In this review, we will be comparing HTS7 and Oberon On-Wall, two Passive On-wall speakers from ATC and DALI.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ATC HTS7 and DALI Oberon On-Wall first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | ATC HTS7 | DALI Oberon On-Wall |
|---|
| Brand | ATC
United Kingdom · founded 1974 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 0.98" | 1.14" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 5.25" Wood fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 44-22k Hz | 55-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 84 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 75 to 300 Watts watts | 25-100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 8.00kg / 17.6lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 15.35" x 9.65" x 5.39"
390.0 x 245.0 x 137.0mm | 15.16" x 9.65" x 4.72"
385 x 245 x 120 mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both HTS7 and Oberon On-Wall are 2-way speakers.
ATC HTS7DALI Oberon On-Wall
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
ATC HTS7 |
DALI Oberon On-Wall |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.98-inch
|
1.14-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x -inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
HTS7 features a 0.98" Tweeter and 1 x " Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.5kHz. On the other hand, the Oberon On-Wall features a 1.14" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
HTS7 has a frequency range of 44-22k Hz whereas Oberon On-Wall has a frequency range of 55-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the HTS7 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Oberon On-Wall's min frequency of 55Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the On-wall class in our database.
Low Frequency
On-wall Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
HTS7 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon On-Wall which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. HTS7 sensitivity is rated at 84 dB and the Oberon On-Wall's is rated at 87 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon On-Wall a more sensitive speaker compared to ATC HTS7, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
On-wall Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
HTS7 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Oberon On-Wall has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the HTS7.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
HTS7 features Binding post type posts and Oberon On-Wall has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare ATC HTS7's and DALI Oberon On-Wall's external dimensions. ATC HTS7 has external dimensions of 390.0 x 245.0 x 137.0mm (15.35 x 9.65 x 5.39inch) whereas DALI Oberon On-Wall has external dimensions of 385 x 245 x 120 mm ().
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
ATC HTS7 needs about 14% more floor or shelf area. ATC HTS7 is 17mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the ATC HTS7 is approximately 335.7cm2 / 52.0inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon On-Wall is approximately 294.0cm2 / 45.6inch2. The HTS7 requires 14% more surface area than the Oberon On-Wall which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.