Dana 630iLCR

Dana 630iLCR center channel and multipurpose loudspeaker

Matched Dana performance, value, and good looks in a substantial center channel speaker

New 2011 Dana models are proving themselves reference-class performers and very high value choices in the premium speaker class. The Dana 630iLCR completes a multichannel Dana home theater system based on these exciting models. The new Dana 630iLCR is the second generation center channel speaker following the original Dana 660 center channel speaker.

Unique performance-oriented design and execution

The all-new 630iLCR uses twin 5.25" (135mm) long-throw, low distortion midwoofers set in a symmetrical array coupled to a performance-tuned bass alignment. The 630iLCR's 25mm / 1" soft dome tweeter perfectly compliments other Dana models for seamless, transparent imaging. The European-style Dana 630iLCR is clad in matte-finished, filled-grain cherry and easily exceeds the usual quality and performance of many reference-class center channel LCR loudspeakers.

Exclusive features

• Very low distortion driver motors for both tweeter and midwoofers give the 630iLCR superlative musical detail
• Tweeter response to beyond 40kHz for excellent phase response in the audible band
• Balanced, symmetrical MTM (midrange-tweeter-midrange) design with a crossover designed for usable off-axis dispersion
• Raw papyrus midwoofer cones and ultra-linear suspensions along with extremely low inductance motors give the 630iLCR's midwoofers a before-crossover response to 10kHz
• Cast alloy midwoofer baskets are completely ventilated for excellent linearity and power handling
• Bass reflex enclosure type, tuned for best bass control without the bass "lift" common to so many small speakers
• Heavy, braced, damped cabinet finished in genuine polished cherry veneer
• Rear ported. Black knit grille is removable. Stainless hardware. Single-pair input terminals in heavy gold plating

With The Audio Insider, you'll save about half the cost of competing models made by the world's finest brands - the kind of quality in the Dana 630iLCR is rarely available for under $1000. Compare it to any center channel speaker you choose.

Dana's 25mm dome tweeter has a usable response to nearly 40kHz.

Dana's very high performance midwoofers have less motor distortion than anything in Dana's class. Note the flat rear suspension and completely ventilated voice coil.

Dana technology

Tweeter

All Dana 600i-Series main speakers (the "i" designates "Improved" in this, the second generation of Dana loudspeakers) use a very high performance 25mm soft dome tweeter. This special dome tweeter has response to beyond 40kHz, and a remarkably flat, non-reactive impedance magnitude for low distortion. These characteristics are remarkable and truly transform the driver ... and only Dana has them in its price class. The Audio Insider selected this tweeter for these attributes and we believe they make this device unique to the Dana 600i-series class - you won't find this level of performance at this price elsewhere.

Dana's tweeter includes a European silk dome, special low-inductance motor with copper plating for very low distortion and very wide bandwidth, a high-energy motor, tuned rear chamber, special low-distortion suspension, and optimized dispersion. As the diret result, all Dana speakers have high frequencies that are neutral, open, spacious, and relaxed-sounding. The 25mm Dana dome tweeter also has high power handling, wide dynamic range, and excellent dispersion, features rarely found at Dana's low price.

Midbass / Woofers

Dana also uses special highly upgraded midbass and bass drivers for best performance and acoustic match. Each model has a hard-struck raw papyrus curvilinear cone balanced in a linear, low loss, low distortion suspension using a low-loss front edge suspension and a large flat rear spider. Frames are cast alloy, and feature a completely ventilated motor, both under the suspension and through the pole piece. Special copper shorting devices in the Dana motor give Dana midbass and bass drivers literally the lowest magnetic distortion we've seen in 30 years, and this excellence reveals itself in Dana's remarkable new sound.

Like all speaker models in the premium category at The Audio Insider, Dana speakers have a wonderful balance of neutral response, wide bandwidth, and low distortion, and Dana models uniquely have a high degree of "downward dynamic range" or the ability to mine the recording for previously unheard information. All models are precision-tuned bass reflex alignments for the best bass possible.

Crossover networks

As a premium product from a reputable maker and brand, Dana models all come with highly optimized internal dividing networks and filters, each CAD-developed and tuned by ear with care and expertise. Danas voicing is musical and articulate, and does wonders for either music or home theater program material. High-grade polypropylene capacitors, non-inductive resistors, and low loss inductors complete each circuit.

