In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by DALI. DALI Oberon 3 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 3 and DALI Oberon 9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
DALI Oberon 3 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 7" Wood Fiber Woofer
- 47-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:25-150watts
- Weight:6.32kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 350.0" x 7-7/8" x 12-3/16"( 350.0 x 201.0 x 310.0mm )
DALI Oberon 9 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 7" Midrange
- 2 x 9" Wood Fiber Woofer
- 7" Midrange
- 35-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 90.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:50-400watts
- Weight:37.10kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1172.0" x 10-1/4" x 16"( 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm )
Oberon 3 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 3 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 3 |
DALI Oberon 9 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the DALI Oberon 3 and DALI Oberon 9 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Oberon 3 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.
| Driver |
DALI Oberon 3 |
DALI Oberon 9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 7-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 7-inch
|
2 x 9-inch
|
Oberon 3 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 7" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2400Hz. 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 3 has a frequency range of 47-26k 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 3's min frequency of 47Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Oberon 3 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 3 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Oberon 9's is rated at 90.5 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon 9 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon 3, 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. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Oberon 3 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Oberon 3 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS , 250 watts less than the Oberon 9.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Oberon 3 features Post type posts and Oberon 9 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 3's Post terminals
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Oberon 3 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
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 3's and DALI Oberon 9's external dimensions. DALI Oberon 3 has external dimensions of 350.0 x 201.0 x 310.0mm ( 13-3/4 x 7-7/8 x 12-3/16inch) 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 59mm wider, 822mm taller and 97mm deeper than DALI Oberon 3.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 3 and DALI Oberon 9 in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 3 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 3 is approximately 623.1cm2 / 96.6inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon 9 is approximately 1058.2cm2 / 164.0inch2. The Oberon 3 requires 41% 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 3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Oberon 3:
2 Bookshelf loudspeakers2 Grilles8 Rubber feetManual
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 9?
Here are the items that come with the Oberon 9:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille4 Rubber feet4 Spike-feet4 Hex-nutsManua
Nominal Impedance 
Height 
Base Surface Area 
Price per pair* 
Max Input Power 
Driver Setup 
Sensitivity 
Woofer Size