Having discontinued the much-loved and well-reviewed Zensor series, including the Active AX sets, we’ve been crying out for a replacement. With the Zensor splitting into the cheaper Spektor range, and the more musical and refined Opticon series, it has been the Oberon series that has been given the chance to shine as an active series.
‘But it’s expensive!’ I hear you cry. Yes, it’s definitely pricier than the active Zensor range used to be – and being priced above some more established active speakers such as the KEF LSX series – themselves ‘What HiFi?’ 5 Star award winners, there’s definitely some justification needed to win people over.
Thankfully – the DALI Oberon 1C speakers already look and feel more impressive than the Zensor iterations. The worsted fabric material grilles feel more like a statement piece in the room as opposed to an afterthought if you don’t want to look at the drivers.
Care has been given to the cabinet and fascia to ensure they can, across their ample range of finishes, fit most interiors. A lovely upgrade from the previous sets of ‘gloss black front, and maybe a couple of wood choices’.
However, with active speakers, a lot of the pursuit comes from minimising wires, boxes and other ‘bits and bobs/gubbins/stuff’ that tends to come with hifi. This doesn’t always line up with ideals however. You think of colour, you think of a size, you find a power socket and fall at the last hurdle – they need speaker cable between them… Dali however, may well have you covered here. Based off the Sound Hub which can run the more expensive (and impressive) Callisto and active Rubicon series, the Oberon series is packaged with the inventively named Sound Hub Compact.
If you do fancy building the system up in the future, or you actually own one of the above set, they’ll still work with the Sound Hub as well. The Hub allows you to connect a wealth of your existing sources to run through the speakers – should purely wireless music not be your thing. This could be your CD player, a turntable placed elsewhere – or more commonly requested, your TV. This will work best via the HDMI ARC port, and you even have a subwoofer output if you need more weight to the system.
Running off of a proprietary wireless signal, making it neither Bluetooth or WiFi frequency, the speakers both communicate completely wirelessly to the hub (you’re still going to need plug sockets I’m afraid). I should add here that it would be recommended keeping things in the same room – but line of sight transmission wasn’t an issue with the hub in a cabinet with other devices; a strength over the KEF LSX speakers.
Having popped through the relatively easy setup process, it’s time to get them playing. Basically borrowing the exact same build quality from the Oberon 1s, with their silk dome tweeter and paper material cone, the sound is as punchy and responsive as you’d expect from Dali.
Placement MIGHT be a bit tricky due to the rear-facing bass port, mirroring the passive 1 series, but it’s not a dealbreaker if you put them on the wall with their keyhole mount, or have them close to the wall on a set of stands or a cabinet. It does make the sound a little muddy due to the bass extension, but not so much I’d write them off.
The DALI Oberon 1C speakers are available in dark walnut, white, light oak and black ash (pictured).
With classical music played through Qobuz – the lossless transmission really shines. Chopin’s Nocturne No.2 in E Flat, each piano key feels purposeful and the sustain on lower notes keeps the track moving along without feeling like it’s dipping out. They also managed to keep up with more orchestral movements from Beethoven, showing they have little issue with more complex pieces.
It can equally turn its hand to more electronic music, Prisms by 65daysofstatic shows off all the sparkle and bass that it needs through the speakers with the track feeling very controlled and without any distortion on either end.
The Oberon’s did fall down a little on some of the heavier music trialled out, with them sounding a little confused with artists such as ‘If Trees Could Talk’, sometimes feeling a little lost in the guitar haze. However if you’re a fan of similar instrumental rock – the KEF LS50 Wireless MkII’s are calling for you to trial them.
If you’re planning on using them for a TV – they’ll happily dominate most of the soundbar market below £500-600 with their accurate, voice-led sound. However, for a more cinematic feel, it’s worth adding something with some guts, such as the REL T5X which will help with music too!
Overall, the Dali speakers are an extremely flexible and sonically impressive set of speakers set to dominate their price point. The lack of need to cable them together and the reliability of the wireless hub will ensure they work in the vast majority of room set ups. To hear these yourself, book in at your local Richer Sounds store – or call them up to arrange a home trial to show just how well they’ll work in your room.
Learn more about the DALI Oberon 1C speakers.
Author: Steve, Cardiff store
