In this review, we will be comparing Oberon 7 and Borea BR07, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and Triangle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR07 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Oberon 7 | Triangle Borea BR07 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1" Break_in |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 7" Wood Fiber | 6" fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 36-26k Hz | 44 - 22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88.5 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-180 watts | up to 120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.80kg / 32.6lbs | 16.92kg / 37.2lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40" x 7-7/8" x 12-15/16"
1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm | 38.5" x 8.1" x 12.3"
980.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR07 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 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| 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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Oberon 7 is a 2-way design whereas the Borea BR07 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 7Triangle Borea BR07
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 7 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
1 x 6-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 Borea BR07 features a 1" silk Break_in Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 1 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 3500Hz.
Frequency Response
Oberon 7 has a frequency range of 36-26k Hz whereas Borea BR07 has a frequency range of 44 - 22k 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 Borea BR07's min frequency of 44Hz.
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
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 Borea BR07 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Oberon 7 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the Borea BR07's is rated at 91 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Triangle Borea BR07 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon 7, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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 7 can handle a max power of 180 watts RMS, whereas Borea BR07 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 60 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Oberon 7 features Binding post type posts and Borea BR07 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 7's Post terminals
Triangle Borea BR07's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Oberon 7 has a rear firing port whereas Borea BR07 has a front firing ports. Triangle Borea BR07'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 Triangle Borea BR07'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 Triangle Borea BR07 has external dimensions of 980.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (38.5 x 8.1 x 12.3inch).
Triangle Borea BR07 is 36mm shorter and 15mm less deeper than DALI Oberon 7 but it is also 6mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR07 in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR07 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 Triangle Borea BR07 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2. The Oberon 7 requires 2% more surface area than the Borea BR07 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The DALI Oberon 7 weighs 14.80kg / 32.6lbs and the Triangle Borea BR07 weighs 16.92kg / 37.2lbs. This makes the Borea BR07 14% heavier than the Oberon 7.
Here is a comparison of how Oberon 7 and Borea BR07's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
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 Triangle Borea BR07?
Here are the items that come with the Borea BR07:
- 2 x Borea speakers
- 2 x protections grids
- 2 x pedestals
- 8 x screws
- 8 x adhesive rubber plots
- 8 x decoupling spikes
- 1 x user manual
 Max Input Power |
180 watts
vs
120 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Woofer Size |
7 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
36 Hz
vs
44 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Height |
980mm
vs
1016mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
658cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1200USD
vs
1700USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
DALI Oberon 7 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
| Brand |
DALI |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-180 watts |
up to 120 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88.5 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
5 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
36-26k Hz |
44 - 22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Wood Fiber |
fiberglass |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1.125" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Break_in |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2300Hz |
350Hz and 3500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1016.0mm (40") |
980.0mm (38.6") |
| Width |
200.0mm (7.9") |
206.0mm (8.1") |
| Depth |
329.0mm (13") |
314.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
14.80kg (32.6lbs) |
16.92kg (37.2lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Black Ash, Light Oak, Dark Walnut, White |
Light Oak, Walnut, Black, 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 |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
A |
DALI Oberon 7 digs deeper - 36Hz against 44Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
Triangle Borea BR07 is more sensitive (91dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
Triangle Borea BR07 is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom |
A |
DALI Oberon 7 takes more power (180W vs 120W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Price |
B |
Triangle Borea BR07 is cheaper - $1,200 against $1,700, about 29% less. |
A DALI Oberon 7
B Triangle Borea BR07
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 44Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Triangle Borea BR07 much easier to justify. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Triangle Borea BR07 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.