So we go out as we came in, by asking ‘what do you want a soundbar for?’. If you’re trying to combine performance, style and ease of use without getting carried away in a financial sense, you should hear (and see) the DALI Katch One. You should buy the DALI Katch One if…

And the Danish company Dali Speaker A/S is one of these specialists, because for a long time now they have been dealing with the problem of good television sound in many different ways. However, Dali Speaker A/S did not really have a large number of these sound bar systems on offer. In 2014, Dali Speaker A/S presented the Dali KUBIK ONE system, an extremely elegant soundbar, which was to be understood as much more than just a flexible all-in-one system.

KATCH ONE offers Bluetooth AAC and aptX - allowing for easy music streaming from your phone, tablet or even your TV, creating a completely wireless solution. Feeding the amplifier is a 200 watts peak switch mode power supply, with ample power delivery to handle everything from a concert to a powerful explosion. The dual transformer design keeps the standby power very low and headroom to handle the power requirements of the amplifiers is always available. Sound Modes So-called soundbar systems have been flourishing for years, as they represent the simplest and most compact solution for this task from the consumer’s point of view. After all, the aim is to add just one single system that can be integrated into the living space around the television as homogeneously and discreetly as possible. At least a soundbar is mandatory… The bundled remote is splendid, and for an out-of-the-box boost to TV audio and older sets’ smart features, the Roku Streambar is extremely low risk for this price. In that sense, it’s something we can wholeheartedly recommend. The Katch One can be placed on a flat surface or wall-mounted. A third, more stylish, option is to hang it from a TV using the included leather straps that also serve to hide any cables running to the soundbar. The placement of woofers is optimized for wall-mounting, so the best placement option is against a wall to achieve the intended bass response. Along with its four shallow-depth 3.5-inch woofers and four 4.5-inch steel cone passive radiators, the Katch One has two 0.8-inch soft dome tweeters placed close to the outer left/right edges that provide a beautifully spacious soundstage.

Whenever a soundbar does have height drivers, it's important to remember that you'll get better results if you have low ceilings to bounce the sound off and that the top of the soundbar needs to be uncovered and placed clear of the TV screen. It’s safe to say Katch One isn’t one of those ‘grab you by the lapels’ speakers. Some soundbars like to pummel you with bass to try and impress, some manage to sound loud even when they’re playing quietly. Compared to one of these blustering devices, the DALI is – initially, at least – quite understated. Undemonstrative, even.

KATCH ONE Soundbar

You can expect spine-tingling 3D audio that sounds totally effortless, sparkling dialogue and plenty of bottom-end grunt based on our experience using it. Connectivity is just as impressive, with Bluetooth 4.2 and Chromecast for streaming. To be honest, this is probably the “worst” option, because the second option, which Dali Speaker A/S has provided here, is much more elegant. The Dali KATCH One is delivered with two leather loops that are mounted on the upper side, and with the help of which the soundbar can be hung on the wall. By the way, the Dali KATCH One also comes with an integrated cable management system, so that no cables are visible.

There’s only so much you can do to differentiate the design of a long home theater slab. But Harman Kardon’s Citation MultiBeam 700 is about as sleek and sophisticated as soundbar styling gets, with an acoustically transparent Kvadrat wool covering and neat, compact dimensions that don’t compromise the sound. The Ray has been conceived to slot into cabinets without its sonic dispersion being impacted. However, it doesn’t feature the virtual Dolby Atmos decoding of Sonos’ more premium soundbars – the Beam Gen 2 and Arc (both below). So, pragmatically, Sonos also decided to ditch the HDMI eARC connections of its pricier products in favour of a classic optical input, which almost every TV will have, but monitors and consoles may not. Even with a relatively low-quality 320kbps file beamed over Bluetooth, you can hear fine details like the highest string notes and the husky edge to the oboe. As with movies, it’s remarkably transparent, offering the sort of clear and faithful reproduction that you rarely get from a soundbar. In most cases you will probably control the Dali KATCH one quite simply with the remote control of the TV, we have already mentioned this. However, the Dali KATCH one is also supplied with a remote control which can also be used to control the volume, but also allows you to select the input and call up the two sound presets.

THE VERDICT

Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, LPCM, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS 96/24, DSD, MPEG-H, Sony 360 Audio It is hard to believe that the Dali KATCH one uses no less than ten loudspeaker drivers, although it is basically a 2 1/2-way system. As already described, the developers of the new Dali KATCH one have relied on the experience of the Dali KUBIK One and Dali KATCH, especially in the design of the very flat bass drivers, which are due to the special conditions. Four of these are used, each with a diameter of 90 mm and mounted on an aluminium membrane with a fabric dust cap. Despite their flat design, these are designed as long-stroke diaphragms, whereby a special suspension of the centering spider plays a key role as the central component, since it ensures that the same degree of excursion is achieved here as with a conventional driver. The aluminium cone is essential for a clean and discolouration-free reproduction. According to the manufacturer, the combination with fabric guarantees the lowest possible surface resonances and thus a detailed and clear radiation. 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.