Monitor Audio Bronze 500 vs DALI Oberon 5 Comparison

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Monitor Audio Bronze 500

Passive Floor-standing | 32-30k Hz

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DALI Oberon 5

Passive Floor-standing | 39-26k Hz

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DALI Oberon 5

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DALI Oberon 5

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Monitor Audio Bronze 500 vs DALI Oberon 5 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Bronze 500 and Oberon 5, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and DALI. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and DALI Oberon 5 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Monitor Audio Bronze 500 Key Specs

2-way Design

1" gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide Tweeter

2 x 8" C-CAM Woofer

32-30k Hz Frequency Response

90 dB Sensitivity

Impedance: 8ohms

Power Range:60-200watts

Weight:18.05kg

Dimensions (H x W x D): 977.0" x 11-9/16" x 14-3/8"( 977.0 x 294.0 x 366.0mm )

DALI Oberon 5 Key Specs

2-way Design

1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter

2 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer

39-26k Hz Frequency Response

88 dB Sensitivity

Impedance: 6ohms

Power Range:30-150watts

Weight:10.80kg

Dimensions (H x W x D): 832.0" x 7-15/16" x 10-7/8"( 832.0 x 202.0 x 277.0mm )

What size room are the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and DALI Oberon 5 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*	Monitor Audio Bronze 500	DALI Oberon 5
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 Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and DALI Oberon 5 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Drivers

Both Bronze 500 and Oberon 5 are 2-way speakers.

Driver	Monitor Audio Bronze 500	DALI Oberon 5
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1.125-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	2 x 8-inch	2 x 5.25-inch

Bronze 500 features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide Tweeter and 2 x 8" C-CAM Woofer . On the other hand, the Oberon 5 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2400Hz.

Frequency Response

Bronze 500 has a frequency range of 32-30k Hz whereas Oberon 5 has a frequency range of 39-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the Bronze 500 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Oberon 5's min frequency of 39Hz.

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

Bronze 500

Oberon 5

Min

Average

Max

High Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Monitor Audio Bronze 500

DALI Oberon 5

Min

Average

Max

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

Bronze 500 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon 5 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Bronze 500 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Oberon 5's is rated at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Oberon 5, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Bronze 500

Oberon 5

Min

Average

Max

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.

Bronze 500 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Oberon 5 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Bronze 500.

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

Bronze 500 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Oberon 5 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

DALI Oberon 5'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 Monitor Audio Bronze 500's and DALI Oberon 5's external dimensions. Monitor Audio Bronze 500 has external dimensions of 977.0 x 294.0 x 366.0mm ( 38-7/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-3/8inch) whereas DALI Oberon 5 has external dimensions of 832.0 x 202.0 x 277.0mm ( 32-3/4 x 7-15/16 x 10-7/8inch) .

Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 92mm wider, 145mm taller and 89mm deeper than DALI Oberon 5.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and DALI Oberon 5 in scale.

Comparison image of Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and DALI Oberon 5 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 Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is approximately 1076.0cm² / 166.8inch² and base area of the DALI Oberon 5 is approximately 559.5cm² / 86.7inch². The Bronze 500 requires 92% more surface area than the Oberon 5 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

Weight Comparison

The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Monitor Audio Bronze 500 weighs 18.05kg / 39.7lbs and the DALI Oberon 5 weighs 10.80kg / 23.8lbs. This makes the Bronze 500 67% heavier than the Oberon 5.

Here is a comparison of how Bronze 500 and Oberon 5's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.

Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers

Monitor Audio Bronze 500

DALI Oberon 5

Min

Average

Max

What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Bronze 500?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Bronze 500:

Floorstanding loudspeaker

Grille

4 Outrigger feet (w/ 4 adjustment dials and locking-nuts)

4 Spikes (pre-installed on outrigger feet)

4 Rubber feet

4 Large course-thread screws

4 Small machine screws

2 Terminal-jumpers (pre-installed)

2 Foam port plugs

Hex-key

Quick Start Guide

Important Safety Instructions

What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 5?

Here are the items that come with the Oberon 5:

2 Floorstanding loudspeakers

2 Grilles

8 Rubber feet

8 Spike-feet

8 Hex-nuts

Manual

Reasons to choose Monitor Audio Bronze 500 over DALI Oberon 5

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 150 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity	90 dB vs 88 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 6 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	8 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	32 Hz vs 39 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	30k Hz vs 26k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections
Dolby Atmos Drivers	Optional vs No	Dolby Atmos Compatibility

Reasons to choose DALI Oberon 5 over Monitor Audio Bronze 500

Height	832mm vs 977mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	559cm² (202x277mm) vs 1076cm² (294x366mm)	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	1299USD vs 1496USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Monitor Audio Bronze 500 vs DALI Oberon 5 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Monitor Audio Bronze 500	DALI Oberon 5
Brand	Monitor Audio	DALI
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	60-200 watts	30-150 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	88 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Frequency Response	32-30k Hz	39-26k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	2
Woofer Size	8"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	C-CAM	Wood Fiber
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1.125"
Tweeter Type	gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	n/a	2400Hz
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Physical Specs
Height	977.0mm (38.5")	832.0mm (32.8")
Width	294.0mm (11.6")	202.0mm (8")
Depth	366.0mm (14.4")	277.0mm (10.9")
Weight	18.05kg (39.7lbs)	10.80kg (23.8lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	MDF/Vinyl	MDF/Wood-grain vinyl
Available Colors	Black	Black Ash, Light Oak, Dark Walnut, White
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	Yes	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years