DALI have been manufacturing loudspeakers for 38 years (since 1983) and have brought many fantastic products to market in that time.
The DALI Oberon is the latest entry level series into their loudspeaker portfolio - but it's every bit as good as you'd expect it to be....and more!
For example, it's the first speaker in their range to feature the SMC technology found throughout their higher end range. It also features new oversized tweeters which carries DALI's famous wide dispersion alongside the wood-fibre drivers and a whole new cabinet design. It brings an audiophile level of quality at an affordable price point.
The Oberon passive speaker has 7 models within the range - including the VOKAL centre speaker, Oberon 1 and 3 stand mount / bookshelf speakers, On-Wall LCR and Oberon 5, 7 and 9 floor standing models.
This post is all about the DALI Oberon 1 and some of the packages we have. Be sure to check out the wider products though - we can always build you a bespoke quote for any speaker / amplifier / accessories package that you're seeking.
The Oberon 1 are a 2 way rear ported bass reflex bookshelf speaker, measuring in at 274 x 162 x 234 (HxWxD in mm) and feature a 29mm soft textile dome tweeter and a single 5.25" wood fibre cone low frequency driver. Weighing in at just over 4kg each, they can be easily positioned on any shelf / console table.
The rounded edges and rustic fabric of these new DALI front grilles add a lighter and more contemporary visual look to the OBERON series.
The compactness of the OBERON 1 makes it easy to integrate into any room. To achieve a wide dispersion pattern in the listening area, the driver materials and geometry applied in the OBERON 1 have been carefully selected. The same principles have been applied in the design of the crossover.
As result, you will experience a well-integrated sound, even when listening at a significant off-axis angle. This is important as you are rarely seated directly in front of your loudspeakers when listening to music. An added benefit is seriously reduced harmonic distortion and diffractions causing frequency distortion, as these will always be stronger in an on-axis response. This is also the reason why all DALI speakers are not designed to be toed-in.
We are sure that this compact speaker will provide much joy with it's high quality output, modern design and finish.
Now onto some of our special bundle packages where we've brought complementary products together with these fab little speakers.
First up - we have our Oberon 1 with audiolab 6000A Play bundle.
The audiolab 6000A Play features a high quality integrated amplifier with bluetooth / DAC and phono stage with the additional functionality of the 6000N Play all bundled into one. As such, using the PlayFi-DTS app on your phone/tablet, you can stream hi-resolution audio from a number of different services directly to your speakers.
The amp also features a MM phono stage for connecting a turntable directly to the amp as well as a number of AUX connections and power amp connections too.
A great match for the Oberon 1 - plenty of power allow the Oberon 1 to provide a small room with high quality sound without distortion across a number of different source inputs.
Next up - we have our Oberon 1 with Bluesound PowerNode 2i bundle.
The Bluesound PowerNode 2i is a small form integrated amplifier/streamer that's driven by the very popular BluOS controller app from your phone, tablet or computer. The PowerNode 2i features a Hybrid amplifier delivering 60w per channel (perfect for the Oberon 1). It comes with a number of connectivity options, though not quite as many analogue connections as the audiolab 6000A Play mentioned above.
The unit has support for mini-optical / analogue input, as well as HDMI ARC. It has the benefit of support a subwoofer via the "sub out" port too.
Using the BluOS controller software, you can stream high resolution / MQA gapless playback easily from a number of different online sources (TIDAL, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, TuneIn radio etc) as well as add the system to a multi-room setup and stream the same music to every room seemlessly.
We firmly believe the BluOS controller software to be the finest on the market in terms of features, stability and integration without going down the route of services such as ROON.
As we move on, we're now going to look into the DALI Oberon 1C - those being ACTIVE speakers (i.e. they have an integrated monoblock amplifier built into each speaker). The Oberon 1C can be positioned anywhere as all it requires is a single power connection. The music is streamed wireless over a private 5Ghz network emitted from the DALI Sound Hub.
What HiFi presented a 5* award to the Oberon 1C earlier this year too.
The benefits to the ACTIVE speakers are as follows:
- perfectly matched input/output system - the amplifier has been designed around the harmonics and driver potential from the Oberon 1C
- No messy cables having to be run long distances - connect up to 10m away wirelessly with zero latency / distortion technology.
- No large amplifiers to worry about - simple, small form Sound Hubs can be hidden away in cabinets / behind TV's etc
- Plenty of connectivity options across 2 different types of Hubs - bringing your favourite sources together and streamed wirelessly to your speakers
- No guessing which amplifier / speaker cable / source cable will sound better. An out of the box solution that is brilliant sounding. Set, forget and enjoy!
The first Oberon 1C package contains DALI's new Sound Hub Compact.
Not only do you get the great sound of the Oberon 1, you get a super slim Sound Hub that can be discretely hidden out of sight streams your source media to the speakers wirelessly.
The SOUND HUB COMPACT plays a central role in your active wireless Hi-Fi system. It transmits your audio sources to the wireless DALI eco system. The SOUND HUB COMPACT was designed with compact dimensions and is slim enough to fit behind a wall-mounted TV.
You can still have a HiFi rack with your CD player, Sky TV/DVD player etc as well as turntable and have them all connect into the Sound Hub Compact if you're moving on from traditional amplifiers/passive speakers.
Rear picture of the DALI Sound Hub Compact. Featuring dual optical inputs, analogue RCA, HDMI ARC and Bluetooth as well as a subwoofer output port.
The final setup in the range, is the DALI Oberon 1C with Sound Hub and BluOS NPM-1 module.
The setup with the larger of the Sound Hubs is aimed more at the audiophile / serious music lover. Included in the Sound Hub is the Bluesound BluOS controller module - allowing easy integrated of the DALI speakers into a Bluesound connected home. Stream easily (as per the PowerNode 2i package above) hi-resolution / MQA audio directly from your phone from a number of sources. In addition to this - you get a whole range of connectivity options i.e. RCA, 3.5mm audio, digital coax, and digital optical x2.
You also get the benefit of being able to use the Sound Hub as a pre-amplifier to connect to other amps in your setup and connect to a subwoofer.
Featuring a larger control unit, the Sound Hub attractively sits on any shelf/counter top and brings easy volume adjustment and source selection.
The Oberon 1C can connect easily using the "link connect" button to any Hub and deliver a super quality of sound from a small speaker.
Rear picture of the DALI Sound Hub showing the Bluesound BluOS NPM-1 module installed in slot 1. Featuring dual optical inputs, analogue RCA, analogue 3.5mm, RJ45 network and Bluetooth as well as RCA pre-out and a subwoofer output port. You'll also spot a second expansion module for new capability in the near future.
The team at Yorkshire AV have lots of hands on experience with the DALI Oberon 1 speakers, both active and passive and the bundles recommended above.
If you have any questions or queries, don't hesitate to contact a member of staff.
Similarly, from the 12th April our showroom will be open by appointment only. We have both active and passive speakers available to demo.
