in driver technology. Primarily, it dampens resonances and provides cooling for the voice coil, while simultaneously helping to maintain the voice coil precisely centered within the gap. This engineering approach was considered a significant technological advancement for sound quality improvement when it was first introduced.

The carefully formulated magnetic liquid creates a controlled coupling between the moving parts of the driver assembly, effectively managing unwanted vibrations that could otherwise color the sound reproduction. By efficiently dissipating heat generated during operation, the ferrofluid also enables the driver to handle greater power inputs while maintaining thermal stability—a crucial factor for consistent performance during demanding musical passages.

However, this approach is not without drawbacks. According to DALI engineers, while the viscous fluid helps stabilize the voice coil position, it also impedes the coil's movement, thereby limiting dynamic performance. As audio technology continued to evolve, these disadvantages became increasingly apparent.

In response to these limitations, DALI implemented a new technology in their Kore lineup released two years ago, completely eliminating the use of ferrofluid. This decisive engineering shift marked a significant step forward in their pursuit of superior sound quality. DALI has confirmed that this approach will continue in their future product development, and now this technology has been fully implemented across the Rubikore series.

The decision to move away from ferrofluid represents a fundamental rethinking of driver design principles. By removing this mechanical constraint, DALI's engineers have created a system that responds more accurately to transient signals, allowing for greater precision in reproducing the subtle details and dynamic contrasts that define high-fidelity audio reproduction. This technical evolution demonstrates DALI's commitment to challenging established design conventions when performance improvements can be achieved.

The Rubikore series not only inherits the ferrofluid-free design from the Kore lineup but also incorporates other key technologies pioneered in that flagship range. Among these significant technical adoptions is DALI's SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) technology.

SMC represents a sophisticated approach to managing magnetic fields within the driver assembly. This advanced material combines the magnetic properties needed for efficient driver operation with significantly reduced eddy current formation. By minimizing these unwanted electrical currents that typically occur in solid metal components, the SMC technology delivers notably lower distortion, particularly in the critical midrange frequencies where human hearing is most sensitive.

The implementation of SMC technology in the Rubikore series demonstrates DALI's commitment to cascading their premium engineering solutions throughout their product lineup. This approach ensures that the acoustic benefits first developed for their top-tier offerings become accessible in their mid-range products, creating a consistent technological DNA across different price points in their portfolio.

SMC offers significant advantages compared to traditional magnetic materials, particularly in reducing distortion. In earlier designs, SMC material was primarily utilized in the magnetic poles of the bass drivers. Now, DALI has expanded the application of this material to include the crossover's inductor cores, substantially enhancing the speaker's sonic performance.

This material innovation addresses one of the fundamental challenges in speaker design: managing magnetic hysteresis and eddy currents that can introduce unwanted coloration into the audio signal. By integrating SMC technology across multiple components within the signal path, DALI has created a more coherent system where each element works in harmony with greater precision.

The extension of SMC implementation into the crossover network represents a holistic approach to speaker design, recognizing that every component in the signal chain affects the final sound quality. This comprehensive application of advanced materials science demonstrates DALI's commitment to refining every aspect of their speaker systems rather than focusing solely on the more visible driver technologies.

The result is a speaker system with improved linearity and lower distortion across the entire frequency spectrum, allowing for greater transparency and a more faithful reproduction of the original recording. This systematic implementation of SMC technology throughout the Rubikore series establishes a new performance benchmark in its price category.

The DALI Rubikore 2 boasts a sensitivity of 87 dB, a figure quite typical for a compact bookshelf speaker. DALI recommends pairing them with amplifiers in the 40-150 watt range (into 4 ohms), granting the Rubikore 2 excellent compatibility across various amplification systems. In my own listening experience, partnering them with a Lyngdorf 3400 amplifier, I immediately sensed a palpable and abundant energy throughout the sonic spectrum.

It is particularly within the mid-bass and lower midrange frequencies where the Rubikore 2 truly shines, exhibiting an impressive blend of both explosive power and supple agility. Whether indulging in popular music or classical compositions, the sonic presentation remains consistently vibrant and elastic. Even when reproducing demanding orchestral pieces, known for their stringent requirements in dynamics and layering, the Rubikore 2 manages to conjure a considerable sense of scale and immersion, crafting a truly enveloping auditory experience. This speaker is adept not only at rendering nuanced sonic textures but also at unleashing potent energy when the music calls for it, readily accommodating a diverse array of musical genres.