In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by DALI. DALI Oberon 1 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Oberon 9 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon 1 and DALI Oberon 9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Oberon 1 | DALI Oberon 9 |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1.125" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 7" |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.25" Wood Fiber | 2 x 9" Wood Fiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 51-26k Hz | 35-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86 dB | 90.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-100 watts | 50-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 4.18kg / 9.2lbs | 37.10kg / 81.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 10-13/16" x 6-7/16" x 8-15/16"
275.0 x 164.0 x 228.0mm | 46-1/8" x 10-1/4" x 16"
1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm |
|---|
Oberon 1 and Oberon 9 are members of DALI's Oberon series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
DALI Oberon Series
History
What size room are the DALI Oberon 1 and DALI Oberon 9 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
DALI Oberon 1 |
DALI Oberon 9 |
| Near-field |
Average |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Bad |
Good |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Oberon 1 is a 2-way design whereas the Oberon 9 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
DALI Oberon 1DALI Oberon 9
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
DALI Oberon 1 |
DALI Oberon 9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 7-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 9-inch
|
Oberon 1 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800Hz. On the other hand, the Oberon 9 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 7" Midrange and 2 x 9" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 780Hz and 3400Hz.
Frequency Response
Oberon 1 has a frequency range of 51-26k Hz whereas Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Oberon 9 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Oberon 1's min frequency of 51Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf 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
Oberon 1 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon 9 which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Oberon 9 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Oberon 1 sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Oberon 9's is rated at 90.5 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon 9 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon 1, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf 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.
Oberon 9 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Oberon 1 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the Oberon 9.
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
Oberon 1 features Post type posts and Oberon 9 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 1's Post terminals
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Oberon 1 and Oberon 9 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 DALI Oberon 1's and DALI Oberon 9's external dimensions. DALI Oberon 1 has external dimensions of 275.0 x 164.0 x 228.0mm (10-13/16 x 6-7/16 x 8-15/16inch) whereas DALI Oberon 9 has external dimensions of 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm (46-1/8 x 10-1/4 x 16inch).
DALI Oberon 9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 96mm wider, 897mm taller and 179mm deeper than DALI Oberon 1.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 1 and DALI Oberon 9 in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 1 and DALI Oberon 9 Size and External Dimensions
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 DALI Oberon 1 is approximately 373.9cm2 / 58.0inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon 9 is approximately 1058.2cm2 / 164.0inch2. The Oberon 1 requires 65% less surface area than the Oberon 9 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 1?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Oberon 1:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 8 Rubber bumpers
- Manual
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 9?
Here are the items that come with the Oberon 9:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike-feet
- 4 Hex-nuts
- Manua