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 Vokal is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon Vokal first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Oberon 9 | DALI Oberon Vokal |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1-1/8" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 7" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 9" Wood Fiber | 2 x 5.25" Wood Fiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-26k Hz | 47-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 89.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-400 watts | 25-150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 37.10kg / 81.6lbs | 7.45kg / 16.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-1/8" x 10-1/4" x 16"
1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm | 6-3/8" x 17-7/16" x 11-9/16"
162.0 x 443.0 x 294.0mm |
|---|
Oberon 9 and Oberon 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 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:
| Listening Environment* |
DALI Oberon 9 |
DALI Oberon Vokal |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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 9 is a 3-way design whereas the Oberon 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.
DALI Oberon 9DALI Oberon Vokal
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 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 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 Vokal features a 1-1/8" ultra-light soft textile Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2600Hz.
Frequency Response
Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k Hz whereas Oberon Vokal has a frequency range of 47-26k 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 Vokal's min frequency of 47Hz.
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 and Oberon 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 Vokal's is at 89.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon 9 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon Vokal, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
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. 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 Vokal has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 250 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 Vokal has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
DALI Oberon Vokal's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Oberon 9 has a rear firing port whereas Oberon Vokal has a front firing ports. DALI Oberon Vokal's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to DALI Oberon 9 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 9's and DALI Oberon 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 Vokal has external dimensions of 162.0 x 443.0 x 294.0mm (6-3/8 x 17-7/16 x 11-9/16inch).
DALI Oberon Vokal is 1010mm shorter and 113mm less deeper than DALI Oberon 9 but it is also 183mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon Vokal in scale.
Comparison image of DALI Oberon 9 and DALI Oberon 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 Vokal is approximately 1302.4cm2 / 201.9inch2. The Oberon 9 requires 19% less surface area than the Oberon 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 loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike-feet
- 4 Hex-nuts
- Manua
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon Vokal?
Here are the items that come with the Oberon Vokal:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 8 Rubber feet
- Manual