As many of you will know by now, I thoroughly enjoy experimenting with a variety of Hi-Fi gear to gauge what equipment will produce the most detail from my favourite music. From CD players and turntables, to amplifiers and speakers, it’s an ongoing investigation that, let’s face it, may never end as most brands are almost constantly releasing new and upgraded models. Working at Audio T has really opened my eyes to expansive world of Hi-Fi and the amount of brands and models available.

Hopefully, this article will dispel the myth that you have to break the bank in order to own a great set of Hi-Fi speakers as we’ll be exploring the subject by looking at a beautiful pair of floor standing speakers that perform well beyond their price point – the DALI Oberon 5.

A COLOUR FOR EVERY INTERIOR

The DALI Oberon 5 come in a range of finishes – Light Oak, White, Dark Walnut, and Black Ash. Mountain Grey grilles are supplied with the lighter finishes and Shadow Black grilles with the darker; Marshmallow White is also available at an extra cost. Standing at 83cm high, 16cm wide and 28cm deep, their striking beauty frequently catches the attention of customers when they enter the store, giving us many great opportunities to tell the customers how well they perform. Most of the time they intrigue customers enough to sit down and have a listen in our demonstration room, and are often pleasantly surprised by how beautiful these speakers sound and perform considering their fairly reasonable price mark. In fact, most customers can’t believe their luck when they discover these incredible floorstanders.

We currently have a Light Oak pair on display in store, and they are regularly used as a “go-to” for demonstrating moderately priced CD players, turntables, etc. The Oberon 5 produce crisp detail that isn’t harsh or overwhelming to the ears, making them a good all-rounder for any source.

One of the first things I noticed about the Oberon 5 was how light they felt when setting them up. There is often a misconception that heavy speakers make for a better sound, but this isn’t always the case… Developments in materials and manufacturing over the decades has meant that speaker cabinets can be less weighty and their drivers often have lighter neodymium magnets which allows the cone to move faster through their higher magnetic properties, giving the speaker a more detailed sound. It wasn’t until I really took the time to listen to them critically that I appreciated that although they may feel light in weight, they are full-bodied in sound.

It was at this point I realised that I hadn’t even thought of their monetary value. So when I confirmed the price, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing given the experience I just had from them. “Surely they must be more expensive, they sound excellent!”. Some might think that because of their modest price-point that they are of lesser quality, but in fact, the award winning Oberon series are DALI’s intermediate range, sitting above the entry level Spektors. After I learned all of this, the DALI Oberon 5 became something I often recommended and demonstrated to customers who came in to store with a certain price bracket in mind.

“These superb floorstanders are right up there with the best”

— What Hi-Fi? Magazine

TIME TO LISTEN

So for today’s listening session, I hooked the speakers up with the Rega Planar 3, AT-VM95ML cartridge and the Arcam SA20 amplifier. I popped on the Michael Jackson 1987 record “Bad” and away it spun. The beauty of vinyl is the way it re-produces the precision and detail of original recordings, which is complimented by the Oberon 5s. For me, there’s nothing like the needle hitting the record and that moment of analogue silence just before the music kicks in.

The Rega Planar 3 *paired with the* *Audio Technica AT-VM95ML cartridge*

I didn’t need to listen for long to be truly moved by what I was hearing. The bass was tight, the drums were crisp and you could hear the sound of guitar strings being plucked as well as the notes they were producing. Aside from the detail, the music had so much presence and soul. Being an avid audiophile, when listening to music I want it to sound as close to the recording session as possible, and these speakers did just that. The ambience created by the DALI Oberon 5 is unparalleled for its price-point, not to mention the fact that they are very easy on the eye!

CONCLUSION

It’s safe to say from the tone of this article that I’ve been a fan from the beginning, but it’s important to summarise that all the key features of these speakers truly dispel the myth around affordable speakers, and you can get great quality at an affordable price.

Impressed by what you’ve read? Or need a little more convincing? Either way, Contact Us to book a FREE demonstration!

Thanks for reading!

Elena, John & Jason – Audio T Enfield

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DALI can be found at the following Audio T stores:

READ THE OBERON 5: FIVE STAR REVIEW BY WHAT HI-FI?

Offering power and scale that belies its compact form, the 607 S2 Anniversary Edition features the Continuum™ cone and updated crossovers to ensure exceptional resolution and musicality. Ideal for stereo Hi-Fi or Home Cinema surround sound use. These beautifully built, compact, standmount loudspeakers, represent the starting point of Bowers and Wilkins ownership.

Ideal for smaller spaces, the 607 S2 Anniversary Edition uncovers incredible insight and dynamism in your music. Using the same game-changing technologies as its siblings, 607 S2 Anniversary Edition is perfect for enjoying your music or providing surround sound as part of a home theatre system.

Available in three finishes; black, white and oak, they’re sure to look the part in any home!

So what do we think?

One of the biggest changes between the current version and its predecessor was introduced by B&W a year or so ago, and came in the form of moving away from a Kevlar to Continuum mid/ bass drivers. “But what does this actually mean?”, Well, S2 Anniversary as a whole are less coloured and more lively. Personally, here at Audio T Oxford, we are big fans of these newer ranges, be they 600, 700 and 800 series.

Listening through a Rega Elex R amplifier and using a Naim NDX as a source, we started out by playing Rob Wasserman’s “Ballad of the Runaway Horse”.
This is an excellent track for assessing Hi-Fi: The double bass was taught and controlled, whilst Jennifer Warne’s voice, was clear and powerful, lacking the edginess that some metal dome speakers can exhibit. Having said that, if a customer’s room was more on the ‘lively’ side, I would possibly be tempted to recommend a slightly warmer sounding speaker. However, for more typical rooms, especially if on the more compact side of average, these speakers would be ideal. But as we all know, no two listening spaces are the same, so we cater the best systems for your room based on our expert knowledge. So don’t hesitate to Contact Us if you have any queries.

After going through some of our usual evaluation tracks, we relaxed, chose some our favourite tunes, put the kettle on, and just had fun, because if these speakers are anything, then that anything is fun!

Voices and instruments are delivered with purity and precision. Something that is no doubt aided by the Continuum cone, as found in Bowers & Wilkins flagship 800 Series. Once reserved only for their most revered models, Continuum brings you a cleaner and more accurate performance over the previously mentioned Kevlar material.

At the moment, these represent even better value for money, because at Audio T, we are currently selling the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2 Anniversary Edition for £399, with a saving of £100!*

If you would like to hear these great sounding speakers, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for reading.

Jon and Andrew - Audio T Oxford

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Bowers & Wilkins can be found at the following Audio T stores: