DALI Oberon 1C Bookshelf Speaker and Sound Hub Review

Checking out the website, the number of unique and interesting products abounds, the out-of-the-ordinary names really caught my eye, and the designs are impressive. This review will focus on the DALI Oberon 1C bookshelf speaker, along with the separately sold Sound Hub (or Sound Hub Compact), which is required to use them. Let’s jump right into the specs!

My wife walked by while I was unboxing and said the speakers looked amazing, something I have never heard her say about bookshelf speakers before. The light oak finish contrasting against the gray knit of the grilles was something quite unique and modern looking. The Sound Hub was less striking and more muted in gloss black, but it does hide well in a bookcase or on a shelf. The packaging showed excellent attention to detail and care to ensure safe arrival. All cables were nicely labeled and there was no need to dig into the manual to figure out how to plug everything in. Now, on to the setup.

Installation was interesting, almost too easy in fact. The instructions are brief, saying, “You literally only have to connect the power cord to the speakers and the Sound Hub followed by pushing the CONNECT button. Voilà and you are ready to stream from your phone or music server.” Boom, that’s it. That’s all I did, and it just worked. Pretty impressive, and it works great right out of the box. From there, you have a few options: you can use the BluOS app, a direct connection, or Bluetooth. I choose to mainly use Bluetooth for this review to keep it simple and to the point. The design of the rear panel was very intuitive with a lit diagram of which channel the current speaker serves as; handy little feature when setting up or serving the system.

I won’t dive into the Sound Hub (or compact) too much as there are many different plug-in modules and models of speakers to pair it with and instead focus primarily on the Oberon 1Cs. DALI has some key features it emphasizes, like SMC “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.”

Another feature I found intriguing is the lack of need to toe in the speakers. DALI says, “The driver materials, crossover design, and geometry applied in the OBERON C series have 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.” Not only that, but independent Class D amps built into the speakers power each driver at 50 watts peak. The sheer amount of engineering and tech in these speakers is impressive, but is the sound as good as they promise?

Giving way to the excellent setup features and superior design of these speakers, one would expect far above average sound, right? Indeed, these speakers sound fantastic. The soundstage was excellent; even at loud volumes, things were neat and orderly; something I rarely experience, and the highs never felt sharp or tingy. A slight lack of bass is to be expected with bookshelf speakers, but I wouldn’t hold it against them. When DALI says their speakers are not meant to be toed in, it’s like telling me not to wear my seat belt. But I followed their guidance and kept them at a perpendicular angle to the wall and let them fire away.

For fun, DALI claims “a well-integrated sound, even when listening at a significant off-axis angle.” So, I set them up in some odd positions in my home, with 45-degree angles and even pointing away from me. Yet they still sounded pretty good. Why do this? If you’re planning on using them as speakers in an area where you are moving around a bit or working, they sound good no matter where you are in the room. This is a good thing to have for a home gym, by the pool, or in a game room. These speakers simply sound and perform superbly.

The Oberon 1C bookshelf speakers sport some of the best styling I have seen, with a high WAF (wife acceptance factor); they really do rock. While some may not like the required Sound Hub, it does add the ability to upgrade down the line without replacing the speakers. And with its optional NPM-1 module, you get access to BluOS and its huge array of streaming and hardware options. Some small downsides are that the remote doesn’t always work and the price may turn some away. You can save a bit by going with the Sound Hub Compact for $449. It isn’t BluOS or multi-room compatible, but it offers access to various streaming music services, supports aptX-HD Bluetooth, and provides a simpler, more affordable option for both Hi-Fi and as an alternative to a soundbar with your TV.

I feel these were some of the best sounding speakers that I tested in 2021. It’s not just another pretty speaker with a sleek gloss black sound hub, DALI really delivers on all the sound here and more. Highly recommended!