In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by DALI. DALI Oberon On-Wall is a On-wall speaker whereas the Oberon 9 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Oberon On-Wall and DALI Oberon 9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
DALI Oberon On-Wall Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.14" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 5.25" Wood fibre Woofer
- 55-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:25-100watts
DALI Oberon 9 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 7" Midrange
- 2 x 9" Wood Fiber Woofer
- 7" Midrange
- 35-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 90.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:50-400watts
- Weight:37.10kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 46-1/8" x 10-1/4" x 16" ( 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm )
Oberon On-Wall and Oberon 9 are members of DALI's Oberon series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
DALI Oberon Series
History
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the DALI Oberon On-Wall and DALI Oberon 9 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 On-Wall is a 2-way design whereas the Oberon 9 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 On-Wall |
DALI Oberon 9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.14-inch
|
1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 7-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 9-inch
|
Oberon On-Wall features a 1.14" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz. On the other hand, the 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.
Frequency Response
Oberon On-Wall has a frequency range of 55-26k Hz whereas Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k 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.
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 On-wall class in our database.
Low Frequency
On-wall Speakers
High Frequency
On-wall 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 On-Wall is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon 9 which has a nominal impedance of 4 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 On-Wall sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Oberon 9's is rated at 90.5 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
On-wall 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 On-Wall can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Oberon On-Wall has a max power handling value of watts RMS , 400 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 On-Wall features Post type posts and Oberon 9 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
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 On-Wall's and DALI Oberon 9's external dimensions. DALI Oberon On-Wall has external dimensions of ( ) whereas DALI Oberon 9 has external dimensions of 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm ( 46-1/8 x 10-1/4 x 16inch) .
DALI Oberon 9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 260mm wider, 1172mm taller and 407mm deeper than DALI Oberon On-Wall.
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 9?
Here are the items that come with the Oberon 9:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike-feet
- 4 Hex-nuts
- Manua