DALI IO-8

REVIEW
Alan Sircom
Sep 02, 2025

Although best known as a loudspeaker maker, the DALI IO-8 is not the brand’s first headphone rodeo. That honour goes to the IO-6, a travel headphone that hit the market when everyone stopped going anywhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The excellent IO-12 flagship followed in 2023. However, launching at £999 put the IO-12 beyond the price ceiling of many wireless ANC (active noise cancellation) headphone users. But the DALI IO-8 is third-time lucky. Three is the magic number, and it’s in the Goldilocks spot.

The IO-8 feels more substantial and expensive than the IO-6. It isn’t as large or opulent as the IO-12. Although using genuine leather might deter vegans, it lends the IO-8 a luxury appeal. Moreover, it is undeniably comfortable for long-haul listening. On that subject, it has an impressive 35-hour battery life. It also features a Sony-esque backbone, including a good spread of inputs and codecs. Additionally, it offers excellent ANC.

However, the drivers are all DALI. The DALI IO-8 use 50mm dynamic diaphragms in a closed-back, circumaural design, with a 25-ohm impedance when run passively. They weigh in at 325g. This makes them heavier than the Bose and Sony wireless ANC designs that dominate European airspace. Yet, they’re lighter than the Apple AirPod Max models popular on U.S. flights. The supplied case has a 3.5mm mini jack and a USB-C charging cable. You can also use the USB cable to connect directly to a laptop.

Ease of use

The DALI IO-8’s haptics stress ease of use. Everything you need to control the headphones – from answering calls to dialling in noise cancellation – happens by touching the right ear cup. There’s a little film overlay to point out functions, but you quickly internalise their operation. Power on/Bluetooth pairing, toggling between ‘Hi-Fi’ and ‘Bass’ modes, and a three-way ANC control are all accessible via hard buttons around the ear cup. Meanwhile, volume is controlled by pressing the top or bottom of the outer ring on the right headphone. Track and call handling are all controlled by one, two or three taps of the centre button. I find these physical buttons more intuitive than touch panels.

What’s missing from this picture is an app to control any further functionality. DALI argues that navigating to an app on your smartphone and another app to access your media is a misstep. While I’d like the improved functionality that an app can bring – greater tone shaping, for example – the DALI IO-8’s simplicity of operation has a siren’s call. That call is loudest in the middle of a long-haul flight. The last thing you need to do when you want to watch Kaos (Netflix… give it a second season, please!) after a few hours in the air is mash a few app buttons for no good reason.

Binge business

As a ‘binge business flyer’ (sometimes no flights for months, then one flight seemingly every few days during audio’s busy months), I invested in a set of Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless ANC headphones. My wife, who doesn’t travel as much but commutes more than I do, owns a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultras. Among us, we have what are commonly considered to be the best-sounding headphones and the ones with the best noise cancellation. About five minutes into listening to the DALI IO-8, I started to regret pulling the trigger on the Sony headphones. While the Bose noise cancellation still outperforms both DALI and Sony, the difference is negligible in absolute terms. The QC Ultras are still remarkably good at cutting back sounds. However, sometimes the less ‘floaty head’ feeling you get from the IO-8’s ANC is preferable.

The tonality of the DALI IO-8 is excellent. High frequencies are evenly balanced, with the right degree of ‘shimmer’ and ‘extension’ to make them great for well-manicured recordings. They are neither ‘dull’ nor ‘peaky’ if you play something a little thin and compressed. The bass is deep and hefty, yet not slow or stodgy. It’s excellent for giving dance music a bit more ‘whomp’ without blurring or exaggerating the sounds of timpani or double basses in an orchestra. Between these is a supple and articulate midrange, able to present vocals with as much clarity and intelligibility as was in the recording.

Shining through

The company’s loudspeaker heritage shines through in soundstaging terms; it’s got a large and ‘out of the ears’ soundstage that has virtually none of the lateralisation (in-head sounds) that plagued older wireless designs and instead made it sound like you are listening to a pair of headphones.

Here’s a tip. The ‘bass’ setting might be slightly
thick set for audiophiles… unless you wear glasses. Because the arms of your glasses break the seal around your ears, the ‘bass’ setting goes some way to compensate for any low-frequency loss. If I were engrossed in listening and my glasses came off, I would switch back to ‘hi-fi’ but use the ‘bass’ setting when sound and vision were needed. As mentioned earlier, if you need to change, it’s easy. A well-spoken male voice tells you which setting you’ve chosen anyway.

The perils of seat 14C

In absolute terms, compared to similarly priced domestic headphones, the IO-8 falls short in terms of detail resolution, clarity, and tonal accuracy. But equally, those likely open-backed headphones will sound dreadful when played in seat 14C. The lone downside doesn’t apply on this side of the Pond. I suspect the US price puts them in the same category as the larger IO-12, beyond the price ceiling of current wireless ANC headphone buyers.

The DALI IO-8 wireless ANC headphones are comfortable, easy to use, have long battery life, and excellent noise cancellation. Better still, they deliver a performance that brings your home system to life, just like on that long-haul flight. Good wireless ANC headphones are all about balance. I can’t help but think the IO-8 has perhaps the best balance of price, performance and practicality out there. For the next long-haul flight, or even the next screeching London Underground journey, the Sony XM5s will stay in the box. I’ll wear a pair of DALI IO-8s.