I've spent 20 years testing hi-fi and these bookshelf speakers are the gateway drug to passive perfection

As a gateway drug into a lifetime of ever-more capable, ever-more expensive passive loudspeakers, the Dali Kupid are very hard indeed to argue with.

• +

  Vigorous, entertaining and punchy sound

• +

  Good looks and plenty of different finishes

• +

  Handily compact

• -

  Take a fair amount of running in

• -

  Some high-quality rivals

Dali Kupid: Two-minute review

Dali may have been concentrating on the loftier parts of the audio market lately with its various loudspeaker and headphone product launches, but with the Kupid it wants you to know it hasn’t abandoned the entry level. The company has had plenty of success with its affordable speaker ranges before now, and it wants to bring those days back.

The Kupid is a small, neatly finished standmounting design that’s available in a couple of quite vibrant finishes (blue and yellow) along with the more usual black, white and walnut. Its compact nature means ...