DLS CD ONE, AMP ONE, M66
Until now, the DLS name sounded familiar mainly to in-car hi-fi fans and yacht owners only, even
though the Swedish manufacturer has been building its home hi-fi speaker product line since 2003.
In 2008, DLS finally unveiled its first electronics, the CD One CD/SACD player and the Amplifier One
integrated amplifier to complete the brand's home audio suite.
In 2003, with Mats Andersen, the
designer of QLN speakers on their
side, they began manufacturing
home-use speakers. Their product
ranges included high-end
floorstanding and monitor speakers,
in-wall speakers, sub-woofers and
Flatbox speakers, and provided a
suitable solution for all kinds o
f
audio applications. It wasn't until
2008, that a CD player and an
integrated amplifier were added, so
their fans could enjoy their DLS
sound system in their homes, as well
as their cars. The devices were
designed with a black and near-white
metal case in a clean-cut, cool
Scandinavian style: DLS wanted a
high-tech interior with a userfriendly exterior.
Looking at the very elegant devices
with minimal controls, they clearly
achieved their second goal. As to the
first one, we will see shortly.
CD One
Matched to its partnering amplifier
b
oth in design and in size, the
CD/SACD player is a formidably
sized, tall structure with not too
much weight – at least compared to
other high-end products. The simple
front panel contains only the basic
controls; the middle area is
dominated by the dark Plexiglas
insert that also houses the indicators.
The company started in 1979, when
three young Swedes, Dawid, Leif and
Stefan (their initials make up the DLS
name) set out to manufacture radio
receivers without the use of crystals.
This endeavour brought immediate
success to them, as the Swedish
police, fire brigades, ambulances,
taxis and many others became
devoted users of the devices. The
receivers
,
manufactured until 1998
and sold over 100,000 units,
established the company's business
and reputation in the market. In 1985,
when the popularity of in-car hi-fi
exploded, DLS turned its attention to
in-car speakers and amplifiers. They
were determined to provide top
quality alternatives to the offerings of
the major Japanese market players.
The mechanics are Philips, a large
portion of the digital section is from
Mediatek, and the signals are converted
to analogue by a sophisticated BurrBrown DSD1792 DAC, which handles
not only the SACD (DSD) signals, but
also the up sampling of the 88.2 kHz
CD-DA bits. CD One is quite generous
with its outputs: the analogue selection
includes balanced XLR and two sets o
f
RCA connectors, while the digital
outputs include Toslink and coaxial
versions. The R4U remote control
supplied with the device is able to
control the functions of both DLS
electronics.
In addition to the balanced input
connectors, there are four line RCA
sockets, a tape output, a pre-out, and
good quality screw-clamp banana
sockets for the single speaker
outputs.
M66
The pinnacle of the DLS speaker
line, the M66 is a classic shape,
elegant floor-standing box with high
gloss rosewood or piano lacquer
finish. Its speakers are made with an
innovative and strong magnetic
system, aluminium diaphragms,
specially designed dust caps and low
weight aluminium voice coils. The
cabinet is heavy, stable and rigid,
with double baffles: standing waves
and other kinds of resonance have no
chance against it.
Amplifier One
The DLS specialists spent many
hours of listening time to pick the
parts for the 8 Ohm 2x100W amplifier.
Its design contains relatively few
stages, resulting in very low distortion
even in the highest ranges, and a quick
and stable sound. Thanks to the preamp stage being paired with a highcurrent terminal amplifier, the unit
can deliver up to 180W power on a 4
Ohm load. Two large, infinitely
turning knobs are located on the left
and right side of the front panel, in
perfect symmetry: one of them is a
rotary encoder type, 85dB upper limit
volume knob, the other is to select one
of the five high-level inputs.
The presentation of the rambunctious
clacking, rattles and drums that are
characteristics of this recording lacks
the feeling of the Latin temperament
– this set clearly represents another
school, and therefore conveys the
theme with a different, but very
enjoyable approach.
