Well....first of all, I'm glad I watched the whole video and wasn't put off by comments on either side. The video was an interesting and necessarily technical examination of your experience with these speakers and I think a lot of people will find it very valuable. I HOPE a lot of people see the value! At the same time, I wish you'd also provided some more feedback on actual listening - but I guess once you heard an issue, that was all you could focus on and had to get to the bottom of it. I watch and read a lot of reviews and deep-dives about audio gear and am quite accustomed to measurements being used to explain what is being heard. There should be no doubt that a more technical and scientific approach can ONLY help viewers and readers to have a clearer understanding of exactly how a transducer reproduces sound. I upgraded my 5.1 setup as a 50th birthday gift to myself. I spend a fair bit of time listening to relatively reference tuned headphones and IEMs from a relatively neutral DAP. So I wanted some precision, not much color, but also not too clinical. I needed my new gear to be as capable with music (of all genres) as it was with movies and TV. I needed it to be within a certain budget. After a great deal of reading around (and also taking into account what was available where I live) I went with the Oberon 7s (and the Oberon center) along with a Sony STR DN-1080 amp (upgrading from a fairly basic Yamaha setup from 10 years ago, also full size floorstanders etc). Personally, I am absolutely delighted with my choice. I think I might be at that 10ft triangle setup, near enough, in a non-treated room. The sound reproduction is superb, just what I was after. Plenty of high end detail but not shrill, plenty of bass and texture, mid-range tends slightly (very slightly) toward "lush". Imaging is very clear and soundstage extends beyond the speakers. Despite having heard top flight gear, THIS is the best home system I have ever owned and may well be the last one I buy. You are right to recommend that people audition their prospective purchases - always, with audio gear. But I would also say that people who watch your excellent video should not be put off from the Dali's and definitely give them a listen. I honestly think I got the best sound (for my ears, my room, my tastes) available at the price.

The meaningful marriage of both personal impressions and rigorous technical analysis is EXACTLY why I prefer New Record Day over all the other reviewers. Thanks Ron. This was an excellent example of your work.

Why not go to the next level and take measurements with the grills on (as intended by manufacturer) and then compare the two sets of measurements? Stopping short like you did in this review makes this feel incomplete and certainly less useful. Dali extended much courtesy to you in their response; you could reciprocate by giving Dali the respect to measure their speakers in a manner they intended them to be heard. Full disclosure: I have never listened to a Dali speaker (not that it matters in terms of the purpose of my response). The scientist in me always wants to ask the next question so I encourage you to do the same (you may just find it interesting as well).

I own a pair of Dali Oberon 7s and I must say I was surprised by the over analytical review of them here, it was like being dragged into a meeting at Audio Science Review. I am happy with the response by Dani, it was good to get their perspective and it was very Danish as expected. These speakers sound fantastic and the certainly sounded better than the B&W and Q Acoustics price equivalent floor standers I auditioned before I bought these blind. Any supposed mid range drop off is not noticeable to me.

Your review, especially your measurements explained a lot of things that I suspected for a long time. Great work, you are one in a million! Thank you Ron!

Great review! When using two woofers in a 2 Way, it must be an MTM setup. If your using the TMM setup(like Dali) , it must be a 2.5 way. Only way to stop the combing and cancellation.

Awesome review! WHY ISNT THIS CHANNEL ANY BIGGER!?!? Keep up the good work

There are compromises to be made in every design, in every price point category. No manufacturer can test their speakers in every concievable room shape and treatment, with every electronics disposable to prospective customers. Independent measurements are valuable and need to reveal how much was sacrificed from the ideal. But, in the end, it is our ears that should decide if the sound is appealing, and not the numbers. Thank you for a very helpful and informative review. What I ended up with is that Dali knows what they are doing, that they are well aware of their design choices and are not ashamed of them. And, most importantly, that we should approach the auditioning sessions openheartedly and as unbiased as possible ! Again, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and results. Thanks go to Dali, as well, for their honesty and their sincerity !

