Dali Phantom K-60LP Ceiling Speaker (Single)

Dali Phantom K-60LP low profile ceiling speaker is a high quality speaker with a depth of only 36.5mm. It is designed to fit where no other speaker can. You get the same quality Dali sound in an ultra-shallow form factor. This is a two-way speaker. Notably, the bass is delivered with punch, from an aluminium coned woofer. While the tweeter has a 25mm soft dome. There is also a high boost switch and a mounting system that does not need a back box. The power handling is 150 Watts and the impedance is 8 Ohms. Finally, the frequency range is good, extending up to 26 kHz.

Great bass from an aluminium cone woofer

Ultra low-profile speakers need innovative design, and the K60-LP is no exception. The voice coil and magnet are mounted inside the cone instead of behind. While the spider that centres the voice coil is attached to the membrane, instead of to the voice coil former itself. The cone is made of aluminium for rigidly, and it is also long-throw. The result is amazing bass, from such a small speaker.

Spectacular highs

The lightweight 25mm tweeter provides outstanding high frequency sound. The powerful neodymium magnet delivers all of the detail you would expect from a Dali speaker. Moreover, there is a high boost switch. As high frequencies are directional, they can be reduced, if the listener is off-axis. However, with the boost switch, the treble can be boosted for an even performance. There are also compass markings to make alignment easier.

No backbox required

The K-60LP can be installed without the need for a backbox. It can then be fitted into a very narrow, 35mm space. This is done by using the simple dogleg mounting system. You can then fit the speaker in a wall or ceiling and it should provide excellent sound.

Speaker Construction

Like most speakers, the K-60LP is made of many parts. The first is the basket. This holds the cone and magnet system. Unusually with the K-60LP the voice coil and magnet are mounted inside the cone to reduce the depth. The cone is also known as the diaphragm, and is the part that moves the air to create sound. The voice coil is wrapped around a circular former that fits in a circular gap in the magnet. The magnetic field generated by the coil reacts with the fixed magnet to create movement.

Next comes the spider. This sits behind the cone and ensures that it returns to the correct position. It also keeps the voice coil in position. The whole assembly is placed under a dust cap to prevent debris from getting in the gap and causing a scraping noise.

The magnet itself is a permanent type and is usually made of iron. However, an electromagnet was once used with valve equipment. This was driven by the power supply and also acted as a choke to smooth any mains hum. As well as iron, more modern materials are used, such as granular materials with better magnetic properties.

What is impedance?

The K-60LP has a nominal impedance of 8 Ohms. What does this mean? Impedance is actually a combination of resistance and inductance, in this case. It can also be a combination of resistance and capacitance. But we are talking about a speaker coil that has inductance. It can be thought of as the effective resistance of the speaker at a certain frequency. This can be from 4 -16 Ohms, the lower the impedance the more power is delivered by the amplifier. However, this requires more current from the amplifier’s output, and consequently, a bigger power supply.

Ceiling speakers like the Phantom K-60LP are generally easy to drive, allowing you to use any amplifier with a decent amount of power – including hi-fi and custom install types.