DALI OBERON
WHITEPAPER
INTRODUCTION
Improving and evolving products is the ultimate goal
for any innovative company. Our aim is to ensure that
the customer is presented with the very best we have
to offer by using the knowledge, skill and technology
gained over the years, delivering the greatest musical
experiences, emotion and enjoyment possible.
For more than 35 years, DALI has brought “Best in class”
audio experiences to our customers. We have dedicated
ourselves to constantly improving those experiences
through craftmanship, technological advances and a
passion for reproducing music and movies just as the
artist intended.
DALI’s innovations, such as the oversized soft dome
tweeters, SMC magnet systems and DALI manufactured
drivers have been available for many years in our highend speaker series. We are now at a point where we
are able to bring these high-end DALI technologies to
a speaker series in this price range, and also brings a
brand new look to the listening experience.
With the launch of the DALI OBERON speaker series,
we have picked the best elements from our current
speakers, and brought them together in a series that
delivers on audio quality, looks and versatility. This series
has a speaker for every room and situation, from the
small and compact OBERON 1, the OBERON VOKAL and
OBERON ON-WALL, through to the large floor-standing
OBERON 7. Not forgetting the larger stand-mount
OBERON 3 and the compact floor-standing OBERON 5.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 2
Built within a solid MDF cabinet, the DALI OBERON
series is available in four finishes: Black Ash, White, Dark
Walnut and Light Oak. The matte black or white front
baffle frames the oversized 29mm ultra-lightweight
soft dome tweeter and the SMC based woofers, with
a new and optimised wood fibre structured cone. The
rear mounted bass port ensures optimum integration
within the room, and the elegantly shaped aluminium
base gives the two floor-standing models a lighter look.
The OBERON ON-WALL brings a slim on-wall solution to
this series and utilises DALI’s unique on-wall bass port
system.
OBERON also introduces a brand new front grille
design. The new rounded front grilles add a lighter
and contemporary visual look to the speaker series.
Mountain Grey is the standard grille supplied with the
light finishes, with Shadow Black standard on the dark
finishes. Marshmallow White and traditional Black
options are also available.
The DALI OBERON series is a true showcase of DALI
ideas, traditions and inventions, all wrapped into an
elegant and modern design. It redefines what is possible,
both in audio quality and visual design, in its price range.
We are extremely proud to present you with the DALI
OBERON series. Read on for a detailed description of the
design ideas, technology and innovations behind this
series.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 3
CABINET
Constructed from CNC machined MDF board and
dressed in carefully selected high-grade vinyls,
the cabinet forms the solid base for the speaker.
The floor-standing cabinets employ a very rigid
construction, with solid bracings across the inside of
the cabinet for reinforcement. This contributes to the
stiffness and practically eliminates resonance within
the cabinet.
To optimise timing, the speakers are fitted with
acoustic damping material internally along the
sides, top and bottom - but not on the rear side of
the front baffle. This creates a more direct contact
between woofer and bass port. The audible result
is a more precise bass and increased ‘attack’ in the
midrange.
The bass ports are placed on the rear on most of
the models, optimising room integration by utilising
the wall for improved bass performance. On the
OBERON VOKAL the base port is placed on the front
to support placement in TV furniture.
This is achieved without losing the all-important
‘easy placement’ that DALI has become known for
throughout its speaker series’.
High-density MDF together
with the front baffle
forms the solid base for
the tweeter and woofers.
The elegantly shaped aluminium
base gives the two floor standing
models a lighter look.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 4
The OBERON ON-WALL takes the use of the rear wall
to a whole new level. Using the unique port design
originally introduced with our RUBICON LCR, the
OBERON ON-WALL bass ports fire downwards, letting
the ports and the wall work together to extend the bass
reproduction far beyond what should be possible from
such a compact cabinet.
The front baffle is finished in an exclusive matte
finish, complementing the dark aluminium details. The
rounded front grille is constructed from an acoustically
transparent fabric that completes the visual appearance
of the OBERON speaker.
High quality DALI terminals secure maximum grip on
speaker cables, whether raw or fitted with banana plugs.