It is well known that the Oberon 5s are the better speakers. The 7s have a forward bloomy bass and murky midrange. Treble is rather rolled off with little high end sparkle. I have the two models in front of me.

Good review. Very well explained.

So they should have been a two and a half way. Nice to see the manufacturer being so engaged with scientific inquiries. I would be interested to see your listening position measurment if possible.

As ever, insightful and well constructed review Ron. Couple of things though.... Measurements are an excellent way of clarifying how and what you should be hearing, but never, ever take away the subjective element. YOU say you hear and couldn't live with the dip that the measurements show and you say (and I have no reason to doubt you) that you can hear that. I get it. I am an Oberon 3 user and I also have a slight disconnect between the upper and lower ranges of the sound and I am running mine on 25 year old Arcam Alpha 9 amp! It's not an observation that hasn't been discussed before. Of this range, the 1's and the 5's seem to be the absolute sweet spot, the 3's and 7's being described as you said.... That said.... I LOVE my 3's. And that is because that dip is not intrusive. It doesn't detract away from the music. They play deep, they are insightful and detailed, voices sound natural and "in the mix"....they are special speakers. I have no doubt there are lots of others at the price ranges that measure so much better and measurements ARE important. But ultimately, the sound in each individual's room's is what counts. So although I love you go into depth and detail with this, I would love to know your subjective viewpoints on these speakers. YES, your opinion will now be coloured by the measurements and therefore will naturally have a listening bias that has that in mind. I get it. It's fair enough. But could you sit and listen to this, forgive that dip and actually take them in and appreciate them? Are they good speakers? Do they make you like what you're listening to? What does the colouration or voicing do to the listening experience? Is that dip so distracting it makes the speakers completely unlistenable (I suspect not)? So, with all the knowledge of testing and so on taken on board, what DO they sound like? Are they any good? Are they demonstrably more, less or equally as enjoyable as other makes at this price point? Because enjoyment is what it's at. And yes I consider myself an audiophile, but I also enjoy the music to the point where I will allow discrepancies in gear if I can carry on tapping my toes, nodding my head and simply enjoy my music. I mean, with the gear that I have, I would be laughed out of an audiophile meeting (Arcam Alpha 9 amp, Dali Oberon 3 speakers, Thorens TD160 turntable that is original and been in the family since new (1973), Celestion Ditton 15's also from new as a second pair, Alpha 8 CD player.......you see where I am going with this...). But I LOVE the sound it produces and I know compared to some it's nowhere near audiophile (it is, I know. But you get what I am saying compared to modern gear) and to me that is by FAR the most important thing. So, bad measurements or not, will people enjoy these speakers with that in mind? I suspect they will. And maybe not for you. And as your conversation with Dali shows, shouldn't be that what it is about? Respect for someone else's point of view on this? They might not be for you. They may be perfect for someone else. Nobody is wrong :-) Keep up the good work Ron. Awesome as always and well done you and well done Dali for that excellent exchange. Isn't that how it should be? Brilliant

Great and helpful findings!!

Excellent, informative review. I've been a Dali fan for 4-5 years now and have Zensors in both my casual listening space (living room/kitchen) and my main listening room. I dig the sound of the pulp woofer, as you say, and the speakers are really nice looking, particularly in their budget range (I think the aesthetic on their pricier models is a bit hit or miss). I guess the question I ask is how speakers that measure well in a treated listening room will do in an L-Shaped room? It seems like no speaker is perfect and part of the reason I collect speakers like I do is to hear the different timbres, colorations, etc. Just wondering about your thoughts there. Anyway, I appreciate the effort on Dali, a company I have been following for a bit now and like a lot.

I have Oberon 5s in a large L shaped room. When listening to music they sound much much better when placed exactly how they said (10 feet from the listener in an equilateral triangle). I figured this out on my own some months ago, nice to see this confirmation of how they should be setup here

I have a pair of Dali Epicon 2s and couldn't be happier. I previously had a pair of Kef Ls50s and before going with the Dalis I heard speakers like Harbeths, Focals and Piegas.... I think the Dalis sounded more relaxed and overall better IMHO ( Compared to their similarly priced competitors ). Good job Ron!

thorough and tidy. good job

Excellent review. Thank you.

