DALI Oberon 7 vs DALI Oberon Vokal Comparison

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DALI Oberon 7

Passive Floor-standing | 36-26k Hz

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DALI Oberon Vokal

Passive Center Channel | 47-26k Hz

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DALI Oberon 7

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DALI Oberon Vokal

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DALI Oberon 7

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DALI Oberon Vokal

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DALI Oberon 7 vs DALI Oberon Vokal Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by DALI. DALI Oberon 7 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Oberon Vokal is a Center Channel speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of DALI Oberon 7 and DALI Oberon Vokal first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	DALI Oberon 7	DALI Oberon Vokal
Brand	DALI Denmark · founded 1983	DALI Denmark · founded 1983
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.125" Soft-Dome	1-1/8" Soft-Dome
Woofer	2 x 7" Wood Fiber	2 x 5.25" Wood Fiber
Frequency response	36-26k Hz	47-26k Hz
Sensitivity	88.5 dB	89.5 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	4 ohms
Power range	30-180 watts	25-150 watts
Weight	14.80kg / 32.6lbs	7.45kg / 16.4lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	40" x 7-7/8" x 12-15/16" 1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm	6-3/8" x 17-7/16" x 11-9/16" 162.0 x 443.0 x 294.0mm

Oberon 7 and Oberon Vokal are members of DALI's Oberon series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

DALI Oberon Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
DALI Oberon 3	Bookshelf	47-26k Hz	87 dB	6Ω	1 x 7"
DALI Oberon 5	Floor-standing	39-26k Hz	88 dB	6Ω	2 x 5.25"
DALI Oberon 1	Bookshelf	51-26k Hz	86 dB	6Ω	1 x 5.25"
DALI Oberon 7	Floor-standing	36-26k Hz	88.5 dB	6Ω	2 x 7"
DALI Oberon 9	Floor-standing	35-26k Hz	90.5 dB	4Ω	2 x 9"
DALI Oberon Vokal	Center Channel	47-26k Hz	89.5 dB	4Ω	2 x 5.25"
DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal	Center Channel	45-26k Hz	91 dB	4Ω	2 x 7"
DALI Oberon On-Wall	On-wall	55-26k Hz	87 dB	6Ω	1 x 5.25"

What size room are the DALI Oberon 7 and DALI Oberon Vokal 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 7	DALI Oberon Vokal
Near-field	Bad	Poor
Small Room	Poor	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Good	Average
Very Large Room	Poor	Poor

(* 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

Both Oberon 7 and Oberon Vokal are 2-way speakers.

DALI Oberon 7

DALI Oberon Vokal

TweeterWoofer

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 7	DALI Oberon Vokal
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.125-inch	1-1/8-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	2 x 7-inch	2 x 5.25-inch

Oberon 7 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 7" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2300Hz. On the other hand, the Oberon Vokal features a 1-1/8" ultra-light soft textile Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2600Hz.

Frequency Response

Oberon 7 has a frequency range of 36-26k Hz whereas Oberon Vokal has a frequency range of 47-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the Oberon 7 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Oberon Vokal's min frequency of 47Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.

Low Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Oberon 7

Oberon Vokal

Min

Average

Median

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 7 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon Vokal 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 Vokal can provide this impedance level.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Oberon 7 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the Oberon Vokal's is rated at 89.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon Vokal a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon 7, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Oberon 7

Oberon Vokal

Min

Average

Median

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 7 can handle a max power of 180 watts RMS, whereas Oberon Vokal has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the Oberon 7.

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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

DALI Oberon 7

DALI Oberon Vokal

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Oberon 7 features Binding post type posts and Oberon Vokal has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

DALI Oberon 7's Post terminals

DALI Oberon Vokal's Binding post terminals

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Oberon 7 has a rear firing port whereas Oberon Vokal has a front firing ports. DALI Oberon Vokal's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to DALI Oberon 7 with its rear-firing port.

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 7's and DALI Oberon Vokal's external dimensions. DALI Oberon 7 has external dimensions of 1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm (40 x 7-7/8 x 12-15/16inch) whereas DALI Oberon Vokal has external dimensions of 162.0 x 443.0 x 294.0mm (6-3/8 x 17-7/16 x 11-9/16inch).

DALI Oberon Vokal is 854mm shorter and 35mm less deeper than DALI Oberon 7 but it is also 243mm wider.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 7 and DALI Oberon Vokal in scale.

Comparison image of DALI Oberon 7 and DALI Oberon Vokal 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 7 is approximately 658.0cm² / 102.0inch² and base area of the DALI Oberon Vokal is approximately 1302.4cm² / 201.9inch². The Oberon 7 requires 49% less surface area than the Oberon Vokal which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 7?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Oberon 7:

Floorstanding loudspeaker
Grille
4 Rubber feet
4 Spike-feet
4 Hex-nuts
Manual

What's in the Box of DALI Oberon Vokal?

Here are the items that come with the Oberon Vokal:

Center-channel loudspeaker
Grille
8 Rubber feet
Manual

Reasons to choose DALI Oberon 7 over DALI Oberon Vokal

Max Input Power	180 watts vs 150 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Nominal Impedance	6 ohms vs 4 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	7 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	36 Hz vs 47 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area	658cm² vs 1302cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose DALI Oberon Vokal over DALI Oberon 7

Sensitivity	90 dB vs 89 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Port Position	Front vs Rear	Gives more flexibility placing close to walls
Height	162mm vs 1016mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	599USD vs 1700USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

DALI Oberon 7 vs DALI Oberon Vokal Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	DALI Oberon 7	DALI Oberon Vokal
Brand	DALI	DALI
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Center channel speaker
Power Range	30-180 watts	25-150 watts
Sensitivity	88.5 dB	89.5 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	4 ohms
Frequency Response	36-26k Hz	47-26k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	2
Woofer Size	7"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	Wood Fiber	Wood Fiber
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1.125"	1-1/8"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	2300Hz	2600Hz
Firing Direction	rear	front
Physical Specs
Height	1016.0mm (40")	162.0mm (6.4")
Width	200.0mm (7.9")	443.0mm (17.4")
Depth	329.0mm (13")	294.0mm (11.6")
Weight	14.80kg (32.6lbs)	7.45kg (16.4lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	MDF/Wood-grain vinyl	MDF/Wood-grain vinyl
Available Colors	Black Ash, Light Oak, Dark Walnut, White	Black Ash, Light Oak, Dark Walnut, White
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in DALI's Oberon series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	DALI Oberon 7 digs deeper - 36Hz against 47Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power.
Amplifier match	A	DALI Oberon 7 is the easier load at 6 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (180W vs 150W).
Size	depends	DALI Oberon Vokal is easier to place; DALI Oberon 7 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Floor-standing against a Passive Center Channel - a different job rather than a better one.
Price	B	DALI Oberon Vokal is cheaper - $599 against $1,700, about 65% less; arguably a different class.

A DALI Oberon 7 B DALI Oberon Vokal
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: DALI Oberon 7 measures better, DALI Oberon Vokal costs about about 2.8x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 47Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper DALI Oberon Vokal much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate DALI Oberon 7 the better fit for a large room, and DALI Oberon Vokal for a small room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.