The unique bass port design lets the ON-WALL
use the wall to extend bass performance.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 5
DALI speakers is build for wide dispersion, filling the room with the best quality
audio and enlarging the listening sweet spot.
WIDE DISPERSION
DALI makes it easy to integrate your loudspeakers
into any room. Both the driver materials and
geometry applied in the OBERON series has been
selected to achieve a wide dispersion pattern in
the listening area. The same principles have been
applied in the design of the crossover.
Thus, 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 loudspeaker 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 onaxis response. This is also the reason why all DALI
speakers are not designed to be toed-in.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 6
WOOFER
At DALI, we strongly believe in reproducing the recorded
signal. No more, no less…
To achieve this, it’s not only necessary to reproduce the
frequency contents in the signal, but also the dynamics
in all its aspects – ranging from subtle micro details to
high level bursts.
The OBERON speakers have been engineered
accordingly. Like all DALI drivers dedicated to
reproducing the delicate midrange and bass frequency
area, the OBERON woofer features a wood fibre cone.
This blend of a fine grain paper pulp, reinforced with
wood fibres, creates a stiff, light-weight and wellbehaving structure. In combination with a low-loss
surround and spider suspension, this cone reproduces
the micro details in the signal - unfiltered and with high
accuracy.
The membrane area of the larger drivers in the OBERON
series has bigger dimensions than the most common
market standard. The 7” woofer In the OBERON 3 and 7
is approximately 15% larger when comparing the cone
area to the more common 6½” size. A larger cone area
allows the same sound pressure level to be generated,
utilising a lower voice coil excursion. It also allows
a higher maximum sound pressure level and – most
importantly – it leads to an effortless reproduction of the
dynamics in the music.
The membrane terminates in a rubber surround that
is chosen for its soft and very flexible properties. This
gives the membrane free movement with a very low
dampening effect, and leaves the magnet motor to
control the membrane movement.
The OBERON voice coil is a 4-layer coil, and while a
4-layer voice coil is effective for a high force factor, the
higher moving mass will often present a problem for the
midrange response, impairing voice reproduction. Our
solution for minimizing the weight was to apply a light
copper clad aluminium wire. This rather costly solution
applies an aluminium core and a thin-walled outer
copper tube. Combining the high conductivity/weight
ratio of aluminium (205% the value of copper), with
the superior contact resistance properties and better
mechanical strength of copper, we get a lightweight
voice coil with high conductivity, capable of handling
The low-loss OBERON woofer is designed
and manufactured by DALI.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 7
high peak signal levels. The result is seriously improved
bass control, well controlled reproduction of micro
details and great transient capabilities. The OBERON
ON-WALL is fitted with a 2-layer voice coil. The
wall mounted position helps deliver sufficient bass
performance, and the lighter 2-layer voice coil ads the
mid-range needed to match the bass performance.
The magnet motor itself consists of a large ferrite
magnet that surrounds a pole piece made with a unique
combination of iron and SMC. Letting the iron ferrite form
the base of the pole piece means the negative effects
of the iron is minimized, leaving the 10 mm SMC disk to
crown the pole piece, placing it right in the middle of the
4-layer voice coils main working area. This placement
ensures the maximum effect from the SMC on the
voice coils environment, resulting in a greatly improved
constant flux field. The use of the SMC disk also greatly
reduces mechanical distortion caused by hysteresis and
eddy currents. These combined improvements in the
magnet motor system results in a lowering of third order
distortion. This allows the OBERON series to present
longer listening pleasure, a relaxed midrange and a
surprising amount of detailing for the class.
The pole piece
is a unique combination
of iron and SMC, greatly minimizing
mechanical distortion.
The SMC disk on top of the iron pole piece helps to dramatically lower 3. order harmonic
distortion compared to a similar DALI woofer model based on a pure iron pole piece.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 8
Ultra-light soft dome tweeter developed
for the OBERON series delivers effortless and
unbiased reproduction of the finest details.
TWEETER
The brand new 29 mm ultra-light soft dome tweeter
has been developed specifically for the OBERON series.
Leveraging solutions used in DALI’s other tweeters, this
unit is at the same time something brand new and filled
with well proven DALI technologies.
