Dali IO-8

Introduction

Danish audio brand Dali has been quietly but successfully encroaching in the world of headphones, taking its loudspeaker philosophy and applying it to wireless headphones.

So far, it’s only been over-ears, but over the course of five years, it’s launched three headphones, starting off with the IO-6, then confusingly moving to the IO-12 before launching the IO-8 in 2024.

Entering the market at the premium price of £599, a drop in price has placed them closer to the Apple AirPods Max and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones price bracket. But any close association with those pairs would be uncomfortable. This is more for the luxury crowd who want hi-fi sound on the go.

Design

• Elegant looks
• Physical controls
• IP rating
• Leather earpads

The IO-8 take a few visual cues from the IO-12, but they’re closer in appearance to Dali’s first headphones in the IO-6.

The earcups are oval rather than square. Though my ears just about fit into the slightly smaller earcups, they remain comfy. I haven’t found there to be any issues with the headband or earpads (which are replaceable and made from genuine leather).

The clamping force is tight enough that the headphones stay put without slipping or sliding. They’re not foldable but they come in a neat carry case that you can actually carry as it has a handle. The stepless slider to adjust the fit simply adds to the premium look.

They’re an elegant pair, especially in the Caramel White finish I have (Iron Black is the other option). The silver panel on the right earcup covers controls (playback, volume and skipping), and these are physical controls rather than the touch kind, requiring a press rather than any swipes.

It adds to the tactile feel of controlling these headphones, creating a more certain connection between you and the sound you’re listening to. The surface can get scuffed over time which makes me want to take care of the headphones even more.

An IP52 rating means they’re protected from splashes of water and some dust. They’re not waterproof, but this is a higher level of protection than even some of the best noise-cancelling headphones offer. However, despite earning this level of protection, Dali does recommend that you avoid getting them wet.

You’ve also got controls on the side of the earcup – Dali eschews an app so like with the IO-12, there’s a power, ANC and EQ button (Hi-Fi and Bass mode). The ANC button is a little tricky to discover but at least it’s placed out of the way of the power and EQ button to avoid any confusion.

You’ve got USB-C and 3.5mm inputs (no aeroplane jack this time), and you can listen to audio over both connections, though audio over USB-C only works through a powered connection.

Battery Life

• Up to 35 hours
• No fast-charging support

Like the IO-12 Dali claims you can get up to 35 hours from a single charge with ANC off. With ANC on, it’s closer to 30 hours.

An hour’s stream from a Spotify playlist resulted in a 4% drop, which would put these headphones closer to 25 hours from a single charge – it’s in the ballpark, better than the AirPods Max but lesser than the Bowers & Wilkins Px8.

If the battery falls flat, it takes less than two hours to fill the tank up. There doesn’t appear to be any fast charging, which is slightly disappointing.

Features

• aptX Bluetooth support
• USB-C audio
• No app

The Dali IO-8 support and wireless means of listening to audio. You’ve got the option of wireless noise-cancellation or passive analogue when plugged in. If you’re using USB-C audio, the headphones’ DSP and ANC will be available. If it’s the 3.5mm jack, you’ll lose access to those features.

Bluetooth 5.2 support comes with access to AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive – the same as the IO-12. Wired audio reaches up to 24-bit/96kHz, so you’ve access to Hi-Res Audio through wireless and means, even if the former could technically be considered as lossy (loss of detail).

There hasn’t been much of an issue with the stability of the wireless connection, whether walking around London or walking through a busy area with interference, such as Paddington Station.

There is no app, which means the IO-8 aren’t the most feature-packed headphones. What you see is essentially what you get.

There’s no room for firmware updates, no means of dialling in the noise-cancellation or transparency modes; no custom EQ that you can create. Like with the IO-12 it makes the headphones simpler, and that’s the market Dali is going for.

If you want a more feature-rich pair of headphones, there aren’t many at this price. You’ll be jumping down in price to the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM6 for that level of customisation.