Hats off to you sir!!! I do completely agree with you in the way DALI deals with their products and customers as well as reviewers. I completely agree with you in regards to the company being very open minded, very transparent and from 2 years almost 3 of working with their products, not once have I had any issues nor did I ever feel left out or like my opinion doesn't matter. I wish they were better known in the community. Unfortunately, as you said, people look for subjective and most times most people fall for the hype or gimmicks. DALI themselves describe their speakers and sound as being a foot tapping sound. That implies it should be enjoyed and not compared on a piece of paper against other speakers like most KEYBOARD ARMY "EXPERTS" do.

Kudos to both you and Dali for being so forthcoming in your findings and conversation. This is how it should be. Excellent review.

Very different review! Nice job!

Thanks for the great video. Have you reviewed the Oberon 5s as well?

the Klipsch 600m has a similar dip in freq response which was also criticized by some more professional reviewers. Don't know why speaker manufacturers suddenly forgot how to crossover properly

Good information! Meanwhile I've truly enjoyed a pair of Oberon 7s for 2ch music for over a year now paired with a meager Onkyo 9010.

Thank you Obe-Ron-Kenobi. You just highlighted my experience of another set of Dali speakers I heard where they to had this midrange blip. However, the speakers were so dynamic and wonderful, but was missing in some places. Good review to show the trends and science, especially when there is a gap. We need reviews like this to bring credit to reviews without the gap. Criticism of universal objects can psychological be taken personally even though the review is about speakers not you / "me". Its only personal if we make it so. Light travels faster then sound, thats a fact. Take this review and compare it with Ron's review of Polk Reserve speakers and the results are different.

When listening without knowing which were Dali Oberon (and also listened to Spektor) they sounded much clearer and more neutral than B&W which were quite much more expensive. I think Dali make some great speakers, and I'm glad to hear that they were respectful and kind in communicating with you! That is the kind of company I want to support with a purchase. Thanks for reviewing them!

Ron, Great honest review. imho i believe all towers especially with 2 equally sized woofers should be a 2.5 design. i have heard your findings on many 2 way towers its either the lower or upper mid-rrange that is affected.

Hey Ron. I'm another UK viewer just stumbled upon your channel. I was looking at some Wireless Active Speaker floorstander's to take me to the next level from where I'm at. I currently am very happy with the Yamaha NX-N500 speakers but they are smaller bookshelf speakers which cost around £600 down from £1000+ new and nothing really to touch them for 3 times the price. These little Yamaha's do amazing things, All in One Network speakers. Will you review these someday. You can still buy them for a steal at £600.

Re-watched this and it’s still an excellent video. I subjectively like Dalis and might buy some but that’s beside the point. Fabulous interaction between reviewer and manufacturer, and it shows how manufacturers make choices. Great stuff.

Hi, thanks for a great review! I auditioned the Oberon 5, and my impression is 1. I am super impressed by so much sound from a small box. 2. That the bass sounds a bit disconnected from the rest of the curve, still very pleasant listening experience. Perhaps the findings you have done, Dali did on purpose? Because the broader audience still enjoy that "studio" isolated sound rather than a linear curve? Anyways, I am keeping my Ikon series with that super detailed mid/high. Love them!

Interesting review, which might have dissuaded me from buying the 7's. That is, if I hadn't forgotten the review all together (the fact that I did is due to some brain damage and is not indicative of anything else). So I bought them anyway, under a 60 days return policy. Amplifier is a Marantz PM 6007. Triangle setup at 11 feet. If there's a dip it's one I can't hear, but I suppose I'm close to Dali's test-setup. With the Marantz they sound very lifelike, all instruments and voices well defined. That includes the bass. If it's in the recording you'll hear, or feel, it. I didn't want to (have to) add a subwoofer and don't feel I have to. Don't think I'll be sending them back...

Excelente video, saludos desde Barcelona.

Good video Ron - do you do your measurements outside or inside?