The oversized 29 mm membrane is constructed based
on an ultra-light weight weave fabric. Compared to
most soft dome tweeters in the market, the DALI dome
material is less than half the weight; 0.060 mg per mm
The large size of the membrane lets the tweeter
generate higher sound pressure with less excursion,
keeping the voice coil motion to a precise minimum.
To further improve power handling, to reduce power
compression, and to support a straight-line excursion of
the voice coil, the tweeter magnet system incorporates
ferro-fluid cooling. For long term stability in a saturated
field, a high quality (220 gauss type) is used.
Covering the entire top of the pole piece is soft felt
damping. This damping material eliminates unwanted
reflections that may occur from a traditional flat-surface
pole piece, applied in simpler tweeter constructions.
The DALI manufactured ultra-light weight soft dome
tweeter is additionally optimised for a larger bandwidth
in its lower frequency area. This ensures the optimal
handover from the midrange woofer to the tweeter,
2
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creating a well balanced, unforced and very coherent
upper midrange.
The tweeter front plate near the dome has been
designed with similar geometry as the OPTICON and
RUBICON tweeters to create the optimal working
conditions for the soft dome. The aim is to combine an
extended frequency response with wide dispersion and
low coloration.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 9
PRODUCTS
The DALI OBERON series consists of six models. Two
stand-mount speakers: the very compact OBERON 1 and
the larger OBERON 3. Two floor-standing speakers: the
elegant compact OBERON 5 and the largest of the series
the OBERON 7. OBERON ON-WALL is the very slim and
OBERON 1 is the ultra-compact speaker of the line-up.
Sporting the same oversized 29mm ultra-lightweight
soft dome tweeter as the rest of the series, and a 5¼”
wood fibre SMC based woofer to handle lower midrange
compact dedicated on-wall speaker of the series, and
the OBERON VOKAL is the centre piece of an OBERON
surround setup. All six models are available in four
finishes, Black Ash, White, Light Oak and Dark Walnut.
and bass. The cabinet size enables an optimal balance
between inner volume for bass performance, and a
compact appearance for small rooms, discreet audio
setups or wall mounting.
OBERON 3 brings the best of both worlds. The 29mm
ultra-lightweight soft dome tweeter seamlessly
integrates with the 7” wood fibre SMC based woofer
for impressive highs, detailed and crisp mids and a
surprising coherent and well-timed bass. Combining the
large sound of a floor-standing speaker with the compact
design of a stand-mount, the OBERON 3 is the perfect fit
for any stand-mount or shelf solution.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 10
OBERON 5 is the ultimate performer. A compact and elegant floor-standing
speaker, housing 2 x 5¼” wood fibre SMC based woofers and the series’ wide
bandwidth 29mm ultra-lightweight soft dome tweeter. This slim floor-stander will
surprise with its ability to deliver a deep firm bass. Together with the clear and well
defined mid-range and the airy high frequencies, this speaker is at home with any
music or movie sound track.
OBERON 7 brings everything
together. This large floor-standing
speaker has 2 x 7” wood fibre SMC
based woofers and the oversized
29mm ultra-lightweight soft dome
tweeter. This, combined with the
large but elegant cabinet, delivers
the very best in deep bass and
large room performance. Despite
its size, this speaker is surprisingly
delicate and will impress with its
ability to render any music style
naturally and lifelike even at lower
volumes. This makes the OBERON 7
perfect for almost any audio setup
and any music or movie style.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 11
OBERON ON-WALL is the slim, discreet and surprisingly powerful on-wall speaker of
the series. Housing the oversized 29mm ultra-lightweight soft dome tweeter, a 5¼”
wood fibre SMC based woofer and the unique DALI down-firing bass port system. The
combination of technologies used made it possible to create a speaker that despite its
compact size, will render audio like a much larger model. For this reason it’s the perfect
discreet choice for both stereo and surround setups.