Cabinets

A great European-style loudspeaker brand is certain to include impeccable sonics, but Dana includes equally impressive furniture-grade cabinetry in the tradition of the best Danish-modern style. All cabinets are genuine hardwood veneer and all panels are milled to final tolerance by computer-controlled machines - hand-cutting cannot ensure Dana's perfect fit, finish, and unit-to-unit consistency. Enclosures are internally braced for strength and damped with up to three kinds of internal damping for sonic inertness. Final finishing involves a filled-grain, glass-flat surface polished to a medium lustre for lasting value and a look as harmonious in your decor as Dana sound is to your ears.

FEATURES:

SPECIFICATIONS:

Wideband, low-reactance 25mm soft cloth dome tweeter Dual 135mm raw papyrus-coned midwoofers with alloy baskets and special low-distortion motors Available in natural cherry Heavy, braced enclosure with internal damping Includes removable black fabric grille with stainless steel pins Priced, packed, and shipped singly Exclusively at The Audio Insider Manufacturer's warranty included Includes The Audio Insider's 30-day in-home satisfaction guarantee

Frequency Response: 60Hz-35kHz +/- 3dB Bass Power Response: -6dB @ 45Hz Sensitivity: 88dB Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms Recommended Power: up to 200W continuous average music Thermal Power Rating: 100W continuous sine Peak Power: 300W Dimensions: 615 x 185 x 250mm Dimensions: 24.2 x 7.3 x 9.9in Net Weight: 13kg / 28.5lbs each

CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Would you like to review this product? Owners are invited to do just that. Place an order for this product and we'll send you an invitation to review in 15 days.

Total Reviews: 5

by John B Date Added: Saturday April 23, 2011

Beautiful piece. Sound is a big improvement over my older Dana Center channel. Deeper bass and a better match to my Dana towers. Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]

by David Indech Date Added: Monday March 30, 2009

In sum: these are extraordinary speakers, especially at moderate listening volumes and with instrumental material. They have a clear, but not strident, high range that brings out tremendous detail. On a Glenn Gould recording of Bach's Toccatas, I can actually hear him humming in the background as he plays. It's incredibly subtle, I'd never heard it on my Klipsch setup before, but it adds so much to the performance. Off-axis performance is unusually impressive. From six feet, with the monitors spaced five feet apart, I hear a slightly dispersed singer the corner of my room. If I move to two feet away, still centered, it's almost like wearing high-end headphones. The vocals become extremely intimate. I imagine this effect would be even more pronounced if I had a larger room and more space to push them apart. It's this off-axis performance that gives them such an enormous soundstage. I won't belabor their excellence as I've already done so in the review below, but I will say: an impartial panel at AVS Forum rated them above B&W's $2200 8-series bookshelf speaker in blind testing. They are very, very good. Having said that, are there any caveats? Maybe. The overwhelming majority of my listening is only somewhat louder than a strong speaking voice. While these Danas are capable of painful volumes, pushing them intro the triple-digit decibels will take away from the balance that makes them such a pleasing listen. Given that they aren't particularly efficient, you'll need powerful hardware to have good results at those listening levels. Likewise, bass response is only average for a monitor of this size, so you'll want a subwoofer unless your material is very old, or your listening volumes very soft. Here's the long version, with pictures: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=903375 Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]