Please add disclaimer that you measured without the grilles (i.e. not the way Dali voiced them).

Hello which speaker did you like the most? psb t20 or dali oberon 7? thank you so much

Thanks for your sharing How about this compare to dali opticon 6, which is better?

Appreciate the science in this review. Interesting that the mainstream subjective guys like the 5s better, perhaps their integration is smoothed by a 2,400Hz crossover point and smaller mid-bass drivers? Or, the subjective guys heard what Dali’s in-room measurements illustrated, and like it.

Super utlilitarian review Ron, yours is a uniquely useful hifi channel on the internet IMHO.

A uniquely Ron review. So glad you emphasised on the need to listen till the end!

Wow! You hardly if ever get any interaction from manufacturers anymore! I’m very impressed by this.

I own a pair of Dali Rubicon 6, which I enjoy every day. If you want quality sound, start with Opticon or Rubicon, and if money is not an issue, Epicon. That's where Dali's magic begins ...

The oberons are tuned with the grilles on without toe in,its actually written in the manual Shaun of zero fed. also confirmed this in his review,I cant blame Ron for having this measurement coz he is evaluating on a different approach which is removing the grilles off.

Did you measure with the grills on? That is the way they are voiced. Inspired review!

Thumbs up for Dali 👍👍👍👍👍

Ron, excellent review - straight and honest. Bad frequency response of a good looking floor stander. Too bad, I couldn't live with that dip. Excellent, as always 👍

Regardless of speaker company isn't this the same trade off they all have to make? What I mean is, every room a purchased speaker is placed in has it's own uniqueness and acoustics and will obviously vary based on this. So engineers have to make decisions on what they believe will be the best sound from their speaker at a given price point, and this speaker is just that. Also, the sound of it is very subjective and of course will also depend on what you have had available to compare it too in regards to forming your personal opinion. Measurements are great and necessary for accurate comparisons, but in the end what matters is the room they are placed in with some understanding that a speaker poorly designed will not sound good in any room. I do think for the price they look great, they have nice warm sound to them, but even in my room my ears found the same thing your measurements did. Good review!

Hi can you tell me which is better of the Dali's opticon 1 or 2 and Rubicon 2 give me your opinion thanks and do you think that Oberon 3s are good

Dali designed all aspects with the grills on, not off. The strongly recommend use with the grills on. The tweeters reproduction of sound improves very much with the grills on. The drop in the mid-frequencies is a tremendous concern though and it's a shame that Safe & Sound (which I live very close to) doesn't have the Oberon line in house so I may listen to them and compare them against MartinLogan Motion 60XTi all powered by a Marantz SR8015. As a result buying them is a risk for me. I love the sound of MartinLogan electrostat's but my new livingroom is far too small to use them. I can only pray that the Motion's are extremely similar in sound and outperform the Dali's so I don't have cause to buy the Dali's since I cannot hear them beforehand.

Interesting review, and thanks for sharing your insights. The only problem is, to put this into perspective, I’d need similar reviews for other models in this price range to estimate the relevance of this potential shortcoming.

Nice review... what’s the name of the track at the start of the video?

Hey, I’m new into all this stuff and wondering if you couldn’t just eq out the bumb in the frequency response curve.

So, Dali suggests the speakers are placed 10 ft apart, 10 ft from the listening position, no toe-in and the tweeter roughly 3 ft above the ears? Am I getting that correct ?

I bought the active model "C" with the center I will have them next week.

Fair criticisms and interesting responses from Dali. (Disclosure, I bought Oberon 7s anyway). Doing some unscientific and lazy measurements with a scope from my living room couch (room not especially listening set up but decent acoustic damping) at about 3.4m/no toe in, the graphs seem closer to Dali's. On the subjective side if i move around a bit and really pay attention, the crossover is minutely noticeable. While not perfect, in the ~_1500-2k range the O7s were a lot more entertaining to listen to than most similarly priced competing towers.

Hi...nice review...would musical fidelity m5si be a gd match amp? Ty

Would have been nice to see a in room measurement at the listening position, if only to see the difference between that spot and the 1m or 2m on axis measurements, at least in your room.

