In this review, we will be comparing Oberon 7 and EVO4.4, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and Wharfedale.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon 7 and Wharfedale EVO4.4 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
DALI Oberon 7 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 7" Wood Fiber Woofer
- 36-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 88.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:30-180watts
- Weight:14.80kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1016.0" x 7-7/8" x 12-15/16"( 1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm )
Wharfedale EVO4.4 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.18x2.36" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter
- 2" Midrange
- 2 x 6.5" Kevlar Woofer
- 2" Midrange
- 44-22k Hz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:30-200watts
- Weight:25.60kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1060.0" x 9.8" x 1.4"( 1060.0 x 250.0 x 36.0mm )
What size room are the DALI Oberon 7 and Wharfedale EVO4.4 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 |
Wharfedale EVO4.4 |
| 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the DALI Oberon 7 and Wharfedale EVO4.4 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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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 EVO4.4 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 7 |
Wharfedale EVO4.4 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1.18x2.36-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 2-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
2 x 6.5-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 EVO4.4 features a 1.18x2.36" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter , a 2" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Kevlar Woofer .
Frequency Response
Oberon 7 has a frequency range of 36-26k Hz whereas EVO4.4 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 EVO4.4's min frequency of 44Hz.
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 Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing 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 7 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the EVO4.4 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 EVO4.4's is rated at 89 dB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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 7 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Oberon 7 has a max power handling value of 180 watts RMS , 20 watts less than the EVO4.4.
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
EVO4.4 features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Oberon 7 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 7's Post terminals
Wharfedale EVO4.4's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Oberon 7 has a rear firing port whereas EVO4.4 has a bottom firing ports. Wharfedale EVO4.4's bottom-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
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 7's and Wharfedale EVO4.4'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 Wharfedale EVO4.4 has external dimensions of 1060.0 x 250.0 x 36.0mm ( 41.7 x 9.8 x 1.4inch) .
DALI Oberon 7 is 50mm narrower and 44mm shorter than Wharfedale EVO4.4 but it is also 293mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 7 and Wharfedale EVO4.4 in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 7 and Wharfedale EVO4.4 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 Wharfedale EVO4.4 is approximately 90.0cm2 / 14.0inch2. The Oberon 7 requires 631% more surface area than the EVO4.4 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.