They are clearly burning the midnight oil at DALI because this is the second major new loudspeaker announcement in under 8 weeks. That’s the sign of a healthy market and manufacturer that clearly understands that consumers want more affordable high-end products. The NAD/DALI relationship is off to a very good start. DALI today announced a new flagship floorstanding loudspeaker to its highly popular OBERON Series called the OBERON 9 (US MSRP $2,499/pr). It features a dedicated 7” midrange, two long-throw 9” woofers and a 1.14″ soft dome tweeter in a true three-way design.
The OBERON 9 joins the OBERON Series as its largest loudspeaker, which include speakers for a complete home theater or smaller listening rooms. In addition, DALI’s OBERON C series wireless active speakers offers three models with built-in amplification and wireless capabilities.
- OBERON 1 Bookshelf Speakers ($599/pr)
- OBERON 1 C Wireless Active Bookshelf Speakers ($1,499/pr )
- OBERON 3 Bookshelf Speakers ($899/pr)
- OBERON 5 Tower Speakers ($1,199/pr)
- OBERON 7 Tower Speakers ($1,499/pr)
- OBERON 7 C Wireless Active Tower Speakers ($2,499/pr)
- OBERON 9 Tower Speakers ($2,499/pr)
- OBERON ON-WALL ($749/pr)
- OBERON ON-WALL C Wireless Active On-wall Speaker ($1,798/pr)
- OBERON VOKAL Center Speaker ($549 each)
DALI’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) is used in the OBERON 9’s midrange/woofer magnet systems to provide improved flux linearity, reduced magnetic hysteresis and a significant reduction in harmonic distortion. These SMC benefits result in longer listening pleasure, and excellent low-level detail.
The OBERON 9’s enclosure is designed to optimise rigidity and minimise panel resonance while providing an excellent foundation for the drivers. The OBERON 9 woofer/midrange driver cones are made from a mix of paper and wood fibre that provide a stiff, lightweight and well-behaved structure that reproduces micro details with high accuracy.
The pair of 9″ drivers have a combined membrane area that is 12% larger than a 12″ woofer. This allows a higher maximum sound pressure level, which leads to an effortless reproduction of the dynamics in the music. The OBERON 9 is coupled with a new larger soft dome tweeter.
The oversized 29mm soft dome membrane uses an ultra-lightweight weave fabric and is optimised for a larger bandwidth in its lower frequency area. This ensures the optimal handover from the midrange woofer to the tweeter, creating a well-balanced, coherent upper midrange. Compared to most soft dome tweeters on the market, the DALI dome material is less than half the weight (0.060 mg/mm2).
The large but elegant cabinet delivers exceptional deep bass and large room performance. However, this speaker is surprisingly delicate and will impress with its ability to render any music or movie soundtrack naturally and lifelike even at lower volumes.
The driver materials, crossover design and geometry used in the OBERON 9 has been selected to achieve a wide dispersion pattern. This ensures a well-integrated sound, even when listening at a significant off-axis angle. An added benefit is seriously reduced harmonic distortion and diffractions causing frequency distortion.
DALI OBERON 9 claims to offer exceptional performance for music and movie lovers alike while its wide dispersion pattern makes placement much easier than with rival speakers. With its distinctive Danish design, the OBERON 9 features an elegant aluminium base to reduce resonance.
Price & Availability
DALI OBERON 9 loudspeakers will be available late March 2021 in Black Ash and Dark Walnut finishes for $2,499/pair.
OBERON Towers Compared
| Product | OBERON 9 | OBERON 7 | OBERON 5 |
| Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz] | 35 – 26,000 | 36 – 26,000 | 39 – 26,000 |
| Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB] | 90.5 | 88.5 | 88 |
| Nominal Impedance [ohms] | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Maximum SPL [dB] | 113 | 110 | 108 |
| Recommended Amplifier Power [W] | 50 – 400 | 30 – 180 | 30 – 150 |
| Crossover Frequency [Hz] | 780/3,400 | 2,300 | 2,400 |
| Crossover Principle test | 3-way | 2-way | 2-way |
| High frequency driver, Quantity | 1 x 29 mm | 1 x 29 mm | 1 x 29 mm |
| High frequency driver, Diaphragm type | Soft Textile Dome | Soft Textile Dome | Soft Textile Dome |
| Midrange driver, Quantity | 1 x 7″ | ||
| Midrange driver, Diaphragm type | Wood Fibre Cone | ||
| Low frequency driver, Quantity | 2 X 9″ | 2 X 7″ | 2 X 5.25″ |
| Low frequency driver, Diaphragm type | Wood Fibre Cone | Wood Fibre Cone | Wood Fibre Cone |
| Enclosure type | Bass Reflex | Bass Reflex | Bass Reflex |
| Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz] | 31 | 39.5 | 43 |
| Connection Input | Single Wire | Single Wire | Single Wire |
| Magnetic Shielding | None | None | None |
| Recommended Placement | Floor | Floor | Floor |
| Recommended Distance From Wall [cm] | 20 – 80 | 20 – 80 | 15 – 80 |
| Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm] | 1172 x 260 x 406 | 1015 x 200 x 340 | 830 x 162 x 283 |
| Weight [kg] | 37.1 | 14.8 | 10.8 |
| Accessories Included | Manual Rubber Feet Spikes Front Grille | Manual Rubber Feet Spikes Front Grille | Manual Rubber Feet Spikes Front Grille |
About DALI
DALI, (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries), was established in 1983, and grew out of Scandinavia’s leading audio retail chain. Now distributed in 65 countries, and with more than 35 years of experience and global recognition, DALI holds unwavering dedication to sound that has advanced the state of the art, inspiring music and cinema lovers and challenging the competition to catch up. DALI is driven by raw passion for music and an honest reproduction in the domestic environment. Continuous development and refinement of new technologies remains core to DALI’s quest to create the best loudspeakers in the world. For more information, visit DALI-SPEAKERS.com
About Lenbrook
The Lenbrook Group of Companies is a privately held Canadian corporation who are the owners of NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, Bluesound and Bluesound Professional. Formed in 1978, Lenbrook initially was a national distributor of electronics and communications products in Canada and has grown to become a leading global supplier to over 80 countries around the world.
Lenbrook Americas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenbrook International, is responsible for the sales and marketing of NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, Bluesound and DALI in both the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, it also distributes Tivoli Audio and Master & Dynamic in Canada.
