Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Dali says its latest wireless headphones achieve electrostatic levels of clarity

Dali IO-12 wireless headphones.
Dali Speakers

Dali’s latest wireless headphones, the Dali IO-12, will cost $1,299 when they hit retail later this month. That’s a huge jump up from the company’s previous offering, the $500 Dali IO-6, and it might even be a new record price for a set of wireless headphones, but Dali says the new noise-canceling cans are worth it because of the unusual technology that has been used to create the headphones’ 50mm drivers.

The Danish company claims the IO-12 are the world’s first to use a Soft Magnetic Compound (SMC) magnet system — the same tech that Dali patented and used in its acclaimed floor-standing speakers. The primary benefit to SMC is a reduction of hysteresis — distortion that can be caused by resistance to the voice coil in traditional magnet systems. Reducing hysteresis can lower uneven harmonic distortion “drastically,” according to Dali.

Dali IO-12 wireless headphones.
Dali Speakers

The improvement is so notable that Dali’s head of product management, Krestian Pedersen, says the IO-12 “have essentially achieved electrostatic levels of midrange clarity.” Electrostatic headphones have a reputation for exceptional clarity and transparency, but they can cost thousands of dollars and require their own high-voltage power supply, so you can’t use them when you’re away from a power outlet.

Recommended Videos

The driver itself also borrows a few construction techniques from Dali’s speakers, including the use of a voice coil former — a rigid cylinder around which the coil is wound — which once again leads to lower distortion.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

As a wireless set of headphones, the IO-12 support the SBC, AAC, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs for up to 24-bit/96kHz lossy hi-res audio. And with the included USB-C audio cable, you can get the same resolution losslessly from compatible devices like PCs, laptops, and phones — including the new iPhone 15/15 Pro which use a USB-C port instead of Apple’s Lightning interface.

Dali IO-12 wireless headphones.
Dali Speakers

We’ve seen USB-C audio on other high-end headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 and the Master & Dynamic MW75, but these cans typically need to be powered on to work with analog signals. The IO-12, by contrast, has a dedicated analog cable and the company says the sound signature isn’t affected when you use them in their non-powered state.

The headband and ear cushions are made from real leather and the internal battery gets a claimed 35 hours of use per charge. The headphones have active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency modes, plus sidetone for phone calls and access to native voice assistants. Curiously, there’s no app support for the IO-12. All features, including the two built-in EQ modes (Hi-Fi and Bass), are accessed via the headphone’s controls.

Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article stated that Dali did not list transparency and sidetone modes as options on the IO-12. This has been corrected.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
Noble Fokus Apollo headphones are the first with planar and dynamic drivers
Noble Fokus Apollo.

Sony, Sennheiser, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, Master & Dynamic, and Focal -- when it comes to high-end wireless headphones, these are the brands that typically attract those who care a lot about audio quality. But that might change now that Noble has released its first set of wireless, noise-canceling headphones -- the $649 Noble Fokus Apollo. They're available starting September 3.

Noble might not be a household name like those other brands, but it has been producing audiophile-grade in-ear monitors (IEMs) for over a decade, and many of them have earned high praise from that notoriously picky community. The Fokus Apollo are very much targeted toward this same type of buyer, with a novel combination of drivers plus wireless hi-res audio codecs.

Read more
Bang & Olufsen’s latest headphones look gorgeous and cost a fortune
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100.

Iconic Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is well known for both its stunning industrial design, as well as its premium prices, but we still weren't quite prepared for its new Beoplay H100 wireless headphones. They're sleek, built from a combination of leather, aluminum, and scratch-resistant hardened glass, and each earcup has a rotating "haptic" dial for intuitive control over both volume and noise cancellation. The price for these new cans? $1,549 -- a huge increase over the company's previous flagship, the Beoplay H95, which were already pricey at $800.

If you can afford them, the B&O Beoplay H100 are available September 3 in three color options: Infinite Black, Hourglass Sand, and Sunset Apricot.

Read more
JBL has added every conceivable feature to its Tour Pro 3 wireless buds
JBL Tour Pro 3.

JBL's new Tour Pro 3 wireless earbuds should really be called the JBL Tour de Force. The company's second-gen Tour Pro were already the most feature-studded earbuds we've ever seen, complete with a touchscreen on the charging case, and yet the Tour Pro 3 go further. Much further. The price has gone up too -- they'll cost $300 when they become available for purchase on September 22.

At a glance, the third-gen looks the same as before, whether you get them in black or "latte." Physically, the shape of the earbuds is unchanged. However, the case is a little smaller, while offering a 30% larger screen. It can also act as a retransmitter of both analog and digital audio when you use the included cables to plug it into computers, smartphones, or in-flight seat-back entertainment systems.

Read more