Dali OBERON 1 C Review

DALI is my personal favorite brand of loudspeakers. I have owned several pairs over the years and have always been impressed with the unique charm that DALI brings to its products.

DALI, short for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, is a company based in Denmark that specializes in the design and production of loudspeakers. The company’s focus on technical excellence, combined with its unique sense of style, has made them a well-respected and beloved brand among audiophiles.

One of the things I love about DALI is its affordable product line. Their entry-level bookshelf loudspeakers can be purchased for a couple of hundred dollars, making them accessible to a wide range of people.

Overall, I highly recommend DALI to anyone in search of high-quality, stylish loudspeakers.

Design

The Dali OBERON 1 C is a bookshelf model from the OBERON C series. This series is an active, wireless version of the popular OBERON series. The OBERON C has a built-in amplifier and wireless streaming capabilities, making it a convenient choice for those who want to easily stream music.

One of the standout features of the OBERON series is the use of DALI’s patented SMC (Soft Magnet Compound) technology, which is usually only found in high-end products. This helps to ensure exceptional sound quality.

The Dali OBERON 1 C is available in four standard finishes: black, white, light oak, and dark walnut. The pair we reviewed was the light oak option, which looks great and fits in with a variety of decor styles. Overall, the OBERON 1 C is a top-quality bookshelf model with a sleek design and advanced features.

The Dali OBERON 1C series features a large 29mm lightweight tweeter made of extremely lightweight woven fiber. This tweeter weighs just 0.06 mg/mm2, making it extremely efficient. The tweeter’s bandwidth has been optimized to cover lower frequencies, resulting in improved articulation with the bass and midrange units and a more consistent overall sound.

The front panel of the tweeter is similar to that of the upper series OPTICON and RUBICON models. This results in an extended frequency response, a wider soundstage, and lower sound coloration. These features contribute to the high-quality sound that is a hallmark of the OBERON series.

OBERON is the first entry-level series to use DALI’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) technology. This technology significantly reduces non-linear magnet distortion, resulting in improved sound quality.

The Dali OBERON 1 C’s wood fiber bass unit is 5.25 inches in size, but its diaphragm is larger than those found on other units of the same size on the market. This allows the voice coil to produce more sound pressure and energy with less operation, resulting in a greater dynamic range and natural feel to the music.

The diaphragm is surrounded by very soft and flexible rubber, which allows it to move freely with minimal damping. The magnet drive system also helps to control the diaphragm movement, resulting in improved bass control and the ability to regenerate small details. The unit’s magnet drive system uses a large ferrite magnet surrounded by special iron and a 10mm thick SMC layer to minimize the mechanical distortion generated by the unit’s operation. Overall, these features combine to deliver excellent sound quality.

The back of the OBERON 1 C is quite different from the OBERON 1, the passive version. It features two 50W high-quality amplifiers that drive the two units, a fully active crossover with a 24Bit DSP design, and digital wireless streaming support with uncompressed 24Bit/96kHz specifications.

The circuit design of the OBERON C series is much more complex than that of the passive version. It includes power processing, wireless DSP/demultiplexing, and finally DAC decoding and amplification.

The wireless streaming function of the Dali OBERON C series can only be used with DALI’s own SOUND HUB COMPACT streaming center. While the settings and usage of this center may be different from what you are used to, don’t worry – it is quite simple and user-friendly.

The Dali SOUND HUB COMPACT

The SOUND HUB COMPACT streaming center has a number of input options at the back. The middle LINK CONNECT is used to pair with the speaker settings.

In the input area, there are two optical fiber inputs, one HDMI ARC input, and one RCA analog input. Additionally, there is wireless high-resolution AAC and aptX Bluetooth, which can automatically detect and switch the input source. If there is no input signal for 20 minutes, the device will automatically enter standby mode.

The SOUND HUB COMPACT also has a subwoofer output with low-pass filtering at 100Hz, a USB port for future firmware-related services and power supply, and a patented 30-bit 5.2 GHz or 5.8 GHz wireless transmission to the speakers for decoding and playback. It can support up to 24Bit/96kHz resolution without compression, and it has an extra 6 Bits for various functions such as feed-forward error correction, volume control, and speaker recognition.

The volume control uses DALI Zero Loss technology, which maintains 24 Bit digital resolution operation for the entire volume range. This means that volume adjustments do not cause any distortion.