Noise Cancellation

• ANC/Transparency modes
• Call quality is fine

Like Bowers & Wilkins, Dali toes the line with its noise-cancelling efforts so that it doesn’t spoil the sound. In short, there’s a limit to how strong the noise-cancellation is.

The focus here is more on getting rid of ambient sounds, and in that respect it does a good job. The level of suppression is fine but not up to the levels of the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.

Using a pink noise test to compare the Dali to the Bowers Px8 or Focal Bathys, they’re all around the same level of suppression, though the Dali might just edge it.

It’s reliant on the volume of music to get rid of more sounds, and wearing them on planes, the Elizabeth Line, and just generally walking around with the headphones on, they prove to be fine. Another positive is that there’s no wind noise either.

The transparency mode isn’t the clearest, but it’s fine if you want to have awareness of what’s around you or for picking up on announcements close by. It’s best not to engage the transparency mode when the wind picks up. All I can hear is the sound of the wind whipping past.

Call quality is solid with decent voice pick-up as the headphones get rid of most of the background noises around me. Is it as good as the Px8 in terms of clarity and noise-cancellation? No. It’s fine but there are better options.

Sound Quality

• Good presence with highs and lows
• Spacious soundstage
• Musical, confident performance

The IO-12 were a luxurious listen with a warm sound and the IO-8 offer similar attributes. The core of the sound that was present with the more expensive over-ears is retained with the IO-8.

So while there’s that hint of warmth to the tuning, these headphones are above all a balanced, measured and confident listen no matter what track or genre you listen to. It displays a sense of tone that’s agreeable across the frequency: detailed, clear and most of all a resounding confident sound.

With high frequencies the Dali IO-8 has a sharp, precise way of describing them. There’s a lovely sense of clarity and brightness to tracks such as GoGo Penguin’s Erased by Sunlight, bringing out the treble in a natural, varied manner. The Dali brings treble to the fore without it getting lost in the soundstage once the bass kicks into gear.

Andreas Ihlebæk’s Come Summer is a test track I like to use when testing headphones as it is a tricky track. Some headphones can play the treble here in a slightly loose, vague or overly sharp manner. The IO-8 cuts through that with its precision and insight, it’s a sharp and detailed performance without sounding clinical. There’s a musicality to these headphones that slightly crisper-sounding headphones don’t always have.

The bass takes on a rich tone, with good weight and depth but it doesn’t overdo the bass. It’s similar to the IO-12 in its approach, offering balance without exaggerating the lows for effect. With tracks such as Hard Life’s Skeletons, Bank Head’s Kingdom and Childish Gambino’s This is America, the Dali always exerts control over the low frequencies, but offers plenty of information, clarity and detail to that bass.

For more bass there is the ‘Bass’ button, and it does accentuate the low frequency performance but it doesn’t upset the balance too much. To my ears, the headphone does develop something of a V-shaped sound; the highs are brighter – perhaps a little bright – and there’s more presence to the lows, but it’s still an enjoyable sound. I have noticed a little bit of distortion present with some tracks that have chunkier bass response.

The soundstage is impressively wide, there’s a constant sense of naturalism to how voices and instruments sound – the tone of the headphones is neither too warm or too crisp. It’s sense of rhythm and timing always feels on point.

These headphones are revealing of the little subtleties in music; there’s a nice sense of low level dynamism that the headphones can convey, though I would say broader shifts don’t quite enjoy that jump from quiet to loud. Dali’s sense of control is excellent, but more of a flourish in terms of how it presents those dynamics would have made for an even better sound.

The performance takes the same approach and as long as you’re listening to higher quality tracks, the IO-8 will lavish your music library with more detail, sharpness, energy and greater levels of insight. When it comes to sound, it’s hard to fault the performance of the Dali IO-8 in any critical way. It’s a lovely, expressive performance.

Should you buy it?

FAQs