DALI Oberon 1 C Wireless Active Speaker (Pair)

The driver materials, crossover design and geometry applied in the OBERON C series 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. This is why all DALI speakers are not designed to be toed-in.

The SOUND HUB COMPACT transmits to OBERON C speakers using a proprietary 30 bit wireless protocol derived from the acclaimed DALI SOUND HUB. Audio transmission latency from input to speaker is typically less than 15 mS, and inter-speaker timing is accurate to the single sample period of the broadcast audio data.

The iron pole piece of the OBERON C woofer magnet is crowned by the DALI patented SMC disk - minimizing the negative effects of the iron. The use of the SMC disk greatly reduces mechanical distortion, which lowers third order distortion. This allows for a longer listening pleasure, a relaxed midrange and a surprising amount of detail for its price class.

The OBERON C power amplification comprises two 50 Watt peak, closed-loop Class-D power amplifiers chosen specifically for their sound quality and dynamic ability. One amplifier powers the high frequency driver, one powers the bass/mid driver (or twin drivers in the case of the OBERON 7 C).

The OBERON 1 C is intended for smaller rooms where space is a precious commodity and volume levels are relatively modest. Music lovers and audiophiles who prefer the style and sound of stand-mounted speakers will be drawn towards the OBERON 1 C. Listening to music, perhaps from CD, internet radio, or a turntable and precious record collection, is likely to be their priority over TV audio – although if the OBERON 1 C speakers are located appropriately, one on either side of the screen, TV audio may become increasingly of interest.

The compactness of the OBERON 1 C makes it easy to integrate into any room. To achieve a wide dispersion pattern in the listening area, the driver materials and geometry applied in the OBERON 1 C have been carefully selected. The same principles have been applied in the design of the crossover.

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.

The OBERON 1 C builds on a 5.25" bass/midrange driver that features our proprietary fine paper pulp and reinforced wood fibre composite diaphragm materials, which creates a stiff, light-weight and well-behaving structure. In combination with a low-loss surround and spider suspension, this cone reproduces the micro details in the signal - unfiltered and with high accuracy. This is supported by the advanced copper-coated aluminium voice-coil wire and, in particular, our unique SMC (Soft Magnet Compound) magnet technology.

By introducing electrically non-conductive elements to the magnet structure, SMC significantly reduces the effect of a variety of distortion-producing mechanisms inherent to moving-coil driver architecture. For example, SMC minimises eddy current effects, increases flux linearity, reduces magnetic hysteresis and minimises the variation of voice-coil inductance with position. Taken together, these benefits make SMC equipped drivers particularly suited to active amplification.

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.

The OBERON 1 C power amplification comprises two 50 Watt-peak, closed-loop Class-D power amplifiers chosen specifically for their sound quality and dynamic ability. One amplifier powers the high frequency driver and one powers the bass/mid driver. The 100dB signal-to-noise ratio of the power amplifiers ensures that even the smallest detail in a quiet musical passage is reproduced with clarity and accuracy.

The rear panel mounted OBERON 1 C electronic module incorporates a wireless receiver element and user setup interface, a DSP equalisation and crossover filter element, and a high efficiency two channel power amplifier with a closely integrated power supply.

Powering the amplifier is a custom designed, 65W(rms), very low noise switched mode supply that is able dynamically to share resources between the two amplifier channels in response to demand. The OBERON 1 C is, as a result, unusually frugal in terms of power consumption, yet gives nothing away in terms of dynamic punch when the music demands it.

The OBERON 1 C high frequency driver is a damped textile soft dome tweeter featuring an unusually light diaphragm and a larger than typical, 29 mm diaphragm and voice-coil. The light diaphragm means that the upper frequency response of the driver is unusually extended before its mass limited roll-off.

The large diameter diaphragm and voice-coil increases sensitivity and power handling, reduces distortion, and enables the driver to operate at lower frequencies than is the case with smaller tweeters, which helps provide more latitude in the crossover design. Further increasing power handling, and significantly reducing signal compression as the voice-coil temperature rises with increased volume, the driver is equipped with ferro-fluid in its voice-coil gap.

OBERON 1 C cabinets are constructed from CNC-machined high strength MDF panels and finished with a variety of wood-effect or matt white laminates. The cabinets are engineered for optimum rigidity to minimise panel resonance, with corner fillets. Corner fillets have become increasingly unusual in contemporary speaker cabinet construction but at DALI we believe they play an important role in ensuring rigidity.

Internal cabinet damping materials are selected and positioned strategically in order to maximise midrange energy attenuation without degrading bass transient response and bandwidth, as so often the case with reflex loaded speakers.

The OBERON 1 C are fitted with unusually large diameter rear panel dual-flare reflex ports that are engineered to minimise port turbulence, distortion and compression, while also factoring-in the potential proximity of the rear wall. Flaring on the port entrance, as well as on the exit, delays the onset of airflow turbulence as volume level rises, and helps ensure that bass performance remains consistent at all volume levels. Rear-mounting the reflex ports has the great advantage of directing any midrange energy emitted from inside the cabinet away from the listening position.

The OBERON 1 C can be used with the DALI CONNECT Stand E-601, installed within furniture units or on shelves, or wall mounted directly via rear panel keyhole slots.

The DALI Sound Hub is the brains behind your CALLISTO C, RUBICON C and OBERON C speaker systems, streaming Hi-Res audio to your speakers and automatically switching between multiple sources. The Sound Hub brings true no-compromise convenience to music and movie lovers who demand more.

The DALI Sound Hub features an extended range of digital and analogue inputs combined with an auto source sensing system. The Sound Hub automatically activates the right input the moment you start playing music or turn on your TV – so you can just sit back and enjoy exquisite audio.

The front-facing volume knob embeds an LED display, which combines Hi-Fi tradition with convenience. The LED display shows the current audio source as well as the volume level, and you can even adjust the light intensity of the display. This is supported by a light display on top of the Sound Hub, which indicates the location of the speakers in the pairing process.

The wireless connection between the Sound Hub and the speakers is an extremely stable digital connection, made on either the 2.4 GHz or the 5.8 GHz band depending on location and quality of the connection. The proprietary 30 bit protocol transfers an uncompressed I2S audio signal in 24 bit 96 kHz, utilising the remaining bits to control volume, speaker ID and other control data.

Designed specifically with seamless TV integration and Bluetooth audio in mind, the SOUND HUB COMPACT wireless audio preamplifier combines all the functions and interface facilities needed to play the central role in a complete wireless active Hi-Fi system. It can handle a variety of wired digital and analogue sources, including HDMI ARC, and also pair with Bluetooth audio devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptop and desktop computers to enable entirely wireless audio playback. The SOUND HUB COMPACT can be installed on a table, shelf or furniture unit or be direct wall-mounted using its keyhole slot features.

The system will even automatically switch on when a previously paired Bluetooth device is connected and playback initiated. There’s no complex control app to learn, just automatic input switching and intuitive source based volume control.

Thanks partly to utilising a relatively un-congested radio band, and partly to the use of a protocol specifically designed for audio data, the SOUND HUB COMPACT and OBERON C wireless connection is highly stable and introduces next to no packet loss. Feed-forward error correction is employed however to eliminate the results of packet loss should it occur. The sub 15 mS input to speaker latency of the system means also that the SOUND HUB COMPACT and OBERON C system can be used in audiovisual systems with no resulting loss of lip-sync.

The SOUND HUB COMPACT wireless connection protocol is a proprietary 30 bit digital stream broadcast over the 5.2 GHz or the 5.8 GHz band. The optimal band option is selected automatically depending on the local radio signal environment.

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