DALI Oberon 5 Floorstanding Speakers (Pair) (Ash Black)

Product Information

Dali points out that key elements of its fancier Epicon series informed the design of Oberon. Chief among them was the inclusion of the firm’s unique SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) technology, which uses a patented compound in the pole piece of its bass drivers. The result, says Dali, is an “agile, linear woofer with a significant reduction of distortion from mechanical loss.” Other top-notch features include a Dali signature technology—its wood-fiber cones that provide added rigidity and thus lower distortion in bass frequencies. Cabinets are of a robust MDF construction. Fit and finish is very, very good. Filling out the Oberon lineup are two bookshelf models, plus an on-wall and a center channel for multichannel and movie enthusiasts. They are also not excessively difficult to drive—their 88dB sensitivity and a 6-ohm nominal impedance mean that most amplifiers won’t have trouble bringing these speakers to life. Pair them with a more prestigious amplifier and you will get a proportionally better experience, but it’s nice to have the entry point be so accessible. KEF’s loudspeakers are a celebration of advanced technology and exceptional sound quality, and the budget-friendly Q550 embodies all the characteristics that define KEF’s products.

The Oberon 5’s sound feels more musical, whereas the Q550 features the KEF’s distinctive transparent sound. Depending on what you look for, you might prefer one or the other, but to me, the winner here is the Oberon 5. Who are the Dali Oberon 5 floor-standers best suited for? OBERON 5 es el mejor intérprete. Un altavoz compacto y elegante, que contiene dos woofers de fibra de madera SMC de 5¼” y una cúpula de tweeter ultraligera de 29mm. 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. SMC

Others may think of them for a second system or for TV use, but believe me when I say their performance far exceeds most ‘second system’ level speakers. I have them firmly embedded in my main system and they are not going anywhere. I will be using them in future to evaluate other floorstanding speakers as I continue to review gear for Wall of Sound. Tonally strings were something that sounded great, they had weight to the resonance and heavy decay on the notes. Double bass and cello notes seemed to hang around for an age without dissipating. Vocals sounded very full, especially from males performing in lower octaves. The 716 is very aggressive and bottom heavy which means they need to be pulled way out from any walls, prob more so than most speakers. The 726 is again very agressive with the lower end but the main issue with them is they get bright with volume. 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. KEY FEATURES:

I agree that in some ways the bass sounds bigger, even if the spec says the Oberons go lower. But as I crank it up above 60hz, there's sometimes noise or distortion that isn't there with Oberon. Yes, the used zensors could be a bit over used but I don't think so. Dali loudspeakers have never failed to impress and excite me regardless of configuration or price point. I recall the grandeur of the imposing MegaLine flagship that I heard at REG’s home years ago, or more down-to-earth models like the Rubicon series equipped with its impressive hybrid ribbon/soft-dome tweeter module. It could be, however, that Dali’s most remarkable feat has been stretching the sonic limits in the small floorstander category. In the Oberon 5, I found an economical yet formidable speaker that makes few concessions and permits you to walk the fine line of everyday practicality while still allowing your audiophile heart to lead the way. Specs & Pricing For music testing, I started out with Nils Frahm’s album Screws. It’s a solo piano album recorded using a single condenser microphone, and it leaves in every little imperfection you don’t normally hear in a final recording. You can make out the sound of the hammers hitting the strings, errant creeks as the musician’s foot presses and releases the sustain pedal—at least you with a decent pair of speakers or headphones you can. The Oberon 5 had no problem bringing all these details right to the front, delivering a warm, intimate listening experience that felt like a live performance. If you can, at least to explore your issues more thoroughly, try to follow the advice given by @BlueWizard above. I would also say, if you are happy with the sound when the rear ports are 'bunged' there is absolutely no problem with this other than getting over the potential psychological hurdle.The other thing that stands regardless of color choice is the large metal base. Aesthetically I think it looks great and almost looks like the speaker is floating above a metal platform when caught at the right angle. The speaker is anchored at 4 points where the base is a square fencing design. Now the aesthetics aside I don’t think this was the right thing to do. Nominal Impedance of 6 Ohms makes the DALI Oberon 5 a relatively difficult to drive speaker compared to more frequently found 8 ohms speakers from nominal Impedance perspective. The magnet motor itself consists of a large ferrite magnet that sorrounds a pole piece made with a unique combination of iron and SMC. The iron ferrite forms the lower base of the pole cylinder, topped of with 10 mm SMC disk to crown the pole piece. This combination minimizes the negative effects of the iron, while placing the SMC disk right in the main working area of the 4-layer voice coil. This placement ensures the maximum effect from the SMC on the voice coils environment, resulting in a greatly improved constant flux field. TWEETER and yes I have started liking and appreciating and getting used to the sound signature of Oberon 5 much more of late ( maybe after your inputs ) ..It is much more balanced and accurate and provides clean bass -

The Uni-Q driver does a magnificent job at handling midrange and high frequencies, offering a detailed and agile soundstage, while the 5.25-inch aluminum woofer and auxiliary bass radiators bring to life a controlled and articulate bass.

SOUND QUALITY

Definition and detail retrieval were very good but at this price, I wouldn’t say close to class-leading. As mentioned for a few dollars more you have the KEF and for a lot of dollars less (provided you can get your hands on them), you can get yourself some Magnepan. But the detail is still great and so is imaging, the question you need to ask is do you really need an electrostatic level of detail in trade for musicality? We reserve the right to refuse installation should our engineers think that the existing electrical or plumbing points are unsafe and in need of maintenance or if they are unable to install to existing furniture.