Modern people are paying more and more attention to the fact that active speakers can produce good sound. This is mainly due to the rapid advancement of chip technology, which is now sufficient for speakers to handle the complete process of receiving sources, decoding, and amplifying circuits. The chip performance is getting better and better, making it easy to receive wireless signals, and bandwidth and latency are both improving.

Additional functions such as DSP can also be used to adjust different effects based on the environment or personal preferences. Digital computing can even be used to make up for physical limitations and achieve what traditional passive speakers cannot do.

For example, the Dali Oberon 1C is built on top of the passive Oberon 1 and includes wireless reception, decoding, and amplification circuits within the speaker cabinet. It only requires a power cord behind the speaker and a Dali Sound Hub Compact (SHC) wireless transmitter to receive external signals.

The SHC is a compact wireless transmitter that can be placed anywhere in the home and has a variety of digital signal inputs, including optical, HDMI, Bluetooth, and Chromecast ready, as well as RCA left and right channel analog inputs. Dali has a strong reputation in the speaker industry and is known for its patented technology and unique sound characteristics. This gives it more credibility and guarantees compared to many unknown brands on the market.

There are several methods for playing the Dali Oberon 1C. It can be connected to the SHC by a wired connection using optical fiber, HDMI, or a vinyl turntable with a two-channel RCA connection. It is also common to connect to the SHC through Bluetooth using computers, phones, tablets, and other devices. The SHC can also transmit to the Oberon 1C wirelessly.

The sound quality of the Oberon 1C is of a high standard, allowing for a full and pleasant listening experience even if you are not sitting in the optimal position. While it can be used as a standard two-channel setup for the best sound field performance and image, the Oberon 1C still achieves excellent music reproduction in other configurations.

The small bookshelf speakers can be placed in a small space and can still produce an unrestrained, airy sound when placed a certain distance away from the wall. This makes them relatively easy to position in a room.

Sound Performance

Listening to Malia’s voice in “Raising Venus” on the Oberon 1C is a truly impressive experience. The sound is thick, full, and pushes with force, creating a wide sound field on both sides. The wireless transmission does not compromise the strong sense of space in this piece of music.

As an audiophile, you will be surprised by the simplicity and standard of the sound. The first time I heard this song was on Ed Sheeran’s album. The male and female versions of the song are very different, with instrumental accompaniment and violin playing adding richness to the overall background of the music.

The lead vocalist sings each lyric clearly and the mood of the song has elements of nature, giving the band a sense of wandering in the mountains and forests. The lead vocalist’s voice is soft and fine, and the music is neither rushed nor slow, creating its own unique flavor.

The Dali OBERON 1C is suitable for small spaces and delivers a sufficient volume of the music. The richness of the low and midrange frequencies can be felt and the highs are clear, creating an even and harmonious performance across all ranges.

Listening to the third movement of the Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.35, is an exciting Allegro that opens with a rather imposing orchestra. The lead violin then joins in, starting with a gentle sound that gradually speeds up until the tempo stabilizes.

There is a feeling of a thousand horses running. In the middle of the piece, there is a section featuring woodwind instruments that presents a weak and quiet performance. This is followed by the violin doing the same, creating a clear contrast with the high emotion in the back.

Conclusion

the DALI OBERON 1C is a top-quality active speaker that offers excellent sound quality and a wide range of connectivity options. Its compact size and versatility make it suitable for use in a variety of settings, and its ability to produce a full, rich sound with clear highs and even performance across all ranges make it a great choice for music enthusiasts.

Whether you are looking for a compact speaker for a small space or a powerful option for a larger room, the Dali OBERON 1C is an excellent choice. Its wireless capabilities and compatibility with a range of devices make it an extremely convenient option, and its sturdy construction and attention to detail make it a reliable choice that is sure to impress. Overall, the DALI OBERON 1C is a fantastic investment for anyone looking to enhance their listening experience.

This piece showcases the sense of change in many instruments and has a large dynamic range. The OBERON 1C handles the dynamic control of the music very well. The overall tempo is fast, but the feeling is not very impulsive. You can hear the resonance of wood instruments in the thick and warm feeling and the high notes have a fluffy, natural tension. The piece is well-balanced and enjoyable to listen to.