DALI OBERON 7 Review: Big bang theory
“We have to admit: Dali often polarizes opinions in our editorial team. Some find the Danes too brilliant, others too cheap, and some too expensive. And in the end, someone always finds something they don’t like. You know how it is, and so do we. But this time, it’s different.
DETAILS
PRODUCT DALI Oberon 7
ORIGIN Denmark/China
TYPE 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker
WEIGHT 14.8kg
DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 200 x 1,015 x 340mm
FEATURES
- 1x 29mm tweeter
- 2x 178mm mid/bass drivers
- Quoted sensitivity: 88.5dB/1W/1m (6 ohm)
DISTRIBUTOR DALI UK TELEPHONE 08456443537
WEBSITE dali-uk.co.uk
With the Dali Oberon 7 C and Sound Hub Compact system, it was different. For once, we quickly agreed. And some of us were more than surprised. The Oberon 7 C breaks with many things we previously knew about Dali. We can track this trend personally, as we monitor past reviews, relate them, and compare our evaluations with other critics. Dali is on the right path. The ratings have been going up for years. Earlier this year, we tested the powerful Oberon 9 as a passive version, and mid-last year, we had the Rubicon series as active versions. The latter is the closest to the setup we have now: a combination of fully active floor-standing speakers with an external streamer and digital preamp, wirelessly controlled. All you need are a few power outlets, and you’re ready to go.
Oberon 7 C
The Oberon 7 C relies on two mid-woofers with rear bass reflex ports and a fabric tweeter for sound reproduction—technologies we know from the larger series. The pole piece of the magnet systems of all Oberon C mid-woofers partially consists of Dali’s patented non-conductive Soft Magnetic Compound (SMC) material. The use of SMC technology significantly reduces mechanical distortions, making the speakers sound pleasant and surprisingly detailed for a long time, especially considering the price range. This promise is something we can personally confirm, but more on that later. Notably, the Oberon 7 C plays very effortlessly, even if it’s not in the ideal position. The dispersion angle is very wide, so we decided to position them straight and parallel without any angling. You can angle them if you want to give the highs an extra boost, but we didn’t find it necessary. The Oberon 7 C is very accommodating. It’s even recommended to leave a bit more space to the wall; otherwise, you might get blown away by the powerful bass. Technically, it’s not much—just two Class-D amplifiers per speaker, each with 50 watts per channel: one for the tweeter and the other for the mid-woofers. But that’s enough because the diaphragms, typical of Dali, are extremely light, made of paper or fabric, and thus easy to drive. With a high efficiency like this, you don’t need 1,000 horsepower to go from 0 to 60. The Dali Oberon 7 C is more about light weight and playfulness, similar to a motorcycle. A motorcycle generally has less power than a car but is also much lighter. This makes for acceleration and fun that other setups, due to inertia, lack. If you enjoy the sound of motorcycle tours and wind in your hair, the Oberon 7 C is just right for you.
Sound Hub Compact
The Sound Hub Compact, as the name suggests, is the compact version of the Dali Sound Hub. The smaller variant is about half the height of its big brother, making it more discreet and subtle. The larger Sound Hub was a bit bulky, but now everything is sleek and integrates well—even behind the TV if you want. If you choose the Oberon 7 C, you can’t avoid the Sound Hub because it transmits the incoming HiRes signal in 24Bit/96 kHz to the speakers. The conversion and amplification happen inside the speakers. Setting it up is very easy and can be done in moments without an app or network. A small illuminated menu on the top of the Hub and the back of the speakers helps with the assignment and allocation of the speakers. Surround sound is also no problem. We dare to say that we don’t know of any other surround-capable setup that can be set up so quickly and easily without laying cables. A dream for anyone who wants to get to the point quickly and easily. On the input side, the Sound Hub Compact supports HDMI and Bluetooth, but it also has two optical inputs and an analog input, allowing existing peripherals, whether the phono preamp or favorite streamer, to be easily and quickly connected. Switching can be done on the Hub itself or via a remote control, which, although simple, is well thought out and allows quick access. Particularly convenient is the option on the back to automatically detect the source, meaning whatever is playing is switched to the speakers. Speed is also key for transmission, with latency of about 15 milliseconds, making a perfect cinema experience in sync possible. This uses a very high carrier frequency around 5.8 GHz. The transmission range is about 10 meters due to reduced power. Sufficient for a full surround setup for the TV. If you seek multiroom and various streaming supports, you should look at the larger Sound Hub from Dali, which offers the option to upgrade with cards like a BluOS module for network capabilities, Airplay, and Chromecast. If you’ve already found your favorite streamer, an optical connection to the compact version will suffice.
Sound
Placement of the Oberon 7 is surprisingly easy
While with the Rubicon, we assumed Dali’s emphasis on fine detail and spatiality due to its dual tweeter, the present floor-standing speaker Oberon 7 C, like the large passive version Oberon 9, shines with overwhelming musicality. The chassis tuning is so balanced and precise that the sound image is incredibly homogeneous, almost “warm” or rich, similar to tape saturation. This is not a technical regression; on the contrary, transparency does not suffer. The speakers sound incredibly mature and refined for their size. This is primarily due to the generously oversized bass. This aligns with current trends and leans towards an “American sound” aesthetic, with a defined low end. We didn’t expect that. We were prepared for finely detailed and highly dynamic classical music, which the Oberon 7 C can handle, but they truly shine when the full range of levels and frequencies is overwhelmingly loaded. Surprisingly, the Oberon 7 C feels more comfortable with complex signals than with isolated material. Sure, Adele sounds round and natural solo, but the Oberon 7 C is more of a team player and doesn’t like solos. This is particularly evident with pop, rock, and electronic music. Here, no instrument is left behind, even in heavily compressed productions. It’s impressive how the speakers maintain control and give each signal its place.
The speed of the diaphragms is clearly a positive factor. The warmth of the sound setup also makes it possible to enjoy long listening sessions or watch “The Lord of the Rings” in one go without your ears ringing after hours of sword and axe battles. And as if all this weren’t enough, Dali has managed to maintain these sound characteristics quite linearly across all volume levels. This means that listening quietly is just as enjoyable as listening loudly. Linear behavior might be a bit misleading, as we get the impression that the frequency response is adjusted with increasing volume. Our human ears hear differently and react differently to various frequencies, which is taken into account here, making the human ear the measure of all things, not the measurements. The musical and less analytical approach is more than clear. And this is with a fully digital product. This is how it should be, breaking with prejudices. In short: A speaker set that will bring you great joy for many years. And if you decide in two years to go 5.1, no problem. Upgrading and reconfiguring is a breeze.”
In Sight
1 29mm soft- dome tweeter
2 Rear-firing bass reflex port
3 Single wire binding posts
4 2 x 178mm wood fibre mid/ bass drivers
VERDICT
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Have a pair running in. Seems to get better and better sounding every day. Sound is natural without any colouration. Excellent at the price point.
I see you also reviewed monitors bronze 500. Can you briefly compare?