In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by DALI. DALI Oberon 9 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Oberon On-Wall is a On-wall speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon On-Wall first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Oberon 9 | DALI Oberon On-Wall |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1.14" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 7" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 9" Wood Fiber | 5.25" Wood fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-26k Hz | 55-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-400 watts | 25-100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 37.10kg / 81.6lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-1/8" x 10-1/4" x 16"
1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm | 15.16" x 9.65" x 4.72"
385 x 245 x 120 mm |
|---|
Oberon 9 and Oberon On-Wall are members of DALI's Oberon series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
DALI Oberon Series
History
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Oberon 9 is a 3-way design whereas the Oberon On-Wall 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.
DALI Oberon 9DALI Oberon On-Wall
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 9 |
DALI Oberon On-Wall |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1.14-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 7-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 9-inch
|
1 x 5.25-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 On-Wall features a 1.14" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k Hz whereas Oberon On-Wall has a frequency range of 55-26k 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 On-Wall's min frequency of 55Hz.
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 9 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon On-Wall which has a nominal impedance of 6 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 9 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Oberon 9 sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the Oberon On-Wall's is rated at 87 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon 9 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon On-Wall, 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 9 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Oberon On-Wall has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the Oberon 9.
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 9 features Binding post type posts and Oberon On-Wall has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
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 9's and DALI Oberon On-Wall'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 On-Wall has external dimensions of 385 x 245 x 120 mm ().
DALI Oberon 9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 15mm wider, 787mm taller and 287mm deeper than DALI Oberon On-Wall.
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 On-Wall is approximately 294.0cm2 / 45.6inch2. The Oberon 9 requires 260% more surface area than the Oberon On-Wall which gives it a small disadvantage 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 loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike-feet
- 4 Hex-nuts
- Manua