New colours, same mastery: DALI  flagship headphones and speakers get vibrant makeover

In luxury audio, colour is more than an aesthetic flourish, it’s indicative of personality, presence, and high design. No one knows this better than Danish audio alchemist DALI. The brand has just unveiled a stylish refresh of its flagship IO-12 headphones and no-holds-barred KORE loudspeakers at the 2025 High End Munich show.

DALI’s IO-12 headphones will return in a new Mocha Grey finish this September, while the mighty KORE loudspeakers, already an imposing presence, gain new high-gloss colourways, plus a second iteration of their richly lacquered Amara Ebony veneer. 

The Luxe Review had a chance to inspect these new models at the audio show, and can report they look spectacular. The new Mocha IO-12s are fashionably on point, while the newly liveried KOREs exude supercar panache. 

IO-12 headphones think like loudspeakers

The IO-12s are not your average headphones. Last year, they earned DALI the EISA award for Best Premium Headphone, with good reason: these are the world’s first headphones to integrate the same Soft Magnetic Compound (SMC) magnet system that powers DALI’s elite speaker drivers. 

50mm custom drivers deliver extraordinary clarity, thanks to this proprietary treatment, which significantly reduces distortion by eliminating the magnetic hysteresis, or lag, said to plague conventional voice-coil designs.

Add in aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, USB-C and 3.5mm support, and three-tiered Active Noise Cancellation, and you’ve got a personal sound system fluent in high-resolution audio.

The headphones offer dual listening profiles; a neutral Hi-Fi mode for purists and a Bass setting for those who like their low-end thick with intent. With 35 hours of battery life, premium leather headband, oversized square ear pads and foldable design, this is travel-ready audio with home-studio ambition.

KORE loudspeakers make a statement

Unveiled in 2023, the KORE speaker tips the scales at over 160kg apiece, every component of which is hand-crafted. Now, with the addition of new high-gloss finishes – Velvet Red, Navy Blue, Steel Grey, Racing Green, White – and a second take on the existing Amara Ebony lacquer, the KORE hopes to redefine luxury audio design once again.

Beneath the lacquer lies DALI’s most advanced engineering to date. Balanced Drive SMC technology, a world-first, features dual voice coils in a symmetrical topology, said to dramatically lower harmonic distortion and boost dynamics.

The custom-built 7-inch midrange driver ensures warmth and cohesion, while the EVO-K hybrid tweeter combines a 35mm dome with a new ribbon element for pristine high-frequency detail.

And then there’s the cabinet itself, a handsome fusion of curved wood laminate, and structural composites, anchored by a 34kg resin plinth.

The only question which remains unanswered is: what colour will you choose?

The DALI IO-12 in Mocha Grey are priced at £999 (€999), and will launch September 2025. The DALI KORE  are priced at €100,000 per pair, with all colours available to order from Dali now.