In this review, we will be comparing R600 and Oberon 7, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Polk Audio and DALI.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk R600 and DALI Oberon 7 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Polk R600 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter
- 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer
- 43-38k Hz Frequency Response
- 87.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:25-200watts
- Weight:21.50kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1063.8" x 11" x 15"( 1063.8 x 280.7 x 381.6mm )
DALI Oberon 7 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 7" Wood Fiber Woofer
- 36-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 88.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:30-180watts
- Weight:14.80kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1016.0" x 7-7/8" x 12-15/16"( 1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm )
What size room are the Polk R600 and DALI Oberon 7 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* |
Polk R600 |
DALI Oberon 7 |
| 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 Polk R600 and DALI Oberon 7 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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through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
Both R600 and Oberon 7 are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Polk R600 |
DALI Oberon 7 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 7-inch
|
R600 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz. On the other hand, the Oberon 7 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 7" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2300Hz.
Frequency Response
R600 has a frequency range of 43-38k Hz whereas Oberon 7 has a frequency range of 36-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the Oberon 7 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R600's min frequency of 43Hz.
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
R600 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon 7 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. R600 sensitivity is rated at 87.5 dB and the Oberon 7's is rated at 88.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon 7 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk R600, 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. 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.
R600 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Oberon 7 has a max power handling value of 180 watts RMS, 20 watts less than the R600.
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
R600 features Post type posts and Oberon 7 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Polk R600's Post terminals
DALI Oberon 7's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
R600 has a bottom firing port whereas Oberon 7 has a rear firing ports. Polk R600's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to DALI Oberon 7 with its rear-firing port.
Polk R600 Port
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 Polk R600's and DALI Oberon 7's external dimensions. Polk R600 has external dimensions of 1063.8 x 280.7 x 381.6mm ( 41.9 x 11 x 15inch) whereas DALI Oberon 7 has external dimensions of 1016.0 x 200.0 x 329.0mm ( 40 x 7-7/8 x 12-15/16inch) .
Polk R600 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 80.7mm wider, 47.8mm taller and 52.6mm deeper than DALI Oberon 7.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk R600 and DALI Oberon 7 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk R600 and DALI Oberon 7 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 Polk R600 is approximately 1071.2cm2 / 166.0inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon 7 is approximately 658.0cm2 / 102.0inch2. The R600 requires 63% more surface area than the Oberon 7 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.