Dali Megaline Brochure

White Paper

The MegaLine Loudspeaker System

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White Paper

The MegaLine Loudspeaker System

Introduction

Introducing the DALI MegaLine Loudspeaker System - a statement which pushes back the
boundaries of what is possible in the art and craft and science of loudspeaker design,
incorporating cutting edge acoustic and electronic technology, shaped into sculptural forms
of exceptional harmony and elegance.

The DALI MegaLine parts from decades of design conformity. The two speakers are a
seamless integration of form and function, an unapologetically monumental display which
emphasises the MegaLine’s innovative modular construction.

The MegaLine is a reference loudspeaker system capable of reproducing the full dynamics
and scale of the live music experience, revealing the subtleties of inner detail, contrast,
atmosphere, pace and rhythm, all the essential elements which makes recorded music
come alive.

The MegaLine is the result of a radical re-evaluation of the traditional approach to
loudspeaker design. Wiping the slate clean DALI's research and development engineers
questioned conventional wisdom and broke new ground on the road to a better
understanding of the crucial interaction between loudspeaker, room and listener.

The MegaLine

The MegaLine is essentially a two-way loudspeaker, based on a
vertical array of bass/midrange units alongside a second array
planar dipole ribbon tweeters.

Each array is configured to operate as a single "virtual driver"
extending from floor to ceiling.

We chose to use a stacked modular design, based on three
identical modules per channel for critical listening.

The MegaLine system requires two identical stereo amplifiers or
four identical mono blocks.

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White Paper

The MegaLine Loudspeaker System

The Line Source Principle

Conventionally, a loudspeaker is viewed as a point source, radiating
sound equally in all directions in the shape of an ever-expanding
sphere. Since domestic environments rarely consist of infinite open
space, sound will at some point encounter room boundaries: floor,
ceiling a nd walls.
Sound reflected repeatedly by these surfaces will add unwanted out-of­phase components, which become a significant proportion of what
ultimately is heard at the listening position. In this way the listening room
itself exerts considerable negative influence on the final listening
experience.

In order to take the room out of the equation, a vertical array consisting
of a theoretically infinite number of point sources are created. Such a
configuration is known as a line source system and has a number of
useful characteristics for sound reproduction in enclosed spaces.

The dispersion pattern of a line source is not spherical like that of the point source, but
cylindrical as it extends outward from the loudspeaker. Of special interest here is the fact
that there is virtually no sound at the upper and lower ends of the line. Consequently, with
a line source extending from floor to ceiling, there will be no reflected sound from these
surfaces, which eliminates a major source of room colouration/influence.

The absence of floor and ceiling reflections offers two valuable advantages. Firstly, the
sonic contribution of the listening room is greatly reduced, allowing the true tonal character
of the loudspeaker to be heard much more clearly.
Secondly, there are no distracting reflections to compromise the system’s imaging abilities.
This enhances the listener's ability to perceive the musical event, sharply focused in three
dimensions, especially further away from the loudspeaker.

The line source principle provides a more immediate and direct pipeline from the
loudspeaker to the listener. Simplified one could say that the listener hears only the drivers
operating at a point that intersects a horizontal line from the ear to the speaker.

The drivers above and below this point effectively neutralise room interference, allowing
the listener to fully experience the acoustics of the original recorded space.

While the exceptional room-independent transparency of the DALI MegaLine alone would
be enough to make it a truly unique listening experience, there are further benefits to the
line source principle.

The floor-to-ceiling extension of the loudspeaker provides a very effective and uniform
coupling to the room's enclosed air volume, than what is possible with a conventional
loudspeaker. A conventional loudspeaker imposes a varying acoustical load in the vertical

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