That's surprising considering some of the lower end Dali speakers measure really well.

If this model compare to opticon 6,which is better? thanks

Just send the video to the Dali Country rep and his response is not something that everyone might agree with. He mentioned during the design , there is a lot of tuning being done and the final objective to have the best sounding speaker . When the tuning is done , the dip frequency area might be the result of tuning down the harshness around the frequency range. Anyway audiophile is always very subjective. I am sure there will be people who prefer sound at the dip frequency range. Anyway whether a speaker sound good or not, is always subjective and not depends on the technical measurements. I really doubt the R&D of Dali screw up big time if not why these Oberon continue to received awards after awards.

Hi I have the Dali Blue 6006 speakers what do you think of those speakers I think it really has a super wow effect I really don't want anything else 🔊😎

Nice, but dear all, aren't you trying to split hair over something, which is actually listening music for... erhm... pleasure? You don't need a surgeon's precision and complicated charts for that. Buy those speakers that sound good to you and that's it. I do respect all the troubles you went to measure all this stuff, but ultimately will it change anything for anybody? I doubt it.

I enjoy your detailed insight and fair assessments, however this one is a little too deep into details that a casual owner probably wont need. I understand the "why" of it but again this is more of an editorial, not the full sound and overall value videos i've come to enjoy from your channel. Having said that i'll still be purchasing the OB9's for my 2 channel set up.

I bought these when they first came out. This is the first review I've heard for these in english, but it still went over my head ha. Im a bit of a bass head, so I made my purchase because the Dali Zensor ( think Zensor 5) had such great reviews for bass that I figured these speakers would be even better because the Oberon models are supposed to be a step above the Zensor models. I kind of feel like I should have gone with the Zensors though because I'm not impressed with the bass these put out. It's marketed as deep bass, so I guess I had high expectations. I'm running it on a yamaha as501. I wonder if It's because I stream a lot of music via bluetooth.

Does Dali make a speaker similar in price and quality that is wired instead of wireless?

Well I would give Dali A- for engaging with reviewers. NRD gets A+ for not jumping to conclusions without giving Dali a chance to explain their intentions with the speakers. Quick question, what made you choose the amplifiers used in the assessment? What the price or the efficiency of the speakers? Thank you again!

Can i use these speakers with denon x4700h without amplifier

maybe a d'apolito would be better if they wanted to make a 2 way. i was sure all speakers made in oberon 7 fashion was 2.5 ways, its the clear best approach i think. and make it a sealed box of course.

Will these work well with Denon AVR x1600H

Is it better then polk signature s55?

how much power should you use with these?

What amp would suit these speakers please?

People's rooms are usually horrible listening spaces + 4400 hz is a true ear-bleeder

They should probably have some big warning not to toe in the speakers in their packaging. I dunno though, Dali speakers have never really impressed me as much as Dynaudio and Raidho have, and they're also Danish.

I'm affraid there are many audiophiles that think that as a rule of thumb, a loudspeaker should sound amazing because of ruler flat measurements, without having ever heard or paid attention to what makes a speaker sound like there are live instruments and musicians in the living room, with time domain and coherency coming to mind for instance. I never heard these Dali's before, but I'm always happy when a manufacturer is forced to do some voicing and deviations from linearity to make a good sounding speaker, at least at this price range.

You mentioned the Yamaha AS2200 when you made this film 3 years ago, before I buy these Dali's may I ask you or others reading this if my Yamaha RN600A would be good enough to drive these speakers ?

I would like to see them remake the speakers with the tweeter between the two woofers.. 🤔

All good and fine technical review and everyone played nice but in the end you never state your opinion of the sound. Did you like them or not? Would you recommend folks audition them or not?