by Todd Richmond Date Added: Friday November 30, 2007

Current setup: Dana 630 L/R Dana 660 C old Cambridge Soundworks sats LR/RR Onkyo 605 Apartment living room, hardwood floors, no treatment, 12'x25' but system is at one end running the short distance (couch approx. 10' from speakers). I have a history in audio, newbie to video consumption although I shoot/edit/produce video (among other things). I have a music production studio set up in the same space with Adam p11a NFMs. The system is mostly for HT, although given how good it sounds I might start listening to music this way instead of via my iPod. I originally picked up a LCR setup from another ID company. Very nice speakers but quite plain in appearance (I didn't think that would bother me) and rather large/tall. For some reason the Dana speakers were talking to me, so I ordered up a set after a few email exchanges with Jon. Once they arrived, I spent a couple hours swapping between the two setups (keeping the same rear speakers, but heavily attenuating them) using Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" live DVD as the reference material. I started just running the LR in stereo. I was fairly shocked by the amount of low end the speakers will put out. And yes, these speakers are pretty small...much smaller than what I was used to and directly comparing them to. I eventually went to 5.1 mode and settled in. I won't wax poetic or try too hard to describe the speakers. Suffice it to say that the Dana speakers totally belie their size, have a very smooth and musical tone, the center channel is particularly articulate with voices, and crossed over at 80hz with a Hsu STF-2 sub; the fronts do whatever I needed effortlessly. A few days later I popped in "The Last Waltz" as a second reference, given that I also know that movie and it has a great live mix with a lot of instrumentation. At first I was a little disappointed, as while the vocals were right out in front, the horns were a bit back in the mix, and the sticking was a tad soft on the drums. The other speakers were much more up front, but not nearly as articulate with the vocals. Then I happened to read a review here about the grills. I popped them off and viola'...the horns were spectacular. The bottom line is that it seems in my situation the tone is source dependent. In some cases, I get a bit better definition and clarity with the grills off. In others (like HT), the grills actually seem to accentuate the vocals a bit (likely by masking some frequencies of other noises like horns). This is subtle, but I could hear it. I then turned the system way down as I had other things to do, and it was getting late (I live on the ground floor of a 6 unit, 2-story building). When I came back and sat for awhile I discovered something quite amazing...the clarity and tone at low volumes was stunning. I've found this not to be the case with most speakers...you usually have to pump them to get them to speak. But at low (conversation) volumes the Dana's were perfectly crisp and clear. That will make my neighbors happy. The bottom line is that I packed up the other speakers and sent them back. I also ordered up a Cambridge Audio 540R V3 receiver as I think a high current amp will work better with these speakers. And now to decide what to do about the back channel speakers. Oh, and as a side benefit, these speakers are beautiful. I don't go for glossy/shiny/etc finishes. These are a very nice and subtle veneer with perfectly finished corners. Very sweet. Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]

by John Pletsch Date Added: Sunday August 05, 2007

In short, the Dana 630 speakers are extremely good. Long version: The Dana 630 are an involving speaker for more than one reason. They are more forward than other speakers I have auditioned. They present a lot of detail both in micro dynamics and articulation. I expected this based on what I had heard. What I didn?t expect was the depth of the soundstage. They image good side to side, extending beyond the speakers width, as well as front to back better than any speaker I have heard in it's price range. With other speakers I have heard in this range you have to struggle to hear it in my room. Not so with the Dana 630. I was easily able to pinpoint instruments, and positioning on the soundstage. Also ? for the first time in this room, I was able to resolve a vertical soundstage. For example ? in the Led Zeppelin remastered ?Whole Lotta Love? the drums were below the singer?s voice. As an added bonus they produce a lot of sound for their size. Contrary to the other poster, I find them very good for rock and rap. Granted I am using them with a subwoofer but these speakers can really pound. I admit there is a great possibility that the strongest point of these speakers is how they sound with music like Jazz but rest assured, if you are a rock fan like me, these will not disappoint, and unless you plan to use them in a concert hall, your ears will give up before the Dana's. I am using them with a Panasonic XR55 which is rated at 8 ohms. I was a bit concerned about driving the Danas which are rated at 4 ohms but have had no problems at all. Build quality is extremely good. They are an attractive speaker and while I have not noticed a lot of degredation in the sound with the grills on I am one who prefers his speakers in the nude. Other speakers auditioned in the price range are: AV123 X-LS Ascend 170SE SVS SB-01 HSU HB-1 I hope to be able to do some direct comparsion to the Ascend 170SE in the future. While sonic memory can be bad from what I can remember hearing I believe the Dana is a better performer. Certainly there is no comparison in the looks epartment. Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]

by kevin reynolds Date Added: Saturday August 04, 2007

The best word to describe this speaker is WOW. These are great speakers for music in a small library or den. They sound great for instrumentals or jazz or vocals. Not going to be a great choice for heavy metal or rap or techno. There are many other products on the Audio Insider that would work perfect for those types of music. These would also work really well for home theater: 2 in front, 2 in rear, a center, and a sub. You could set that up with all Dana products for well under $2,000 and have one awesome sounding setup. I use them as rears with my Swan Diva 6.2s in the front and they blend really well. As far as sound, this is a very neutral sounding speaker. Musical reproduction is phenomenal. One thing that is extremely important is to remove the grills. These grills really muffle the sound. It could be the fact the grills cover the front ports. The plus side to this is that once those grills are off, these are some very attractive little speakers. Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]