The strong and full bass makes
Terje Rypdal's rock music enjoyable
and effective. The hard-pounding
drums get us wrapped up in the
genre, in spite of the peculiar,
pleasantly singing tone. It is great
fun, when a highbrow device (set)
with powerful sound plays pop-rock.
It is like when poor Pavarotti sang
pop songs long ago – you can sense it
is not exactly his genre, but he
enriches the music with new colours
and feelings, giving it such an
unworldly grace that turns it into a
unique experience.
Recommendation
True to its origins, the DLS
system continues the Scandinavian
traditions both in its exterior
appearance and in its sounding,
having a natural, analogue-like,
ageless sound that does not yield to
any topical trends or fads. In its own
elegant and neutral style, its presents
b
oth classical and rock music in a
pleasurably high quality; its
abundant power provides enough
strength and a respectable bass so it
would not be embarrassed by any
musical material.
Verdi's Macbeth with its sudden
and steep mood changes and full-
b
looded tutti passages followed by
sweet lulling melodies presents an
interesting task for the
fundamentally tame-tempered DLS
devices, who nonetheless, accept the
gloves when challenged. They
deliver the tutti's energy easily, but
the colours are a bit pastel-like. For
example, the metallic feel of the
b
rasses is not complete, as the
“edges” of the colours are smoothed
somewhat. The string choir is
beautiful and refined, almost creamy,
and at the end, even the thrill is
there, without the pretentious
elements. In other words, a pleasant
sound is created with a
Scandinavian-type approach, and the
analogue relation that is the dream of
all digital devices is again
unforgettable.
The heavy basses in Shirley
Horn's recording don't prove to be
especially challenging for the M66
speakers. They dutifully pump the
energy and power, overdoing it only
for two moments when some
resonance enters the sound image.
The instruments are nicely
differentiated, the principle of
“together but separately” prevails
perfectly, and the reproduction of the
details shows mastery as well. The
voice of the singer stands out from
the instruments, and due to the
natural presentation, appears very
realistic.
The speakers are attached with heavy
duty fasteners, and the thick grey
front panel appears to be of a
vibration damping composition. The
tweeter of the 2.5-way speaker is a 28
mm soft dome, the woofer/midrange
and woofer speakers are both 6.5"
aluminium diaphragm speakers. The
single cable connector is a goldplated, screw-clamp type.
Sound quality
The “DLS band” strikes the
chords in a pleasant and neutral
style; the sound is very friendly,
recalling the analogue versions of the
recordings. The CD-type brightness
is not characteristic to it: in spite of its
energy, there seems to be a bit of
polite moderation that gives some
intimate feeling even to music with
sparkle. The set has very strong bass,
b
ut not bone-crunching: firm,
powerful and heavy drums as well as
the opulent and accurately notable
b
ass provide stable foundations. The
clarinet sings in a loose style; the
entire sound image reminds me of
devices I heard long ago, made by
another famous Scandinavian
company, Copland, and that is not a
b
ad comparison. I also like the
vibraphone very much. The
instrument sounds in a very nice,
pleasant tone, with soft and fine
strokes and long echoes,
continuously reminding me of the LP
version.
DLS CD ONE
Signal/Noise ratio: 112 dB
Crosstalk: 110 dB
Harmonic distortion: 0.005 %
Dimensions: 432 x 432 x 128 mm
Weight: 6.8 kg
DLS AMPLIFIER ONE
Power: 2 x 100 W / 8 Ohm
Frequency range: 0 to 100 kHz / 1 dB
Signal/Noise ratio: 106 dB
Dimensions: 432 x 432 x 128 mm
Weight: 16.8 kg
DLS M66
Recommended amplifier: 50 to 250 W
Frequency range: 40 Hz to 30 kHz
Sensitivity: 89 dB
Dimensions: 200 x 360 x 1080 mm
Weight: 28.4 kg
Distributor: Horn Distribution
Tel.:+36-1-347-0020
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