In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by DALI. DALI Oberon 9 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Oberon GRAND Vokal is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Oberon 9 and Oberon GRAND Vokal 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 9 and DALI Oberon GRAND 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal 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 9 is a 3-way design whereas the Oberon GRAND Vokal is a 2-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 9 |
DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1-1/8-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 7-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 9-inch
|
2 x 7-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Oberon GRAND Vokal features a 1-1/8" ultra-light soft textile Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 7" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k Hz whereas Oberon GRAND Vokal has a frequency range of 45-26k 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 GRAND Vokal's min frequency of 45Hz.
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 9 and Oberon GRAND Vokal have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Oberon 9 sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the Oberon GRAND Vokal's is at 91 dB.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Oberon 9 and the Oberon 9 can provide this impedance level.
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 9 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Oberon GRAND Vokal has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 200 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 9 features Binding post type posts and Oberon GRAND Vokal has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Oberon 9 and Oberon GRAND Vokal 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 9's and DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal's external dimensions. DALI Oberon 9 has external dimensions of 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm ( 46-1/8 x 10-1/4 x 16inch) whereas DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal has external dimensions of 201 x 700 x 310mm ( 7.9 x 27.5 x 12.2inch) .
DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal is 971mm shorter and 97mm less deeper than DALI Oberon 9 but it is also 440mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon GRAND 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 9 is approximately 1058.2cm2 / 164.0inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal is approximately 2170.0cm2 / 336.4inch2. The Oberon 9 requires 51% less surface area than the Oberon GRAND Vokal which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 9?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Oberon 9:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille4 Rubber feet4 Spike-feet4 Hex-nutsManua
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon GRAND Vokal?
Here are the items that come with the Oberon GRAND Vokal:
Center-channel loudspeaker Grille 8 Rubber feet Manual