OBERON VOKAL is the finishing touch for your OBERON
surround system. It is designed to be the perfect match
with any of the other speakers in the series. With a 29mm
ultra-lightweight soft dome tweeter and 2 x 5¼” wood
fibre SMC based woofers, the OBERON VOKAL delivers a
precise, clear and detailed movie or concert sound track.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 12
APPLICATION
The OBERON series presents a ‘speaker for every use’
line-up of models. With two compact stand-mounts,
two floor-standing, an on-wall and a centre channel,
the OBERON has something for every need. Every
speaker model is perfect for stereo use, and is able to fill
everything from small apartments to large living rooms
with high-quality sound.
The OBERON series also includes several solutions for
the ultimate surround setup for any room, from the very
competitive combination of OBERON 1 with an OBERON
VOKAL together with the DALI SUB C-8 D or DALI
SUB E-9 F, through to the powerful room dominating
combination of OBERON 7, OBERON ON-WALL and
OBERON VOKAL, together with the DALI SUB E-12 F or a
DALI SUB K-14 F.
DALI OBERON is a series of speakers that gets the
balance of audio quality, visual design and price just
right. With new exciting visuals, the use of SMC and the
new oversized dome tweeter, DALI OBERON speakers
offer Hi-Fi quality sound in a new fresh design.
DALI A/S www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 13
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
OBERON 1 OBERON 3 OBERON 5 OBERON 7
Frequency Range [+/- 3] dB [Hz] 51 - 26,000 47 - 26,000 39 - 26,000 36 - 26,000
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) [dB] 86 87 88 88.5
Nominal Impedance [ohm] 6 6 6 6
Maximum SPL [dB] 106 108 108 110
Recommended Amplifier Power [Watt] 25 - 100 25 - 150 30 - 150 30 - 180
Crossover Frequency [Hz] 2,800 2,400 2,400 2,300
Crossover Principle 2-way 2-way 2-way 2-way
High Frequency Driver 1 x 29 mm soft dome 1 x 29 mm soft dome 1 x 29 mm soft dome 1 x 29 mm soft dome
Low Frequency / mid-range Driver(s) 1 x 5¼" 1 x 7" 2 x 5¼" 2 x 7"
Enclosure type Bass reflex Bass reflex Bass reflex Bass reflex
Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz] 50 49 43 39.5
Connection Input(s) Single Single Single Single
Recommended placement Stand/Shelf Stand/Shelf Floor Floor
Recommended Distance from rear wall
to speaker’s rear panel [cm]
Dimensions (H x W x D) [mm] 274 x 162 x 234 350 x 200 x 315 830 x 162 x 283 1015 x 200 x 340
Dimensions (H x W x D) [inches] 10.8 x 6.4 x 9.2 13.7 x 7.8 x 12.3 32.7 x 6.4 x 11.2 13.7 x 7.8 x 12.3
Weight [kg/lb] 4.2 / 9.2 6.3 / 13.9 10.8 / 23.8 14.8 / 32.5
Accessories Rubber feet,
1 -50 5 -50 15 -80 20 -80
Manual
Rubber feet,
Manual
Spikes, Rubber feet,
Manual
Spikes, Rubber feet,
Manual
OBERON VOKAL OBERON ON-WALL
Frequency Range [+/- 3] dB [Hz] 47 - 26,000 55 -26,000
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) [dB] 89.5 86.5
Nominal Impedance [ohm] 4 6
Maximum SPL [dB] 109 107
Recommended Amplifier Power [Watt] 25 - 150 25 -100
Crossover Frequency [Hz] 2,600 2,100
Crossover Principle 2-way 2-way
High Frequency Driver 1 x 29 mm soft dome 1 x 29 mm soft dome
Low Frequency / mid-range Driver(s) 2 x 5¼" 5¼"
Enclosure type Bass reflex Bass reflex
Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz] 46 50
Connection Input(s) Single Single
Recommended placement Shelf Wall
Recommended Distance from rear wall
to speaker’s rear panel [cm]
Dimensions (H x W x D) [mm] 441 x 295 x 161 385 x 245 x 120
Dimensions (H x W x D) [inches] 17.4 x 11.6 x 6.3 15.2 x 9.7 x 4.7
Weight [kg/lb] 7.45 / 16.4 - / -
Accessories Rubber feet, Manual Rubber feet, Manual
0 - 50 0 - 10
All technical specifications are subject to change without notice.
DALI A/S
www.dali-speakers.comDALI OBERON 14
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