DALI Katch One soundbar, Iron Black

Product Information

The music is exposed somewhat as a combination of distinct elements, rather than as an entirely unified whole as it is when delivered by a hard connection. Taken in isolation, there’s much to admire about the way the DALI serves up the song – the gimpy tempo is handled confidently, the keening melodica cuts through the rest of the information with real bite – but there’s not quite the previous level of unity. 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.

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.

Its great sound bar for home theater

There’s plenty of muscle, making the movie’s beach battle scenes sound loud and full-bodied. Big explosions hit hard and fill the room, revealing the woofers’ impressive bass reach. We won’t pretend that it doesn’t benefit from an external sub, which helps dig out low bass frequencies that the DALI can’t reach, but we could quite happily live without one. 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. Soundbars come in various configurations, such as 2.0 (two channels), 2.1 (two channels with a separate subwoofer), 5.1 (five channels with a subwoofer), etc. You’ll want to choose one that suits your space and desired level of immersion. For a truly cinematic experience, look for a soundbar that supports advanced audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. These formats provide a more three-dimensional sound experience that is perfect for watching movies.

There is little more frustrating than not being able to hear dialogue when watching a TV show or movie, but inevitably, varying levels of speech clarity combined with how busy the soundscape is and the overall style of the mix can mean that whispery, mumbly vocals hinder even a top-quality, room-tuned soundbar. The swatch of acoustic cloth across the front is interrupted only by the IR sensor for the remote control. It’s a tidy, coherent looker than manages to look a little more stylish and a little less functional than the norm. DALI Katch One Features — Plenty of ways to get audio in, whether it’s HDMI or aptX Bluetooth The 21mm ultra-light weight soft dome tweeter is incredibly compact but retains a large membrane area, ensuring it will reach deep down into the mid-range without any breaks or drops. The strong neodymium magnet delivers high power handling and a high sensitivity for detailed, accurate and fast high frequencies. Woofer Delivering Dolby Atmos from a small chassis is no mean feat, but the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 achieves a convincing, immersive performance without so much as a vertical speaker in sight. Instead, when watching Atmos content, two of the soundbar's five front-facing arrays are dedicated to reproducing overhead and surround sounds. With its hefty processing power, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 uses psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology to give the impression of height without needing to get vertical. Networking is via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, but there’s no HDMI here: the Ray relies on optical for talking to your telly. This is simple enough but can cause issues when trying to control the bar with your TV remote. Setup is through the Sonos app, which includes using your smartphone’s mic to automatically adjust acoustic output to suit your viewing room.Size is also a key aspect when it comes to choosing the right soundbar. It may seem basic, but it’s easy to overlook – make sure the soundbar fits wherever you plan to put it. The key thing to know about optical is that it's restricted in bandwidth compared to ARC/eARC. So if you have the choice between the two and opt for optical, you might not be making the most of the audio decoding built into your soundbar. The most advanced immersive formats optical can handle are compressed Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround sound, so that means no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.

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 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. Overall, there’s a warm tone to the sound, but the top end could be sweeter. Beats on the cymbals can be a touch tinny and even the high, sad brass echo in Let It Be is not quite as rich as it might be. By class standards though, these are minor complaints that pale next to everything the Katch One does so well.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. 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 Sony HT-A7000 is an outstanding, future-proofed, all-in-one performer with excellent integration if you have a newer Sony Bravia TV. Kubik One is undeniably expensive, but justifies the outlay with outstanding build quality, fresh, modern aesthetics and fantastic sound quality. It’s a versatile performer that makes music and movies sparkle, while its wide range of connections makes it easy to access your music.