In this review, we will be comparing Oberon 7 and Borea BR09, 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 BR09 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Oberon 7 | Triangle Borea BR09 |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | Triangle
France · founded 1980 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 7" Wood Fiber | 3 x 6" fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 36-26k Hz | 35 - 22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88.5 dB | 92.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-180 watts | up to 170 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.80kg / 32.6lbs | 21.80kg / 48lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40" x 7-7/8" x 12-15/16"
1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm | 43.1" x 8.1" x 12.3"
1095.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR09 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 BR09 |
| 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Oberon 7 is a 2-way design whereas the Borea BR09 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 BR09
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 BR09 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
3 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 BR09 features a 1" silk dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 310Hz and 3900Hz.
Frequency Response
Oberon 7 has a frequency range of 36-26k Hz whereas Borea BR09 has a frequency range of 35 - 22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Borea BR09 can go slightly deeper then the Oberon 7's min frequency of 36Hz.
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 BR09 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 BR09's is rated at 92.5 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Triangle Borea BR09 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 BR09 has a max power handling value of 170 watts RMS, 10 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 BR09 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 7's Post terminals
Triangle Borea BR09's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Oberon 7 has a rear firing port whereas Borea BR09 has a front firing ports. Triangle Borea BR09'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 BR09'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 BR09 has external dimensions of 1095.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (43.1 x 8.1 x 12.3inch).
DALI Oberon 7 is 6mm narrower and 79mm shorter than Triangle Borea BR09 but it is also 15mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR09 in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 7 and Triangle Borea BR09 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 BR09 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2. The Oberon 7 requires 2% more surface area than the Borea BR09 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 BR09 weighs 21.80kg / 48lbs. This makes the Borea BR09 47% heavier than the Oberon 7.
Here is a comparison of how Oberon 7 and Borea BR09'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 BR09?
Here are the items that come with the Borea BR09:
- 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
170 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Woofer Size |
7 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1016mm
vs
1095mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1700USD
vs
1850USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
93 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
35 Hz
vs
36 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
658cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
DALI Oberon 7 |
Triangle Borea BR09 |
| Brand |
DALI |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-180 watts |
up to 170 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88.5 dB |
92.5 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.3 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
36-26k Hz |
35 - 22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Wood Fiber |
fiberglass |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1.125" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2300Hz |
310Hz and 3900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1016.0mm (40") |
1095.0mm (43.1") |
| Width |
200.0mm (7.9") |
206.0mm (8.1") |
| Depth |
329.0mm (13") |
314.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
14.80kg (32.6lbs) |
21.80kg (48lbs) |
| 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 | evenly matched | Much the same reach (36Hz vs 35Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | Triangle Borea BR09 is more sensitive (93dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | Triangle Borea BR09 is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (180W vs 170W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,700 vs $1,850 a pair). |
A DALI Oberon 7 B Triangle Borea BR09
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?
Triangle Borea BR09 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Triangle Borea BR09 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.