DALI Katch One soundbar, Iron Black

Product Information

The Dali Katch One soundbar’s most visible feature—its appearance—is the first thing you notice about it. It’s a gorgeous technological gadget with a contemporary look that’s likely to catch some eyes. We can tell you right away that the soundbar has good sound quality. It doesn’t have the deep bass rumbling that a subwoofer can, but it much exceeds the built-in audio of any TV. Turn it up and a lot of that quality is compromised, with the Denon losing its poise and composure at higher volumes. But as long as you listen at sensible levels, the Home 550 is a good-looking and likeable soundbar. Designed to enhance TV audio but engineered to improve music from any source, the DALI KATCH ONE has the power to perform as your main audio system. The faultless audio performance is testament to DALI's nearly four decade long experience in high-end Hi-Fi production, focusing on creating the most natural-sounding speakers on the market, recreating music just as the artist intended.

Any extended warranties offered by Peter Tyson are free. We do not include any form of insurance terms such as accidental damage or loan equipment cover. Both the casing and the front baffle of the KATCH ONE are moulded from a glass fibre reinforced ABS compound. This material enables us to construct a platform for the drivers that optimises the flow of air, widens the stereo image, and guides the sound towards the listener. This forms the base for an extremely rigid structure that ensures that the movement of the drivers does not cause unwanted resonances in the cabinet structure that could result in distortion of the audio signal.For those who want compelling 3D sound without all the speakers, this is the best soundbar with a premium price tag that we've ever tested, which is why it retained its title once again at the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards. 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.) Please note: TV and larger floorstanding speaker deliveries are not available to Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Scottish Islands, and Channel Islands. 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.

It’s been a fair while since DALI launched a soundbar (the ‘also a full-on audio system’ Kubik One was the company’s last toe in the water) – and at first glance it might appear that the Danish specialist has simply spent time carefully stretching one of its highly regarded Katch wireless speakers. You know how Mercedes turns one of its saloon cars into a diplomat’s limo just by making it much longer? A bit like that. What if you don’t want to spend a fortune, though, but want more of an audio upgrade than ‘a bit more bass’? What if, on top of that, if you want a soundbar that can also function as a wider audio system – and do so credibly? If high-quality 3D sound is important to you, then you'll want to make sure both your TV and potential soundbar support Dolby TrueHD and eARC. The ARC standard can handle Dolby Atmos, but only in its Dolby Digital Plus form, which is lossy, whereas Dolby TrueHD can deliver full-fat Dolby Atmos in all its lossless glory. Yes, a thousand pounds sounds like a lot for a ‘just’ a soundbar. But B&W’s Formation Bar does plenty to justify its sizeable price tag – as long as you’ve got space: its wavy shell might seem slim, but at 124cm long it needs plenty of elbow room. The size of the soundbar is primarily down to the larger-than-enough drivers Sennheiser has managed to fit in, and the result is a sound big enough not to need its own subwoofer, with clear, direct dialogue and detail and subtlety in spades. The way it stretches the sound around you creates a great atmosphere and really draws you into the action.As we note in our review: "While some soundbars with external subwoofers go deeper, the bass here is delivered with weighty gusto and seamless integration. This is what helps the Sennheiser achieve the sort of effortless, natural tonality and texture that most rivals can’t begin to match." But the best thing about the Ambeo Max's sound? How little attention it draws; "there's none of the beamy, nasal harshness found in many other soundbars and on the whole, the processing is natural and convincing."

In This Article

The Dali KATCH one is, in our humble opinion, exactly what it should be, a soundbar that can be integrated as simply and easily as possible into any living environment, leaves a very elegant impression, guarantees easy operation and delivers impeccable TV sound, no more, no less. Dali Speaker A/S itself does not promise anything else, does not talk about a home cinema solution, does not lure with anything bombastically exaggerated, but simply presents what the Dali KATCH one can actually deliver, TV sound, but in such a way that it sounds very appealing and flawless. 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). Manufacturers have tried, with varying success, to enhance the audio coming from their televisions. But, if you want to improve TV audio, you need a separate speaker designed for that purpose. CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4, CA5, CA6, CA7, CA8, CA9, CA10, CA11, CA12, CA13, CA14, CA15, CA16, CA17, CA18, CA19, CA20, CA21, CA22, CA23, CA24, CA25, CA26, CA27, CA28. Soundbars are slim, often rectangular, speaker systems with drivers positioned side by side that are designed to slot underneath your TV or to be fitted neatly to the wall. With front-facing drivers, even basic, budget soundbars typically offer more direct and clear audio than a TV.

Four amps, two tweeters and two mid-woofers work together with a bass reflex system to fill most spaces with forward-firing sound. Quality is predictably superb, trumping some bigger bars and coping well with busy scenes. That said, there’s no Dolby Atmos, and you’ll want something beefier if your living room is larger than average. Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, LPCM, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS 96/24, DSD, MPEG-H, Sony 360 Audio An important part of the visual design is the three stylish mounting solutions that ensures the KATCH ONE has a look for everybody. At the rear of the bar there are two further aluminium mid/bass drivers and two more passive radiators. The six drivers that need power are treated to a total of 200 Class D watts.

Television and Larger Speaker Deliveries

It is precisely because the Dali KATCH one blends so discreetly into the room, taking up very little space, that it is all the more astonishing what sound can unfold here as soon as the first notes are heard. Streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth may up the convenience quotient more than somewhat, but it impacts just a little on the Katch One’s fidelity. The DALI may be able to receive and deal with an MQA file of Gorillaz’ Clint Eastwood and give it most of the weight and all the momentum it requires, but somehow the integration of all those drivers (which has been impeccable until now) suffers. That same winning tonal balance is evident, and the small harmonic dynamics are paid just as much attention as the more obvious ‘quiet/LOUD/quiet’ variety. Those four mid/bass drivers do a fine job of communicating all the character and individuality of Karen O’s vocal, and the Katch One brings her to the front and centre of the soundstage without estranging her from everything occurring around her.

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.

Specifications

Bass is simultaneously deep, substantial, nuanced and textured, while treble is bright, spilling into hardness only when you wind up the volume. Add voice assistants, clever controls and multi-room into the mix and the Arc shapes up as a true all-in-one soundbar for fans of the Sonos ecosystem. We do provide installation options for built-in appliances providing it is simply a case of fitting the appliance and furniture doors. Any additional work to the kitchen units or carpentry work required will need to be completed at the customer’s expense. Ultimately, you won’t be disappointed with the wider soundscape and punchy audio that the HW-S60B offers. And if you’ve already got a Samsung TV with decent speakers and Q Symphony support, then our recommendation becomes a firm one. The results are something rather unique and impressive, and it makes sense to take advantage of a feature that not everyone will be able to experience.