#speaker setups in rooms matters+

Now you have to test the Rubicon 2 :-) Rubicon 2 are much better balanced than the Rubicons (they do cost more). I've been eyeing them, but speakers such as the Oberon scare me away. I need some measurements of the Rubicon 2's

Why didn't you test at 3 meters (10 feet) or test from your listening position? How much more time would it have taken? I guess if you heard the issue there'd be no need. I like the Dali Helicons, and like a few of their product line over the years they have a mid bass that crosses over to a dome tweeter that crosses over to a ribbon tweeter in the mid teens. There are all kinds of time/phase issues just based on the geography alone, but they are well respected & reviewed in spite of this. If you want to see hilariously bad graphs get any "true" Klipsch, especially prior to series III, like a Heresy, La Scala, Belle Klipsch or corner horn, even a Cornwall. You won't believe it, it's terrible, yet with the right electronics and source material they're great fun. You should send the Oberons to "your" other channel, GR, and see if he can work some magic - it'd be fascinating. Maybe a simple realignment to D'Appolito (M-T-M) would "fix" it. If they were here I'd build a cabinet to do just that. Great review, I wish Dali would pay to have them GR-Researched😁. You were very professional, I would have loved to see listening/measurement comparison at your seating position. Well done, thumbs up.

Hello, I will buy this weekend a new pair of speakers and I have been undecided between the Dali Oberon 7 and the Triangle Borea BR09 but after this review I'll get the Bro 9. Thanks for the reviews ❤

Ron, much respect for your journalistic integrity

Disappointing to hear issues with Dali's entry-level speakers. I remember the euphonia m5s were very impressive speakers back in the day.

3 way is The way

you have to do the audience as for the elac

Ron Brenay, thou hast acquitted thyself gracefully. We now knight thee, "Sir Benay-Hi-Fi". You put the 'Ron' back in 'Porn'.

Why did remove the grills?!

Many speakers with funky measurements can still play music really well. I know because my own speakers are like that. Let's hope that's the case here.

these or Focal Chora 826's?

Ron I admire your Working. Perfect.

Did you forget to test the C version ? Or is it so garbage... (50 W not enough) ?

I myself just got the Oberon 7...I measured using REW didn't have that dip. It's your room and not the speakers.

I like chips with my dip.

The tweeters do give a big hump "up there" (and the crossovers are badly designed)

I own a pair of the 7s and they are beautiful in appearance and sound fantastic, very full bodied note and that is to my taste. However, I can detect the lack of upper mid range compared to the 5s, which I also own.. hence these babies are going to be dearly departed and replaced with the Triangle Borea 08. Wish me well.

I want to send this video to AudioQuest and see if they'll let Gene from Audioholics measure their cables 🤔🤔🤔 As for Ron and DALI, great video, a perfect example of how adults should behave. ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿

If it sounds good and measures bad your measuring the wrong thing plain and simple.

I am surprised, Dali is a well regarded manufacturer. Sounds like either a poorly designed crossover, a supplier changed part specs on them or defective parts to me.

Great review Ron! I have the Oberon 3 which is basically a bookshelf version of the 7. You totally nailed the description on this one. The moment you went on to describe about the isolated top end for tweeter, I knew that it is not just me. Owned the 3 for about 3 months now and I have been telling myself that it just needed breaking-in, but that mid-range dip never seemed to go away. Watching this review and the measurements you did confirmed this fact. Personally I really love the looks of the Dali, but not so much with the sound. It is great to see that you are being very respectful and present your findings in a neutral way. Thanks

Hello, how are you? Let me tell you that I have had oberon 7 about three months ago, and I have traveled a large number of musical styles added to a small room since I live in an apartment, I have them separated from the bottom 25 cm, with a separation between them of 1.45 mt, and I listen to them at 1.50 mt, good bass without being overdone, very strong treble I had to subtly remove them with the EQ, somewhat more discreet mids. My amplifier is a Rotel RB970BX, and I noticed that the performance of the oberon 7 improves when I turn up the quarter volume, it is a discharge of hidden frequencies that are not heard at low volume, it must be because of its 88.5 dB added to the few 60 watt of my amplifier, in summary quite satisfied with its performance, I think it could compete with more expensive speakers of the same range, it is my humble experience, greetings from Chile and sorry for my bad English.